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Chromebooks - latest news and discussion

I did buy a stripped down laptop once with the idea of being able to control my desktop from anywhere. Great idea but kind of need 5G to be fully implemented and matured for it to actually work.
 
The iPad exists sort of in its own little niche. Just like a screwdriver is the best thing for twisting screws, the iPad is the best thing for doing iPad things. I realise that's a bit unhelpful, but the fact of the matter is that what the iPad is best at is things that really only work on the iPad. A Chromebook is a better office app device, a Fire or Android tablet is - well, not a better media consumption device, but a fuckload cheaper and just as good. A PC is better at running legacy apps and having access to the guts of things. Most of the iPad's killer apps are either exclusives, or work very differently on the iPad.

So whether you should buy an iPad comes down to whether you want to do iPad things. Either that or you've got a lot of money to spare for a media consumption device that's prettier than the Fire 10HD. (I realise you can get a keyboard and use an iPad for office shit, but that's literally more expensive than most capable laptops)
 
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FWIW, that's the great strength of Amazon's ecosystem. I've tried syncing across multiple devices with a Kobo and it blows goats.
 
editor said:
Have you tried this? Kindle Cloud Reader

www.omgchrome.com

How to Read Kindle Books Offline on a Chromebook - OMG! Chrome

Kindle readers have long been able to read book purchases online, on tablets and on a PC or Mac for a while. But how does one go about reading Kindle books on a Chromebook?
www.omgchrome.com www.omgchrome.com
Click to expand...
yeah, i’ve been using that, but would like the offline option too
Orang Utan said:
I didn't know that, Throbbing Angel - have only managed to access the Kindle Cloud Reader on Android in the past
Click to expand...
 
Slightly off topic, but I am hoping for some advice here. I was wondering about buying a Chromebook for my 91 year old father. He is not exactly computer literate - I spend far more time than I want to trying to help him sort out computer problems over the phone - but I do think he may need a new laptop because his is slow and bits of it just don't work. It runs Windows 10, but he has never grasped what he is doing anyway, so it is not like he will have to relearn anything.

Those of you who have Chromebooks - is it easy for someone to send emails and write documents? Would he be able to access all his Word documents, or would they need to be converted?

He already uses Chrome for web searches, although he keeps ending up with some search engine other than google, and I have never managed to work out why - I change it back whenever I visit, but I don't visit often.

Anyway - thoughts?
 
if he used Chrome already on a smartphone, it wouldn’t be too much of a challenge for him. I’d present it to him as essentially a big smartphone with a proper keyboard and a decent size screen. It’s not as involved as using a Windows PC - way fewer updates and installations that can confuse people.
I’ve used the Open Office version of Word and never had any trouble converting, though it does warn you elements may be lost - this hasn’t happened to me but i’ve only been dealing with pure text documents
 
Guineveretoo said:
Slightly off topic, but I am hoping for some advice here. I was wondering about buying a Chromebook for my 91 year old father. He is not exactly computer literate - I spend far more time than I want to trying to help him sort out computer problems over the phone - but I do think he may need a new laptop because his is slow and bits of it just don't work. It runs Windows 10, but he has never grasped what he is doing anyway, so it is not like he will have to relearn anything.

Those of you who have Chromebooks - is it easy for someone to send emails and write documents? Would he be able to access all his Word documents, or would they need to be converted?

He already uses Chrome for web searches, although he keeps ending up with some search engine other than google, and I have never managed to work out why - I change it back whenever I visit, but I don't visit often.

Anyway - thoughts?
Click to expand...
Sounds ideal for him tbh :)
 
(btw I don’t use Google on my Chrome browser, I’ve found DuckDuckGo to be just as good and not as nosey, but wouldn’t want to complicate things if Google works for him)
 
Chz said:
The iPad exists sort of in its own little niche. Just like a screwdriver is the best thing for twisting screws, the iPad is the best thing for doing iPad things. I realise that's a bit unhelpful, but the fact of the matter is that what the iPad is best at is things that really only work on the iPad. A Chromebook is a better office app device, a Fire or Android tablet is - well, not a better media consumption device, but a fuckload cheaper and just as good. A PC is better at running legacy apps and having access to the guts of things. Most of the iPad's killer apps are either exclusives, or work very differently on the iPad.

