Thinking about buying a Chromebook

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SMaxxin

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With mother's day coming up I'm thinking about buying a chromebook for my wife. I don't know much about them so I'm hoping some of you can point me in the right direction. This will be used home and on the go so I want one with an 11-12" screen, it only needs to handle social medi and web browsing....Opinions, suggestions?
 
I got one for my wife a few years back. Didn't have it very long, she didn't care for the screen size and lack of touch screen (I don't think she picked one out with a touch screen) and lack of windows applications. Ended up getting her a 10.1" android tablet with bluetooth keyboard portfolio thing. She used that almost daily for a couple years. Then decided she wanted something more PC and decided she didn't need the touch screen. Ended up with a laptop. Didn't really matter if it was "mobile" or not as it never leaves/left the house, except when I'd take the tablet when we went for a dr's visit or something and I'd either stream a movie or have one on an SD. I lacked the confidence in her decision, so went cheap and got a refurb i5 w7 15" dell latitude off tigerdirect. After a month or so, she liked it and used it constantly. I maxed out the ram and threw in a 250G SSD. That was 4 years ago and she's still on the thing daily. She gets all freaked out when I ask for it so I can clone the drive and do any updates/cleaning house on it to keep it tip top every month. Figured with the SSD, making a clone of the HD monthly is just a good fail safe in case it dies on her.

Wow... I'm chatty... Anyway, I'd ask what she really wants and have her try some various devices at the store vs just getting something you think she'd like. My wife and I just had our 17th anniversary... Took me a while to realize that for things she may use everyday that don't come in a Tiffany's box or Coach silk storage bag, it's best to ask first. ;)
 
@SMaxxin I've owned a Chromebook now for at least a year or two if not longer. In fact I have a ChromeBOX (desktop unit) and a Chromebook (laptop) and think they are perfect for my needs. That's the most important thing to remember, your needs or in this case HER needs. If she needs to run Windows apps then she's going to be unhappy with a Chromebook just as @olds97_lss wife.

if she just wants something that's silly fast, little to zero worry about getting a virus/malware, and just wants to surf the internet (including social) then a Chromebook is a perfect fit. If you guys are already Android users then a Chromebook will be even better as you might already use Google Docs, Drive, etc and all of that will easily be accessible on her chromebook. So if you're still interested in a Chromebook, then here are my suggestions.

Samsung Chromebook Plus - Features a 12" touchscreen, pen, and metal frame. The screen will flip back flat to operate like a tablet as well. Plus the Samsung Plus also has access to the Google Store, which is a feature coming to many Chromebooks but not yet there. So you'll have access now.

Dell Chromebook 13 - One of the highest rated Chromebooks and built like a tank. Can be bought with or without touchscreen and gives you plenty of options to customize the build from CPU and memory.

Acer C740 - This is the Chromebook I use and have been pretty happy with it. My only complaint is the screen is a 11" and would have preferred to have 13". It's very durable and long battery life like most any other chromebook. It doesn't have access to the Goolge Play store yet but is scheduled to in the future.

There's a few ideas. Let me know if there are certain features you're looking for or have a price range you want to be under and I will update if needed.
 
Olds we have been married for 22 years...I have also learned to ask about these things before I buy it, I got burned more than once LOL

@SMaxxinif she just wants something that's silly fast, little to zero worry about getting a virus/malware, and just wants to surf the internet (including social) then a Chromebook is a perfect fit.

That's exactly what she wants! She already has a couple of laptops loaded with tons of programs, she wants this strictly for web browsing, She originally looked at an HP Stream with the 11.5 screen and said it was the perfect size, after a little reading I showed her some chromebooks. The screen on the chromebooks compared to the laptop was no comparison, add the speed and not worrying about virus protection it seemed like the better choice. I actually have the Acer C740 on my amazon wish list but neither of us are familiar with the brand. I like the looks of the Samsung Plus and love that it already has google store but the Acer is more in the price range.

I have an android phone and we have an android tv box so we are familiar with them.
 
Sounds like you've done your research @SMaxxin and I have no doubt she'll like a Chromebook. I like the fact I can open my chromebook and it's ready to login within just a second or two and I can use the laptop all day without having to worry about the battery dying. Most times I don't even carry my charger with me.

Perfect internet and word processing machines. I've setup my Chromebox in the garage on my RC workbench which is wonderful because it takes up nearly no space at all and allows me to stream music, surf the forums, or watch movies or youtube videos while I'm out in the garage.
 
I have also learned to ask about these things before I buy it, I got burned more than once LOL
Yes, but have you been burned from the smack of a hot frypan??? THAT is when you KNOW it's true love!!! :hehe:
 
My sister got a new Chromebook from her husband this year for her birthday. She goes on business trips and want something light and portable instead of the tank of a her work got her. She got an Asus version and is real happy with it except that it doesn't work and play well with her work place's WiFi access points. She likes it because she can run her Powerpoint and use word processing in Google docs.
 
We bought her the Samsung Chromebook plus, she really likes it! It's thin and very light, and the 1080p touch screen looks great. We can use our Jeep as a hotspot so it will be great on road trips.
 

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