The boy has saved a couple of hundred quid in birthday and summer odd-job wages. He fancies a laptop, so I suggested a Chromebook. He’s off to big school next week, so I would like it if he could do his homework on the Chromebook (big sis gets first dibs on my Windows laptop).
I’ve never owned or used a Chromebook, so advice please – even if just what to avoid.
He already has a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10″ Android tablet which is mainly used for playing Minecraft.
Thanks in advance
Have you checked if there are school things that need to be done on a Windows machine? If so, you might find that a lower powered Windows 10 laptop would actually be better. Remember that you can read and edit standard Word documents and Excel Spreadsheets with other packages but you can rarely run macros in them which I know at work we find is a pain.
I’ve had and loved the Toshiba Chromebook for a couple of years now but because of the parent company’s financial woes (nothing to do with its computing division it seems) they can be difficult to track down these days. I used PC Advisor to help in my buying choice – latest version here
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/laptop/best-chromebook-best-chromebooks-2016-uk-3528995/
It takes a while to get used to the Google Universe and because I’m still a bit paranoid about The Cloud I store most of my stuff on cheap as dirt sticks or external hard-drives.
I have no problem converting Google Docs (very very similar to Microsoft Office) to either Mac or Windows but these days my requirements are pretty basic so as johnw suggests worth checking what exactly your boy’s school actually require.
If you do buy a cheap laptop instead, make sure as much of the cash goes on the processor part of the device. I bought a cheapish laptop that was also a touch screen tablet. But my 8 year old son has noticed the lack of processing power and grumbles its underpowered (he may have got this from his older brother).
Microsoft effectively gives away copies of Windows to tablet and cheap laptop manufacturers, as long as the machine in question doesn’t exceed a particular specification. If I recall correctly, this specification is currently an Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM, 32 GB Flash storage and a relatively low resolution screen. If you pay more for a better processor, you will also be charged a premium for Windows.
Hmmm. I have a Atom-based hardback-book-sized thing I was “given” by work that I use as a downloader/media server and it’s a bit lacking in thrunge – definitely slower than the tablet.
Atom processors have varied wildly over the years. The original models fitted in small laptops were always single-core, whereas those found in current tablets can have 1, 2 or 4 cores. Intel also produce 8-core Atom processors, but these are designed specifically for server applications.
Have you thought of a refurbished unit?
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/st/refurbished-laptops-under-200-pounds
This. I got a refurbished Dell laptop a few weeks ago for $200 (130 pounds). Has 4GB of memory, a decent processor and small hard disk. Works just fine (Windows 10)
That’s an option. I’ve asked school what file formats are acceptable for homework submissions. His Lordship wants to install Minecraft PC edition, which I doubt works on a Chromebook.
MInecraft in’t supported on Chrome. You need a mid-range windows, Mac or Linux machine. Not sure if you can get one for £200. If it plays Minecraft, it will easily handle all his school needs.
Minimum requirements for Minecraft (you really want better than this).
CPU: Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 (K8) 2.6 GHz.
RAM: 2GB.
GPU (Integrated): Intel HD Graphics or AMD (formerly ATI) Radeon HD Graphics with OpenGL 2.1.
GPU (Discrete): Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT or AMD Radeon HD 2400 with OpenGL 3.1.
HDD: At least 200MB for Game Core and Other Files.
Java 6 Release 45.
I kitted out all of our call centre staff with a chromebox (tiny little compact PC version of the chromebook). If you only need a computer for the internet and basic word processing or spreadsheet stuff you cannot go wrong.
As others have stated above, best to check what your son needs to use the computer for before you buy. Although you can install a bunch of chrome apps it’s a world away from Windows and OS X.
I don’t think you should treat word processing capabilities with spreadsheets. Many of the free word processors available these days are very compatible with Word and i find it’s rare that my LibreOffice installation won’t save a fairly sophisticated long Word document which is a long way from basic wordprocessing. Spreadsheets, on the other hand are different. You don’t need to move very far from very basic before you want to add a couple of buttons that run macros and they simply aren’t compatible between spreadsheets. It’s a real pain and one that doesn’t look like being overcome in the near future. If the laptop is to be used to learn to create Excel spreadsheets (as opposed to just using them for a few calculations) then the only package that will do is Office.
I have no need these days to do complicated spreadsheets (thank God) but to my aged eyes Google’s Pro Office Suite does everything that Microsoft does and on the few occasions I have tried seems wholly compatible and interchangeable with Office. It costs around a tenner but is for some reason often available free
https://www.mobisystems.com/android/officesuite-professional/
School has replied, homework has to be MS Office formats. Young Master can buy Office Student edition for £10.
IT man at work has given me the eBay shop of the place work rents Dell laptops from. When they are returned (in our case, at the end of 3 years rental period), they get refurbed and sold on there.
Yet another device I will have to provide with IT support…