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Chromebooks - latest news and discussion

The OneDrive space included with Office 365 is actually 1tb per account and you can have up to 6 accounts on one subscription so you can have up to 6tb storage, if you register all the accounts you can with the sub, and share access to the drives with each one.
 
Like phones. Not like computers. You'd need to find some pretty ancient hardware that won't run Win 10, even if perhaps you can, maybe you shouldn't.
A PC can run Windows 10 and still not qualify for all the security patches. Some older hardware will run the OS, but not have updates for the actual hardware any more. Most older Intel chips will never get a Spectre mitigation. The reason why Android phones run out of updates so early is to avoid this sort of nonsense. They could conceivably continue to update the OS, but the vendor (Qualcomm) no longer supports the SoC with updates. So they take an all or nothing approach to it.
 
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.

Thanks for the helpful info, good to know I have some options after EOL.
 
Oldest child's chromebook screen, though not physically broken, has gone awry, see below. She insists she didn't drop it and it didn't fall off anything (unlike the last two :hmm: ). My other half says a circular shaped fuzzy bit on the top centre of screen suggests an impact of something, but most of the problem looks like it may be caused by connection problem between keyboard and screen. The machine is just over a year old.

Regardless of how it was caused, does anyone know if likely to be fixable?

20211001_175657.jpg
 
You don't know, or doesn't look salvageable?
i once posted a picture on here of my laptop screen looking like that after bouncing it off my bed when sitting down. I got told unanimously it was borked
I had to get a new laptop. iirc i could have replaced the inverter and possibly the screen, which would have cost more
than i paid for it as it was a piece of shit
 
Oldest child's chromebook screen, though not physically broken, has gone awry, see below. She insists she didn't drop it and it didn't fall off anything (unlike the last two :hmm: ). My other half says a circular shaped fuzzy bit on the top centre of screen suggests an impact of something, but most of the problem looks like it may be caused by connection problem between keyboard and screen. The machine is just over a year old.

Regardless of how it was caused, does anyone know if likely to be fixable?

View attachment 290860
That’s definitely had an impact of some sort.
 
She's still insistent nothing happened to it, but she said that of the last-but-one machine where I saw it on the floor after after seen it placed slightly precariously by her on a chair. :hmm:

I'm going to dig that out and see if screen can be replaced (it was a half decent machine so might be worth the cost). The 2nd one she broke was a cheap POS that we shared and I hated using so wasn't too bothered when she dropped it while running down the stairs with it open, despite having been told multiple times not to walk around with it opened. This latest was bought for her exclusive use assuming she'd learned her lesson. If I can fix my old one, she'll get this POS I'm typing on, and it will live on her desk and nowhere else. :facepalm:
 
Hi. We've had to rearrange the house a bit for various reasons and my trusty old HP all in one desktop is no longer as accessible as it was. I need a laptop, and I think I've decided a 14" Chromebook is the way to go. the desktop is still available when I need it, I just want something to internet on.

Anyone got one of these? Any good? Are Acer any good generally? Reviews seem OK.


I went and played with an Acer 514 at Curry's at £239., and this just looks like the John Lewis version.

The price is right, but I'd pay £50 more for something that was a lot better. They all look much of a muchness to me though.

I read something that said the Intel Celeron processor is fine for running one or two tabs, but I generally have 4 or 5 open.(Urban/twitter/FB/email) Is this likely to be a real problem or just a theoretical one? I don't do gaming.

Sorry - I'm hopeless at this, and the thought of a new device terrifies me. This isn't going to break the bank, but I don't want to end up with something that doesn't work for me.

Thanks
 
Celeron is fine, it's RAM you need for multiple tabs. But I don't think there are many 2GB ones left out there - 4 is quite adequate.

The one thing I'd pay extra for is a touchscreen, as it does help with some Android apps.
 
Celeron is fine, it's RAM you need for multiple tabs. But I don't think there are many 2GB ones left out there - 4 is quite adequate.

The one thing I'd pay extra for is a touchscreen, as it does help with some Android apps.
Thanks.

I don’t really know what an Android App is and generally struggle with touchscreens. I can just about cope with this phone, but I haven’t really got the hang of it!
 
Hi. We've had to rearrange the house a bit for various reasons and my trusty old HP all in one desktop is no longer as accessible as it was. I need a laptop, and I think I've decided a 14" Chromebook is the way to go. the desktop is still available when I need it, I just want something to internet on.

Anyone got one of these? Any good? Are Acer any good generally? Reviews seem OK.


I went and played with an Acer 514 at Curry's at £239., and this just looks like the John Lewis version.

The price is right, but I'd pay £50 more for something that was a lot better. They all look much of a muchness to me though.

