Chromebook vs. iPad

Summary

Pros

• Long battery life
• Physical keyboard
• Very lightweight
• Very low prices

Cons

• Heavy reliance on web (wifi or 3G)

Chromebook Series 3

Introduction

I purchased an iPad for my mom last year, and she has been using that device a lot more than any desktop or laptop in the past. I have to admit, the long battery life and low weight are great features to have when you just want to relax and watch a video or surf the web recreationally. I wanted a device like that for myself, but couldn't justify the $400+ price tag for such a specialized device when for a little more I could get a good laptop for an extra one or two hundred dollars. Thus, I began to look at the $250 Chromebook as a possible casual computing platform.

Rule 34?

Discussion

So, what are Chromebooks? While the same size and form as netbooks, I think of Chrombooks more as tablets with keyboards. They are a basic way to access the internet to read and compose emails, watch videos, and browse the internet. It's super light-weight and doesn't heat up too much--very useful when you want to be lazy and use your devices while laying around in bed--and boots up and shuts down in a few seconds.

When Chromebooks first came out, they had no desktop, and immediately launched into the Chrome browser and did everything from that (whether normal web-surfing, or via Google Apps). They've since included a desktop that is mainly only there for aesthetic purposes, but worth mentioning as an example of how Google responds to comments, and how quickly and often they update the Chrome OS: they are currently on v29+ as of 9/17/2013!

But with the pluses come the minuses; you need to either log-in with your Google account (same one you use for Gmail, YouTube, GoogleVoice, etc.). There is a guest mode, but obviously none of your bookmarks or history will be available for you to use. With all the recent concerns about privacy on the internet, this is something to note.

Forget Ceiling Cat...

Conclusion

I've been using a Chromebook for several weeks now, and like it a lot. The battery life is great, so I can bring it with me to check personal emails when I'm out and about. In the end, while I don't think that it is fully capable of living up to claim's that it can be your one and only computer, it's a great supplementary device to have compared to a tablet.

Not the most powerful gaming platform, but you can have a little fun with it. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/8316200130/lightbox/