Demand for Chromebooks is skyrocketing as consumers look for relatively inexpensive notebooks for school and home, and even for some businesses. Why? Blame the pandemic for starters.
Though I am a Windows and Mac user, I am having fun with this Chromebook, an Acer 311. Thin and light, this 11-inch notebook weighs in at just about 2.2 lbs (about 1 kg), and is about the footprint size of a standard piece of copy paper.
What is a Chromebook? It is a notebook computer that runs not on the MacOS or Windows, but on the ChromeOS, using the owner’s Google account to log in and use all the services.
Is it better? In some cases, but it IS different in a couple of significant ways. Now 10 years old, the ChromeOS is mature and much more capable than when it all started. By this I mean there is little that most consumers cannot do on a Chromebook, even the most basic model such as this one.
First, they are largely free from malware or viruses. This is because Chromebooks rely on and must be connected to the Internet in order to fully function. Though there is data stored on the Chromebook drive, it relies on an Internet connection to shake hands with servers in the cloud where the larger part of data, or work product, such as word processing and other documents are stored instead of on its internal storage, though the small amount of internal space may be designated for document and other storage.
They startup quickly, usually in less than 10 seconds. System updates are pushed to the Chromebook as needed. After bootup and when closed, they come on instantly when opened.
Chromebooks do not need to rely on third party software such as Microsoft Office or anything else from Microsoft, or Apple for that matter. It’s all baked into the Chrome cake. And these laptops are not handicapped by the lack of Microsoft inside.
The ChromeOS is lightweight, lean and mean, which is why it is so fast, even with otherwise pokey processors that would barely get out of the starting gate in a traditional laptop. Apps for Chromebooks come from the Google Play store, just like on Windows computers and Android phones.
They also need less memory, that is, RAM, and usually have smaller drives, now in the form of a chip-based Solid State Drive or SSD. Less RAM and smaller capacity SSDs contribute to their lower prices.
What can Chromebooks do? Just about anything a traditional notebook can, including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and so on, using Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms online, all compatible with the Microsoft apps. Perfect for web browsing, email, social media, audio files and streaming, videos from all the popular streamers using either web-based access or apps for Amazon Prime Video and Netflix from the Google Play Store. Why download these apps? The only way to download videos for offline viewing that might be useful for travel is through the apps.
With the built-in Webcam, use Zoom and other meetings capabilities.
Audio files may also be played from a thumb drive plugged into USB side ports.
Printing is a different than on Windows PCs and Macs. Suffice it to say that I figured it out without a lot of effort and now I can print and scan using all of our wireless printers.
What can’t a Chromebook do? Gaming, video editing and music production are best done on more powerful traditional computers. Other than for these kinds of high processor demand operations, I have discovered that Chromebooks can be a good and economical choice for most consumers.
Battery life is excellent on Chromebooks, up to 10 hours on this model. With fast Gigabit Wi-Fi, users will find the best online speed capability, depending upon the speed of the ISP. There is one Type-C USB 3.1 port on the left and a twin on the right, so either side may be used with the power supply. Other ports include a pair of USB 3.0 USB Type A ports as well as a microSD slot for additional storage.
**WHAT’S IN THE BOX**
• Acer Chromebook
• Power supply
• Setup Guide and warranty
**THE SETUP**
Equipped with Intel Celeron N4000, 4GB Memory, 32GB eMMC solid state drive, setup is so simple. Plug in the charger. While waiting and charging navigate to the URL at the, “Getting to know your desktop” page in the Setup Guide to locate and download the “User Manual.” Open the notebook, press the power key and follow the prompts to sign in to the user’s Google (Gmail) account or create one. In a few minutes, setup will be completed and it will be ready for action.
**PUT TO THE TEST**
With rare exception, I can do any of the normal consumer computer activities with this Chromebook that can be done with a Mac or Windows computer.
Instant on is a welcome change. And so, I set out to use this notebook throughout a few days that included writing this review.
One more thing that is popular amongst Chromebook users is using them as a platform for Linux, the open source operating system growing in mainstream popularity. I’ll have to try that!
**WARRANTY**
One year parts and labor on the hardware.