Can someone give input about laptops please?

Hi Lotus,

Not had any experience with Chromebooks myself. But just to make sure you're aware, these will be running ChromeOS rather than Windows as the operating system - so Windows applications won't work on them.

Which won't be a problem if you're just wanting to use a Chrome browser / GMail / and Google Apps instead of Microsoft Office, etc. (though I would guess the online versions of Office apps would work).

They're really designed to allow you to access online applications rather than run applications locally on the device - https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/3265094?hl=en provides a little more detail about ChromeOS if you're unfamiliar with it.

Yes, I understand that they are running Chrome OS rather than Windows. I do use simple spreadsheets, but I understand that Google Sheets will do all that I want without the cost of Microsoft Office. Thanks for replying.

I think all the cool kids use Google Apps these days, as that's what they learn to use at school - so yeah, likely will be fine if you don't have complicated spreadsheets already using Excel formulas - and you can always just try Sheets out on your existing machine if you wanted to make sure it covers you for what you need.

Sorry I can't be more help on the hardware itself - probably the main thing I'd say is to be comfortable with the available storage on there / the screen and keyboard quality. If you're able, may be worth seeing if they're on display in your local Currys (if you have one nearby),

Just looking at Currys Online, for another £20 they have what looks like an upgrade on the Asus you listed, with 4 x (and faster) storage , plus what looks like a decent processor upgrade, but allegedly slightly less battery life. This might be a bit more future proof, but if you don't think you'll need any of that then probably the £20 is more useful :) 

Dear Lotus.

Just putting in a personal point, not saying anyone else is right/wrong....

As far as the cost of Microsoft Office on Windows goes, you can get OpenOffice for free and it's fully Microsoft compatible.  Secondly - you CAN run a LOT of Windows programs on Chrome OS using Wine, which is a Linux system designed to help Windows programs run on Linux.  It works with Chrome OS too.  

Thirdly - having SAID the above! - knowing my luck I'd find my Fave Windows Program didn't like Wine too much and wouldn't work/would keep crashing.  Which would mean either sourcing a Chrome equivalent or using a Windows-as-a-Service cloudbased version of Windows such as Azure.  Some of them are called DAAS, Desktop As A Service, some of them are called PAAS, Platform As A Service, I've never been certain what the technical difference IS, they both seem the same to me! (I'm sure 100 experts will now jump on board to explain the difference and why it's so important, but however!) Both of them give you a cloud version of Windows you can install stuff on and use via the Internet.  I've only really used Azure but found it just the same as using ordinary, on-your-computer Windows, give or take a tweak.  It's designed to be used by Chromebooks and the like, so needs not a lot of RAM.  That might be a better idea than Wine, as with Wine you're still having apps. on your Chromebook/Chrome laptop/whichever, with Azure and its brothers everything's online and you're just interacting with it via your Chrome OS. 

So you got that option too!  What to REMEMBER about that option is it's pay-for. Which means if you DON'T pay on time, you'll lose all your files that are saved online, so they kinda get you over a payment ransom barrel.  "Very Sorry, we're having to up our charges this month.  You can't pay? Very Sorry, that means you lose your Rights of Access....."

There IS another option, but it depends on how much RAM you've got.  I've gotten this working a couple of times, dead failure a couple more times, not sure WHY it failed those times (very possibly the processor was the wrong type, not sure.) It's called QEMU and it lets you run Windows ON your Chrome machine in its own window.  It's running Windows in a box of RAM inside the main box called Chrome.   I wouldn't be able to tell you if it's OK for your Chrome machine unless I knew all its specs., I've got it on a Chrome laptop that was (probably!) previously owned by Fred Flintstone and it WORKS but the laptop hates every second of using it! It DOES work though.  (There's another one called Gnomebox that SHOULD run on Chrome in Linux mode - seen it, never installed it on anything or used it much, it's supposed to be easy, though.) 

