New laptop or Chromebook??
Discussion
I am trying to work out the best way forward with a new laptop or Chromebook. I use Google for pretty much all my documents, photos etc but do also need something that will run occasional Android apps such as Xero accounts. I am still trying to work out if a Chromebook will do the job as they obviously are all Google based, but it is the Android side I am unsure with them, so any advice would be great.
Have an Asus c302 with an Intel core M processor and it runs all my android apps brilliantly. Netflix, iPlayer, Amazon, outlook and several android games.
The trick is to. Make sure you get one with more than 32gb of internal storage - android apps won't install to external storage. 64GB seems to be OK. I e got 64gb and have 42 free.
The c302 has just been replaced with a newer model, but it's a brilliant device, really well made great touch screen/screen and decent battery life. Have a Dell xps13 (gen8) and it spends most of its time gathering dust...
I like the convertible aspect of the Asus so I can flip it into tablet format and get android apps full screen.
All the Google stuff works seamlessly, just. About the only thing I haven't done is print.
The trick is to. Make sure you get one with more than 32gb of internal storage - android apps won't install to external storage. 64GB seems to be OK. I e got 64gb and have 42 free.
The c302 has just been replaced with a newer model, but it's a brilliant device, really well made great touch screen/screen and decent battery life. Have a Dell xps13 (gen8) and it spends most of its time gathering dust...
I like the convertible aspect of the Asus so I can flip it into tablet format and get android apps full screen.
All the Google stuff works seamlessly, just. About the only thing I haven't done is print.
You need to check that the model you're buying supports play store. Those that don't are now getting pretty old and pretty rare but that have not completely disappeared, especially if you end up looking at old clearance stock or refurbished ones.
I checked and zero accounts is available for my chromebooks, generally if it is available on one its available on them all.
I checked and zero accounts is available for my chromebooks, generally if it is available on one its available on them all.
Ascayman said:
Pixel book.
Yeah lovely machine - but it comes with one hell of a price tag ;-) the new Asus 434 and the older c302 are 2/3 to 1/2 of the price (looking online) so unless you need a digitizer for a pen input, as with all of these things YMMV.My best advice is to head somewhere like John Lewis that stocks a decent selection and try them - it becomes a matter of personal opinion, screen size, keyboard etc...
S.
If you buy one with Play Store support it should run the Xero app just fine. But Xero also has a web interface, doesn't it ? Or at least it did when I last used it approx. 12 months ago.
FWIW the only machines we use as a household nowadays are Chromebooks, for both work and personal use.
(ASUS C201, ASUS C100 Flip, Samsung v2 Plus, and Pixelbook)
Jury is still out on the Samsung v2 Plus, as it doesn't come across as fully resolved, and isn't any quicker than the much cheaper C201 or C100 for daily use, and has issues with the Prime Video app whereas the app is fine on the C100 and Pixelbook. I'd have reservations about recommending the Samsung to anyone, but overall I'd be an advocate of Chromebooks in general because they make computing easy for a lot of people.
FWIW the only machines we use as a household nowadays are Chromebooks, for both work and personal use.
(ASUS C201, ASUS C100 Flip, Samsung v2 Plus, and Pixelbook)
Jury is still out on the Samsung v2 Plus, as it doesn't come across as fully resolved, and isn't any quicker than the much cheaper C201 or C100 for daily use, and has issues with the Prime Video app whereas the app is fine on the C100 and Pixelbook. I'd have reservations about recommending the Samsung to anyone, but overall I'd be an advocate of Chromebooks in general because they make computing easy for a lot of people.
Are there Win 10S apps available which are not available on ChromeOS/Android/Linux ? A 500 dollar Chromebook will run apps from all 3 environments side-by-side. If you were to step up from Win 10S to full Win 10 then you will find the Surface Go to not have enough horsepower to run and behave satisfactorily.
Corso Marche said:
Are there Win 10S apps available which are not available on ChromeOS/Android/Linux ? A 500 dollar Chromebook will run apps from all 3 environments side-by-side. If you were to step up from Win 10S to full Win 10 then you will find the Surface Go to not have enough horsepower to run and behave satisfactorily.
