Just over a week ago, I made decisions to go Chromebook. I’ve been a Windows user all my working life, with the exception of a year on an iMac in the late 90s, so this was a pretty big shift for me.
Sure, I’ve used Google Drive for few years, and I mostly email, browse and write document on my laptop; no graphic design or music production for me. It shouldn’t be too bad.
So how is it going after a week.
Highlights
- I’ve obviously got to start with the cost. My last windows laptop cost around £600, while this Asus Chromebook Flip came in at just £240….as per sod’s law, it’s now on offer at £220.
- There are a few perks that come with buying a Chromebook too:
- I’ve scooped an extra 100GB of Google Drive storage for the next two years…that’ll give me enough to time to earn the 1TB from writing local reviews.
- 3 free movies from Google Play, albeit from a limited selection.
- Google Play Music Free for 60 days – dammit, I’m already a subscriber.
- As far as using the chromebook, I’ve been amazed by the speed of the damn thing. I’ve heard feedback on how it slows down with a multitude of tabs open, but I rarely get past 10, so that’s not been an issue.
- I’s light, but then I did go for the tiny 10.1 inch version…
- …yet I’m getting 10 hours battery life with fairly heavy usage.
Challenges
To be honest, the negatives of the chrome book have been fairly minor so far
- I use a few tools that currently work better as stand-alone apps than browser-based websites. Evernote is a good example. it’s just not as fast in the browser and the chrome app is still a little clunky. I also miss the Slack App.
- There are no shortcuts for foreign language characters so you actually have to change the input language if you want to send notes in another language.
- Spreadsheets – I’m comfortable with Google Sheets, but Excel is just easier to use, specifically when you’re playing around with formulas.
- …and that’s it so far.
It’s still early days, but I’m impressed so far. If this continues I might consider the more expensive Pixel.
I moved to a Chromebook in July last year. And I loved it…. and then gradually and slowly, I decided to buy a normal laptop again. I was too reliant on wifi, when it’s often rubbish at home. I think the Microsoft Surface is worth a look as that’s fully functioning, light and looks great.