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I think you are missing some of the context. If printing is one of your major uses for a computer--currently marjorie dad's only computer runs Ubuntu with no internet connection but with an attached printer--then it makes sense to buy a computer which is known to work well with printers, and not an oddball type of computer that few people use and which does not have a lot of engineering effort behind it & software and drivers written for it. Do chromebooks work well with printers? I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of printer compatibility with chromebooks, but based on my experience with my own chromebook, I suspect that it isn't done very well, like a lot of other things I have noticed in ChromeOS. silence_kit fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Dec 16, 2017 |
# ? Dec 16, 2017 16:45 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 23:58 |
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Ignore
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# ? Dec 16, 2017 17:53 |
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Tunga posted:Saying that ChromeOS is bad for a computer illiterate person and that they should use Windows instead makes absolutely no sense to me. My dad is clueless and I got him a Chromebook when I moved out so I wouldn't have to go round and fix it all the time. He loves it and uses it every day. Never had a virus or other malware, never had a problem, it just works. I think ChromeOS is hands down the best option for a beginner. youre the only one mentioning windows i think
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# ? Dec 16, 2017 18:27 |
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Statutory Ape posted:youre the only one mentioning windows i think silence_kit posted:get him a Mac or PC desktop or laptop
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# ? Dec 16, 2017 19:52 |
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Edit: $100 off the base Pixelbook on Amazon, which brings it down to $900 and I guess it qualifies for that $50 GC too! silence_kit posted:IMO it isn't a good idea to buy a non computer literate person a Chromebook. I'm happy with mine (I use it mostly to browse the internet and as a thin client to remote into my home desktop PC from the couch), and it is pretty good for the price, but there still are a bunch of little things that don't work well on Chromebooks, and who knows how long these things will be supported by Google. Eh, the reason I endorse ChromeOS for most people, including those with limited PC experience, is both because it works well with common, Web-oriented tasks and very importantly, there's little to go wrong. Updates are as simple as a reboot, and there's no known/persistent malware/viruses that I know of (and if there were, see the previous point about updates, which are timely.) silence_kit posted:I think you are missing some of the context. If printing is one of your major uses for a computer--currently marjorie dad's only computer runs Ubuntu with no internet connection but with an attached printer--then it makes sense to buy a computer which is known to work well with printers, and not an oddball type of computer that few people use and which does not have a lot of engineering effort behind it & software and drivers written for it. The printing, as I've both recently explained and also have added to the OP, is kind of an exception. I know some people still print, but it's not something that's important to most people anymore. You don't even need to print out tickets/boarding passes anymore if you have a smartphone. As I wrote, printing is doable, and once it's set up it's pretty transparent. Marjorie's dad is a very unique case, in that he's using his PC offline, but want to print and use his phone as a hotspot. The fact that his situation is more complicated is hardly a knock against the ChromeOS ecosystem as a whole. Hell, if he just had a home Internet connection like everyone else there would be no need for further discussion. Atomizer fucked around with this message at 08:53 on Dec 17, 2017 |
# ? Dec 17, 2017 08:32 |
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Atomizer posted:Edit: $100 off the base Pixelbook on Amazon, which brings it down to $900 and I guess it qualifies for that $50 GC too! Been waiting for this, and I think I will pull the trigger on it next week.
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# ? Dec 18, 2017 05:10 |
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https://chromeunboxed.com/100-off-the-pixelbook-plus-a-free-gift/ Just FYI: It looks like on Amazon you can get the base Pixelbook for $900-$50 GC and possibly-$45 cashback if you have the Prime card like I do (5% cashback on Amazon purchases.) Or, if you buy from the Google store they're offering the base OR mid-range Pixelbook with the Google Home. If you didn't need the Home, and have the Prime card then the Amazon deal might work out better, otherwise you'd probably come out ahead if you bought direct from Google and resold the Home.
