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Chromebooks - latest news and discussion

I figured I might get the wee one a CB if the schools stay shut much longer. Looked around, found one I liked... turns out it's Currys exclusive and they're out of stock! Bah! (Acer CB314 Touch. The Touch model is a DSG exclusive)
 
UnderAnOpenSky said:
It's bonkers. I like my Chromebook, but for £800 you could get a Windows machine with few compromises.
Click to expand...
True, but a Windows machine would still be slower to start up, more faff and still needing anti-virus and those endless fucking updates! I'm interested in the Go because it has what some have described as the best keyboard in the business.
 
I got a secondhand Surface Book i7, 512Gb SSD, 16Gb RAM, 2 graphics processors (1Gb Intel in the removeable screen and 2Gb Nvidia in the keyboard) and 2 batteries (one in screen, one in keyboard) giving me lots of battery life for £810 from CEX. They're doing the same one for £740 now. It starts from cold and gets me to the desktop after identifying me with the infrared camera in a little over 10 seconds. That's fast enough for me.
 
chandlerp said:
I got a secondhand Surface Book i7, 512Gb SSD, 16Gb RAM, 2 graphics processors (1Gb Intel in the removeable screen and 2Gb Nvidia in the keyboard) and 2 batteries (one in screen, one in keyboard) giving me lots of battery life for £810 from CEX. They're doing the same one for £740 now. It starts from cold and gets me to the desktop after identifying me with the infrared camera in a little over 10 seconds. That's fast enough for me.
Click to expand...
That's great if it works for you. Chromebooks are quite different to Windows (I use both every day) and I prefer the speed and simplicity of CBooks over Windows laptops every time when I'm out and about. My £199 CBook takes about 3 seconds to start up and the battery lasts longer than I've ever needed it to!
 
Decided to get the boy a Lenovo C340-11", since Lenovo still had some in stock and were willing to ship.
Nice little bit of kit for £299. I got the 64GB version to account for his rather broad taste in Android games. On an 11" screen, the 1366x768 resolution doesn't seem so limiting as on a larger machine. Plus it's mostly for homework and games, not media consumption.

One disappointment is that you can't activate the Linux subsystem while under parental control. I suppose you could subvert the controls with Linux access, but quite frankly if he manages that then he deserves to have control over it! It only really matters because the only way to play Minecraft on ChromeOS is to use Linux to do it.
 
The one place the cost-cutting really shows is the size. Yes, it's an 11" screen. But the package as a whole is the same depth and maybe 2cm narrower than my 13" Latitude. It's got huge bezels!
 
I've had my pixel go since it was released and it's converted me to chromeos as my daily personal device, I use a Mac for work and don't really have a choice although the 15inch mbp weights a fuckton compared to my pbg.

I've been thinking of getting a tablet because I'm hanging around a lot and want it for media (books, video, comics etc) so have been very keen to get hold of the Lenovo IdeaPad duet which looks to be a bargain.

Lenovo has a UK product page up now, no price yet.

IdeaPad Duet Chromebook | 2-in-1 Chromebook

Meet the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, a 2-in-1 Chromebook for fun and business, with detachable full-sized keyboard.
www.lenovo.com
 
bemused said:
I've had my pixel go since it was released and it's converted me to chromeos as my daily personal device, I use a Mac for work and don't really have a choice although the 15inch mbp weights a fuckton compared to my pbg.

I've been thinking of getting a tablet because I'm hanging around a lot and want it for media (books, video, comics etc) so have been very keen to get hold of the Lenovo IdeaPad duet which looks to be a bargain.

Lenovo has a UK product page up now, no price yet.

IdeaPad Duet Chromebook | 2-in-1 Chromebook

Meet the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, a 2-in-1 Chromebook for fun and business, with detachable full-sized keyboard.
www.lenovo.com
Click to expand...
I'm not really a fan of the detachable tablet/keyboard combo (I had two Asus Android ones and found I hardly ever used the tablet on its own) but the Lenovo one looks a good option.

 
Here's hoping it's not too pricey, given they've opted for a 3 generations old CPU. I'm sure it's still fast enough, but it bugs me when they charge the moon for design and put crummy internals in it.

(The Mediatek inside has A73s as the "Big" cores. We've had A75, A76, and A77 since then and, if nothing else, they're all more efficient with power as well as quicker)
 
This is getting very very good reviews

Lenovo Chromebook Duet




With that in mind, this is the closest to perfection that I’ve ever seen from a $300 laptop-slash-tablet. If you’re looking for a fun device for kids that can also handle homeschooling work, or a portable 2-in-1 for watching Netflix and sending emails on the go, the Duet should do just fine. It’s a solid midrange 2-in-1 Chromebook that has no business being as cheap as it is.
Click to expand...

www.theverge.com

Lenovo Chromebook Duet review: this has no business costing so little

Finally, a Chrome OS tablet you should actually buy
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
 
I need a Chromebook suggestion please :)

For a kid starting senior school
Primarily for schoolwork :hmm: but no doubt loads of video streaming and such.
Needs to be hard wearing as it will be lugged around on school buses, sports fields and such.
Would be a big plus if it had the capability to plug into a monitor/screen.

