HP - 14" Chromebook - Intel Celeron - 2GB Memory - 16GB Solid State Drive - Snow White

Lets face it, buying things for college can get a bit overwhelming, especially when it comes to choosing the correct laptop. When I was searching for my laptop, I looked from MacBooks to Windows laptops, to even touch screen ones. As I expanded my search, I came to the realization that I don't need to buy a high end laptop to take to college and get ruined! I needed something that was going to fulfill my basic needs as a student. That's when the Chromebook caught my eye! What college student wouldn't be looking for a secure laptop with affordability, efficient 8 second start up, well designed to meet a student's immediate needs, and good battery life? When other computers can cost 500 or more dollars, my Chromebook was just under $400! What can be really frustrating to most students is the time it takes for their laptop to turn on and boot up. For the Chromebook, 8 seconds is all it takes. This is important because the time it takes for a computer to boot up can mean the difference between finishing an assignment before it's due or facing the shame of not finishing it. For example my professor already assigned an assignment that was due three hours after it was assigned! Luckily, I could rely on my Chromebook to get the job done! On top of that Chromebook has an awesome auto-save feature that saves my creations while I type them. So no worrying about a computer disaster and time consuming work not being saved. Don’t bother with spending extra money on virus or malware software due to the fact that the Chromebook comes with built in security. You may be thinking a Chromebook will be useless if there was a problem with accessing the internet. Well think again! By setting up offline access in Google Drive settings, you will be able to view and edit all of your creations while you are offline. Then when the internet is available, all the changes are automatically synced and updated. Being a fulltime student, these features are very handy. The average college student needs to be able to type up papers, send emails, and create PowerPoint presentations. The Chromebook was designed around using the internet, basing most of its functions off of the Google Chrome web browser. When I have an assignment all I need to do is log onto my gmail account and type it up using Google Docs. Haven't heard of Google Docs? It works wonders since I never have to use a flash drive. It comes with 15 free GB and stores all my work on my gmail account online. I can access my work from any location. If I have to print or even show a PowerPoint on the classroom computer, I can do that easily. Google Drive includes programs such as Document, Spreadsheet, and Presentation that act very similar to Word, Pages, Excel, Keynote, and PowerPoint. This is a huge money saver so you don't have to purchase additional software, and the Chromebook even updates itself! Like Apple, Chromebook comes with its own app store. These apps can fulfill educational or even personal purposes. I personally enjoy the notes feature that allows you to type up notes while an existing document or browser is open on the screen. You may ask yourself why do you need a Chromebook when you can do the same thing on a Windows or Mac laptop? First, the Chromebook doesn't primarily save files to the hard drive like a normal laptop, storing most everything in the cloud. Everything that would normally take up space is now being stored virtually. Also, if I had a MacBook and wanted to work on a document on a PC it would require annoying transferring of files to different formats. With the Chromebook, it can be created on Google Docs and then accessed anywhere. To a college student, battery life is like money. You can never get enough of it! The Chromebook can last up to 9.5 hours while a Windows computer of the same brand (HP) will last only 8 hours at most. Overall, the Chromebook is the best kept secret for a college student. I would recommend the Chromebook because it is cheap and affordable for the average college student looking for an efficient computer, that takes care of all the basic needs. Most importantly, it doesn't require the purchase of any software, but the Chromebook itself. By using your Gmail account, work can be stored and accessed from any device, through the wonderful, virtual world of Google Docs. After experiencing my first few weeks of college with my Chromebook, I have found that its simplicity has kept me productive and focused on getting my work for classes done. Although I was hesitant to buy it for college, I am very pleased with my purchase! Consumers may be set on a certain type of computer and used to using it, but exploring options and trying new things can make a world of a difference.