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# ? Dec 18, 2017 08:15 |
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Acer CB 14 is extremely nice and looks/feels like it should cost $500 Thanks OP
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# ? Dec 18, 2017 18:38 |
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Atomizer posted:https://chromeunboxed.com/100-off-the-pixelbook-plus-a-free-gift/ To add to this, if you have a Prime Student membership, you get an additional 10% off. I'm really tempted to dump my 2015 MBP for this.
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# ? Dec 19, 2017 18:03 |
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99% of my non-work, non-gaming computer use now is my Pixelbook. It lasts forever, charges extremely fast, has a fantastic screen, is a joy to type on, keeps me from reaching for my phone is there's a specific Android app I was looking to use, and the performance is amazing. This is all wrapped in a super premium package. It's what I've been searching for as a daily computer for years. I'm extremely happy with it.
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# ? Dec 20, 2017 19:07 |
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I finally pulled the trigger on the Pixelbook after having a crappy $250 Acer Chromebook for the last three years or so. This thing is amazing. The keyboard is so much nicer to type on, the track pad extremely well tuned, and the screen is a marvel to look at. Even the apps are tons better. I used to use the google movies chrome app and it would always have errors with downloaded movies, etc. This thing works like a charm. I was a little apprehensive about spending so much for a Chromebook, but in reality I will probably get more use out of the Chrome environment than the Windows one since I use Google's suite of apps almost exclusively. It was $900 from Best Buy, plus a free Google Home (~$129 value), plus six months of free netflix (~$75 value), plus two years of 100GB Drive storage ($40 value). The Netflix and Drive promotions saved me money I would have otherwise spent, and I gave the Google Home as a give to someone who wanted one, since I already have it. All told, it was only ~$150 more than the Samsung Pro, and I think you get so much more from the Pixelbook.
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# ? Dec 21, 2017 04:54 |
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Cheesemaster200 posted:
As someone who has owned both. You do, oh god you do. The Pixelbook takes the single good thing about the Samsung Chromebook Pro (the screen) and takes everything else up to 11.
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# ? Dec 24, 2017 21:11 |
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I was at the Google Store, had the i7 Pixelbook in my cart, and I couldn't pull the trigger. I want and am sure I'd love one, but can't justify the cost considering every other CB I have. I wish I could get in touch with someone from Google who could get me a "review" Pixelbook, considering how much CB advocacy I've done for them over the past few years.
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# ? Dec 25, 2017 08:40 |
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Atomizer posted:I was at the Google Store, had the i7 Pixelbook in my cart, and I couldn't pull the trigger. I want and am sure I'd love one, but can't justify the cost considering every other CB I have. Buy it. If its everything you want it to be, keep it and sell off the model(s) it will replace. If it doesn't fill the niche you need it to, sell the Pixelbook and recoup most of the cost. Eat that cake
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# ? Dec 25, 2017 18:08 |
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Atomizer posted:I was at the Google Store, had the i7 Pixelbook in my cart, and I couldn't pull the trigger. I want and am sure I'd love one, but can't justify the cost considering every other CB I have. I don't think you really need the i7; the i5 works great, and I haven't experienced a single instance of wanting more power. On another note: the keyboard and trackpad on this thing is probably the best I have ever used on a laptop. My only complaint is that the battery has been somewhat lackluster. I only get 4-5 hours of use while browsing and less with watching videos. Is there a brightness setting I am missing?
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# ? Dec 26, 2017 17:40 |
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So as I was mentioning in the laptop thread picking a computer to replace my grandfathers broken one. Finally nudged him towards a Chromebook. Now I need some help choosing for him, personally I'd pick the Asus Flip for it's Android app compatibility, tablet mode, and USB c charging. I'm just afraid it might be too small for him. So I guess the Acer CB14 would be better for him since it has the larger screen / bigger keyboard. Comments to tilt me either way?