Ah right ok, back to just the Chromebook then. Seems to make sense and looking at all the replies, it is the way forward. I have a Lenovo Yoga Book, it's a 10" screen and runs full Android, rather than ChromeOS. I'd prefer a bigger screen, but at the time lots of Apps didn't work on ChromeOS - eg my Tado central heating app.
I'm sort of of the view that there's no point going for Android on a laptop if it's not actually Android, though I've not used ChromeOS recently enough to know whether it's still a problem. I really like the Yoga Book because it's literally setup as a larger version of my phone, same launcher, same apps in the same place, etc. Can you do that with ChromeOS now?
I noticed earlier in the week that Google are advertising their Pixel Book as the first laptop with Google Assistant, the Yoga Book had it two years ago chaps.
I'm sort of of the view that there's no point going for Android on a laptop if it's not actually Android, though I've not used ChromeOS recently enough to know whether it's still a problem. I really like the Yoga Book because it's literally setup as a larger version of my phone, same launcher, same apps in the same place, etc. Can you do that with ChromeOS now?
I noticed earlier in the week that Google are advertising their Pixel Book as the first laptop with Google Assistant, the Yoga Book had it two years ago chaps.
How are word documents fairing on the newest models of chromebooks?
I got one years ago as a stop gap whilst trying to decide to a "traditional" laptop and still use it to this day as it's so smooth and convenient however last night I had to edit a word document with complicated formatting and it couldn't handle it so had to use my partners windows laptop.
I know there's a microsoft word app but has anyone any experience of it?
I got one years ago as a stop gap whilst trying to decide to a "traditional" laptop and still use it to this day as it's so smooth and convenient however last night I had to edit a word document with complicated formatting and it couldn't handle it so had to use my partners windows laptop.
I know there's a microsoft word app but has anyone any experience of it?
MS Office/Word
MS Word and OneDrive app work, as well as Chrome extensions to sync OneDrive content to the ChromeOS files app. Office Online also works incl Word. I believe (but haven't checked in recent months) that the android apps need an Office 365 subscription for editing, but as said I could be wrong on that.
Editing Word files using G Docs still has formatting issues, it all depends on the formatting involved and the version/file type of the Word file. There's another major push coming from Google to improve this, but I always employ a healthy level of scepticism.
You have better chance of success with the Word app, or Word Online. Word Online is what I use if necessary, but only once in a blue moon.
The reality is that Microsoft's handling of file types/versions down through the years has led to incompatibilities even within their own software.
I've encountered Word files created in Office 2010 where the formatting fell to pieces leaving the files a total mess when opened in Office 2013, and Word files created in Office 365 which have formatting errors in Office Online and the MS Word app. It worked the other way too. It's a legacy MS issue, and a PITA. Also a large reason why I moved away from MS Office, but not everybody can do that.
Android Tablet vs ChromeOS
The ChromeOS UI is different, when in tablet form it's closer to iOS on an iPad in how it lays out it's app drawer, with a taskbar for frequently used apps at the screen edge (usually bottom, but can be set to Left/Right/Bottom by the user). It can also be set to autohide, and appear with a swipe up, or tap at the relevant screen edge.
It's actually quite nice to use on the right machine, and most apps work fine, but there's still the odd app which has an issue on specific devices, so it pays to check beforehand if you have a heavy use case for any particular app.
MS Word and OneDrive app work, as well as Chrome extensions to sync OneDrive content to the ChromeOS files app. Office Online also works incl Word. I believe (but haven't checked in recent months) that the android apps need an Office 365 subscription for editing, but as said I could be wrong on that.
Editing Word files using G Docs still has formatting issues, it all depends on the formatting involved and the version/file type of the Word file. There's another major push coming from Google to improve this, but I always employ a healthy level of scepticism.
You have better chance of success with the Word app, or Word Online. Word Online is what I use if necessary, but only once in a blue moon.
The reality is that Microsoft's handling of file types/versions down through the years has led to incompatibilities even within their own software.
I've encountered Word files created in Office 2010 where the formatting fell to pieces leaving the files a total mess when opened in Office 2013, and Word files created in Office 365 which have formatting errors in Office Online and the MS Word app. It worked the other way too. It's a legacy MS issue, and a PITA. Also a large reason why I moved away from MS Office, but not everybody can do that.