So whether you should buy an iPad comes down to whether you want to do iPad things. Either that or you've got a lot of money to spare for a media consumption device that's prettier than the Fire 10HD. (I realise you can get a keyboard and use an iPad for office shit, but that's literally more expensive than most capable laptops)
Click to expand...

iPad and Google Docs or Pages or any other free word processor + a £20ish Bluetooth keyboard = Office Shit

I think the iPad is great for Non iPad Things as you call them and use it for NiT all the time/every day. Thing is, most things are available on the iPad.

I got a BT Apple keyboard (older model) for £22 in CEX, currently a tenner! And away you go. I have a BT mouse but I can't be bothered setting that up with the iPad.
 
Throbbing Angel said:
I think the iPad is great for Non iPad Things
Click to expand...
Certainly. But it's not better than the alternatives and quite a lot dearer in most cases. You wouldn't buy one with the purpose of using it that way. You lock yourself into the ecosystem because you want the stuff that it does best.

I can hook a BT keyboard up to the Fire tablet and use it to edit my spreadsheets. But I don't. Because it would suck compared to doing it on the laptop next to it or the PC downstairs. The iPad Pro might be alright at that, but that plus a new keyboard would cost more than the laptop and PC put together. And it still wouldn't be better at it.
 
Chz said:
Certainly. But it's not better than the alternatives and quite a lot dearer in most cases. You wouldn't buy one with the purpose of using it that way. You lock yourself into the ecosystem because you want the stuff that it does best.

I can hook a BT keyboard up to the Fire tablet and use it to edit my spreadsheets. But I don't. Because it would suck compared to doing it on the laptop next to it or the PC downstairs. The iPad Pro might be alright at that, but that plus a new keyboard would cost more than the laptop and PC put together. And it still wouldn't be better at it.
Click to expand...

I'd largely agree with that.

Anything with a proper keyboard+mouse/trackpad just makes stuff easier imho. That was one of the reasons I bought my first Chromebook in 2015 (I think) mainly for writing on and was something with a larger screen and was very light compared to most laptops at the time. A Think & Light laptop that is a fast as a Chromebook is still an expensive item by comparison.

It is always going to be very subjective and there's no singular 'right' depending on user needs and usage patterns. /work mode
 
Throbbing Angel said:
I'd largely agree with that.

Anything with a proper keyboard+mouse/trackpad just makes stuff easier imho. That was one of the reasons I bought my first Chromebook in 2015 (I think) mainly for writing on and was something with a larger screen and was very light compared to most laptops at the time. A Think & Light laptop that is a fast as a Chromebook is still an expensive item by comparison.

It is always going to be very subjective and there's no singular 'right' depending on user needs and usage patterns. /work mode
Click to expand...

Absolutely this. When I bought mine a few years ago it would have 3 to 4 times the price for a similar form factor and battery life Windows machine that didn't run like a dog. Unlike some on this thread I actually prefer Windows, but I didn't use a laptop enough to justify such a purchase when I do most of what I need on a desktop and phone.
 
Chz said:
The iPad exists sort of in its own little niche. Just like a screwdriver is the best thing for twisting screws, the iPad is the best thing for doing iPad things. I realise that's a bit unhelpful, but the fact of the matter is that what the iPad is best at is things that really only work on the iPad. A Chromebook is a better office app device, a Fire or Android tablet is - well, not a better media consumption device, but a fuckload cheaper and just as good. A PC is better at running legacy apps and having access to the guts of things. Most of the iPad's killer apps are either exclusives, or work very differently on the iPad.

So whether you should buy an iPad comes down to whether you want to do iPad things. Either that or you've got a lot of money to spare for a media consumption device that's prettier than the Fire 10HD. (I realise you can get a keyboard and use an iPad for office shit, but that's literally more expensive than most capable laptops)
Click to expand...
I'm put off the Fire HD 10 because I had a Fire 8 afew years ago - and its the only device I've ever bought and really not liked - also I want to have access to google apps - not the amazon version.

The thing with Chromebooks - not that I've ever had one - is that this thread seems to be alot about workarounds to do stuff with them - whereas - you can go elsewhere and buy a device that just does it.. :confused:

(ETA: I don't mean that to sound snarky btw)
 
Hollis said:
I'm put off the Fire HD 10 because I had a Fire 8 afew years ago - and its the only device I've ever bought and really not liked - also I want to have access to google apps - not the amazon version.

