Questions like this come up frequently, and with the current situation we find ourselves in I'm seeing the question more and more.
The original question asked by one of my co-workers yesterday was
"What's a good Chromebook I can get for my child?"
My answer was "not getting a Chomebook."
Why buy a laptop limited to only being able to use the Chrome browser when you can purchase a Windows 10 laptop that will run Chrome along with lots of other stuff? This is the question that everyone should be asking themselves.
I get that Chromebooks are simple to use. Sure: web browsers are simple to use. And if that's all you're doing on your computer, why not have the option to do "other stuff" in case you might want to in the future?
At the end of my call where the co-worker wanted a suggestion for a 300 hundred dollar-ish Chromebook, I went to Amazon and came up with these suggestions.
Acer Chromebook R 11 Convertible Laptop
At the time I suggested this one, the unit was shipping directly from Amazon at the price of $299. This model has a wrap-around touchscreen, which is great for running supported Android apps in addition to what can be used in the Chrome web browser. Decent specs for the price.
HP Education Edition X360 ProBook 2-in-1 Convertible 11.6
With nearly the same hardware specs, this Windows 10 HP laptop was listed for the same price at the time I completed my search with double the storage of the Chromebook. For the same price, you can have Chrome and tons of other apps too!
Lenovo 15.6" HD Flagship Laptop PC
Then I found this little number that I had to throw out there as yet another possibility. Another Windows 10 laptop with more laptop-like features, including a larger screen than the other two models, faster storage and double the storage of the HP laptop, and a CD/DVD player included, again, for the same price of $299.
So what did my co-worker ultimately choose?
They were looking at going with the 15.6" Lenovo! Yes! Now, when I touched base later in the day, they had just been informed that their school district was going to deploy Chromebooks 1:1 for their child's school in the very near future, so based on that new information, they decided they would hold off on making any orders that day, but I think that the conclusion they came to was the correct one (this computer was going to be used by a middle school student by the way).
For older users of computers, and much, much younger users, Chromebooks can make sense, but I also think it makes sense for younger users to get used to a more complex operating system like Windows or Mac OS. They will be using full-fledged PCs in the work place someday, and the more they understand how to use that technology, the easier things will be for them.
Each of our boys (ages 10, 8, and 5) are using this Windows computer for all of their online school work:
The EVOO EV-C-116-5-SL 11.6 from Wal-mart. These are even lower powered machines than the models above, but all they need at this stage of their lives for school is the web browser! And while it has the same specs as the Chomebooks being used by my high school students (except this one has a beautiful full HD display), this computer is running the full Windows 10 operating system and is sold for only $99.00. This is a fantastic option for elementary and middle school students where the budget is tight. This computer also includes a 1-year subscription to Office 365 and 1TB (Terabyte) of Microsoft OneDrive online storage.
When this article was written, All of the models discussed here were available for purchase. Now, less than 24 hours later, all of the Amazon models are sold out (the Wal-Mart model is still available at the time this is being posted on April 2). As more an more parents realize that the learning technology provided for their kids is inadequate, they are seeking out purchasing better devices on their own, and this is causing a shortage of machines across the spectrum.
(Amazon Affiliate links have been used in this post. Purchases made from these links support the writer.)
The original question asked by one of my co-workers yesterday was
"What's a good Chromebook I can get for my child?"
My answer was "not getting a Chomebook."
Why buy a laptop limited to only being able to use the Chrome browser when you can purchase a Windows 10 laptop that will run Chrome along with lots of other stuff? This is the question that everyone should be asking themselves.
I get that Chromebooks are simple to use. Sure: web browsers are simple to use. And if that's all you're doing on your computer, why not have the option to do "other stuff" in case you might want to in the future?
At the end of my call where the co-worker wanted a suggestion for a 300 hundred dollar-ish Chromebook, I went to Amazon and came up with these suggestions.
Acer Chromebook R 11 Convertible Laptop
At the time I suggested this one, the unit was shipping directly from Amazon at the price of $299. This model has a wrap-around touchscreen, which is great for running supported Android apps in addition to what can be used in the Chrome web browser. Decent specs for the price.
HP Education Edition X360 ProBook 2-in-1 Convertible 11.6
With nearly the same hardware specs, this Windows 10 HP laptop was listed for the same price at the time I completed my search with double the storage of the Chromebook. For the same price, you can have Chrome and tons of other apps too!
Lenovo 15.6" HD Flagship Laptop PC
Then I found this little number that I had to throw out there as yet another possibility. Another Windows 10 laptop with more laptop-like features, including a larger screen than the other two models, faster storage and double the storage of the HP laptop, and a CD/DVD player included, again, for the same price of $299.
So what did my co-worker ultimately choose?
They were looking at going with the 15.6" Lenovo! Yes! Now, when I touched base later in the day, they had just been informed that their school district was going to deploy Chromebooks 1:1 for their child's school in the very near future, so based on that new information, they decided they would hold off on making any orders that day, but I think that the conclusion they came to was the correct one (this computer was going to be used by a middle school student by the way).
For older users of computers, and much, much younger users, Chromebooks can make sense, but I also think it makes sense for younger users to get used to a more complex operating system like Windows or Mac OS. They will be using full-fledged PCs in the work place someday, and the more they understand how to use that technology, the easier things will be for them.
Each of our boys (ages 10, 8, and 5) are using this Windows computer for all of their online school work:
The EVOO EV-C-116-5-SL 11.6 from Wal-mart. These are even lower powered machines than the models above, but all they need at this stage of their lives for school is the web browser! And while it has the same specs as the Chomebooks being used by my high school students (except this one has a beautiful full HD display), this computer is running the full Windows 10 operating system and is sold for only $99.00. This is a fantastic option for elementary and middle school students where the budget is tight. This computer also includes a 1-year subscription to Office 365 and 1TB (Terabyte) of Microsoft OneDrive online storage.
When this article was written, All of the models discussed here were available for purchase. Now, less than 24 hours later, all of the Amazon models are sold out (the Wal-Mart model is still available at the time this is being posted on April 2). As more an more parents realize that the learning technology provided for their kids is inadequate, they are seeking out purchasing better devices on their own, and this is causing a shortage of machines across the spectrum.
(Amazon Affiliate links have been used in this post. Purchases made from these links support the writer.)