Samsung Google Chromebook: First Review

We decided early on that it was going to be important for each of us to remain connected to the "real world" while we were on this adventure of ours, so we spent a significant amount of time weighing all of our technological options. 

Features we wanted:

• Lightweight and portable. We're going to be lugging these things across several continents. Every pound (or ounce!) matters.
• Cheap! Hopefully we won't run into any major issues on our trip, but we'd like to minimize the heartache if our devices get lost or stolen.
• Built-in webcam/microphone for frequent video-chats with friends and family back home.
• Storage for lots of pictures.
• Full-sized keyboard for writing blog posts and other stuff.
• Long battery life for long bus rides.

We considered a ton of different options. For awhile, I convinced myself that an iPad would be the best option. But I've heard it doesn't do well with some blogging sites, and with the cost of the keyboard and case, it didn't quite meet our needs for something "cheap." 

I was looking into the Asus Transformer for awhile too. It's supposed to be a mix between and keyboard and a tablet-- cool and functional. But the cost was the main deterrent. 

Thankfully, before I purchased any of these expensive devices, Tom did quite a bit of research on some options for us and came up with the new Samsung Chromebook.

The Samsung Chromebook. It's very thin and lightweight.

I was incredibly hesitant; I'd read some negative things about an earlier iteration of the Chromebook, and I wasn't sure how I felt about using only Google products. But the $250 price tag and awesome specs convinced me to change my mind.

I've been using the Chromebook for about 2 weeks now, and although it's not perfect, I think it'll be a great companion for our trip. Here's why:

• At about 2.4 pounds, it's incredibly lightweight. It also has a good battery life (I think it's between 6-7 hours, but I haven't conducted any tests or anything!) I really love that it's so quiet; for some computer-nerdy reason, there's no fan, which means so annoying whirring noise. And, unlike other computers, it never gets warm to the touch. It's kind of like a giant smartphone with a full keyboard and other goodies.
• It has everything I need. Unlike the iPad and other tablets, the Chromebook has all kinds of inputs to insert SD cards, USBs, etc. And I can easily find apps for most programs. I've even discovered a neat site that's helping me improve my Spanish in prep for the South America and Spain legs of our journey.
• One of my biggest concerns was that the Chromebook needs an internet connection for most of the good stuff. But recent updates mean that now I can write in a Google doc or use basic programs to edit pictures. This should be good for long bus rides!

All that said, there are still a few kinks and annoyances, some large, some small:

Very thin and fragile Chromebook

• It feels a bit fragile, likely because it weighs only 2 pounds and is made mostly of plastic. It's not a huge deal, but I do worry that it's not quite as tough and durable as it should be for long treks and bumpy bus rides.
• There's no Skype. There's no Word. Sure, there are very good Google substitutes (in the form of Hangout and Google docs) but it's not quite the same. I'd like to be able to pick and choose programs instead of being forced into the Google programs.
• There's pretty much no hard drive to speak of. I'm relying on Google Drive (which is automatically expanded to 100 GB for Chromebook owners) and my Dropbox account for saving most of my pictures and documents over this journey. I mostly trust "the cloud," but I do miss the hard drive safety net. And now that I'm using Google products for everything, I'm growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of integration in some of their programs. 
• The video quality isn't great. It's definitely enough for video chats with family and friends, but I won't rely on it for anything other than that. The camera doesn't even come close to an iPhone.



No delete key!

• No delete key. This is a minor, but frequent, annoyance. (I make a lot of mistakes!)  There's also no caps lock key, which is only an issue when I'm REALLY ANGRY about something.

Once I have experience using the Chromebook on the road, I'll update and refine this list. So far, though, I definitely recommend the Samsung Chromebook for people going on long-term travel.

- R

I did not receive payment of any kind in exchange for this review.