Acer - 11.6" Touch-Screen Chromebook - Intel Celeron - 2GB Memory - 32GB Solid State Drive - Moonstone White

I've had the Acer C720P-2661 for about a month now. I wanted something lightweight and portable, and with a keyboard. The 32GB solid state dreive tilted the scale in favor of the C720. I was leery of the mere 2GB of RAM, but so far that hasn't been a problem. Then again, I'm not the kind of user who'll open up a slew of tabs and apps. This thing has the fastest boot-up I have EVER seen. Google claims that Chromebooks boot up in 7 seconds. Yeah, that's about right. Open the lid, enter password, and zoom--you're good to go. By default, you open into your homepage on the Chrome browser. You are going to be limited to Google Apps; that means no Photoshop (though Adobe and Google are said to be working on that), no other browser (I still prefer Firefox to Chrome, but I can live with Chrome)--if there's no Google App for it, you can't run it. Well, sort of. If you have an Android apk and the Twerk app, then in theory you can convert your Android app to a Chrome app. It works for Skype, but as for other apps...well, your mileage may vary. I've found Google Apps to be good enough for what I do, most of the time. I'll sometimes fall back on my Inspiron laptop when I want to rip a CD (yes, I still have a few of those) or when printing from the Chromebook gets dicey. Our printer is a Cloud-ready Pixma, and I registered it with Google when I first set up the Chromebook. Printing was flawless for a few weeks but last week the Pixma was showing off-line status (it wasn't). And while web browsing works great, I can't watch Xfinity TV online, as I can on my laptop. On the other hand, I've got Netflix and Vudu working just fine (get with the program, Comcast). I wish the screen were more vivid. It's acceptable. Viewing angles are fine when you're looking straight at the screen. Turning up the brightness helps but drains the battery faster. Battery life seems to be about the seven hours or so Acer claims; I haven't timed it to know for sure. The keyboard is compact and most of the keys do double duty but you'll need to dig into the help files to find out how to delete, use ALL CAPS, move to a document's end or beginning, select text by words, etc. Some of the reviewers have said a Chromebook can't do those things. Not so--but, as I said, you'll have to dig down to find out how. All in all, I am more than happy with the response. Favorite apps: Google Drive, Google Docs, Feedly, Zoho Docs, Hangouts, Gmail--plenty here for day-to-day browsing. Oh, and Angry Birds works well here too. The trackpad is weird, though. I wish it were a more traditional design.

I used to have the Acer C720 and this is a slight upgrade to the C720P, which adds a touchscreen. I love ChromeOS and the addition of touch functionality makes it even better. The Acer Chromebooks come with Celeron processors which make it zippy for single tasks and more than adequate for light multitasking. The keyboard is solid and the trackpad is precise while ignoring accidental input when typing. With an 11.6"display, this laptop is the right size for most productivity tasks like email, word processing, web browsing and watching videos. Speakers are pretty good for a device this size. It's light and fits in most bags and backpacks. Finally, the battery lasts literally all day with light to moderate use and charges quickly. Now for the touch part... Google has a lot of hidden gems in ChromeOS for touch users. Tap, drag, pinch to zoom and rotate. Long-tap on the display for a contextual menu (right-click). Swipe down from the top of the screen when in full-screen mode to get active tabs. Swipe up from the bottom to get the task bar. Swipe from the left to right to go to the previous page. Using Google Maps via touch is a joy! Scrolling is natural and quick. Most of Google's apps and web sites have been redesigned with Material Design, making them very conducive to touch, but many non-Google sites have not been touch optimized. I'm assuming this will change sooner rather with the proliferation of tablets and touch-enabled Windows laptops. ChromeOS has matured to the point where this can be your one and only computer. Google Docs can now open and edit Microsoft Office documents without conversion and web sites/Chrome apps exist for most of the simplest tasks that you would use a computer for, including image, video and sound editing. And with the extra Google Drive space you get with this Chromebook, storage is not an issue. If you need more offline storage, the built-in SD card slot can suffice with expandable storage. There's only one drawback with this laptop: Acer could really put this over the top by changing the display to an IPS or OLED. While the current display isn't bad, you really need to look at it from a lower angle in order to see accurate colors and contrast. Looking down from a higher angle can result in the display looking washed out. A better display would make this a perfect laptop. Regardless, I give it four stars and highly recommend this Chromebook because of its processor, touch screen and solid hardware.

I purchased the Acer C720P and have been using it since early December. It has been a really great computer to use and, in some ways, it has become my main computer that I use now. Pros: Very fast performance Boots is seconds Touchscreen Ultra quiet Fully charges in ~1 hour Long battery life Cons: Viewing angles are just OK Sound is "tinny" This is a great computer. However, it is a Chromebook and as such, people considering it for purchase should be aware that this is Google's ChromeOS and not a Windows system. If you use many of Google's services, as I do, you will feel right at home with ChromeOS. For those of you not familiar with ChromeOS, it is an operating system based on Google's Chrome browser and it requires an internet connection for optimal use. So, if you are looking for a system in this price range to browse the web, check e-mail, make video calls (Google Hangouts, NOT Skype) and some other light computing, this is probably on of the best values available. There are no programs to load, so you simply log in with your Google account and you are good to go. Google has made Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Slides available for offline use (although, I must admit, it was a little tougher than I expected to get Docs, Sheets and Slides setup for offline use). Google gives you 100GB of cloud storage (for two years) when you purchase the Chromebook. The C720P has a touchscreen and I find myself using the touchscreen for scrolling webpages and navigating though webpages. I discovered accidentally that you can move webpages back or forward by simply swiping your finger across the screen! Really cool! This can also be done be sliding both fingers across the trackpad. If you have any needs for installed apps such as MS Office (and Office Web Apps do not meet your needs), Photoshop, or other programs, then perhaps a Chromebook is not for you. Otherwise, as long as you know what ChromeOS can and cannot do, I believe this is one of the best Chromebooks available today.