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# ? Dec 27, 2017 04:06 |
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Cheesemaster200 posted:I don't think you really need the i7; the i5 works great, and I haven't experienced a single instance of wanting more power. Oh I don't need the i7, but then again as I mentioned I don't need another CB anyway. Other than that, though, I do make use of 16 GB of RAM (I'm using about 11 GB right now with a few dozen tabs open) and the 512 GB of storage I could definitely use (mainly with Android apps) as well. You can control the display brightness with the dedicated keys on the top row (they're where F6-F7 would be on a "standard" keyboard.) I haven't heard of anyone else getting quite that little life from their Pixelbook; aside from the display brightness, the other things that would drain the battery would be the wireless radios and any processes loading the CPU; you can add the System Monitor extension to monitor the CPU load in real time and also the Task Manager is accessed with Search+Esc. Look for anything using more resources than you'd expect, particularly any extensions or apps. Evil Vin posted:So as I was mentioning in the laptop thread picking a computer to replace my grandfathers broken one. Finally nudged him towards a Chromebook. Now I need some help choosing for him, personally I'd pick the Asus Flip for it's Android app compatibility, tablet mode, and USB c charging. I'm just afraid it might be too small for him. So I guess the Acer CB14 would be better for him since it has the larger screen / bigger keyboard. So you said ~$350 and the iTunes thing will no longer be an issue; what else will he use the machine for? Just browsing, media, and productivity? Is tablet mode and/or Android apps meaningful? If usability, in terms of size is important and portability not so much, then yes the Acer 14 is probably the best balance of all those factors plus price and materials/build quality. The Acer 15 is also worth a look as it has the biggest available display size and would be perfect for a semi-desktop-replacement system. Otherwise I'd need to know a little more about his requirements to make a more specific recommendation.
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# ? Dec 27, 2017 10:02 |
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He'd be using 65% for emails, probably 10% banking, 20% watching Internet videos from TV channels, and the last 5% would be my sister showing up to finish or double check a paper she's writing. Honesty he doesn't really need Android apps I just thought it could be backdoor into teaching him how to use a smart phone / thought some Android apps like Netflix per say were a lot easier to use than their website. His previous laptop was around 15" so I'm not sure if going ultraportable will feel like downgrade but I'll ask when I see him. Also it's looking like his budget is maxing out around 250/300 after further discussion.
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# ? Dec 27, 2017 17:34 |
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Just got my first chromebox (Acer CXI2-4GKM) yesterday. I had no idea how fast ChromeOS runs. This little two year old $200 box is faster than my Windows desktop I spent nearly ten times as much on. Having slight issues with monitor compatibility but mine has always been finicky. All my peripherals work nearly flawlessly. Definitely the best value I've ever gotten out of a computer.
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# ? Dec 27, 2017 21:42 |
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Evil Vin posted:He'd be using 65% for emails, probably 10% banking, 20% watching Internet videos from TV channels, and the last 5% would be my sister showing up to finish or double check a paper she's writing. It still sounds like either the Acer 14 or 15 would work for him. Is this device mostly going to sit at a desk or does he carry it around? As far as Android apps, go, generally if there's a Web equivalent (YT, Netflix, etc.) it'll work perfectly and will be the preferable option; you'd only need an Android app for something that's only available that way. I wouldn't say it'd help a person learn how to use a smartphone, because it's still basically a "desktop" experience; it'd make sense to just get him a cheap Android device in the first place for that purpose. Monday_ posted:Just got my first chromebox (Acer CXI2-4GKM) yesterday. I had no idea how fast ChromeOS runs. This little two year old $200 box is faster than my Windows desktop I spent nearly ten times as much on. Having slight issues with monitor compatibility but mine has always been finicky. All my peripherals work nearly flawlessly. Definitely the best value I've ever gotten out of a computer. ChromeOS is quite lightweight to begin with, and that particular CB has quite decent hardware on top of that; the 3205U Celeron is actually a Broadwell (5th-gen Core) dual-core CPU.
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# ? Dec 28, 2017 10:26 |
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My 2014 Toshiba is still going strong but I'm starting to think about upgrading - are there any strong contenders around the $350 price point? Unfortunately the 2015 CB2 wasn't released in my country AFAIK as that would be my ideal buy. What really sold me on the CB2 in the first place is the FHD IPS screen, is this a more common option now?