The thing with Chromebooks - not that I've ever had one - is that this thread seems to be alot about workarounds to do stuff with them - whereas - you can go elsewhere and buy a device that just does it.. :confused:

(ETA: I don't mean that to sound snarky btw)
Click to expand...
I don't know. I use my Chromebook every day and it's the most effortless machine I've ever used.
 
Hollis said:
I'm put off the Fire HD 10 because I had a Fire 8 afew years ago - and its the only device I've ever bought and really not liked - also I want to have access to google apps - not the amazon version.

The thing with Chromebooks - not that I've ever had one - is that this thread seems to be alot about workarounds to do stuff with them - whereas - you can go elsewhere and buy a device that just does it.. :confused:

(ETA: I don't mean that to sound snarky btw)
Click to expand...

You can remove the Amazon stuff and put Google on which makes them great value when they have a sale.
 
What are chromebook users experience with their device after their end of life?

How usable are chromebooks after updates and support stop?
 
Hamann said:
What are chromebook users experience with their device after their end of life?

How usable are chromebooks after updates and support stop?
Click to expand...
Plenty of options here:

Continue Like Normal​

It’s the end of life of your Chrome OS, not the end of the world. While it’s no doubt that you can forget about any bug fixes, security updates, or other improvements to your operating system, it’s still possible to keep on using your Chromebook just the way you were before. In fact, you can use it as long as you can, up until the very moment that the device breaks down itself. This is why there’s a high degree of uncertainty here because it’s very well understood that your system could stop working at any moment.

That’s not the case with everyone, however. People have used their Chromebooks for long beyond their update expiry date. One helpful tip that can increase your Chrome OS’s longevity is browsing safely and being wary of what you install. Phishing scams, malware, buggy applications are teeming on the Internet, the Play Store, and even the Chrome Web Store. Keep an eye out for danger, and you’ll do just fine.

Upgrade​

The prompt that says your device is no longer supported by Google obviously hints towards purchasing a newer, better Chromebook. Out of every other option, you can take this road upfront and treat yourself to a brand-spanking-new Chrome OS. To save big bucks and get amazing value for your money, we suggest waiting for shopping holidays such as Black Friday, Christmas, or any other occasion for grabbing great deals.

Moreover, a newer model will ensure that you’re secure with your purchase for a good amount of time. The latest Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, for one, has an AUE date of June 2028. Google has made this policy to constantly provide updates to an already up to speed system, only for the betterment of the overall experience, and to make it certain that users don’t use outdated models for an exceedingly long duration.

Reinvigorate your Chromebook With Ubuntu Linux​

You might already be familiar with the small-scale Linux Terminal on your Chromebook. It’s great to install powerful applications such as GNU and find yourself a substitute for mainstream programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat. However, under this heading, we do not refer to this Linux, rather the Ubuntu Linux downloadable on your Chromebook through a program called Crouton.

This is one of the many Linux distributions that power your Chromebook in quite a unique way. Moreover, you can easily go back and forth between Ubuntu Linux and Chrome OS using Crouton, so there’s a plus. This new operating system breathes freshness into your device and lets you benefit from a highly refined interface instead. However, do note that before proceeding with installing anything of the like, you will need to enable the Developer Mode.

Download and Install CloudReady​

CloudReady is a standalone operating system that’s used to run Chrome OS on Windows and Mac devices. Although it differs fairly well from a Chromebook’s native OS, there are several similarities. Nonetheless, as you install CloudReady on your device, not only you’ll start to receive regular updates for your device, but your musty old Chromebook will have something new to begin working with.

The process might get hefty at times, and you might even run into some bugs and glitches along the way, but the result is what makes all the endeavor worth it. CloudReady has its own distinct interface that resembles Chrome OS very much at times, but what matters the most is getting your device back to full functionality, and it does just that.

chromeready.com

Chromebook Update Stopped? Your End-of-Life Solutions

Understand Chromebook End-of-Life (EOL) policy, its implications for your device, and the steps you can take once your Chromebook reaches its EOL date.
chromeready.com chromeready.com
 
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