With the launch of HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook and Samsung Series 3 Chromebook last week, some of you may wonder why these laptops are so affordable? Well, the Chromebook are not running your usual Microsoft Windows operating system (OS), but the Google Chrome OS which designed to be used while connected to the Internet and support applications that reside on the Web. Here are a list of questions & answers to help you understand the Chromebook & Google Chrome OS:
Do you need to be connected to the internet to use the Chromebook?
NO. Not all applications require a connected network to work. Like Google Mail, Google Calendar and Google Docs are some apps that supports offline mode and can be use without a internet connection.
How to set up a Chromebook?
Being a web based OS and utilized the advancement of cloud storage technology, all you need to do is just log in to your Gmail account. TADAAA!!! All your Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar and Google Drive are up and ready, you don’t need to be an IT guru to setup a Chromebook.
Is it a hassle to maintain the Google Chrome OS?
The Google Chrome OS is a web based operating system, so virus protection is built-in, and the operating system is always up to date automatically.
Who should get a Chromebook?
- An active user of cloud storage applications like Dropbox, Google Docs and Google Drive
- Only use your laptop for web related applications and can live without the flexibility to run processor intensive applications (Photoshop) on your laptops
- You do not want to spend on apps and software. Web Store for the Google Chrome OS comes with loads of free web applications
- You have all the time in the world. Some image editing applications like Pixelr requires you to upload the file to their server before editing and download the edited image from the server after completion
- Careless folks. Keep losing things like laptops? Chromebook is not just affordable to replace, with its cloud based operating system, all you need is just a log in to get most of your data back to your new laptop
- New startup companies. With limited budget and to encourage online collaborative work to edit & update document as a group, Chromebook is the way to go.
Here are some Chromebooks available in Singapore:
HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook
HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook is the first 14″ Chromebook in the market, now available in Singapore at the price of S$449 on the HP Online Store and Courts. Additional information about the HP Chromebook is available at www.hp.com/go/chromebook.
Samsung Series 3 Chromebook
The new Samsung Series 3 Chromebook is now exclusively available at Courts Singapore at S$449.
Specifications
| Model Code | XE303C12-A01SG |
| Operating System | Google Chrome |
| Processor / Chipset | Exynos 5250 (1.7GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) |
| Display | 11.6″ HD LED Display (1366 x 768) |
| Memory | 2GB DDR3L System Memory at 800MHz (on BD 2GB) |
| Hard Drive | 16GB e.MMC iNAND™ Embedded Flash Drive |
| Color | Silver |
| Multimedia | Stereo Speakers ( 1.5 W x 2 ) |
| Internal Mic | |
| Web Camera | |
| Network | 802.11 abg/n (2×2) |
| Bluetooth | |
| Ports | 1 HDMI |
| 1 USB3.0, 1 USB2.0 | |
| 3-in-1 (SD, SDHC, SDXC) Multi-media Card Reader | |
| 1 Headphone out/mic-in Combo | |
| 1 DC-in | |
| Input | Island-type keyboard |
| Touchpad | |
| Power | 2 Cell (30Wh) |
| 40 W AC Adapter | |
| Dimension | 289.6 x 208.5 x 16.8 ~ 17.5mm |
| Weight | 1.1kg |
with your understanding of different laptops, it may be useful to do a comparision chart using keywords such as
pricing vs functionality vs maintenance cost vs person on the go vs casual user. I am sure it will be useful information for the reader to make a buying decision
Thank you for your suggestion. We will look into it and if it is feasible, you may just see your suggestion implemented in our future articles.