I currently have a high spec laptop, and am considering purchasing a samsung chromebook, basically for checking emails and accessing the internet. I am quite attracted by it's start up time and battery life. Anyone have a chromebook and, if so, do you consider it money well spent?

You might want to check out:

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1837382
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1803824

I would probably buy a tablet rather than a chromebook.

I see Chromebooks and tablets as serving different purposes, so to me it doesn't really make a lot of sense to say one is better or worse than the other. Provided you understand the capabilities and limitations of each, both are valid choices in different circumstances.

Chromebooks are good for serious programs such as word processing, spreadsheets and databases where a larger screen, more powerful processor, proper keyboard and a mouse are required - provided of course that everything you want to do can be done online in a web browser. They can also be used for online games, watching streamed video and general web surfing.

Tablets are more portable and they're good for playing games, watching videos and doing a bit of simple web surfing provided hardly any text input is required.

Thanks all. I did buy a tablet but. after deciding it wasn't for me. returned it. As portability isn't a prerequisite for me. but a larger screen is, I think it's a chromebook for me. Plus, I'm not into gaming.

Makes sense.

Just checking - you do realise that with a Chromebook you cannot install or run any Windows EXE programs, and that everything you do is in the web browser? If in doubt, it might be a good idea to download the manual for the model you plan to buy before commiting yourself.

If you don't care about portability then why would you care about battery life?

Regarding instant startup, any modern operating system (os x, Linux and windows 8) coupled with an SSD can achieve great boot up times and if you put your machine to sleep rather than shutting down and you can pretty much instant on.

I would say invest in having your main machine upgraded to an SSD plus an OS upgrade. I really can't fathom buying a machine that only runs a browser when more capable similar machines are available. I'd be more interested in a machine like a Lenovo yoga 11s

My current laptop is already top of the range. so I cannot improve it by updating it. Whenever I use my laptop, because the battery life is about 3 hours, I have the charger connected; if the battery life was longer, I wouldn't have to do this. I never shut down my computer, either, but would just like a faster start up time. I am looking to get a chromebook, fundamentally, just to access the web and emails. My laptop is more than capable of allowing me to compose my computer programmes.

If your top of the range laptop had an SSD and modern OS then your start up isn't going to really be any faster on a chromebook.

If you're using your laptop at home then 3 hours off the wall is plenty?