Cheap is good (kid will probably break it :rolleyes:) and they said the top budget is £200

Are there any education grants or schemes they could use? I had a search and found some (like this) but not an area I know.
 
Even Chromebooks are pretty shit at £200. I'd try and push it out to £250 for something a bit more modern.

That being said, this isn't a bad buy at £200:

ASUS Chromebook C223, Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC, 11.6", Grey

Buy ASUS Chromebook C223, Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC, 11.6", Grey from our View All Laptops & MacBooks range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com www.johnlewis.com
 
Found this one (refurb) which looks alright :rolleyes:
www.ebay.co.uk

HP 14-ca050sa 14" AMD A4 Chromebook - 32 GB eMMC, Grey | eBay

We're here to help! Collections direct from our warehouse are not available. The right of cancellation does not apply in the following circumstances Not available for non pristine appliances. Security features:Kensington NanoSaver security lock.
www.ebay.co.uk

I have had two Lenovo Chromebooks myself and they have been excellent but assume HP or other similar will be fine
 
Chz said:
Even Chromebooks are pretty shit at £200. I'd try and push it out to £250 for something a bit more modern.

That being said, this isn't a bad buy at £200:

ASUS Chromebook C223, Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC, 11.6", Grey

Buy ASUS Chromebook C223, Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC, 11.6", Grey from our View All Laptops & MacBooks range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com www.johnlewis.com
Click to expand...
The machine I use most (normal) days is a £199 Chromebook and it's ace!
 
Can anyone tell me how to set vlc as the default music player on an Acer CB3 series Chromebook? The 'supplied' player won't play .flac format.
 
Chz said:
Here's hoping it's not too pricey, given they've opted for a 3 generations old CPU. I'm sure it's still fast enough, but it bugs me when they charge the moon for design and put crummy internals in it.

(The Mediatek inside has A73s as the "Big" cores. We've had A75, A76, and A77 since then and, if nothing else, they're all more efficient with power as well as quicker)
Click to expand...
We have had Lenovo tablets for a while, they are fast, very fast, faster than my Acer Chromebook in fact.
 
Sasaferrato said:
Can anyone tell me how to set vlc as the default music player on an Acer CB3 series Chromebook? The 'supplied' player won't play .flac format.
Click to expand...
This help?

To set VLC as your default player, head into your File browser on your system and find a video or audio file—any media file will do. Right-click on your selection, and instead of selecting “Open with Video Player,” tap “More actions…” This will bring up a prompt to select your video player. Select VLC from this menu, and VLC will open. Before your video begins playing, you’ll receive a prompt similar to the default app menu on Android, asking you to open the video with a specific player. Tap on “VLC,” and tap “Always” if you want to use VLC as your default media player, or “Just Once” if you don’t want VLC to be your default. If you find a new file type you’re trying to open in VLC instead of Chrome’s Video Player, just follow the same steps to open the file through VLC.
Click to expand...

www.techjunkie.com

How To Use VLC on Your Chromebook

Most people understand how Windows or MacOS uses applications; you open an executable file, which installs the application onto your machine's hard drive. Once the application is installed, you can open and use it as you like. Chrome OS
www.techjunkie.com www.techjunkie.com
.
 
Another glowing review. It is outrageously cheap for what you get.

chromeunboxed.com

Lenovo Chromebook Duet Review: unreal value

Let's get this out of the way up front: Chrome OS on tablets has been pretty bad up to this point. Whether it was the lack of a proper tablet UI, the poorly considered first attempt at a new tablet UI on the Slate, or simply the fault of slow, cheap hardware, the overall experience...
chromeunboxed.com chromeunboxed.com
 
Looks like Lenovo have hit another ace here. It's 'coming soon' to the UK.

To put it simply, buy this Chromebook. It has already become my go-to recommendation for anyone looking at a mid-range Chromebook that feels way more like a high-end device than it ought to. It is fast, it looks good, it feels great, it has all day battery, it gets updates for 8 years, and it is affordable. There’s just not much more I need to say, here.
Click to expand...


Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook Review: the new measuring stick




chromeunboxed.com

Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook Review: the new measuring stick

Chromebooks have come a long way in the decade they have existed. In the early days, it was all about delivering a cheap, affordable device to house Chrome OS on since the software really wasn't up to the task of being a full-blown replacement for something like Windows, Linux or MacOS. In a lot...
chromeunboxed.com chromeunboxed.com

IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook | Powerful 13" Chromebook

When inspiration strikes, grab your IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook. With next-gen Intel® processing, up to 10 hours of battery life, and super fast WiFi and Internet connectivity.
www.lenovo.com
 
Given what CCDs cost these days, these 720p cameras they keep shipping are an annoyance. You don't need a 16MP camera for video chat, but 720p is just taking the piss. It's quite noticeably lower quality than using my phone. (From the budget, 11" version of the Flex 5)
 
Fuck Chromebooks. Yet another tentacle of the Google/Alphabet monopoly monster. I hope it withers and dies.
 
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