Have you noticed lately that many laptops’ screens are almost as big as desktop monitors? No doubt you can find a small and lightweight one, but some of the least expensive laptops are huge. I went searching for lighter and slimmer solutions for the mobile small business owner. The Samsung Chromebook offers an interesting option and is the focus of this review. Samsung provided a 30-day loaner unit for this review.
If you’re not familiar with the new Chromebooks, you may find this review interesting and these machines a good alternative to more powerful, and expensive, computers. The Chromebook is a laptop that runs only the Chrome browser from Google. That’s it. No operating system of any type that you may have seen before. It starts up in 8 seconds-yes, only 8 seconds.
The closest device I’ve seen to rival its weight, speed and design is the MacBook Air. However, before the Mac community flips out, let me say the Chromebook is clearly not a MacBook Air. But if you live your life in Web applications for the most part, then this device may save you money and save your back from toting larger laptops.
What I really like:
- Light and fast. Did I already mention that?
- WiFi but also 3G access (free 2-year 100Mb per month plan from Verizon, then based on a pay-as-you-go option).
- Multiple user profiles so your employees can just grab it and start working. I could see a bunch of these stacked in a warehouse or in a place like thinkspace, which is a shared office environment for entrepreneurs.
- Up to 8.5 hours of continuous use. Granted, that’s because you are running a browser and no traditional apps, but that rivals an iPad with a separate keyboard.
What I’d like to see:
- A little bit more work on the keyboard and mouse. The mouse / touchpad was sometimes a little jerky. Daniel Rexin, ultra-tech savvy and someone I trust to tell me what works and what doesn’t, posted a Chromebook review recently (he identifies the same challenge on the mousepad, but adds a bit more detail).
- A bit of work to make Chrome more user-friendly as an OS – you can download PDFs and files, but it isn’t easy to figure out how to get to them. This is not a Samsung Chromebook issue, by the way, so no criticism of them here. Chrome as an operating system is disorienting until you realize, and let it sink in, that it’s all you have. It takes a few minutes to wrap your head around.
Many small businesses don’t need more than a browser-based solution. The Samsung Chromebook is a solid contender for your technology purchase budget. With the many, many apps on Google’s marketplace, you can run your business from the Web.
With prices starting around $429 (at publication time), you get a device that rivals the more powerful netbooks on the market (less power, less cost), minus the full-scale OS and traditional apps. Like everything in business today, in my humble opinion, you have to take a closer look at why and how you operate your company.
Do you need to spend $1,000-plus on a simple laptop? Do you need a more powerful desktop? It’s fine if you do, but the options exist to reduce costs with machines like these.
Learn more about the Samsung Chromebook.
Martin Lindeskog
TJ: I have a MacBook (not air) and I am happy with it. Before that I had a small Asus notebook. I am glad to see new products on the market. I like that it is easy to start up. I am using Chrome browser on a regular basis because I like the feel and it is very fast to use. Do you know if you could get this chromebook in Europe?
TJ McCue
hey Martin, I would think that Samsung would have partners in Europe for their Chromebooks. Maybe someone from their team will see this thread and chime in.
Anita Campbell
Now that’s a nice looking small laptop. I’ve been thinking about trying the Chromebook OS, just to see what it’s like, so your comments are very helpful. Thanks for writing up this review, TJ.
– Anita
Gary
I own a Chromebook and use it as my primary computer. It is an excellent device for businesses and private users that can transition themselves to a cloud computing model, using web applications such as Google Apps or Gmail rather than native applications like Microsoft Office and Outlook. The advantage for small business is their potential to reduce IT infrastructure and investment costs. In the US, Google charges $28 per month per Chromebook, which includes technical support and a full warranty on the devices for the entire period. If a Chromebook breaks, Google will replace it for no additional charge. Yesterday, Google announced a price drop in the US which places the computers from $350 to $450, with the $450 model equipped with 3G.
Mike Dancy
I have a newer Samsung 16GB Chromebook. $250 at Bestbuy and I love this machine. It’s pretty much my 99% computer. I just keep my Dell E4300 for the ‘heavy’ lifting which is photoshop usage mainly. I run my business off of google apps for business so the Chromebook handles almost everything.