I am very pleased with this purchase. I've had a large number of computers and laptops over 30 years, have been a developer, managed systems software and operations, and am a software architect today. So I know what I want, and these days (for anything besides my main desktop), I want simplicity and reliability with no quirks. Tablets are nice, but for what I wanted in a grab and go system (light weight, idiot proof operation, touch screen, good keyboard, fast boot speed, and expandability, a Chromebook, and this model in particular, are the right fit. This sits on the corner of my desk (I work from home) where I can watch news/stock screens, or stream music to my external bluetooth speaker. I picked this model based on screen size, touch screen and larger SSD over the C720. You do not know what you are missing on a Chromebook if you don't have a touchscreen! Did not think I'd like the white color, but have come to *really* like it. I did not want anything larger than this, as it will also spend a lot of time in my lap. It's noticeably lighter than my wife's iPad Air with an add on keyboard/cover. Chromebook app availability is not as diverse as Android or iOS, but I did not buy this for those apps. I surf, stream music/video, email, and maybe an occasional document/spreadsheet. Cloud apps are fine. I'm a touch typist, and don't adjust to new keyboards quickly. This one surprised me. I like it! The webcam does not seem to be particularly high quality, but I would use it only very rarely...not a priority for me. You do need to pay attention to viewing angle. If it's right, the screen is more than adequate. If it's not, the view is noticeably affected. If what you want is a Chromebook, and are OK with the screen size (again, it's exactly what I wanted), this is the one to get.

Best value for the amount of money you spend. Emphasis on best value for your money. The laptop I purchased had some hard drive memory and has a touch screen. At first, I was hesitant to purchase touch screen because I don't like prints all over the screen, but it has proven very beneficial! For the same price, yes you can get another laptop with windows 8 and yes it will have internal memory, and yes it might even be portable BUT over time, a basic laptop will slow down. Good quality laptops definitely require more investment. The chromebook will never slow down or heat up over time. Definitely gets rid of that frustration! It's portability is SOOO convenient for school. I was using a fully loaded laptop but it was too big and too heavy. In reality I don't even use any programs other than the internet. RECOMMENDATIONS: I strongly recommend using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. You don't have to worry ever about backing up your files or forgetting your pindrive/flashdrive. Your files can be accessed/edited anywhere! Even your smartphone. Give it an honest try. If you like it, chances are the chromebook is for you!

Picked this model up based on user reviews instead of buying a laptop. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised at how well the unit is constructed and how well it operates. It boots up in seconds flat, the build quality is solid, and I have no complaints about the performance. The setup was extremely minimal, and it worked right out of the box. There are plenty of online and offline apps to choose from. I use mine mainly for web-based research and writing, and so far it does everything I need it to do. It won't replace my desktop for gaming, but I didn't expect it to. This would be great for students also. The amount of storage isn't huge, but you can slap in an SD card or use an external HD for extra space. The keyboard doesn't feel cramped to me, and the keypad and touchscreen are both responsive. The only complaints I would have about it would be that the sound quality isn't all that great and it only came in the color white. For the money I paid though, these complaints are insignificant and I would highly recommend this to anyone considering buying one. I was extremely skeptical at first and waffled for months before buying it, but now I'm glad I did!

I would recommend this net-book for someone who understands the limits of its capability. The good: Light weight makes it truly portable. Touch screen is very helpful in expanding views and scrolling through pages. Decent battery life. You can use the keyboard as with a real laptop, so type away. Runs on Chrome. The bad: Could have a better resolution and larger screen, I guess its is a compromise for the price of $299 at Best Buy. Runs on Chrome, which is Google's effort to all things to all people as long as it is Google. The ugly: If you are out of range of the internet (airplane or remote location) most of the functions are completely dead. It's like the name says - "net". My wife carried an I Pad Air and was able to continue to operate with maps, etc. I may have been able to keep some of the functions if I had downloaded some files. But it is not an easy task as compared to a windows machine. Conclusion: This is a very good niche machine. It is not a true economical alternative to a cheap windows machine for everyday use. I bought it for an overseas vacation for the light weight and battery life. I was able to do a lot of writing and some E-mail with it. But remember that Google Docs is not Office by a long stretch. Surfing on the net depended on area WiFi. I could have used the smart phone as a hot spot, but the data cost would have been too much.

If you do not know much about chromebooks, do your research before purchasing one. It is not your typical windows laptop. Aside from that, this product was at a great price compared to the rest with an upgrade in memory from 16 to 32 GB and an added touch screen which works great. Everything looks to be pretty well built. The only thing I am unhappy with is the cheap feel of the keyboard and the mouse pad but honestly neither has let me down yet. I would also wish it would have been a little bigger like the dell 14 inch chromebook. The only reason I didnt purchase the new 14" dell (Same price at $300) is because it only comes in white and since I will probably be using it in school and on trips, it looks like it gets dirty quick. Going back to the product I am reviewing, it has all sorts of connections like hdmi, USB 3.0 and 2.0, and sd card slot. Very happy there. speed and weight is everything you would expect from a chromebook. Great buy!