The New and Old!

As you know my Acer Aspire with Windows 7 was falling apart and I had to figure out a way to keep blogging without breaking the bank.   I happen to fin this nice little system for under 250$ and with the amount of positive reports from people around the globe about this laptop.  I figured I have to try it out myself.  As you know I simply love to buy products from Acer because I believe in them so much.   Every time I buy something from them, they just seem to last and thus I couldn’t resist trying this little Chromebook out.   I also thought this might be something that could be given as a gift to other people since Christmas time is almost upon us.   I just didn’t realize what I was getting myself into with this laptop.   

Specifications

Let’s start off by detailing to you what the specifications are for this Chromebook:

Chromebook With Chome OS:

• Screen Size: 11.6”
• Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768
• Processor Type: Intel
• Processor Model: Celeron 847
• Processor Speed: 1.1GHz (Dual core)

Display:

• Screen Size 11.6’
• Screen Mode HD
• Screen Resolution 1366 x 768

Network:

• IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n (With Fast Ethernet Technology)

USB:

• 3 USB 2.0

Comes with no optical drives, so no DVD’s or CD can be played with this device.   I am sure someone was going to ask this so I figured it was time to point that out!  Now I can tell you every detail about the specifications but it really doesn’t need to be discussed.  

Pros and Con’s

I am sure some of you are think there isn’t really anything positive that I could say about this laptop but you’d be wrong.   I started using this laptop last month for 3 weeks now and thought it was high time we at least do a review of this and try to talk about my experience.   

Now let’s get to the juicy parts of this article.   Would I recommend this to everyone, I would say NO.  If your doing photo editing or something that requires high processing editing then you might as well go look somewhere else.   The good part of this Acer Laptop is quite obvious but can be oblivious to others.  You can Stream movies and Shows and watch them on the laptop.   Google did a good job of this.   Just like Chromecast, you can stream them from your laptop to the big screen if you want.   

Processing Speed

The speed of the laptop when used with the Chrome OS is very different compared to my old laptop but then again, I am sure it was getting sluggish and probably needed a good clean refresh of the system.  I wasn’t how well I would like this system but I am not disappointed at all with what I expected to be doing with it.   I wasn’t going to be doing much other than blogging, surfing the net, and streaming movies and shows using HULU, CBS, and Netflix.  Let’s not forget about Pandora, which also worked perfectly for my needs.  It works perfectly on this Acer Chromebook.   I had no problems watching shows and movies from all those providers and many more.   

Hard Drive

If your planning on putting a lot of music files and documents on this laptop, think again.   You can however use USB drives to increase it to what ever size you may need but that will impact your time of the laptop if you don’t have it plugged in then you are are going to be using batter power to power the USB HDD.   It comes with a 16 gb Solid State Drive and it is really quite.   You can increase the space to 48 Gb’s by adding a 32 Gb SD card which is helpful for some.  

Screen

Most videos I streamed worked flawlessly and were quite nice to watch on the 11.6’ display.   They say it is High Definition and I believe it is.  I have had no problem surfing the web and checking out other web sites to see if there would be any problem with viewing them on a smaller screen and it was nice and no problems.

Battery

The battery power in this was quite amazing.   It at times has lasted me more than 5 hours on one charge an that has been a record for me.   The size and power alone is something that is definitely big plus to me because I don’t always need to keep it plugged in.   Very portable and can be taken to McDonald’s or any Wifi Hotspot.   I will be discussing this in detail later, and how to setup a VPN on a Chromebook! 🙂  So stay tuned!

Keyboard and Touchpad

Now to tell you I had a learning curve for the touch pad would be understand statement.   You have to understand that it has different gestures for double clicking and right and left clicking.   So when you first start using this laptop you will need to be prepared to go to the Chrome Book Help section to help you out and figure out all those new gestures.  The keyboard is like most other laptops and does a superb job at letting me type.  It all worked out in the end with me because it worked just well for all my needs.

If I haven’t changed your mind and you would like to try this laptop out for yourself you have a few options available to you and here they are:

 

• Acer 11.6” Laptop 2GB 16GB | C710-2856 Price : 199$
• Google Play Store  Price : 199$
• Walmart 199$  
• Newegg
• And many other places

Most of the time almost everyone has this version of Chromebook because it is the cheapest there is.   It is quite responsive and I have no qualms with this laptop.   I even like the size more easier to carry around and not be so bulky.   

*Those nasty disclaimers* Some of the links in the site are for use to help keep my website going and thus any Amazon links are undoubtedly affiliated with my site.

Product Features

• Installs easily In any vehicle
• Significantly improves both transmitted and received signal levels
• Reduces dropped calls and extends range
• Universal cradle holds any cellular phone securely
• For antenna upgrade, use the Wilson Electronics 301125 Magnet Mount Antenna
• Built-in port for battery charging; adjustable arms to fit most any phone
• Extends the calling range and signal strength of any phone on any North American cell service provider (except Nextel/iDEN)
• External vehicular antenna increases any phone’s output power to cell towers
• Reduces dropped calls, extends signal range, and increases data rates
• What’s in the Box: amplifier/charger cradle, mini magnet-mount antenna for outside vehicle, in-car power adapter, dash mount, installation guide

Dimensions

• Size (LWH): 7.75 inches, 6.12 inches, 2.25 inches

As you can see this come with a lot of stuff, but what you might not realize is that it can increase signal strength for Verizon Mobile, Virgin Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Straight Talk and Cricket Wireless Cell Phones and Modems.   I say that pretty much covers anyone who has a 3g Connection, you have the option of buying the 4G Signal Booster but most will only need the 3G booster.   I am sure I have left out a few mobile providers but in any case most, if not all, will work with this booster.

So I got mine for 89$ but Amazon seems to be running a special on them right  now.  I would recommend buying the bigger Antenna for it.  The  Antenna that comes with it is really a small antenna and thus you will not get as much service without the bigger version of Antenna.   I have ordered my bigger Antenna but it didn’t not make it to this review.   I must say that I am living in a area that doesn’t get much signals and this booster did help out with all my needs.

Pro’s

• Mobility — if you are looking for the car, then this is defiantly one of those that can be a great asset to traveling.  The antenna stays on the roof with no problem, the magnet is strong and sturdy. 
• More Coverage — After installing this booster in my home, I have found that I am getting at least 1 bar with my Virgin Mobile Mifi Modem.   Which in itself is very good thing.  I can’t get internet any other way.
• Home Kits — Wilson sells some great home kits to make it more home friendly, so at least if you need it for the home it can easily be used for the home.
• Money — You only have to buy this once and you are all set to use it for any phone you might buy!

Con’s

• Heat — If you the booster has to work a lot it will be producing more heat.   Although this isn’t the end of the world it can slow or prevent some cell phones from working properly.   So you must be mindful of that.
• Antenna — Like I said you can buy a bigger Antenna but that will up the cost of the booster by 20 to 30% but it is worth it.  It should be a kit already being sold with the bigger antenna, but I am sure someone has thought of that somewhere.
• Phones — This is one of those really obvious ones but not all phones will be able to use this booster because of the location of the battery and the internal antenna.   It sometimes is a hit or miss when it comes to cell phone boosters.

All in all I am really happy with this little Cellular Booster that actually does increase my data and phone speeds a lot and let’s me have more steady connections.   It is a must for anyone who lives in a rural area that needs to be connected to friends and family.   I am really happy with this little device and you should go check it out yourself!