Chromebook Laptop

I didn't pay much for it. I paid just over $100 for the Chromebook, versus more than $2400 for the MacBook. It's a bigger MacBook than my last one. I didn't need a bigger one but they didn't have the small ones in stock. Of course, that could have been an upsell.

 

I just ordered a Chromebook from Amazon !
Not that I need any more devices, but you know how that is , when you just can’t resist techy stuff (kind of like Beth and John with their cooking equipment, maybe?).

Anyway, the reason I bought it is for doing surveys, and maybe for writing on the forum, things like that. Some of the surveys that pay better will not accept using a tablet, so I can’t apply for them with my iPad. The better surveys can pay $100+ If you are accepted for the survey, and the little ones just accumulate points fo rAmazon or paypal, which is fine, too.

This is the 14” Chromebook, so it will be a little larger than my 12.9 iPad , and should be ideal for doing surveys. It has the webcam and stuff necessary for the in-person surveys, and those are the ones that pay better, and I really enjoy doing them.
I do not need to store anything, or be able to do photo-editing or any of that stuff, because I can use the iPad for everything that I am doing now , so the Chromebook should be sufficient for what I need it for.
I just made a new gmail account , so it will be all separated from my other emails. I have an old google email, but I do not want to use that one.

This is a nice white color, so it should be easy for me to see the keyboard. Not being an actual typist, I have to look at the keyboard to type, and the black ones are hard for me to see properly. It is not a touchscreen, but it should not need to be, for mostly just doing surveys, and even one good survey will replace what I paid for the Chromebook.

 

My Chromebook from Amazon arrived yesterday, and I have it set up and moving all of the websites for my surveys to the Chromebook. It has been a long time since I have used a non-touchscreen device, and I am still getting used to that; but overall, I think that it will do very well for the purpose I wanted it for.
I need to watch more videos and get a good online manual for how to do everything; but I am enjoying learning how everything works also.

 

This was kind of how I felt when I first started using my new Chromebook. Since it is quite different from using my iPad/Apple iOS, I have been just kind of working my way through learning how to do things, and searching online for specific answers.
I looked at the books on Kindle, but most of them just teach basic things like setting it up and how to use mail, photos, etc, and not much help for actually learning HOW the Chromebook actually works.

Then, I found one that looked pretty informative, and when I did the little “see the inside” think that Kindle lets you do, I could see that it had lots of good information in it; so I ordered the book. I ordered the paper book because it is easier for me to refer to something in an actual book than it is with the Kindle ebook.
It came today, and I am really impressed with how well this book explains everything. I just read the first chapter tonight, and tomorrow, I will sit down with the book and the Chromebook, and familiarize myself with everything a little better.
The book explains with lettered/numbered points and excellent pictures what to do, how to find it on the screen, and options when there are some.

The book is called “Teach Yourself Visually” , and I definitely recommend it for anyone who is new to Chromebook, or has one and does not know how things work for more complicated tasks, and especially for anyone who is buying a Chromebook.
(You can’t see to read everything on this picture of the book; but it should give you an idea of how it is formatted to teach information easily and visually.)

Link to website, with more info:
https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Teach+Yourself+VISUALLY+Chromebook-p-9781119762980#description-section

 

I do the same. If I am looking for instructions, I prefer to have them in print.

 

I set mine up to work with an external keyboard and mouse, and it is easier for me at this point than using the trackpad. I can have the keyboard and mouse set on the lower part of my desk and it makes it easier to type than using the main keyboard.
Mine is the 14” screen (non-touchscreen) and it is large enough that I can see most things without having to scrunch my nose up against the screen.

Also, @Ken Anderson , you CAN scroll with the touchpad . I am learning that the touchpad is pretty specialized, and it makes a difference where and how you touch it, and how many fingers you use.
There are some shortcuts you can do with the touchpad, and also with the keyboard. (This book is well worth the cost !)
Here is a quick video that explains briefly about scrolling with the Chromebook touchpad.

 

I am thinking about finding a larger Chromebook !
The one that I have is the 14” size, and it is large enough that I can read it without having to wear my reading glasses (or stick my nose on the screen) to see what is on it.
I was looking at the 15.6, and then I discovered that they now have a huge 17.3 Chromebook that has been out since last year, and new ones this year.

Some of last year’s models are on sale for under $200, so I am shopping around for the best deal I can find before I get one.
I think that Bobby will like the 14” one, because it is larger than our iPads, and will be better for watching movies with, for him.

I have been using an external keyboard and mouse some of the time, but I now want to learn more about how the trackpad works, since there are different things it will do depending on whether you use 1-2-3-4 fingers and whether you swipe, or tap/click with your fingers.
The versatility is AMAZING !

This guy has a Chromebook youtube channel, and he is really good at explaining all about how they work, and the new things as they come out.
This should really help you, @Richard Whiting , because he totally explains how the touchpads work on the chromebook.
(Edited)

 

I am sending it to my sister-in-law in Michigan.

 

I have the “chromebook bug” again !
Last year, I actually found one of the 17.3” chromebooks on a great sale and bought it. However, it weighs a TON, so moving it anywhere requires a lot of effort, and it ended up sitting on my desk underneath my iPad.
The large size was awesome, and I could see it really well; but using it was kind of like moving “off-grid”, techwise. My ipad has Face ID, and a touchscreen, and everything is SO simple and easy to do with the ipad.
Anyway, I ended up trading the heavy chromebook to Bobby. He is big and strong and has no problems lugging it around and the thing is as large as a small television for watching movies.

Now, some of the touchscreen chromebooks are going on really great clearance sales, and I have been thinking about getting one of those and seeing if I can use it more like I do the iPad. It would be the 14” screen, so large enough for me to see without my reading glasses, and light enough for me to carry if I wanted to use it from the Poodle Couch instead of the desk chair.
It will definitely have to have a touchscreen and lighted keyboard this time, too, if I do find one and decide to get it.

 

Here is an example of a good chromebook, @Hedi Mitchell . This one is a 14” chromebook, and it has a touchscreen and backlit keyboard. It is on sale as a used one (still with Amazon warranty) for under $100.
If you go to the Amazon Warehouse, and search for touchscreen chromebooks, they have a lot of them in all price ranges .
The main difference with a chromebook is that you need a google email account, and everything is stored online and not on the laptop. I prefer that anyway, because you do not lose your information and photos if the device goes bad (like your laptop just did), it is all safe in the cloud and there when you get a new/different device.