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# ? Jan 2, 2018 17:03 |
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So my Pixelbook kept showing max 4-5 hours of battery. However, I recently reset it and now get 10-12 estimated. I guess it just took time to calibrate the battery estimation?
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# ? Jan 2, 2018 19:32 |
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8 Ball posted:My 2014 Toshiba is still going strong but I'm starting to think about upgrading - are there any strong contenders around the $350 price point? Unfortunately the 2015 CB2 wasn't released in my country AFAIK as that would be my ideal buy. What really sold me on the CB2 in the first place is the FHD IPS screen, is this a more common option now? IPS displays are more common but the ones Toshiba used were better than most. When you say that the 2015 Toshiba CB2 wasn't released in your country, what country would that be? And related, your budget is US$350, or...? In general the best overall CBs nowadays are the Samsung Plus/Pro and the Asus C302. I can find them closer to your budget here in the US used/refurb'd, but where you are will determine whether or not that's a viable option for you. Cheesemaster200 posted:So my Pixelbook kept showing max 4-5 hours of battery. However, I recently reset it and now get 10-12 estimated. I guess it just took time to calibrate the battery estimation? The remaining battery life indicator dynamically updates based on the variable power draw of the components, so it's really a rough estimate rather than a precise guide. The biggest power draws will be the display, CPU, and wireless radios, not necessarily in that order. You can get a good idea of how long your device will last under your typical workload by just timing how long it lasts on a full charge rather than assuming the indicator is particularly accurate, but this variability is why professional reviewers incorporate a standardized set of conditions in their battery tests. The shorter explanation is that the Pixelbook probably lasts most people in the 10-hour range, but you may have been viewing the remaining life indicator during a period of heavy battery drain.
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# ? Jan 3, 2018 09:33 |
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Atomizer posted:IPS displays are more common but the ones Toshiba used were better than most. When you say that the 2015 Toshiba CB2 wasn't released in your country, what country would that be? And related, your budget is US$350, or...?
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# ? Jan 3, 2018 22:36 |
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8 Ball posted:Yep that's my budget in USD - I'm in the UK, the closest I've found are references to an upcoming 2016 release for it and then.. nothing. Tunga fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Jan 4, 2018 |
# ? Jan 4, 2018 00:12 |
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8 Ball posted:Yep that's my budget in USD - I'm in the UK, the closest I've found are references to an upcoming 2016 release for it and then.. nothing. Toshiba got out of the laptop market so the CB2 2015 version was the last one. I'd strongly recommend it if you could find one but I have no idea if it was even released in the UK, and therein lies the problem: I can't easily make recommendations to people in other countries based on price or availability. I'm still going to stand by my previous recommendations, the Asus Flip (which I know is available in the UK,) or the Samsungs (which are probably sold there.) The base models (even the Samsung Plus) are fine in terms of performance and have nice (but differing) displays. I'd suggest saving a while longer to increase your budget and/or searching for used/refurb'd models on eBay or wherever. The Toshiba CB2 really had one of the best 13" FHD displays and you generally have to increase your budget to get anything near that level. The Acer 14 has a larger but inferior display with modestly better performance, the 2015 Dell 13 has great performance and a good display but is similarly discontinued and may not have even been released in the UK, the Lenovo 13 has great performance but inferior display options (even the top 13" FHD panel is mediocre,) the Acer R13 is usable but probably a modest upgrade in performance and downgrade in display quality, and the HP 13 has an excellent display but may or may not be reasonably priced (i.e. we frequently see refurbs in the $300-500 range here in the US) but performance is quite good. Atomizer fucked around with this message at 10:39 on Jan 4, 2018 |
# ? Jan 4, 2018 10:19 |
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Tunga posted:I think my dad has a 2015 CB2, got it from John Lewis around March 2015. But maybe I'm wrong and it's the 2014 model. Yeah that's when/where I got my 2014 heh. Thanks for the advice Atomizer
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# ? Jan 4, 2018 14:21 |
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Just wondering now as it's what my dad has, is this the 2014 or 1015 model? https://www.johnlewis.com/toshiba-cb30-b-104-chromebook-intel-celeron-4gb-ram-16gb-ssd-13-3-silver/p1841467#tabinfo-ratings Edit: I found a Hangouts conversation that I had later in 2015 about how Toshina hadn't released the 2015 models here and it was a shame. So I assume this is the 2014. Tunga fucked around with this message at 15:26 on Jan 4, 2018 |
# ? Jan 4, 2018 15:22 |
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Tunga posted:Just wondering now as it's what my dad has, is this the 2014 or 1015 model? Yeah the N2840 is the dead giveaway that it's the 2014 version (the 2015 had a much better 3215U Celeron or an i3.)
