Samsung Chromebooks

DianeDiane Posts: 1,389
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Anyone know which is the latest one to be released, seems to be a series 3 and 5 ?

Currys/pc world have series 3 wifi at £229 wifi/3g £299, series 5 is £329 for wifi but the wifi/3g is only £299. Im confused.com
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  • John259John259 Posts: 28,324
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    Try a search on Amazon for:
    samsung chromebook
    and also visiting:
    http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/chrome/devices

    The model names are extremely confusing. The more expensive Series 5 model has an Intel Celeron processor, while the less expensive model (launched Oct-12) has a Samsung Exynos processor (which I suspect might be an ARM clone). Sorry, I don't know how much effect on performance the different processors have, nor even which gives the better performance.
  • DianeDiane Posts: 1,389
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    Thanks John for your help.
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
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    Yep all very weird. Series 3 is the latest and for some, arguably better.
  • andersonsonsonandersonsonson Posts: 6,454
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    The Chromebook is not a tablet or e-reader, it should not be in this forum!!

    Also the series 5 is better I think although there doesn't seem to be a great difference between the models.
  • DianeDiane Posts: 1,389
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    alanwarwic wrote: »
    Yep all very weird. Series 3 is the latest and for some, arguably better.

    Only £229 for the series 3 wifi version plus if you buy it from John Lewis you get a 2year waranty.

    andersonsonson - Sorry I put it in the wrong section, my mistake.
  • andersonsonsonandersonsonson Posts: 6,454
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    Diane wrote: »
    Only £229 for the series 3 wifi version plus if you buy it from John Lewis you get a 2year waranty.

    andersonsonson - Sorry I put it in the wrong section, my mistake.

    acer c7 chrome book £199 at Currys
    http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/ipad-tablets-and-ereaders/tablets/acer-c7-chromebook-19348027-pdt.html

    John Lewis is maybe better though and the Samsung is 0.3 kg lighter and 8cm thinner with 2.5 better hours battery life too
  • DianeDiane Posts: 1,389
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    acer c7 chrome book £199 at Currys
    http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/ipad-tablets-and-ereaders/tablets/acer-c7-chromebook-19348027-pdt.html

    John Lewis is maybe better though and the Samsung is 0.3 kg lighter and 8cm thinner with 2.5 better hours battery life too

    Thanks for your help.
  • PPhilsterPPhilster Posts: 1,742
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    In my opinion Chrome laptops are a waste of money. For just a bit more you can get a Windows laptop that can actually run most of the software in existence, unlike what the crippled Chrome laptops allow.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,324
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    There are some major advantages to Chromebooks in addition to their lower cost:
    Relative simplicity of use.
    Simplicity of software updates.
    Reduced risk of infection by malicious software.
    Probably greater reliability due to the reduced risk of the user messing up the settings.
  • DianeDiane Posts: 1,389
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    In my opinion Chrome laptops are a waste of money. For just a bit more you can get a Windows laptop that can actually run most of the software in existence, unlike what the crippled Chrome laptops allow.

    Just wanted something light with a keyboard to primarily just browse the web when I'm away from home and at £229 that will do the job perfectly.
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    For just a bit more you can get a Windows laptop that can actually run most of the software in existence, unlike what the crippled Chrome laptops allow.
    That is not the point for the buyer. For more money you can also buy an iPad which ain't the same either.

    Many of us are now waiting for the coming patch Tuesday for yet another Zero Day malware fix along with a massive set of others.

    The one certainty with the Chromebook is that it ain't for dreamers. You really need to know why you are buying.
  • PPhilsterPPhilster Posts: 1,742
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    Diane wrote: »
    Just wanted something light with a keyboard to primarily just browse the web when I'm away from home and at £229 that will do the job perfectly.

    True, but most users eventually end up wanting to do more on their computer than just browse the web. Something to consider.
  • PPhilsterPPhilster Posts: 1,742
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    alanwarwic wrote: »
    That is not the point for the buyer. For more money you can also buy an iPad which ain't the same either..

    The "point" is, for just a bit more, you'll have a much more capable computer. Even the average computer user eventually wants to or needs to do more than just browse the Internet.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,324
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    True, but most users eventually end up wanting to do more on their computer than just browse the web. Something to consider.
    Nowadays there are many services, facilities and games available via browsers - Google Docs, etc, etc.

    Cloud computing and Chromebooks certainly aren't suitable for everyone, but as Alan says provided the purchaser knows their limitations they're a good choice, possibly as a second computer. If the user intends to do anything other than a very minimal amount of keyboard input then they're probably a far better choice than a tablet.
  • PPhilsterPPhilster Posts: 1,742
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    John259 wrote: »
    Nowadays there are many services, facilities and games available via browsers - Google Docs, etc, etc.

