It’s time for a Chromebook update, for me and for you!
First, please read my article in which I detailed my epiphany. Chromebooks are the best darn computers for most consumers in need of what most of us do on a daily basis.
I found this 14″ ASUS Chromebook at Costco with $200 off for only $150. The larger screen than on my little under 12″ Acer means it is a little less portable, but the extra screen real estate provides a better user experience. And it still promises up to 10 hours of use on a charge.
For as long as the discounted price lasts, here is the Costco link.
Even at its non-sale Costco price of $350, it still has the right stuff. In particular, its 128GB of memory is probably all any user would need, even if downloading streaming content from favorite online streamers that allow such things. The 1080p full HD display is plenty bright. The 720p webcam is just fine.
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If you miss the Costco deal, I found the same Chromebook at Amazon for $189.
I don’t need a touch screen on this any more than I needed it on my little Acer that is still running great, by the way.
Yes, this new ASUS can also connect to an external keyboard and mouse. Yes, it can still connect to my 27″ 4K monitor for a better viewing experience. Yes, it can do everything most users need, from regular old consumers as well as students.
Every Chromebook has an “end of life” until which Google will continue to update the OS. My new one is good to go until June of 2027, about five years. It will not cease to operate after that date. It will cease to receive updates. That’s all. And by then, who knows what will be new, better, and a good upgrade to this ASUS?
How many of you have Windows laptops or desktops with which you are happy and enjoying trouble free daily use after as little as a year or two? And as the five year mark approaches, it is common that users experience slowness, startup issues and myriad other issues that make the once robust Windows computer a wholly unsatisfactory computer. Not so on ANY Chromebook. Do the math. Amortized over the five-year projected life at its under $200 price that includes tax, delivery and recycling fee. That’s going to come to less than $40 per year. At its full price, that’s still less than about $80 per year. Now, that’s value!
One of the coolest characteristics of Chromebook ownership is this. Every time your Chromebook boots up and it signed in with its Google (Gmail) username and password, it resets itself with all the user’s settings, all the apps, all the personalization done by the user. It never slows down or operates as less than when it was brand spanking new. And it is highly unlikely that malware could effect a Chromebook.
Setting up this new Chromebook, all I had to do was to enter my Google username and password. Then, it set itself up from all the prior settings. All the apps were brought back in and updated. All the settings returned that were created on the Acer. In addition to all the apps, it also updated the ChromeOS to the newest. It took my printer settings from the Acer and applied them to the ASUS. Fascinating to watch, to be sure, and like so many other computer or mobile phone setups, it took patience. Now that it is done, using the new ASUS is the same as using the Acer that it is replacing.
If I am away from Gadget Central, others I know with Chromebooks may invite me to sign in on theirs as an added user, still with my protected username and password. Then, that alternate Chromebook sets itself up as mine, yet still keeping the original user’s sign on credentials and security. In this way, my ASUS can also be shared with others who may not have their computer with them. It’s a wonderful thing.
I’ll leave you with this thought – Don’t dismiss Chromebook as the right computer for yourself or someone you can guide.