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# ? Jan 5, 2018 09:45 |
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Atomizer posted:Yeah the N2840 is the dead giveaway that it's the 2014 version (the 2015 had a much better 3215U Celeron or an i3.)
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# ? Jan 5, 2018 11:03 |
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FYI here's a list of Chromebook devices WRT Meltdown patches. https://www.chromium.org/a/chromium.org/dev/chrome-os-devices-and-kernel-versions My Toshiba Chromebook 2 is surprisingly getting the fix.. was kinda hoping I could use that as an excuse to upgrade.
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# ? Jan 13, 2018 19:09 |
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I had originally seen this CUB article; I check that site every day, and I wonder if I should link articles here or if everyone interested in ChromeOS already checks it. In any case, I looked at the device list and nearly every CB is or will be patched. There are only a few devices that are already EoL (e.g. the CR48, original Samsung, Acer C710) and I'm curious if that batch of older CBs that haven't been patched definitely will not, because it doesn't explicitly say that. Also, since they're still within the support window, and are architecturally similar to other devices that are getting patched, I'd think it'd be odd for them not to patch the smattering of devices on that list; it includes some older Chromeboxes and the original Pixel, notably.
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# ? Jan 14, 2018 08:23 |
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https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/01/10/10-new-chromebooks-android-apps/ Google finally getting around to updating the older device support for Android Apps.
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# ? Jan 15, 2018 19:06 |
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The Dell, Toshiba, and Acer 15 are the most notable ones on that list. Some of those brands I've literally never heard of until today, though. "eduGear?" "PCMerge?" "Prowise?" "Viglen?"
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# ? Jan 16, 2018 09:49 |
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Got excited that I could finally install a couple of decent games on my dad's Chromebook as he's always asking for them. But no, the 2014 Toshiba is still waiting.Atomizer posted:The Dell, Toshiba, and Acer 15 are the most notable ones on that list. Some of those brands I've literally never heard of until today, though. "eduGear?" "PCMerge?" "Prowise?" "Viglen?" Viglen is a name you see in British public-sector / hospitals / education so I imagine that model was sold to schools here. Guessing eduGear and Prowise are similar given the names. Tunga fucked around with this message at 10:57 on Jan 16, 2018 |
# ? Jan 16, 2018 10:55 |
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Booted up my Yoga 11e this morning and Chrome web browser has this blue tab on the lower right labeled You may also like... that pops up with a menu for Google, Amazon and a bunch of other poo poo. Anyone know what this is and how to get rid of it?
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# ? Jan 18, 2018 13:39 |
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So I'm looking to replace my 2015 MBP with a chromebook of some sort. The c302 and the HP listed on woot (in the OP) are the top contenders especially considering I haven't seen anything coming out of CES that looks like it would compete. I guess what I'm looking for is advice/comparison on build quality, the trackpad, and the screen, since I've grown accustomed to all of those things being pretty top notch on an Apple device. I know that the Pixelbook has probably the best trackpad outside of Apple devices that I've put my fingers on, but how do the 302 and the HP compare? Obviously the 302 copped a lot of design cues from Apple, how does the HP compare to that? Screen wise it looks like the HP wins out handily... I'm also tempted to just say gently caress it and pick up a base model Pixelbook, but I can't really pull the trigger knowing they were $100 cheaper a few weeks ago.
