The last time I talked about the Google Chromebook was more than two years ago, when they were introduced to the market amid general skepticism. But Google is rarely wrong and in fact, according to official data, in 2013 the Chromebook took 21% of the laptop market in the USA, which is no small thing.
Taken from curiosity and encouraged by the fact that these laptops cost very little, I also bought a Chromebook .
For those who do not know them, Chromebooks are special laptops that do not have Windows, Linux or Mac as operating system, but are equipped with Chrome OS, which is nothing but the Google Chrome browser with improved application support .
READ ALSO: Use a Chromebook at its best: tricks and guide to work online and offline
Described in this way, the Chromebook seems really limited: a computer that only serves to surf the internet, on which traditional programs cannot be installed and which almost does not work if it is not connected to the internet.
The reality is quite different and I will try to explain (and there is no end of advertising in this article) why the Chromebook is a great deal and a perfect computer for most users, both for home and professional use or corporate, in 10 points.
1) Economic
If you buy a Windows laptop that costs 300 Euros, unless it is a sensational very limited offer, it is certainly a poor and slow laptop or, in jargon, "a half toilet".
The Chromebook costs between 200 and 300 Euros and offers the best value for money that can be found on the market today.
2) Speed
No other device offers as much speed for such a low price.
ChromeOS is a platform that does not suffer from the heaviness of services or processes that run underneath.
A device with an Intel Celeron 2955U 1.4 GHz processor and 2 GB of RAM feels much more powerful than it actually is.
The boot time is between 4 and 10 seconds.
The Chromebook is very fast, performing all the operations for which it is designed as quickly and efficiently as a 1400 Euro Macbook would.
3) Simplicity and efficiency
By its nature, the Chromebook lends itself to an efficient experience.
When working with a Chromebook, there are no distractions like a normal PC and you can only work and surf the internet.
The Chromebook does not require configurations, does not require maintenance, does not require technical intervention by an expert and is not prey to viruses (although every PC that connects to the internet may be prey to hackers).
It works in full screen most of the time, and there is absolutely no learning curve.
The Chromebook is also familiar to everyone, with a Start menu of applications and buttons to close and minimize windows like Windows does.
4) Reliability
ChromeOS is based on Linux and enjoys an unparalleled level of reliability.
As mentioned, since programs cannot be installed, the computer cannot be prey to viruses and malware.
This means savings in additional costs for businesses and less waste of time in having to face any infections.
I could let my mother or anyone use the Chromebook without fear that she might catch viruses.
5) The work is based on the browser
The main concern (also for me) about the Chromebook, is that of not being able to use PC programs.
Thinking about it and then I realized that a person like me, who does not have to work all day with programs like Excel, Powerpoint, Autocad or other specialized programs, does not need much programs.
Most of what we do today is done with a web browser.
Since then Chrome has been equipped with applications, addons and extensions, all the programs that I may need are there, at your fingertips inside the browser, working even without internet connection, offline.
6) Applications and add-ons
Anyone who thinks that the Chromebook is nothing more than a web browser should review their ideas.
Just look at the Google Chrome app to discover, in addition to the numerous extensions, the Chrome desktop applications and the applications that also work offline.
Among the apps are the Google Docs apps for writing like in Word, Spreadsheets like Excel, photo editors similar to Photoshop, Gmail, video editor, apps for listening to music, for watching videos and films and much more.
7) The Cloud space
The Chromebook is very fast also because it has an SSD unit with little space to be used only for files downloaded from the internet.
However, the files can be better saved on the cloud space offered by Google Drive which, for those who use a Chromebook, becomes 100 GB.
In Chrome, files saved in Google Drive can also be opened offline without internet, (limited to the most used ones),
Obviously then you can also use other cloud storage services such as Dropbox.
8) Integration with Google Apps
In Italy perhaps there are not many, but for companies to migrate from the classic Office programs to Google Apps is more than beneficial.
If a company uses Google Apps, its employees can use Chromebooks with full efficiency to work within the corporate dashboard.
9) It can be used as a normal PC
Among the applications provided by the Chrome WebStore there is also Chrome Remote Desktop which allows you to connect in remote desktop to the main PC.
In remote desktop via the internet, wherever you go, to use those programs that cannot be replaced by web applications.
10) Good hardware quality
From the Chromebook, which costs so little, you can't expect the same hardware quality as a Macbook, but for that price the quality is absolutely excellent.
Trackpad, keyboard and screen of Chromebooks, both low-end and higher-end, are good and do not feel like below-cost products.
Bonus : On Chromebooks it is also possible to install Android applications that can always be downloaded from the Chrome web Store.
In conclusion, to say that the Chromebook, for me a great deal, should be considered an important alternative to normal laptops or, at least, to support the main PC.
The Chromebook is an ideal tool for most users who work with the computer every day, who travel and who need speed.
At this point one might ask: " But where do I buy a Chromebook"> Unfortunately Google has not yet marketed Chromebooks in Italy, or rather, not officially.
You can still find the Chromebook for sale on Amazon.it .
However, if you want to buy the Chromebook at the lowest European price, you should buy it on the German Amazon.de site, as I did (it arrived in 3 days without additional costs).
The best Chromebook models are those with Intel processor : HP Chromebook 14 inches, Acer C720 11 Inches (which costs only 200 Euros), with and without touchscreen and Toshiba 13 inches, the most recent.
Then there are the Samsung and HP Chromebook 11-inch models with Exynos processor, a little lower.
READ ALSO: Use Chrome as an app system in Windows 8 and the PC becomes a Chromebook
