Tag Archives: chromebook

The Great Chromebook Experiment – Part 2

Yes – I am composing this post on the new Chromebook. I must say – I LOVE THIS MACHINE.

The first big test that this machine passed was…what about running two apps that I desperately need – Microsoft Word and my online poker software. For the first challenge – MS Word – I utilized the online version available with my Microsoft OneDrive account. Worked like a champ in the Google Chrome on the Chromebook.

For the second challenge, the online poker software, I called upon the Google Chrome Remote Desktop app. This also worked like a charm, allowing me to access the home PC and run the software from that machine while accessing it seamlessly in the Chrome browser on the Chromebook.

online-poker-game

Some other things I loved about the Chromebook from initial usage:

  • Battery life – as advertised – it is excellent
  • The overall size and feel
  • The amazing boot and shutdown times
  • The overall simplicity of the OS

For the next big test, I will see how well I can function with this machine OFFLINE. Several of you have asked about this and I have yet to do any testing with it.

The Great Chromebook Experiment – Part 1

20140816_182247

So I would love a new Macbook Air – who wouldn’t??? My main motivation would be battery life. But alas, I have a first world problem. I already own a powerhouse Macbook Pro system. The battery life depresses me on that tricked-out retina display system, but I just cannot bring myself to sell it and “step down” to the Air.

So I was poking around a local Best Buy and was reminded of Chromebooks thanks to a display unit. Hmmm, this would scratch my itch for a 9 hour battery life laptop device. Yes, yes, I know – they are strange Internet-only devices, but at $299 from Amazon.com, I decided I had to give it a try.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There are cheaper Chrombooks – I went with the highly rated and pricier Samsung Chromebook 2 model with twice the RAM of typical Chromebooks. Typical seems to be 2 GB. There is no way I am trusting a system with only 2 GB of RAM. 🙂

In this series of posts, I will be detailing my results with this grand experiment. I, like you I am sure, am hoping for the best. My unit just arrived (depicted above) and tomorrow’s post will feature what the hell happens when I turn it on. 🙂