    Cloud computing and Chromebooks certainly aren't suitable for everyone, but as Alan says provided the purchaser knows their limitations they're a good choice, possibly as a second computer. If the user intends to do anything other than a very minimal amount of keyboard input then they're probably a far better choice than a tablet.

    Most people buying such laptops don't really know those "limitations." He is talking about pros and I am taking cons. Both should be considered.
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    The "point" is, for just a bit more, you'll have a much more capable computer. Even the average computer user eventually wants to or needs to do more than just browse the Internet.

    A 1KG laptop with near 7 hours battery life for £230 ? Where?
    The 'halfway house' is the Macbook Air but the battery life is seemingly overstated in this model.
  • PPhilsterPPhilster Posts: 1,742
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    alanwarwic wrote: »
    A 1KG laptop with near 7 hours battery life for £230 ? Where?

    I don't recognize your acronym "1KG." I also said "for not much more!"
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    Most people buying such laptops don't really know those "limitations."

    I think most do in this case.

    BTW I don't consider the Chromebooks as PCs. It is just far too 'walled gardened' for that.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,072
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    Most people buying such laptops don't really know those "limitations." He is talking about pros and I am taking cons. Both should be considered.

    What are these limitations you are referring to? I have a Chromebook and have not come across these yet - can you expand on what it is you think limits the machines?
  • PPhilsterPPhilster Posts: 1,742
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    rosetech wrote: »
    What are these limitations you are referring to? I have a Chromebook and have not come across these yet - can you expand on what it is you think limits the machines?

    The most obvious being the inability to run most software available on the market. :)
  • Anika HansonAnika Hanson Posts: 15,629
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    The most obvious being the inability to run most software available on the market. :)

    I don't need it to run any software I have an i7 Dell laptop for that! I just want something that is portable and that I can type on when away from home, and my samsung series 3 chromebook fits the bill perfectly.
  • TheBigMTheBigM Posts: 13,125
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    John259 wrote: »
    There are some major advantages to Chromebooks in addition to their lower cost:
    Relative simplicity of use.
    Simplicity of software updates.
    Reduced risk of infection by malicious software.
    Probably greater reliability due to the reduced risk of the user messing up the settings.

    So you're saying the Chromebooks are for users who aren't computer savvy and can't protect themselves from malware, avoid phishing etc?
    John259 wrote: »
    Nowadays there are many services, facilities and games available via browsers - Google Docs, etc, etc.

    Cloud computing and Chromebooks certainly aren't suitable for everyone, but as Alan says provided the purchaser knows their limitations they're a good choice, possibly as a second computer. If the user intends to do anything other than a very minimal amount of keyboard input then they're probably a far better choice than a tablet.

    So you need to know a fair bit about cloud services that can be poor replacements for native software?

    Don't you think there's a disconnect there? You're trying to find a user who can't handle a Windows computer and is savvy enough to use all sorts of cloud services?

    I mean with Windows 8, you've got an environment in Metro that is ideal for the unsavvy user with tiles, sandboxed apps that come from a curated store and it's very easy to remain safe if you stay on the metro side.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,324
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    TheBigM wrote: »
    So you're saying the Chromebooks are for users who aren't computer savvy and can't protect themselves from malware, avoid phishing etc?
    Not exclusively, but I definitely see their appeal for those users.
    So you need to know a fair bit about cloud services that can be poor replacements for native software?
    There's virtually nothing to learn. Chromebooks are set up to point you to Google Docs which IMHO is intuitively obvious if you've ever used MS Office or anything similar. AFAIK Chromebooks aren't locked to Google Docs, so other cloud services can be used if preferred. I haven't tried the other options such as Microsoft's online Office system so I don't know if they're as easy to learn or not but I'd very surprised if they were significantly more difficult.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,072
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    The most obvious being the inability to run most software available on the market. :)

    Incorrect - Chrome has the ability to run most programs available on the market :D
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,324
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    PPhilster wrote: »
    The most obvious being the inability to run most software available on the market. :)
    Agreed, Chromebooks can't Windows EXE programs and for some users (but not everyone) that would be a very significant disadvantage. However, the same restriction applies to tablets (except the Surface Pro) and with Apple computers and Linux emulators are required.

    As has already been said in this thread, potential purchasers of Chromebooks need to understand exactly what these devices can do and what they can't do, and then decide if they are suitable for their requirements or not.
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