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| Photo by Google Chrome Blog |
by Bill Adler
In the debate over what's the best travel laptop or
device --the Mac Air, iPad, Android tablet, Windows Ultrabook-- Google's
Chromebook often gets overlooked. But if you're thinking about a laptop for
travel, it's worth giving a few minutes' consideration to this very versatile
and capable machine.
I've been using a Chromebook ever since it first came
out, and if there's one feature that sets Google's Chromebook apart from every
other portable device, it's that it never becomes obsolete. My Chromebook,
actually a pre-release beta version, is fast, powerful, and does everything I
expect it to do.
How goes Google accomplish this? How can hardware be
future-proof? Most of what the Chromebook, http://amzn.to/PQYNEq, does is cloud computing: It connects to Gmail, Google Docs, and all Google
services; it browses the web; it makes use of mini-programs via Google Chrome
extensions; it lets you manage your tasks, contacts, calendar, and watch movies
online -- just about anything you might want to do while on the road. But it
needs the Internet to work at full capability.
There's no setup, no software updates, no software
patches, no viruses to worry about. Using a Chromebook is stress-free
computing, even more so than with an iPad.
I often travel with my iPad. There are times when I've
left my Chromebook at home, but wish I had the versatility that comes with a
full keyboard, trackpad and function keys that the iPad doesn't have.
If you're tired of driver updates, cryptic error
messages, and being on hold with tech support, then a Chromebook might be just
what you need. Chromebooks are computing minus all the hassle.
If you use Gmail, Google Calendar, or Chrome as your
browser, it's a treat to turn on your Chromebook and have everything the way
you saw it last on your PC.
On a Chromebook, you can easily switch between users, and
when you log in, all your settings are exactly the way you left them. Which
brings me to this important caveat about Chromebooks: If you're not tied into
the Google universe, a Chromebook may not be for you. Chromebooks are the big
brother of Google's Chrome browser. The real beauty of using a Chromebook is
that all of your desktop or regular laptop's settings in Chrome are mirrored on
the Chromebook. Tabs, extensions, privacy settings, bookmarks -- they're all
there by Google magic. Chromebooks are part of Google, so unless you use Gmail
or Chrome as your web browser, there's probably no extra advantage to getting a
Chromebook over, say a Mac Air or Windows laptop.
At $450, http://amzn.to/PQYNEq, the Chromebook is one of the most affordable laptop options.
Chromebooks boot fast: 7 seconds from power on to work.
No mechanical hard drive means that the Chromebook is durable, too. I can
personally attest to the fact that it can survive a close encounter with Dr.
Brown's Diet Black Cherry soda.
Chromebooks come with other features, too, including a
webcam, video output port, USB ports, wired ethernet port, and a 4-in-1 memory
card. Battery life is about 6 hours.
Unlike a Windows laptop, a Chromebook doesn't slow down
with age. If you use Windows, you're familiar with the un-joy of an aging
computer that takes longer to boot than it takes to brew a cup of coffee. After
three years, my first edition Chromebook is as fast as it was on the very first
day.
You could spend $700 and up on a Windows netbook, $1,000
or more on a Mac Air, or for $450 you could have a lightweight (3 pounds),
speedy, traveling laptop that's perfectly integrated with your desktop browser.
---
Bill Adler is the co-publisher of the Cleveland Park
Listserv, www.cleveland-park.com.
He is the author of "Boys and Their Toys: Understanding Men by
Understanding Their Relationship with Gadgets," http://amzn.to/rspOft. He tweets at
@billadler.
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