Chromebase

50Twuncle

Have any of you seen and tried the new Chromebase systems ?
I tried one at work today and was extremely impressed

The speed of "boot up" is like throwing a switch ..... Instant

They are a all-in-one combined monitor and computer - running Chrome OS and are available from less than £200
Chrome uses cloud storage - so (in theory) 16Gb of storage should be more than enough

They come with all of the networking gubbins including Bluetooth but only have a small SSD...so would make good network devices (store files on a network device)

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/LG_22CV241-W_2GB_16GB_SSD_21.5_inch_Full_HD_IPS_Google_Chrome_All_In_One_Mo_22CV241-B/version.asp?refsource=LDadwords&cr!!!!!LD&gclid=CNv11dLO1cUCFSXlwgodGFsARQ

Is a good price - but probably can be beaten

bellabooski

Hi 5OTwuncle
I've just ordered an HP Chromebook after doing a lot of research and reading various expert and user reviews etc.
I know they won't be ideal for everyone, but for me it sounds perfect as all I do is occasional surfing, emails and social media.
My laptop after 3 years is getting woefully slow and noisy, in spite of regular clean-ups, optimization etc., so I'm looking forward to a simpler and quieter experience with my new device and not having to worry about anti-virus!
Regards Bella

kwikbreaks

For people who mostly only use a browser or could use one instead of an Office suite / picture editor etc. I'd guess they could be ideal. Even for others where a tablet isn't good enough for their mobile computer (even with a keyboard) they would be good too.

I think they are likely to remain niche products though.

===

Ahh - I see the one Twuncle linked to is an all-in-one. Not sure about those at all but they certainly seem to be cheap.

===
This post prompted me to re-check chromebooks. I see there seem to be a lot more models now and the prices are starting to look a lot nearer the mark too. Perhaps they'll take off at last.

chunter

Probably worth pointing out that it's not a laptop, it's a browser. It's fairly well useless if it's not connected to the internet. So will definitely suit some more than others.

And once again I remind people to price a replacement screen.
I priced one for a chromebook a couple of years ago and the screen was more than £150. The Chromebook, I believe, is still lying in the corner.

50Twuncle

chunter wrote: »

Probably worth pointing out that it's not a laptop, it's a browser. It's fairly well useless if it's not connected to the internet. So will definitely suit some more than others.

And once again I remind people to price a replacement screen.
I priced one for a chromebook a couple of years ago and the screen was more than £150. The Chromebook, I believe, is still lying in the corner.

This is a complete computer - screen with built in 'puter (with keyboard and mouse) - with Chrome browser which accepts MS Office !!
Our one at work - I am told - cost £185 (we don't pay VAT) - the monitor is a half decent 23" - Which on it's own, must cost at least £90 - the flash memory, RAM and CPU are minimal but the thing does boot up in about 2 seconds and is capable of browsing the web quickly, downloading files quickly and running basic programs - which is all that many/most people need !!
Take a look at them - that's all that I am saying.

patman99

If the company network goes down, then the Chromebase turns into a handy paperwieght until the network is up and running again.

On the plus side, you can upgrade the storage and hack the BIOS to allow you to install a proper OS and dual boot it.

bsod

bellabooski wrote: »

My laptop after 3 years is getting woefully slow and noisy, in spite of regular clean-ups, optimization etc
Regards Bella

Install windows7 again, plus a free antivirus, set power saving to hibernate or suspend, (clean the vents, and use power saver power plan if the fan is going into overdrive), and it will be back to simple, quiet, and fast - or wait for the free windows10 upgrade.

50Twuncle

patman99 wrote: »

If the company network goes down, then the Chromebase turns into a handy paperwieght until the network is up and running again.

On the plus side, you can upgrade the storage and hack the BIOS to allow you to install a proper OS and dual boot it.

As far as I am aware - the device can be used in "Offline" mode - without any network connection !!

almillar

You can do plenty in ChromeOS without a net connection. That advice is out of date.
50Twuncle - the Chromebox is just the box - it doesn't come with a monitor or keyboard, unless you know you were looking at some sort of package. For this reason, you might want to consider a ChromeBOOK instead, unless you need that tiny box to hide away.

50Twuncle

ChromeBASE !!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-Chromebase-21-5-Chrome-Monitor/dp/B00JR8MMH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1432730156&sr=1-1&keywords=chromebase[

almillar

Ah right sorry, so that's a ChromeBASE which is a ChromeBOX with the monitor etc added as a package, and does look decent value if you need the stuff.
ChromeBOX price for comparison...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Chromebox-Desktop-Celeron-1-4GHz/dp/B00M0M82CY/ref=pd_sim_147_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1G5A6RMNZ98R5AS5963G