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# ? Jan 18, 2018 16:29 |
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Viper_3000 posted:So I'm looking to replace my 2015 MBP with a chromebook of some sort. The c302 and the HP listed on woot (in the OP) are the top contenders especially considering I haven't seen anything coming out of CES that looks like it would compete. I guess what I'm looking for is advice/comparison on build quality, the trackpad, and the screen, since I've grown accustomed to all of those things being pretty top notch on an Apple device. I know that the Pixelbook has probably the best trackpad outside of Apple devices that I've put my fingers on, but how do the 302 and the HP compare? Obviously the 302 copped a lot of design cues from Apple, how does the HP compare to that? Screen wise it looks like the HP wins out handily... If it was my $430 it would be really hard for me to justify spending it on anything besides the m5/8gb HP. The c302 is a dope rear end machine though. quote:I'm also tempted to just say gently caress it and pick up a base model Pixelbook, but I can't really pull the trigger knowing they were $100 cheaper a few weeks ago. be happy you arent looking at desktop video cards then lol
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# ? Jan 18, 2018 16:37 |
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MariusLecter posted:Booted up my Yoga 11e this morning and Chrome web browser has this blue tab on the lower right labeled You may also like... that pops up with a menu for Google, Amazon and a bunch of other poo poo. Just to reiterate what I told Marius over Discord, for everyone else, ChromeOS is pretty drat secure. What he ran into is probably a brand-new ad-related thing, which will quickly be added to the definitions of various adblockers and the other privacy/security extensions (see the OP.) And that's going to be the largest vulnerability for most people: rogue extensions; as long as you're getting them mostly from the official Chrome store, and just use a little common sense (e.g. ask around about a new extension to see if anyone can vouch for it) you should be fine. Viper_3000 posted:So I'm looking to replace my 2015 MBP with a chromebook of some sort. The c302 and the HP listed on woot (in the OP) are the top contenders especially considering I haven't seen anything coming out of CES that looks like it would compete. I guess what I'm looking for is advice/comparison on build quality, the trackpad, and the screen, since I've grown accustomed to all of those things being pretty top notch on an Apple device. I know that the Pixelbook has probably the best trackpad outside of Apple devices that I've put my fingers on, but how do the 302 and the HP compare? Obviously the 302 copped a lot of design cues from Apple, how does the HP compare to that? Screen wise it looks like the HP wins out handily... The HP 13, which I'm using right now, is the nicest non-touchscreen CB. The QHD+ display is on par with the OG CB Pixels, and the touchpad is nice, if a little small, for a plastic surface. I don't have the C302, but it's still one of the top recommendations, right up there with the Samsung CB Plus/Pro and the Pixelbook; these would be a better choice for Android apps (which the HP nevertheless has support for in Stable now) and mixed-mode use (i.e. tablet/tent/whatever modes.) If you are indeed considering the Pixelbook, keep in mind that even though it's at its regular price now, you can buy it with the stylus free, which is basically the same discount ($100.)
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# ? Jan 19, 2018 01:58 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 23:58 |
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Atomizer posted:The HP 13, which I'm using right now, is the nicest non-touchscreen CB. The QHD+ display is on par with the OG CB Pixels, and the touchpad is nice, if a little small, for a plastic surface. I don't have the C302, but it's still one of the top recommendations, right up there with the Samsung CB Plus/Pro and the Pixelbook; these would be a better choice for Android apps (which the HP nevertheless has support for in Stable now) and mixed-mode use (i.e. tablet/tent/whatever modes.) The Samsungs are out. I demoed them at Best Buy and have no idea how anyone types on them with that butchered keyboard, but those displays are gorgeous. I ordered a c302 from Amazon's Warehouse Deals. I figure I can demo it (and ChromeOS) around the house for a day or two and see how much I use apps and the tablet/tent/whatever mode and if the screen is up to par. If worst comes to worst and the display looks like complete rear end to me, I can send back the 302 and grab the HP off of woot. (I can't find woot's return policy and that's seriously troubling) Pixelbook is still out....The pen only sells for around $80 and ordering off of Amazon (10% off for students) doesn't include it anyway, plus I'd like to move away from carrying around something that expensive.
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# ? Jan 19, 2018 05:47 |