I've got 3 kids and every second and every dollar are precious. I am an accountant AND computer system support person - I develop / write code as well as handle customer support. My main purpose for the Chromebook is to do all the web related stuff that my work PC blocks: Facebook, picture uploads & edits (Google +), Mint.com, music, etc... A secondary use is to support some websites I maintain so the Codeanywhere program / extension is fantastic. I tried an Acer Chromebok just before Christmas but returned it - got in trouble because it was on my wish list. Then I got this one. First off, I am impressed with the quality of the build. Yes, the lid / screen feels plastic because it's so thin, but it's not going to break easily. The hinge is nearly the entire width of the body which I really like after having a few hinge issues over the years. The keyboard feels good and my wrists are wresting on a solid body. The USB ports are solid connections though I haven't tried the HDMI or SD card slots yet. My only concern from a quality perspective is the power cord connection - it sticks out 3/4" and I'm sure it's going to get stuck on something. Two oddities I see: there's no "delete" key, the typical "F" keys atop the keyboard are different, and there's no right-mouse button. I find the Chromebook very easy to use if you're familiar with Google products. Multiple user accounts are supported. There is built-in security and you don't need to constantly download updates or install new programs though there is an update downloaded when first powered. Having recently gotten a new PC for my wife and hearing about her experiences, don't underestimate that - Adobe updates, Norton Anti-virus updates & background tasks, Windows updates, etc... Once you don't have those annoyances, you realize just how big a time drain they are. Now not only does it power up in seconds, it runs smoother and quicker than my any device in the house including my iPhones, iPads, Galaxy tabs, etc... One thing you should verify for yourself is the display. I'm used to a 750p TV and an iPhone 3G so this is great compared to what I'm used to, but it's no Galaxy tablet. The battery: for as small as it is, you won't believe it. RIght now my battery says it's got 71% and 6 HOURS and 25 minutes. WOW. All-in-all the quality is surprising, the value is phenomenal, and the speed us unsurpassed. If you can use the Google suite of applications (Docs) instead of MS Office products, you would do well to get a Chromebook for all the money & time it will save you.

My wife & I went to Best Buy in November to buy this for me and a Windows notebook for her. I have played with Samsung, Acer and HP Chromebooks in store many times and had my heart set on this. A salesman came to wait on us and promptly dissed the Chromebook as a waste of money, that you can't do anything on it, that you can't load Windows Programs on it and couldn't put the anti-virus programs on it. That's exactly why I wanted one. He became very irritated to the degree my wife walked off and was ready to leave. It was apparent that he did not want to sell the Chromebook as he could not sell anti-virus, anti malware, anti spyware, Microsoft Office, games, graphics cards etc. I realized my wife was ready to leave so I thanked the associate for his time and we drove 5 minutes away to different store and bought this exact Chromebook for me and an HP 17" laptop for her. I am very pleased with this Chromebook a month later and enjoy my break from Windows as I am forced to use it at work daily. The Chromebook meets my needs completely. This is not a computer for World of Warcraft type games, Microsoft Office lovers or those that don't appreciate Chrome browser. It is smooth and efficient for checking e-mail, Facebook and especially shines for web-browsing Chrome style. Through the years I have purchased computers, modem, router, hard drive, games, software, 2 graphics cards, several telephones, television, entertainment system and many other products from Best Buy with good results. This one incident doesn't totally discourage me from buying from Best Buy again.

This chromebook has been everything I hoped; a cheap, attractive laptop I can use for web-browsing or as a secondary work-station. Although you can't install 3rd-party programs like Office or Photoshop, I've not had trouble finding apps and extensions in the webstore for everything I need to do, and I'm still barely scratching the surface. The touchpad is very responsive once you've learned the motions, the keyboard is quiet, the screen is clear and readable, and the body looks great! Battery life is solid, unless you're leaving it open for long periods of time while working on something else, and the computer boots up and shuts down in less than 5 seconds. I also love that if you have an existing google account, you can be up and running within two minutes taking it out of the box, and the UI is clear and simple to use. My only complaints mostly have to do with Chrome OS, which is still a pretty new thing, so that's not surprising. Some of the options you're used to from Windows, like being able to set how long it takes to enter sleep mode, aren't there. You also take a big hit when you're not online, with only 16 gigs of local storage (not something that bothers me, but could for some). The file browser is pretty clunky, making it a little harder to navigate all your google drive storage, and I've had a few problems with the computer locking up or at least whiting out whatever I'm working on, usually while viewing photos through the file manager. When that happens, though, it takes 10 seconds or less to reboot the computer, which will come right back to what you're working on. Overall, I'm delighted with my chromebook, and I'm sure that as Google continues developing Chrome OS and more developers add apps and extensions to work with, it will become even better at everything I need it to do.

Love the chromebook. Bought it because my laptop was in the shop & classes were starting up. I keep using this instead of my laptop for class. While you pretty much have to have wifi, its not really a problem at school or home, and there are lots of places that have free wifi, so I have't really run into many problems. I like that there are usb ports so if I wanted more memory I can stick in a thumb drive. Also there is a sd card slot as well so I can upload pictures. Also a bonus is that you can make guest log-ins or sign in with different gmail accounts. This way someone else can use your computer but not mess with any of your settings/documents. Also its nice that if I sign into someone else's chromebook it will be set up the same way as mine is. If you're not use to using google drive I guess adapting to using it instead of Office might be a little different. But for the most part they are similar products & you can save as if its a word doc so I can create documents & submit them to my professor's without a problem. I'm still getting used to some of the short keys that the keyboard uses, but with more use the better I get. One downside is that I cannot directly connect the chromebook to a printer, it only does wifi printing. Because the printer I have is old the only way to do wifi is to connect it to my laptop and then set up wifi printing through chrome. So this means my laptop must be on and plugged into the printer in order for me to print something from the Chromebook. Other downside is my laptop has a 10 key which I love, and this does not. Would recommend for college students who have wireless access on campus. Note: I still have my laptop which I use for printing, and for the disc drive.

