A Laptop for $249?!? Welcome to Chromebook!

It's good to try new things, even when you might not really need those things. Take my new Samsung Chromebook for instance. I didn't really need another laptop (or tablet or smart phone for that matter), but after watching the TV commercial for it, I was intrigued enough to do a little more research on the web. Hmm...cloud computing you say? Light weight, compact with no fan and 7 hours of battery life you say? Go on...people love, they hate it, it's controversial you say? "I must have it," I say. So, while I didn't need the device itself, I did need to try out the concept of cloud computing. Regardless, with a price of only $249, I was getting it no matter what.

And get it I did, which was no easy feat, because it seems quite a few people felt the same way I did, and were trying out this new concept in computing. After trying several outlets (several times), I finally found one on Best Buy, which unfortunately meant I had to pay tax, but I was anxious to get mine, so be it.

 Now that I have it, I love it. It's like getting a MacBook Air at 80% off! Ok, so it can't do everything I can do with my Mac, but at fraction of the cost, who cares?!? It's similar in size, weight and appearance, and it even has a comparable keyboard. The biggest difference with the Chromebook is that it uses the Chrome OS from Google, so the OS is really just one big web browser. All of your applications live in the cloud, which might seem strange at first, but in use, it's hardly even noticeable. That is, until you use the Chrome browser on another device, and then like magic, all of your work is there too.

 Perhaps the hardest concept to accept is that you only have a 16gb SSD, rather than a giant hard drive. This is because you store your work in the cloud, and to make that more palatable, Google gives you 100gb of storage for free for two years. Another bonus of this storage solution is that the Chromebook has no need for a cooling fan, so it's dead quiet and the battery lasts for up to 7 hours. Plus, it powers up in seconds, not minutes like a traditional laptop. For me, this is proving to be my "go to" computing device. I'm using it over my MBP and my new Galaxy Note 10" tablet, which has my wife a bit upset over the purchase, but the Chromebook will win her over soon enough.

 Of course, there are going to be those who dislike the concept of cloud computing because they either don't understand it, or are afraid to try new things. In several reviews, I've read where people deride the Chromebook simply because it relies on an internet connection "all of the time", which is in fact false. While you do need to be connected to get maximum use from the device, you can work offline in many apps, and then sync once you reconnect with the web. No big deal. In fact, you can listen to locally stored music or watch videos from an SD/SDHC/SDXC card or a USB drive.

And let's not forget that price tag of only $249! I mean, come on now, how can you not even want to try it for that? Sure, I was worried that the build quality might be cheap and plasticky, but it's not. Well, it IS plastic, but it doesn't scream CHEAP, and more importantly, it doesn't feel cheap. So, what have you got to lose? In my opinion, nothing, but you gain...the cloud.