Chromebook

[ultraman7k]

So my cousin who moved here from Korea for the next year or so will need a laptop soon I think.

I know she likes my MacBook Pro 13" but for her to spend that much on a laptop doesn't make sense. Looking around, the cheapest option seems to be to go with a Chromebook. A desktop isn't practical and she seems to be pretty picky about how her laptop will look.

Considering she's already probably heavily invested in the Google ecosystem with her previous android phone, and now Note II, I thought what about a Chromebook?

They are cheap, and she isn't a power user by any means. My only question is, what kind of compatibility does this mean for various programs?

How does the Chromebook fare when used for the following?:

word processing/spreadsheets
web browsing (obviously) + videos
music
research

I can't think of anything else she would be doing...

Has anyone used one of these things? How is the battery life, weight, etc? How does it compare? How is the trackpad?


Thanks!

[supaflyx3]

I would say no, chrome OS is basically just a web browser and your laptop is almost useless when its not connected to the internet. I would say either Asus's windows 8 tablet with KB dock which would probably fit the look she would want, or maybe one of the recent samsung ultra books.

[ultraman7k]

Awesome. thanks!

[JJThomp]

I'm actually really impressed with the lenovo u310, if she likes the MBP they have a similar look.

[BeaverBender]

Originally Posted by JJThomp

I'm actually really impressed with the lenovo u310, if she likes the MBP they have a similar look.

On what basis are they similar? I have a MBP and have demoed the U310. In my estimation, they are almost nothing alike, even the look doesn't seem very similar to me… certainly less than some of the other Ultrabooks, like the Zenbook, for example.

[JJThomp]

Originally Posted by BeaverBender

On what basis are they similar? I have a MBP and have demoed the U310. In my estimation, they are almost nothing alike, even the look doesn't seem very similar to me… certainly less than some of the other Ultrabooks, like the Zenbook, for example.

??? I think you might be confused... the Zenbook isn't even the same shape, and the Zenbook has a spun design on the lid and the MBP doesn't.

The closed u310 is with the white interior, if you find one with the silver interior it looks much more similar as well. It is pretty much as close as you can get without Apple crying about their patents on rounded corners.

[BeaverBender]

Originally Posted by JJThomp

The closed u310 is with the white interior is you find one with the silver interior it looks much more similar as well.

I would like to respond to your post but I honestly don't understand this sentence. What exactly are you trying to say? I'm not trying to be a grammar Nazi… I just don't know what your point is.

[luther west0010]

better go with asus laptops its better

[JJThomp]

Originally Posted by BeaverBender

I would like to respond to your post but I honestly don't understand this sentence. What exactly are you trying to say? I'm not trying to be a grammar Nazi… I just don't know what your point is.

There fixed, added a comma and replaced "is" with "if".

[chubaka]

my vote goes to the macbook air if you are not budget-strapped.
Otherwise thinkpad t430u, lenovo u310 are good picks, and the hp envy 4 is pretty decent.