Chromebooks

Acer has been selling its Chromebook 15 in a variety of configurations since January of 2015. In fact, they currently list 8 different varieties on the Acer online store and somehow more at Amazon.  There are bare bones versions of the Acer Chromebook 15 for as little at $179 at Walmart, but what we’re here to talk about today is a relatively high-end model affectionately named the “CB515-1HT-P39B.”

Most important, is its aluminum shell or at least half the shell, which your friends, if their vision isn’t great, might mistake for a 2015 MacBook Pro. It also has 2 charge capable USB-C ports on either side with 2 legacy USB-A ports, as well.

I took my first look at this year’s model at IFA in August and last week Acer sent me one for review. Here are my thoughts after a week.

Potential plans to ban tablets and laptops from cabin baggage on flights between Europe and the USA have reportedly been shelved …

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CTL’s J2 Chromebook has received good reviews as a popular budget option for use in the classroom. Today the company is announcing an even easier way for schools to invest in the device with a new 15-unit pack that it says will be competitive with Apple’s iPad mini bulk offers.

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In this week’s top stories: Our Moto G5 Plus & Keyone reviews, the best Android phones and smartwatches for May, hints at an incoming Android O beta, new Google apps and updates, and much more. 
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Chrome OS used to be the laughing-stock of the OS wars, but today it holds a strong place in the market. Thanks to Android apps, the OS is only becoming more and more useful too. One of the hardest parts of Chrome OS, though, is picking a machine to run it on. So, let’s take a look at the best Chromebooks you can buy today…

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One of the most wanted features wanted on Chromebooks is the ability to run Android apps. Thankfully, Google listened and has been working to make this happen, with the Samsung Chromebook Plus being one of the first to offer the ability. Now, it looks like the Chromebook Plus is the first to receive the update to Nougat, but it is currently only available to those running the Canary build of the operating system…

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After rolling out to desktops and Android in recent weeks, version 57 is now in the stable channel for Chrome OS devices. There are a number of new features in this release that are especially geared at newer Chromebooks.

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If you’ve been following our coverage this week, you know that CES 2017 has already brought the introduction of countless new phones, laptops, accessories, and more. In the Google realm, that means we’ve seen plenty of new Android phones, Chromebooks, wearables, and more.

But CES is always a matter of finding the diamonds in the rough. There are always some impressive announcements, but the vast majority of things we’ve seen this week have been either mundane or old news. That’s why we’ve done the work for you.

Follow after the break to get a peek at our picks for the best Android, Chrome and Google-related products that debuted at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show…

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Even with Andromeda potentially on the horizon, we’re still looking at some awesome things in the Chrome OS world. Android apps are slowly making their way to current Chromebooks, new models have recently hit the market, and even more are on the horizon. However, today we’re getting our first look at a brand new model which seems to be ASUS’ successor to the popular Chromebook Flip.

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Update: The laptop is no longer available for $230 at Amazon.

It’s been a couple years since I used a Chromebook on a full-time basis. Before I owned the MacBook Pro that I use today, I had one of the earlier Samsung-made Chromebooks. I loved it a lot. But in terms of raw capabilities and build quality, I knew I needed something more. So here I am today.

For the last week or so, however, I’ve been diving back into Chromebooks — specifically using the Acer Chromebook 14. Given this is my first real experience trying to use a Chromebook on a daily basis since one of the platform’s first generation laptops, it’s an understatement to say I’m impressed…

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I was as pleasantly shocked as many people at Google I/O earlier this year when the company announced that Chromebooks would begin to offer Android apps via software update. In my mind, this is a real game changer, bringing Chrome OS into the mainstream desktop OS market with macOS and Windows.

The future became now as earlier this month, the already impressive Acer R13 Dev channel got the Google Play store. But let me back up a second. First you really need to hear about the hardware specs of the Acer Chromebook R13 which make it seem almost like a Pixel-type of device, if not better…
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If you’ve been trying to choose between a cheap Chromebook and one with a larger screen, Acer may have solved your dilemma. The new Acer Chromebook 15 CB3-532-C47C provides a 15.6-inch display for just $199.

The catch is that the resolution is just 1366×768 (you get what you pay for), so don’t expect to have too many windows on-screen at any one time. But if you just want a larger screen to better see what you’re doing, view movies and create room for a larger keyboard, it may well be all you need …

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The addition of Android apps to Chrome OS is a big deal, but sadly it’s also taking a while for Google to push that functionality to all models. So far only three Chromebooks can officially run Android apps, and while more are on the way, there are still plenty of Chromebook users who will be waiting for quite a while.

Luckily, there’s a trick to get early access. Thanks to some savvy Chromebook users over on Google+ (via Chrome Story) we’ve been able to find a way to install the Play Store on any current Chromebook which will at some point officially support Android apps. Please do note that this won’t work with many older models. If your Chromebook is listed here, odds are this will work.

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Following its big day yesterday, Google today announced some impressive numbers concerning the growing use of Chromebooks in education. According to the company, more than 20 million students are now using Chromebook in their education environment.

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Since Chromebooks first hit the scene, Samsung has had options available. The Samsung Series 3 Chromebook was one of the most popular Chromebooks ever, but in the time since Samsung’s Chromebooks have faded into the background a bit with the focus shifted to options from HP, ASUS, Acer, and many others. With Android apps on the horizon, it seems that Samsung is finally pushing its Chromebook lineup yet again, but it might be doing that in the wrong way…

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Following the arrival of Android apps on Chrome OS, new Chromebook models should be coming soon. Among those is a reported addition to Acer’s R lineup with the 13.3-inch Acer R13. While there’s not too much new about this Chromebook, it will reportedly be the first Chrome OS device powered by a chipset from MediaTek.

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In this week’s top stories: The next version of Android is officially ‘Nougat’, more Nexus leaks, new Chromebooks, the latest new apps and updates & much more. Head below our handy roundup of links to this these and the rest of this week’s top shared stories.

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Announced earlier this year at CES, the Lenovo ThinkPad 13 Chromebook is now available from the company’s online store. With the same design and durability as the Windows version, the Chromebook variant is powered by Intel’s new Skylake processor and will support Android apps later this year.

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Coinciding with the announcement of Project Bloks, Google today introduced new updates and improvements to a slew of classroom tools at the ISTE education technology conference. Announcements include public availability of Cardboard Expeditions, Google Cast for Education, quiz support with automatic grading in Google Forms, and new creative apps for Chromebooks.

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