Acer - 14" Chromebook - Intel Celeron - 4GB Memory - 32GB eMMC Flash Memory - Sparkly silver

This is not my first Chromebook, but in fact one that I purchased for a family member who is starting their own business. I am helping them build their technology stack on Google Apps for Business and subsequent web/cloud-based storage and applications for simplicity and included backup/sync functionality if local data loss was to occur. This family member isn't very high-tech and wanted a very simple user experience and a zero-config/management set up so ChromeOS was perfect. This Acer Chromebook will no doubt be one of the best Chromebooks of 2016! Amazing WiFi range and 802.11AC compatibility. Build quality (all aluminum chassis and body) is superb. I evaluate $2500 Ultrabooks at work that could learn from Acer on this one. Dell used to be my go-to but I'm going to have to give Acer a second look if they keep making machines like this. The keyboard has perfect tactile response and the touchpad is excellent for this price bracket. No backlot keyboard would be my only wish list item to make this thing a perfect user experience. My only other complaint, one common to Chromebooks and other value PCs is the AC adapter type. Such a small, skinny DC jack that it looks like it'll break off inside the machine without much force. At any price point, a more robust power cord connector would have been easy and given some peace of mind. This seems like an unnecessary cut. Back to the positives (so many more than the two annoying negatives that are more about the segment and are really picky). The screen: EXCELLENT! - This thing is better than most full-price business laptops when it comes to screen contrast, clarity, brightness and resolution. It's not a touchscreen but in a Chromebook those are still considered luxury items. It has a wonderful matte anti-glare finish but does not get washed out by it. Unlike most matte displays the black point is deep and the contrast is very even across the display. This is surely a quality IPS panel and not one of those value TN displays with funky backlighting and uneven color/contrast. Finally, this thing is fast and efficient. I ran for almost 4 hours unplugged last night doing all of the Google Apps, Wave accounting, and Google Cloud Print setup and teaching my excited relative about all the bells and whistles that took very little retraining of his current computer skills. We only used 17% of our fully charged battery. This thing will definitely go all day and then some. We're talking an easy 10-12 hours of daily use and what seems like very good LiPo chemistry as this is not a heavy laptop so it's not due to a huge heavy battery inside. All in all I'll be telling everyone about this thing. This will either be 2016s top Chromebook, or I'm excited to see what beats it!!

First of all, in my opinion, the very best Chromebook that is in the $300 range, is a Toshiba Chromebook 2 celeron 3215u: fastest cpu so far under $300, better IPS screen and back light keyboard. So why did I purchase the Acer you may ask? Because it was on sale for $270 and I had some Best Buy points so got it really cheap, especially when at the time the Toshiba was $399. Anyways I'm very glad I did because this model does everything I need and a bit more. My previous Chromebook was a Asus C201 (11.6 screen, 2 gigs) so the bigger HD screen, more memory, faster cpu and overall premium look is quite the upgrade compared to that. I always have more than 15 tabs open without any slowdown and can take it up to 30 before it starts to slowdown so I leisurely surf like I would on my Windows laptop. Acer really did a good job on this model.

I purchased this laptop after being a Windows user for the last ten years. I was hesitant because of its limited capabilities, but was pleasantly surprised when I found that I actually didn't mind it. I went from an $800+ laptop that had excessive storage and crazy amounts of ram to a chromebook.... and barely noticed a difference. Overall, this is a great value and feels like a huge upgrade, even though it costs way less than most laptops on the market today. Pros: -This computer is the best rated chromebook on the market right now and it's rated that way for a reason -The battery life: It has an advertised 12 hours of battery life, but I've gotten closer to 8-9 while using netflix, social media sites, and doing random web browsing. -It doesn't make any noise. -The F1+ keys are replaced with screen brightness adjustment keys, sound adjustment keys, etc -The 14" screen and the macbook-air imitation look makes it the most portable and awesome looking laptop that I have ever used -You can "pin" apps to the bottom of the screen (I have chrome, google docs, my email app, netflix, and hulu there, so it's all in once place) Cons: -The storage: you wont realize how tiny it is until you start saving photos. Someone suggested getting a tiny flash drive that barely sticks out of the USB port, so that seems like an excellent alternative to spending $$$ on a different computer for a ton of storage -The speakers are on the bottom of it - which is the only design flaw that I have seen. It won't get incredibly loud, but it still has great sound. -You're going to need a WiFi connection if you want to get the most out of it -Right clicking isn't really a thing on the touch-pad. You have to hold down the ALT key and tap it to get the right click functions. -It doesn't really come with a user manual, so figuring out how to use certain functions will need to be googled. Things You Should Know: -Suck it up and buy an Office 365 subscription, you'll thank me later. I thought I'd be okay using google docs, but it seems like a super minimal program if you need to be using it for classes. Office 365 is literally an online version of the Office Suite - it has word, excel, and powerpoint (all the things you could need for school) -When I was trying this chromebook out in the store, I couldn't read the top part of google chrome for the life of me because the font was so small. Hold down CTRL, Shift, & the plus sign at the same time to adjust the screen size. - If you've used google chrome before and had your google account signed in with it, sync it with this computer. It transferred 600 bookmarks and all of my saved passwords in a few short seconds. -This is an awesome alternative to spending oogles of money on the macbook air. It looks the same, is super fast and lightweight, and can do all the things you need it to do (as long as you won't need special programs like CAD). -It's priced at $299 currently and feels like a computer that should be hundreds of dollars more.

