Each child this year seemed to have a Christmas list that included a Mac Book and/or iPad. Since the budget is nearer to stone tablet and chisel this just wasn’t going to be their year. However, I did manage to get a used Google Chromebook for $150 off of Craigs List. AND I LOVE IT! I am completely sick of having to remove all the crap off of my wife’s computer after the kids have been on it. Watching them launch some girly dress up game out of China just gives me the willies. And that’s where this little CR-48 shines (I bought the original beta Chromebook, not the newer Samsung/Acer model). The Chrome OS is a complete sandbox. You can’t pull anything down which will kill it.
Also, the little buddy has a 20 GB SSD drive so it boots in 8 seconds. This is truly remarkable, and makes the Chromebook that much more usable. How many of you when looking for a bit of info, say a move time, have walked by your Win7 laptop and searched upstairs and then down for the tablet which is always on instead of booting your Win7 laptop. We just aren’t willing to take the time. It is a waste. However, grab the Chrome book, pop the lid, push on, and by the time you’ve adjusted the screen it is up and running. Plus 8 hrs on one charge.
The downside is the need to be connected to the internet to do anything. There is offline notes and Gmail, and I bet GDocs soon.
My oldest is in 9th grade. Her school has Google accounts for each student. They work in Google Docs and Presentation. This is perfect for the student. And if another child is using the Chromebook, then the first child need only jump on Mom’s computer and pull up her work in Google Docs to continue her work. Love that cloud.