My Chromebook Inventory

Tom Loughlin
Jul 30, 2017 · 6 min read

When the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook came out, I was intrigued. I had been exploring the world of netbooks at the time, having purchased an Asus Eee PC and later two Dell Inspiron Mini 10s. While netbooks were useful in their day, they were slow and clunky, having 1GB of RAM and slow hard drives. The Samsung Chromebook was intriguing because it simply ran the Chrome browser and relied on Google services to get work done. I had to try one out. On a trip to Chicago to visit my son, I stopped off in a Best Buy and checked out the floor displays. The salesperson hardly knew anything about them, so when I asked to buy one, it took them 20 minutes just to find them in the storage room. I sprung for the Verizon 3G model for $279.00. The minute I turned it on and began using it, I knew this was the answer to a lot of issues I had been having with computers. I was hooked.

The biggest reason for buying a Chromebook is bang for the buck. Chromebooks today can get 95% of what you need a computer to do done, and an excellent CB can be had for less than $350 (I’ve never paid more than that for any CB I’ve owned). Add a free Ubuntu Linux install via crouton to it, and for most of the population (hard-core gamers and multimedia specialists excepted) you have all you need in computing power. I don’t know of a better deal out there for the money.

Once I got hooked, I did go through a period of upgrading my CBs as they got better, so I have a fair inventory of Chrome hardware at the moment. However, I think I’ve reached “peak Chromebook” for myself, since I have little interest or need to upgrade from current stock. Here’s my list of CBs past and present:

Samsung Chromebook Exynos 5250

Samsung Chromebook 3 — my original. Got about 18 months of use from it. Dependable, and a great traveling companion. Gave it away.

Acer C720 — probably the first “popular” CB. I bought it to compare to the Samsung, and it eventually became my daily driver for a time. Gave it away.

Dell Chromebook 11 — the first solidly-built, “professional” CB. At the time it had the best display. The display was always the biggest problem with original CBs, as the TFT displays on early CBs were a major weakness. The Dell had the best display at the time, as well as the most solid build. Replaced the Acer C720. Sold it for $70. The rest of the CBs below I still own.

Toshiba Chromebook 1 — the first CB with an IPS HD display. What a difference that made. It was also a 13.3" display, so the upgrade from 11" to 13" and TFT to IPS was welcome. The Braswell processor was slow, but acceptable, because battery life was very good.

Asus Chromebox CN60 M004U— Could a Chrome device be a desktop replacement? I took the CN60 with the Celeron chip, increased the RAM to 8GB and the SSD to 128 GB, and installed Ubuntu Trusty with XFCE. Yes, a Chromebox can be a desktop replacement! Matched with a 24" monitor, it’s a thing of beauty. I’ve since upgraded this setup to an Asus CN62 because of Android apps, and upgraded Ubuntu to Xenial. The original CN60 now sits behind my 50" TV as a media server.

Toshiba Chromebook 2 2015

Toshiba Chromebook 2 2015 This beauty is now my daily driver. Purchased mainly because of the upgrade in processor, the brilliant screen, backlit keyboard, and upgrade capability. Currently my daily driver, it has 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, and Ubuntu Xenial/XFCE 4.2. It is also on Google’s list for Play Store capability, but I am not holding my breath here. Android apps don’t really matter all that much to me, but it’s nice to know this machine may someday have that ability. This machine to me is the definition of “peak Chromebook.” There is nothing I can’t do on this machine if I choose. I was quite sad to see Toshiba abandon the CB market, as they made two innovative CBs.

Asus “Flip” C100 — The small form factor and the 4-in-1 conversion capability led me to this unit. It was also one of the first three CBs to gain the Play Store, so I got to play with Android Apps early on. I like the Flip a lot, but I find I don’t go to it much these days because it’s on the slow side (I have the 4GB model). It was also a fine machine to take to meetings, but having recently retired, portability is not as much of an issue as it used to be. I also realized that Android apps were not any big deal to me, as using the web versions of Google services were just as effective, and sometimes more so.

Lenovo N22 — Its rugged construction was the draw. It seemed like a good laptop for future traveling. And for $180, why not? Android app capability was a side consideration, but not really a major selling point. At the moment it is not much in use.

Google Chromebook Pixel 2013 — I drooled over the Pixel CB when it first came out, but I knew I was never going to pay $1000 for a CB. But when TechRabbit had this on sale for $310, I grabbed one just because. God, is it cool! The aluminum case, the 3:2 display, the keyboard, the glass touchpad, 4GB RAM 64GB SSD, and Verizon LTE capability all add up to one sweet package. Its biggest drawback it the “hot corner” by the power socket, so no bare legs when using this unit. I use it on occasion (like right now as I type this), but it won’t get Android apps, and it’s really too heavy for toting about. Maybe I might hook it up to another external monitor for desktop use. Although a gorgeous machine, I don’t really have much special use for it.

Acer Chromebook 15- the Hulk of Chromebooks. A 15" full HD display, it’s heavy, something close to 5 lbs. I actually bought this on sale for my wife as a media viewing computer for her Netflix viewing (she watched far more TV than I do and likes watching in the comfort of her recliner), but she is also someone very resistant to change. She uses her MacBook Air and knows how to get around on it, so the Acer goes somewhat unused. I will probably sell this one, as I have no real need for it now.

That’s the lot of them. Am I tempted by the new Samsung Plus/Pro or the new Asus Flip C302? Not really, no. For me, the Chromebook is at a stage where newer models are really adding no value for me. Having become quite popular, especially in schools, Chromebooks are now adding luxury options which drive up the cost (over $500), and for which I have no need. Options and choice are nice as far as they go, but I think I’ll be very happy with my current inventory for some time to come. If you haven’t tried a Chromebook yet, I truly recommend them. You will find that, if you’re an average computer user, they are all that you need — a no-hassle computer that simply works. Period. -twl

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