Android Tablet vs ChromeOS
The ChromeOS UI is different, when in tablet form it's closer to iOS on an iPad in how it lays out it's app drawer, with a taskbar for frequently used apps at the screen edge (usually bottom, but can be set to Left/Right/Bottom by the user). It can also be set to autohide, and appear with a swipe up, or tap at the relevant screen edge.
It's actually quite nice to use on the right machine, and most apps work fine, but there's still the odd app which has an issue on specific devices, so it pays to check beforehand if you have a heavy use case for any particular app.
Edited by Corso Marche on Thursday 25th April 11:17
Corso Marche said:
MS Office/Word
MS Word and OneDrive app work, as well as Chrome extensions to sync OneDrive content to the ChromeOS files app. Office Online also works incl Word. I believe (but haven't checked in recent months) that the android apps need an Office 365 subscription for editing, but as said I could be wrong on that.
Editing Word files using G Docs still has formatting issues, it all depends on the formatting involved and the version/file type of the Word file. There's another major push coming from Google to improve this, but I always employ a healthy level of scepticism.
You have better chance of success with the Word app, or Word Online. Word Online is what I use if necessary, but only once in a blue moon.
The reality is that Microsoft's handling of file types/versions down through the years has led to incompatibilities even within their own software.
I've encountered Word files created in Office 2010 where the formatting fell to pieces leaving the files a total mess when opened in Office 2013, and Word files created in Office 365 which have formatting errors in Office Online and the MS Word app. It worked the other way too. It's a legacy MS issue, and a PITA. Also a large reason why I moved away from MS Office, but not everybody can do that.
Android Tablet vs ChromeOS
The ChromeOS UI is different, when in tablet form it's closer to iOS on an iPad in how it lays out it's app drawer, with a taskbar for frequently used apps at the screen edge (usually bottom, but can be set to Left/Right/Bottom by the user). It can also be set to autohide, and appear with a swipe up, or tap at the relevant screen edge.
It's actually quite nice to use on the right machine, and most apps work fine, but there's still the odd app which has an issue on specific devices, so it pays to check beforehand if you have a heavy use case for any particular app.
That is very helpful, cheers for that. I must admit, I am not really a Windows fan (bring back XP I say, but that's another story possibly). I have found I use Google products more and more, having switched to an Android phone from Apple, I just like the way it works. The main reason for all this, is that I am shortly going to throw myself into the world of self employment as a tree surgeon and grounds maintenance business. I therefore want a device that I can receive emails on, generate invoices (using Xero accounting software which has been recommended), access online banking and then just general internet use. The ability to use Google Drive, Google Docs etc and access Google photos is also a prime consideration. While I appreciate a Windows machine will do this, I just wonder if a Chromebook will be slicker with less of the Windows junk on it? MS Word and OneDrive app work, as well as Chrome extensions to sync OneDrive content to the ChromeOS files app. Office Online also works incl Word. I believe (but haven't checked in recent months) that the android apps need an Office 365 subscription for editing, but as said I could be wrong on that.
Editing Word files using G Docs still has formatting issues, it all depends on the formatting involved and the version/file type of the Word file. There's another major push coming from Google to improve this, but I always employ a healthy level of scepticism.
You have better chance of success with the Word app, or Word Online. Word Online is what I use if necessary, but only once in a blue moon.
The reality is that Microsoft's handling of file types/versions down through the years has led to incompatibilities even within their own software.
I've encountered Word files created in Office 2010 where the formatting fell to pieces leaving the files a total mess when opened in Office 2013, and Word files created in Office 365 which have formatting errors in Office Online and the MS Word app. It worked the other way too. It's a legacy MS issue, and a PITA. Also a large reason why I moved away from MS Office, but not everybody can do that.
Android Tablet vs ChromeOS
The ChromeOS UI is different, when in tablet form it's closer to iOS on an iPad in how it lays out it's app drawer, with a taskbar for frequently used apps at the screen edge (usually bottom, but can be set to Left/Right/Bottom by the user). It can also be set to autohide, and appear with a swipe up, or tap at the relevant screen edge.
It's actually quite nice to use on the right machine, and most apps work fine, but there's still the odd app which has an issue on specific devices, so it pays to check beforehand if you have a heavy use case for any particular app.
Edited by Corso Marche on Thursday 25th April 11:17
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