

And, again, you can play Android and browser-based games on them, too. Speaking of gaming, while you won't be able to play the latest PC games directly from a Chromebook, game-streaming services like Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now make gaming possible. You can connect a Bluetooth gaming controller to it and play Android games on it. With its USI pen support, you can draw and take notes on the screen. It's a two-in-one Chromebook with a detachable keyboard cover so it can be used as a tablet or a laptop. One of my favorite inexpensive models, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, sells for less than $300. While premium models start at around $500, you can find excellent options for everyday use for $200 to $300.

Price is one of the big things that makes Chromebooks so attractive. Lenovo's Chromebook Duet is part pen-enabled tablet, part laptop. It's basically this combination and some other key Chrome OS features (I'll get to those in a sec) that make Chromebooks an easier recommendation than they were even just a few years ago.

If you can't find a web app to meet your needs, all modern Chromebooks can run Android apps, too, from the Google Play store.
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Web apps are essentially websites that function like downloadable mobile apps and Google has a web store full of them. So many things, especially when it comes to productivity tasks like word processing and spreadsheets, can happen in a browser or with a web app. If everything on your list is done in a web browser, congratulations, Chromebooks are a perfect fit. Not sure if a Chromebook is right for you? Start by making a list of exactly what you need to do on a computer. What can be done with web, Linux and Android apps on Chromebooks are increasingly more than enough to get through your day-to-day tasks.Īcer's updated Chromebook Spin 713 is the first Intel Evo-verified Chromebook. This is generally true, but again, many people don't need to do more. Most of my Chromebook conversations are with people buying them for kids, but these Q&A sessions regularly end with them asking "Should I buy one for myself?" And the stock answer is usually, "It depends on your needs." But after a little digging, many people realize they don't need to do any more than what can be done on a Chromebook.Ī common argument against getting a Chromebook is that you can do so much more with a real computer - i.e., a laptop running on MacOS, Windows or a Linux distro. It's likely because of this that I spent more time fielding questions about them from family and friends than I have since they first launched in 2011.Ĭhromebooks are now 10 years old and a lot has changed. Due to the uptick in remote learning and working during the pandemic, a lot of people are now aware of the world of Chromebooks.