I bought this laptop for my wife 2 months ago. Before she was using a Windows XP Desktop and she always had problem to report to me want I was back from work :(( Since she is using this HP ChromeBook I never got any problem reported. It changed my life ... and certainly her too. This thing just works. It's easy to use, always ready (no long boot cycle) and you can do almost everything you need as a regular user. I am impressed by the applications that are coming in the Chrome Store. They are more and more functions reach and still easy to use and of course to install. If you use Chrome on your SmartPhone (she does) or Tablet all your bookmarks are synced and accessible in both places. She also asked for a mouse (she did not like the touch pad ... even if I believe it is quite well done ... left and right click in each corner and scrolling with 2 fingers), I just plugged a Logitech USB Wireless mouse in one of the USB port and it just worked (no need to wait for a driver to install ... or not) ... it just works. It can worked with a Bluetooth mouse as well but those are too expensive for me. The keyboard has a nice touch and the screen quality is very good. The build-in camera works perfectly with Handout. There is plenty of USB extension ports but no HDMI. You really don't need it if you use a ChromeCast ... I tried it and it works perfectly ... everything on the laptop will display in your TV. Something to remember is that you have to be connected to access most of the functions ... but this is inherent to how Chrome works ... nothing to do with this Laptop. The only negative I can find for this Laptop is the construction. A lot of plastic that looks cheap. We'll see in the long term if this is a problem or not.

The Chromebooks are somewhat of a different breed of computer and you need to know their limitations but if you work mainly from Google Drive (or some similar cloud storage) and don't use a lot of installed programs then you'll probably love one. I looked at all that were available and chose this HP 14" model because I've used a netbook for several years and was ready for a bigger screen. The HP, at $299, is a little more expensive than the smaller Acer but I'm very glad I got this one. The bigger screen is great for me and the build quality is excellent. This computer starts up so fast that it's ready to use when you get the screen open. I don't like waiting on computers so I love that feature. I store 99%+ of my documents on Google Drive so the small 16GB drive is not an issue for me (if it is then there's an SD card slot. I found a 16GB card on sale for $9.99 so I got one just in case. They also make much larger ones). These days many of the apps will still allow you to work offline and then the documents will sync later when you're in a wifi spot but really, I'm in a wifi area almost all of the time anyway. The only real thing that I need to investigate further is when working offline, sometimes there seems to be multiple copies of a document later after it has synced. It always seems to work out somehow but I want to figure that out a little more to ensure I don't work on the wrong version of a document. But, this is not a big deal at all and as I said, everything seems to magically sync fine eventually. I love this computer and would definitely recommend it to anyone used to working from cloud storage. Just be sure you don't expect to load a bunch of programs on it because that's just not what Cromebooks were designed for.

After a disastrous purchase of a touch-screen laptop running Windows 8 (unreliable and un-intuitive), I was torn between "traditional" laptop options...until someone suggested chromebooks. I was skeptical at first, but did my homework and realized that, as a graduate student in the social sciences, this was the ideal machine for me: I am never far from Wi-Fi access, and Google's vast collection of well-designed apps facilitate all my document-writing and (basic) photo-editing needs. Using the browser as primary OS was odd...for about two seconds. Then it became utterly liberating. The machine itself is BEAUTIFUL. I can't get enough of holding it and admiring it on my desk and lovingly call it "chromie" :) It's an attention grabber and has gotten many compliments. The white color is classic and unusual at the same time, recalling the original Mac designs. Very classy matte finish on the cover (and no fingerprints like those shiny metal varieties!) Battery life is looooong and recharges fast. Spacious and responsive keyboard, and the best trackpad I've experienced on any laptop, ever. Large screen great for multiple windows, though the image resolution could be better; it's perfectly adequate for general use, but photos and videos won't "pop" from the screen in glorious sharpness the same way they would from the latest retina displays. This chromebook is not without its constraints, and it is not for everyone. But if you want to get a head-start on the future of computing, and look stylish doing it, then you should certainly give this a try!