My New $200 Computer

April 03, 2014

As anyone who knows me can tell you, it takes a lot for me to buy something so it was a big deal when I decided to purchase a new computer. Up until now, I’ve basically been using my work computer for everything. That’s been fine except for when I have to take one of my many cross-country flights and the battery only lasts about halfway. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to sit bored in a plane for 3 hours, knowing that may not get much sleep that night because you still have a lot of work to do when you land but can’t do it because your battery is dead?

To supplement my work computer, I opted to purchase an Acer C720 Chromebook. With an 8.5 hour battery life, it should last me a full cross-country trip. At just 2.76 lbs and .75 inches thick, I don’t feel it in my bag, even with my work laptop with me. Finally, the 11.6 inch screen size is big enough to type on but small enough to fit comfortably on an airplane tray. The icing on the cake is that it was only $200.

Why so cheap? For one thing, Chromebooks don’t run Windows. They’re basically just portals to the Internet, including Google docs to read and write documents and spreadsheets. But when you think about it, isn’t that what we use computers for nowadays? The only time I need to run Windows is for one or two programs I need for work and those are on my work computer. The rest of the time, I’m just using the computer to get online.

There are advantages to not having Windows other than cost. You don’t have to worry about getting Windows viruses and the Chromebook boots almost up almost instantaneously because it doesn’t  have to startup Windows. The operating system (called Chrome OS) is also automatically being updated so your computer always feels like new.

Another advantage of the Chromebook is that you never have to worry about losing anything if your computer gets broken, stolen, or lost. That’s not just because it’s relatively inexpensive. Everything you do on it is backed up and stored online. That means if I’m writing a document and something happens to my computer, I can get on another computer, access the document, and pick up exactly where I left off even if I never “saved” it.

I also like that you can create profiles on it. When I log on as myself, all of my tabs, bookmarks, and web history is there. But if someone else wants to use my computer, they can use their own profile with their own tabs, bookmarks, and web history or simply log on as a guest. No more having to worry about logging off your Facebook and email or getting an embarassing IM while your friend is using your computer.

The main downside is that it won’t run programs that require Windows. That includes iTunes and MS-Office. Although the Chrome OS has their own versions, called Google Play and Google Docs, they may not be fully compatible with all your files.

My particular Chromebook also doesn’t have the “premium” feel that a more expensive computer would have. It’s not a Macbook or an ultrabook like the one I use for work but it doesn’t come with their price tags either. And to tell you the truth, I might not even notice the difference if I wasn’t switching back and forth. A more expensive computer would also be more stressful because I’d be more worried about something happening to it.

So even if you don’t need to do work on cross-country flights, consider a low cost Chromebook before schilling out for a more expensive computer with a Windows operating system that you may not need and will only slow you down. Chromebooks come in all shapes and sizes, so you don’t have to get a little one like mine. As always, the key is to understand all of your options so you can pick the one that makes the most sense for you.