I am very pleased with this purchase. I use a Mac book Pro at home but wanted a small and light laptop to take when I travel. I didn't want to spend $1200 on the new MacBook. Frankly, this was going to be an Internet appliance for me. I use Google docs and sheets for work stuff on the road so I don't need a full operating system. This laptop is extremely thin, has a great hi resolution screen, and the battery lasts me all day long. I love the keyboard and a large trackpad. Most of the cheaper chromebooks have 2 GB of memory and a 16 GB flash drive. This one has double those specs. I run a dozen or more tabs at once with no slow down. It boots extremely quickly. And if it's running and you close the laptop, when you open it again, it is running instantly. Things that weren't deal breakers for me but might be for you…This model does not have a touchscreen and it is my understanding that it won't be compatible when android apps for chromebooks come out in the near future.

I tested this chromebook against the new HP Chomebook 13 G1, which costs roughly twice as much and found that I preferred the Acer. It's keyboard layout, touchpad, speed, and ports were superior. I own the smaller Asus Chromebook Flip and prefer that for traveling due to its smaller size and touchscreen, but I do now use my Acer Chromebook 14 as my daily driver at home and around town. I really like the all aluminum chassis and regular size HDMI port. Battery life has been superior to all other chrome devices I've owned or tested. The screen isn't spectacular, but very good for the price point. Speakers are very good with decent bass as well. For what you get for the price point, you can't go wrong with this device.

I'm a geek and VERY impressed with this machine. I originally bought it for my 87 yr old mother, but she refused to touch it. I was going to return it, but decided to keep it after playing with it. It has a gorgeous aluminum body and looks and behaves like a much more expensive computer (can anyone say macbook?) Documentation is poor, but I cobbled together shortcut cheatsheets from various chromebook articles and taped summaries to to the empty spots around the keyboard. Each time I use it I'm more impressed than the last time. Unless a person has need for enormous compute power, such as for video editing or gaming, this is the way to go! Most apps have cloud based versions, and many can even be accessed off-line. Even though this only has a 16 GB SSD drive, it hasn't really mattered because I keep a 128 GB USB3 flash drive (the short stubby version) connected. I became a convert after listening to Leo LaPorte's podcasts (The Tech Guy) on my phone.

This chromebook is not only great looking it also works great. It is sleek thin and all metal. It looks as good as any high end laptop. The display is also very good. You really get as much as you can get from every catagory that you can at this price point. And chrome os itself is great. Its fast simple and secure. For most users that use the internet a lot it's the best kind of laptop to get.

As a Chrome user between my Android phone and Home PC, this Acer Chromebook was a natural next step. It has a terrific quality feel and look. For online browsing, and basic tasks, this cannot be beat. It doesn't come with a CD/DVD drive, which makes it very light. Not having the typical operating system allows the computer to startup and load immediately. It always remains cool to the touch, even after hours of use, with it laying flat on my bed. And battery life is great! I can continuously use this for virtually a whole work day without a charge. Ability to connect to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones is a big plus. The 14" is just a perfect size for traveling. It fits nice and snug in a 13" laptop case. Doesn't have a keyboard backlight, but if you know how to type, it won't be an issue. This has become my "GO TO" computer for daily use. I'll often have 15 tabs open, and still operates lightning quick. This is a great buy!