Last bit, and again this just a personal thing.  Windows has led the operating system world for donkeys' years.  Which means it's the one with all the freeware/software going for it.  The Chrome software I've seen I've not found as easy to understand as the Windows equivalents - maybe that's because I'm Asperger's, I dunno, but I've got a little collection of Windows programs I swear by and wouldn't ever stop using.  And the Linux system - that lot have GOT to get their act together! There's about a zillion versions of Linux out there and each one has stuff that will/won't run on it! Me, I'd go for an online Windows-as-a-Service (mentioned above!) and save all my files to an external hard drive, so if the online service provider dies, or starts charging zillions because it thinks it's got you over a barrel, you've got all your work safe and can shop around for a new provider.  Or try Azure or a virtual-memory-box equivalent - but if you decide to DO that make sure your machine's got enough RAM firstAnd you'll be using software/creating files in commonly-used Windows formats, if you want to share them with anyone.  

Finally the End of my Personal Ten Pence Worth (lurve listening to the monotony of my own voice, me!) You don't have to agree with a single silly-bubble of it, it's just what I think, I'm not trying to make it what you think/decide. 

Good luck!

Yours respectfully,

Chris.

Dear Lotus.

Just putting in a personal point, not saying anyone else is right/wrong....

As far as the cost of Microsoft Office on Windows goes, you can get OpenOffice for free and it's fully Microsoft compatible.  Secondly - you CAN run a LOT of Windows programs on Chrome OS using Wine, which is a Linux system designed to help Windows programs run on Linux.  It works with Chrome OS too.  

Thirdly - having SAID the above! - knowing my luck I'd find my Fave Windows Program didn't like Wine too much and wouldn't work/would keep crashing.  Which would mean either sourcing a Chrome equivalent or using a Windows-as-a-Service cloudbased version of Windows such as Azure.  Some of them are called DAAS, Desktop As A Service, some of them are called PAAS, Platform As A Service, I've never been certain what the technical difference IS, they both seem the same to me! (I'm sure 100 experts will now jump on board to explain the difference and why it's so important, but however!) Both of them give you a cloud version of Windows you can install stuff on and use via the Internet.  I've only really used Azure but found it just the same as using ordinary, on-your-computer Windows, give or take a tweak.  It's designed to be used by Chromebooks and the like, so needs not a lot of RAM.  That might be a better idea than Wine, as with Wine you're still having apps. on your Chromebook/Chrome laptop/whichever, with Azure and its brothers everything's online and you're just interacting with it via your Chrome OS. 

So you got that option too!  What to REMEMBER about that option is it's pay-for. Which means if you DON'T pay on time, you'll lose all your files that are saved online, so they kinda get you over a payment ransom barrel.  "Very Sorry, we're having to up our charges this month.  You can't pay? Very Sorry, that means you lose your Rights of Access....."

There IS another option, but it depends on how much RAM you've got.  I've gotten this working a couple of times, dead failure a couple more times, not sure WHY it failed those times (very possibly the processor was the wrong type, not sure.) It's called QEMU and it lets you run Windows ON your Chrome machine in its own window.  It's running Windows in a box of RAM inside the main box called Chrome.   I wouldn't be able to tell you if it's OK for your Chrome machine unless I knew all its specs., I've got it on a Chrome laptop that was (probably!) previously owned by Fred Flintstone and it WORKS but the laptop hates every second of using it! It DOES work though.  (There's another one called Gnomebox that SHOULD run on Chrome in Linux mode - seen it, never installed it on anything or used it much, it's supposed to be easy, though.) 

Last bit, and again this just a personal thing.  Windows has led the operating system world for donkeys' years.  Which means it's the one with all the freeware/software going for it.  The Chrome software I've seen I've not found as easy to understand as the Windows equivalents - maybe that's because I'm Asperger's, I dunno, but I've got a little collection of Windows programs I swear by and wouldn't ever stop using.  And the Linux system - that lot have GOT to get their act together! There's about a zillion versions of Linux out there and each one has stuff that will/won't run on it! Me, I'd go for an online Windows-as-a-Service (mentioned above!) and save all my files to an external hard drive, so if the online service provider dies, or starts charging zillions because it thinks it's got you over a barrel, you've got all your work safe and can shop around for a new provider.  Or try Azure or a virtual-memory-box equivalent - but if you decide to DO that make sure your machine's got enough RAM firstAnd you'll be using software/creating files in commonly-used Windows formats, if you want to share them with anyone.  

Finally the End of my Personal Ten Pence Worth (lurve listening to the monotony of my own voice, me!) You don't have to agree with a single silly-bubble of it, it's just what I think, I'm not trying to make it what you think/decide. 

Good luck!

Yours respectfully,

Chris.