New Laptop First Impressions - Part Two

It's bee two weeks with my new Chromebook, and I can tell you one thing for certain: it was absolutely worth it.

One thing to keep in mind before we get any further into this review: a Chromebook is not going to be right for everyone, or for every task. It doesn't pretend to be. It's "correct" usage is for someone who's life essentially exists on the Web. In my case, that's mostly true. I abandoned tools like Microsoft Office several years ago due to the cost, and aside from the occasional formatting quirk with Google Docs, I've been happy with that move.

However, this isn't a review about the tools available online. This is about the laptop, and how well it works with those tools.

The Hardware

The Chromebook is snappy, to say the least. It boots up in about four to five seconds (yes, I said seconds) when turned completely off. If, while using it, I close the screen, it automatically -- and almost instantly -- hibernates. This isn't a typical laptop's sleep mode; it literally shuts down. As in, it drains no battery. And this is no inconvenience because, unlike with a Windows-based laptop or a MacBook, it restarts from its sleep mode in a matter of about two seconds. My experience with most Windows computers -- laptop or desktop -- is that they can't even restore themselves from a snooze in that amount of time, let alone a full sleep.

The computer really acts a lot like a tablet, because most Chromebooks come with either a solid-state hard drive (SSD) or built-in flash memory. They also lack CD, DVD, Blu-Ray or floppy-disk drives. If you are unfamiliar with what a floppy disk is, go ask your parents. They can take you to a library or a museum so you can find out. If you don't know what a library is, your biggest need is not a new computer. You have bigger problems. Go read something else.

But I digress. The laptop is much like a tablet in that it is completely silent. With no moving parts, and high-efficiency components, there is a minimal amount of heat build-up. That means no fans, which means you can't listen to hear if the computer is running. You have to, instead, do crazy things like look at the screen or check the power light. I know, I know, that takes a little effort. You need to actually open your eyes. Perish the thought.

There are lots of reasons why I chose the Toshiba Chromebook 2. Most Chromebooks come with two gigabytes of memory; I am writing books, so the more memory, the better. This one comes with four gigabytes instead, and from other reviews I've read, it's noticeable.

It also has a dual-core processor, giving it some good horsepower.

The screen is incredible. Even at just 13 diagonal inches, it manages to have full HD resolution -- 1920x1080. Text is crisp and clear, and the screen's brightness is as good and as even as I have seen on high-end laptops.

It has a high-resolution camera which can be used with various Web sites, as well as with Google Hangouts. There is a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI-out connection and it aso can take full-size SD cards to expand its local storage. You'll hardly need it, though, except for doing offline work. When connected to the Internet, most apps will do periodic, automatic saves.

Finally, the keyboard and touchpad are better than I would expect for a sub-$300 computer. The keys are chicklet-style, and they have great tactile feedback (the crispness of the "click" when you type).

Oh, and at less than three pounds, it's comfortable to sit at the couch and type. It doesn't get to heavy, or two hot, and the size means that it fits very comfortably on your lap without trying to drive to one side or the other as you work.

The Software

If you are familiar with Google's Chrome Web browser, you can use a Chromebook with absolutely no further training. It is, quite literally, a computer operating system inside a browser. While that may sound limiting, it is, in a way, freeing. It also is like taking a second run at the way computing used to be in the mainframe days. The idea of a mainframe was that most of the computing that occurred took place on a "master computer" and the computer you used to interact with the mainframe was a "dumb" terminal. Basically, it was just a window into the mainframe. We got away from that with the desktop PCs of the '90s and '00s. But with Chrome OS, we have gone back to a minimalistic computer that connects to servers to do most of the work. It's a hybrid model, where we have some installed, specialized software on our local computers, but a great deal of the work is done remotely. The modern execution is far more robust.

The interface of the operating system is going to be familiar to most people. You have a typical taskbar on the bottom of the screen -- which can be moved, if you prefer -- and a clock and information center in the bottom-right corner. The bottom-left corner houses the search screen, which shows tour most recently used apps, a link to view all apps, another to go to the app store (most apps are free) and a search box to load any app already installed by typing in all or part of its name. There is also a dedicated button on the keyboard to open that menu, much like the Windows key on most laptops and desktops.

For me, as I said before, the fact that Chromebooks are basically just running a Web browser is actually very convenient for me. Outside of my current day job as a software engineer, most of what I do on a computer is done on the Web. My music is all in Google Music. I do all my office-type documents through Google Drive's various apps. I spend time on Twitter and Facebook. My email has been through Gmail for the better part of the last decade. I take notes in Evernote and Google Keep. My calendar and address book are in Google's gigantic ecosystem, too. And I use Youtube, Netflix and various parts of my Amazon Prime benefits. In the end, there is precious little that I do on a computer that doesn't interact directly with one of those Web sites. If I want to play a Windows-based game, I have a desktop computer for that.

Conclusion

In the end, I'd say a Chromebook is a useful tool for most people to have around, I have a smartphone I use a lot, and a tablet, as well. The one I enjoy using the most, though, is the Chromebook. It just does its job, and things don't crash. It's not Windows or Mac OS, but I knew that going in. It has its own niche, and it may fill it better than either of the other two main operating systems available today.

If you want to use software built for Windows, get a Windows computer. If you want to spend more money than you should on a computer, get something from Apple. But if you want to live your computer life in the cloud, you can't go wrong with a Chromebook. And, for the best bang-for-your-buck deal, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 may be the best option available today.