Acer Chromebook 11 6 Inch Haswell micro architecture

Acer C720 Chromebook (11.6-Inch, Haswell micro-architecture, 4GB) (Personal Computers) We currently own and we've been using an HP Chromebook 11 for the past few weeks and a Samsung Chromebook for the past year. Last week, a friend who had a 'for review' unit and I swapped ours so I ended up using Acer's while he had my new HP. After a couple of days of Acer exposure, having experienced some of the three most prominent 'under 300 dollars' chromebooks I came to realize that whether they are Acer's or HPs or Samsung's, Chromebooks do almost everything a laptop or a PC or a tablet would do for me and they do it cheaper, safer, usually faster and better, almost always worry-free and very much in style.

WHY A CHROMEBOOK?

There's so much to say here but let me make a quick summary. And never forget that we are talking about an 'under 300' device here because, yes, anything that costs 3-4-5 times as much should do better most of the time.

˕ Chromebooks are my most used computers excluding work hours and by 'computer' I mean PCs, laptops and tablets.
˕ Malware, spyware, adware-free. Since nothing is really 'installed' on the Chromebook, I can't see how one would ever be infected. I am now using Chromebooks to open suspicious emails or click on dubious URLs that I wouldn't dare touch from a laptop because of malware concerns.
˕ Chromium is an extremely safe OS. I don't know if this is common knowledge but Google is constantly challenging hackers to crack it. As far as I know, Chromium wasn't cracked yet.
˕ Easy to share among any number of users without any concerns of compromising privacy. If you have a Google account, you simply sign in and you are going to be within your own, personal environment.
˕ Constantly updated and upgraded. Google updates Chromium every few weeks and I found my that our Chromebooks are actually getting better all the time rather than slowly fall into obsolescence.
˕ Nearly maintenance free. Whenever I don't use a tablet or even a laptop for a while, they tend to get very busy patching themselves once I turn them back on. Tablets, especially, are almost impossible to use until all those dozens of updates/upgrades process. Not the case with Chromebooks. Whatever upgrades may take place they don't hit my Chromebook. Whenever I call up an app, I get it in its latest version.
˕ The attached keyboard helps a lot. Yes, you can pair a keyboard and even a mouse to a tablet but the Chromebook's keyboard is always there, it negates the need of a stand or even some protecting case.
˕ Chromium is streamlined and efficiently focused where it matters, on the everyday uses most of us need a 'computer' most of the time.
˕ Browsing and running apps on a Chromebook can often be than off much more expensive PC/laptop/tablets.
˕ Relatively low prince, 11.6" display and light weight seem to be just about right for something that typically you'd be using to browse the Web while watching TV or take to and from school.

WHY NOT A CHROMEBOOK?

Yes, Chromebooks can't do everything. Google's productivity suites notwithstanding, they are mainly and they are best at media consumption rather than production. Nobody should buy a Chromebook and expect to be able to professionally edit video or perform some heavy word processing or do hard-core gaming. There are other machines and devices better fit for such tasks. My experience is that a Chromebook can't do 'everything'. Tablets are more portable, PCs and laptops are more powerful but, to me, my Chromebook is the most fun to use and it's likely to stay this way. I am not going to call it my 'second' or 'third' or 'first' computer but, objectively, it's the one I most use outside business hours.

Acer's C720

Since it's a Chromebook, using it for the first time had a very familiar feeling. Acer's is not 'exactly like' Samsung's or HP's but it's easily recognizable as a Chromebook.

Acer's model distinguishes itself through a CPU that's more powerful than other existing Chromebooks, 2 fully size USB ports a 2.0 and a 3.0, s slightly longer battery life although my testing showed more like 6 hours rather than the promised 8.7 hours, a keyboard that feels very nice and a very responsive touchpad. It's as good, solid addition to the sub-300-dollars chromebook family and it currently sells for less than HP's, the other newcomer.

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CHROMEBOOK vs. CHROMEBOOK (HPs vs. Acer's)

I was able to compare the two side by side and these are my thoughts on the matter:

- Advantage Acer -

˕ Horsepower. Acer's appears to be faster and it should be given its faster processor.
˕ Ports. You get HDMI out, USB 3.0 and SD card slot, all of them missing on HP's machine.
˕ Fewer fingerprints. Acer's grey beats HP's white.
˕ Price. At least at launch, Acer's was selling for less.

- Advantage HP -

˕ Looks and design. HPs looks much better in my view, you have color choices and that's that.
˕ Display. Same size, same resolution but HPs display is brighter, sharper and, most importantly, can be viewed from almost any angle. Not the case with Acer's.
˕ Charging. The ability to charge HPs Chromebook through almost any USB charger is very important to me. Acer's charger is proprietary.

I would say it's a tie when it comes to the keyboard and track pad's feel.

Acer's machine has the advantage if you are more 'productivity oriented' and need expansion capabilities (ports) and more raw CPU power. You would prefer the HP if you want a Chromebook mainly for fun and casual activities where looks, the availability of a charger and, very importantly, the quality of the display count more.
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RATING

I am not going to compare Acer's Chromebook with the Pixel or some top of the line laptop. I noticed that many 'pro' reviewers are complaining because 250 dollar Chromebooks are not 'high end' and aren't as nice as the Pixel and such. Well... did anyone check the prices? So, yes, let me make a 'duh' statement: this Chromebook is not as good as devices that sell for 3 times or 4 times as much so anyone who doesn't mind paying more should pay more and get one of those. Even though... look at some reasons above for why one my prefer a Chromebook to a laptop or a tablet, regardless of price.

I would rate Acer's a 4 stars because the ability to use a universal charger matters to me a lot and because the display is not as bright and lively as HPs. However, the C720 it's at least as good and in some way better than my now one year old, often used and much trusted Samsung. As far as performance, Acer's played Netflix movies flawlessly over Wi-Fi and cast them to the big TV through Chromecast (no need of an HDMI cable for that) - I mention it because I just tried that.

Chromebooks are not for everyone and they are not a universal computing device but, if used for what they are meant to be used, they are as good and as revolutionary as tablets.

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>> Brush your teeth, it's the law! <<


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