Chromebooks Have Come a Long Way
Chromebooks have come a long way since their first appearance. They used to be browsers in the form of laptop computers, but now they are capable enough to withstand other laptops. I didn’t expect to like my Chromebook, but for most of my work, it replaced my laptop.
I must admit: I kind of hate laptops. This is a problem with me. I have so many tweaks and tweaks on my Windows desktop that using a laptop is either tiring or difficult to manage two separate computers. I’m also not inclined to buy expensive laptops because I don’t use them often enough for the price to pay off. It’s safe to say that my experience will not reflect the needs of everyone.
However, I needed a car that I could write on when I was not at home. I needed to write with Google Docs, maintain a work chat in Slack, reply to emails, follow Twitter events, follow my rss feeds, and edit photos. I wanted it to be comfortable to sit on the couch or in bed, to be easily thrown into a backpack, and most of all I wanted something that would last all day without rushing to get a charger. So, I settled on the Chromebook Flip . So far it has been fantastic.
Chrome OS is no longer just a browser
When Google first announced Chrome OS, the concept of the browser as an OS didn’t make much sense. What’s the point if you can just install Chrome on Windows? This was a legitimate concern at the time. However, the Chrome ecosystem has evolved a lot since its first release.
Technically, Chrome OS has never been “just a browser”. It was a Linux-based browser for which developers could write their own applications. In addition, Google has made it easy for developers to port Android apps to the platform. While the selection of apps isn’t as great as on Android or iOS, there are a number of native apps that you can use outside of websites. Here are just a few of the most reliable ones:
Of course, while this list doesn’t include all the big names you’d expect, there are also plenty of services for which you don’t need an app. Netflix, Twitter, Slack, Dropbox, and many other common services have great websites.
You can still use it offline
Most of the time, the only reason you need native apps is when you are working offline. Luckily, the Chromebook is getting better at that, too.
Chromebooks don’t stop working when you lose your internet connection (at least not more than your regular laptop). Most Google apps, including Docs, Sheets, Keep, Calendar, and Gmail, can work offline. In addition, many of the apps mentioned in the last section can work offline, including Evernote, Wunderlist, Sunrise Calendar, Pocket, and Kindle.
Of course, you can’t do everything offline, but you can still work . In fact, I wrote this very section when I was disconnected from the Internet in Google Docs. However, the only downside is that Google requires you to manually enable offline access for some of its services . This is similar to what should be enabled by default. However, this can be done very quickly and easily. And since the Chromebook is linked to your Google account, you only need to enable this setting once for each service. Any device you purchase in the future should be remembered.
Here is a list of Google services that you can use offline, along with links with information on how to enable offline access when needed:
Not everything will work offline (Maps are clearly missing, although that would be handy), but there are enough services to make your Chromebook useful even when the Internet is nowhere to be found.
Remote Desktop satisfies most of my additional needs
Despite how much I do on my Chromebook, there are still a couple of areas where it would be nice to have access to my Windows apps. I regularly use Photoshop for my work. While there are some decent photo editors for Chrome, I have very specific actions and settings in Photoshop that make my job easier. I was worried that this would be an issue that would ultimately frustrate the use of the Chromebook.
Chrome Remote Desktop has pretty much solved this problem. Even with a decent internet connection, I can remotely connect to my desktop and use my Windows applications as if I were sitting at the computer itself. The app is free and silly easy to set up on any device with Chrome. It’s not ideal, but on those rare occasions where I couldn’t do something initially, using Remote Desktop didn’t feel like a hacky workaround, but more like just another application.
There are some great (and cheap!) Chromebooks out there
All of the previous features are great for Chromebooks, but they’re not major reasons to buy a Chromebook over a Windows laptop. The hardware is a great excuse, however. As I mentioned earlier, I chose the Chromebook Flip . This is a sturdy aluminum laptop that reminds me of my old Macbook Pro. It’s clearly not as powerful, but it doesn’t look like a budget laptop. It also features a touchscreen that can be flipped into a makeshift tablet. And it costs $ 300. My real 10-inch tablet was $ 400 new .
Battery life is also a huge plus. Compared to other laptops with similar hardware, Chromebooks have a longer battery life . This is important not only because it means that your laptop can last longer – since I have mine, I charged it every couple of days with heavy use – but it also means that the situation with a long battery life is more optimistic. Laptop batteries are notorious for not holding a charge until the end of their life . Longer battery life helps your Chromebook last longer.
And, if all that isn’t enough, most Chromebooks cost significantly less than their laptop counterparts. Buying a laptop for $ 300 (and replacing it in two to three years) is not as difficult as buying a new laptop for $ 700-800.
Chromebooks can’t do everything, but they don’t need to
For a long time, I was stuck with Chromebooks because I could buy a Windows or Mac laptop and just install Chrome. Why buy a cheap laptop that can only do a few things when I could buy a more expensive laptop that can do more? The irony is that I still had tablets. This proves a great point about Chromebooks: they don’t have to do everything to be useful.
I will not argue that Chromebooks are for everyone or that they can replace all laptops. They cannot be played on AAA video games. If you don’t have a permanently connected desktop at home, Remote Desktop becomes useless. It goes without saying that if you are not a fan of Google services, you will find Chromebooks significantly less attractive.
However, they are also great at what they do. In the past, when I needed a device that I could sit on the couch and read on, or a device that I could take with me to work, I used a tablet. The tablets were lighter, had a lot more battery life, and the apps were better. I now have a Chromebook that can serve the same purpose. It may not be able to replace my Windows desktop, but it quickly supplanted my laptop, tablets, and even sometimes my phone for most mobile tasks.