So, let's talk about Chromebooks.
I have always been curious about one of those Chromebooks floating around, and recent news about Chromebooks taking control of US schools is certainly interesting. And.... I bought myself one of those on Taobao the other day, and hopefully embedding it into my daily work/entertainment routines.
The result: better than I thought.
And for the fact that the Chromebook I got is on the crappier side of Chromebooks, the result is amazing. For the money's worth, I bought a (probably second hand) dirt cheap one made by Haier. Yep, the same company that is famous (at least famous here in China) for its washing machines and other home appliances. It is a 11 inch laptop from 2015, with 2 gigs of RAM and 16 gigs of internal storage, costing around 500 RMB (below 100 US dollars).
For sure this laptop, with its conditions and its dubious origins, is likely shipped to China to stripped for parts, aka trash. Well, as for the fact that Chromebooks are never meant to be sold here in China (unusable unless the user has a way to get over the GFW), this is the best I can get for the price. Because of the design simplicity and its security measures I can use this device without worrying about risks of using a second hand device.
This one comes with really cheap specs, an Intel N series CPU, low on RAM, to be honest I was not expecting much. I intended to buy this to easy the need for a cheap tablet. After days of tweaks and real life experience I am positively surprised.
First of all, it comes with a stable Chrome OS version 44, which was released back in, I don't know, 2015? Apparently never got updated afterwards. After "network issues" were dealt with, (wink wink), it updated itself to version 58 without any problems and running great. Google says they will continue support it until 2020.
Second the hardware itself. This is the second generation 11 inch Chromebook Haier has made, and the selling point of it was, CHEAP. Keyboard feels shallow, screen, is a TN panel with a very limited optimal viewing angle, plastic shell, and even the Chrome label on the back is just a plastic sticker. One of the cheapest feeling device I have ever used. It has enough ports, and no fans. It is so light compared with my gaming laptop that it is really a "lap" top. Working with it on my lap does not make me feel a thing.
Then performance. Don't laugh but I will have to talk about it. The fact that Chrome OS is just a Chrome running on a lightweight Linux kernel makes it VERY efficient, although nowadays Chrome browser is far from "efficient" compared with what it was years back. But on a Chromebook, especially on a cheap one like this, it really shows how optimized this OS is. It can do everything I do on a gaming laptop running Chrome without any hiccups, and some great Chrome apps are really all I need on a daily basis. People (including me before having tried this) always say Chromebooks can't do a thing, that with such a limited set of functions, it's better just to get a general PC. NO. I would say it is just because the limited functions this thing can do, people would REALLY do things on it. Yes indeed I can do almost anything on a PC but I won't do them most of the time. 80 percent of the time I spent on a PC is, in Chrome or with Google products (search, docs, gmail). So it never feels the need to boot up my PC while using this laptop. It is limited, but it is efficient and a simplified focusing experience to have.
Oh, this sub 100 dollar Chromebook has a battery life of over 8 hours, beating my V20 phone without even trying.
About Apps and extensions I have, well, I am still experimenting. And unlike android there is little info on those. I have to dig out gems by myself most of the time. All the Google services works out of the box, and I have some great 3rd party ones installed as well. Google states that Android apps support is planned on this model and it looks promising (in fact I have already installed the ARC required for Android apps, it's just I don't have the time to tweak around to hack some Android app on this one). Chinese input method looks primitive but good enough. Shortcuts are more than enough for usage without my huge gaming mouse, and I am typing in a minimalist offline markdown editor that just weights about 300kb and boy it is some pleasant experience to just type on and no distractions.
Anyways. I am happy that I bought this one instead of some cheap Windows 10 tablets and having to type on glass. And this about sums up my impressions so far. I will certainly post other tips and findings on this Chromebooks as I continue to use it. And I am wondering when those stickers will arrive, that Haier logo on the back sure looks terrible, lol.
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