I read something that said the Intel Celeron processor is fine for running one or two tabs, but I generally have 4 or 5 open.(Urban/twitter/FB/email) Is this likely to be a real problem or just a theoretical one? I don't do gaming.

Sorry - I'm hopeless at this, and the thought of a new device terrifies me. This isn't going to break the bank, but I don't want to end up with something that doesn't work for me.

Thanks

Looks like an update of mine which is still serving well after a good few years. The only thing I'd comment is to get a 1080p screen if you can. My Dad got a similar one to me at the same time with the 720 display and the difference was huge
 
Thanks.

I don’t really know what an Android App is and generally struggle with touchscreens. I can just about cope with this phone, but I haven’t really got the hang of it!
Basically, any modern Chromebook will run most (but strangely not all, looking at you Minecraft) phone apps. If that's useless to you, then a touchscreen is neither here nor there.
 
Hi. We've had to rearrange the house a bit for various reasons and my trusty old HP all in one desktop is no longer as accessible as it was. I need a laptop, and I think I've decided a 14" Chromebook is the way to go. the desktop is still available when I need it, I just want something to internet on.

Anyone got one of these? Any good? Are Acer any good generally? Reviews seem OK.


I went and played with an Acer 514 at Curry's at £239., and this just looks like the John Lewis version.

The price is right, but I'd pay £50 more for something that was a lot better. They all look much of a muchness to me though.

I read something that said the Intel Celeron processor is fine for running one or two tabs, but I generally have 4 or 5 open.(Urban/twitter/FB/email) Is this likely to be a real problem or just a theoretical one? I don't do gaming.

Sorry - I'm hopeless at this, and the thought of a new device terrifies me. This isn't going to break the bank, but I don't want to end up with something that doesn't work for me.

Thanks
I have that. I have lots of tabs open and it works fine. The screen is a bit shit for colors, and the track pad and keyboard feels a bit cheap but I am v happy with it for college stuff. Will be fine for general internet.
 
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Thinking of selling mine whilst it still has a bit of value. I've been given a laptop by work so seems silly having two portable machines. I still can't knock what good value it was though. Took me getting a laptop near a £1000 to compete in terms of form factor and battery life.
 
Having sought advice here, I got the Acer 314 from John Lewis just aver a month ago. It has packed up. Just won't turn on at all. I have entered the Kafkaesque world of Customer "Support".

People kindly warned me about various shortcomings above. I can confirm that
a) it can be a bit slow
b) the screen resolution isn't brilliant
c) the sound is awful.

I guess you get what you pay for and I only paid £200. Bit of a shame it didn't last very long.
 
Having sought advice here, I got the Acer 314 from John Lewis just aver a month ago. It has packed up. Just won't turn on at all. I have entered the Kafkaesque world of Customer "Support".

People kindly warned me about various shortcomings above. I can confirm that
a) it can be a bit slow
b) the screen resolution isn't brilliant
c) the sound is awful.

I guess you get what you pay for and I only paid £200. Bit of a shame it didn't last very long.
Should have lasted a bit longer than a month! Does John Lewis have a good returns policy/ warranty thing? I can't afford to shop so I don't know.
I miss having a chromebook and would have another one in a flash if I could. I've had a few over the years that all lasted a very long time but my rough treatment of them done them in, in the end.
 
Having sought advice here, I got the Acer 314 from John Lewis just aver a month ago. It has packed up. Just won't turn on at all. I have entered the Kafkaesque world of Customer "Support".

People kindly warned me about various shortcomings above. I can confirm that
a) it can be a bit slow
b) the screen resolution isn't brilliant
c) the sound is awful.

I guess you get what you pay for and I only paid £200. Bit of a shame it didn't last very long.

Well you’ll be covered by warranty. Is the sound still crap with headphones?
 
Should have lasted a bit longer than a month! Does John Lewis have a good returns policy/ warranty thing? I can't afford to shop so I don't know.
I miss having a chromebook and would have another one in a flash if I could. I've had a few over the years that all lasted a very long time but my rough treatment of them done them in, in the end.
Yeah, I'm covered. Their policies are meant to be good. Never had to actually claim under a policy before though
 
Having sought advice here, I got the Acer 314 from John Lewis just aver a month ago. It has packed up. Just won't turn on at all. I have entered the Kafkaesque world of Customer "Support".

People kindly warned me about various shortcomings above. I can confirm that
a) it can be a bit slow
b) the screen resolution isn't brilliant
c) the sound is awful.

I guess you get what you pay for and I only paid £200. Bit of a shame it didn't last very long.
John Lewis are usually one of the best for customer service and Chromebooks should definitely work longer than a month!

For what it's worth, I've been using a £199 Chromebook for DJing and it's always sounded great. The speakers are what you might expect for the price though...
 
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