Somehow I've managed to raise a daughter to college age without ever having to buy her a laptop. Now that she's entering community college in the fall, it's time to get her one of her own.
We decided a Chromebook should be sufficient for her needs, so since I've never shopped for one I thought I'd ask here if anyone has any recommendations?
get the newest one
If I were going back to school, my two biggest concerns would be battery life and weight. She won't always be able to plug in, so you'll want it to last as long as possible on its own power. And she'll already be carrying around enough text books that you don't want to add a ton of weight. Beyond that, most of them will be plenty fast these days. Another splurge if it's in your budget would be a backlit keyboard. Teachers often dim the lights to do a powerpoint presentation. Lastly, since it runs off an internet connect, which may not always be available, make sure her phone can do a hotspot as needed.
I have two Chromebooks. A 13" Samsung (2017) I bought new at a school auction, and a 15" Acer (2019) I bought used last year. They basically have no hard drive, nor do I believe the options exist for larger HDs. They are both thin, light and compact and boot up quickly. The 2017 model is only 2.4ghz but the 2019 has 5.0ghz AC wifi speed. Also, the 2017 model is a bit glitchy on streaming/zoom. Both have extended battery life... something like 8 hours unplugged and in use.
Basically saying to get the newest model was to be a smartass, but also being truthful. I believe Chromebooks are made by various manufacturers in a variety of sizes, but for all intents and purposes, I think all the processors are Intel so the only differences are the video hardware, RAM brands and cameras. There's Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, Acer, HP... some have touchscreen/tablet capability like an iPad. They all have extended battery life (8-10 hours), so essentially any extra cost is for the video... otherwise they all cost about the same. Basically pick a brand you trust, and go for that one... and pay more for a better screen, if that's what you want/need.
[edit] right after I wrote this, I googled it... and the top 10 models are all AMD, so fuck me, right? Here's the article (#1 is $289 at Amazon): =b&google_params[network]=g&google_params[device]=c&google_params[creative]=484930847888&google_params[keyword]=&google_params[adposition]=&google_params[adgroupid]=76772379734&google_params[campaignid]=6490998898&bs=&google_params[feeditemid]=&google_params[targetid]=dsa-19959388920&google_params[loc_interest_ms]=&google_params[loc_physical_ms]=9032424&google_params[devicemodel]=&google_params[target]=&new_api=true&dest=0&sys_id=0|254&gclid=CjwKCAjwi9-HBhACEiwAPzUhHJ9Ou0P54beF4j47ggmEMXUXIPY_hgTfRQNq7HMiDeX6sFOlf683gRoCly8QAvD_BwE]Top 10 Chromebooks July 2021 (https://www.bestreviews.guide/amd-chromebook?&origin=google&google_params%5Bmatchtype)
sorry - I can't get the hyperlink to post right
Thanks, good info. All her textbooks are digital so no hauling books around!
Quote from: jwheeler on July 21, 2021, 02:25:20 PMmake sure her phone can do a hotspot as needed.
Phone? What phone?
Didn't get her a phone til she was 17, and that one is a pay-as-you-go plan with no data - any and all surfing happens on wi-fi. Obviously she's old enough (and also has a job) so she can upgrade her plan if she wants, but I never subscribed to the idea that kids need the internet in their pocket 24/7.
Quote from: DCurry on July 22, 2021, 07:47:58 AM
All her textbooks are digital
That gave me physical pain none the less