In the coming months, the Chrome OS, Google’s web-based OS for Chromebooks, will be folded into Android OS. Basically, Chromebooks will run a slightly different version of Android after the integration is completed.
Usually, the problem is, there is not much you can do with Chromebooks when you are not jacked up to the internet, local storage is minimal and they are really not gaming machines. But they really are brilliant. I’ll give you a few reasons why:
1: The price point:
This is the biggest draw. With as little as $150 (N29,000), you can get a decent Chromebook with their low-impact processors and up to 16GB storage and 4GB RAM. That’s not a lot of space, but they’ll certainly take care of your business, especially when all you do is answer mails and churn out blogposts.
2: You can still work offline:
The gripe with Chromebooks for most people is how you need an internet connection to do anything meaningful on it. But that can be taken care of. You can work offline with Google Docs or play light time-killers. You can also manage your Gmail offline, like with Microsoft Outlook, but you obviously can’t send or receive emails till you connect to the internet.
3: Android OS
This is easily one reason why Chrome is even now more awesome. Google is making Chrome OS and Android into one. This means you will now be able to extend what your Chromebook can do. Essentially, now you can do on your Chromebook everything you can do on your current Android phone.
4: Perfect for a hot desking:
So you are a startup that needs a fleet of PCs for your staffers. Chromebooks are perfect for that. Chromebooks are fully integrated with your Google account and fully support multiple users. Just like the Chrome browser supports multiple users who can’t access other users’ information, the Chromebook compartmentalizes users as well. And when a new user logs on, it syncs all the details on their unique account and they pick up where they left off. Also, did I mention they are dirt cheap?
5: The goodies
This probably doesn’t mean much, but for a techie on a budget, it’s a quite a treat. Chromebooks come with extra goodies you can choose from; from extra Google Drive space to Gogo in-air Internet passes and a free trial of unlimited music from Google.
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