8 Chromebook Myths To Ignore When Laptop Shopping - CNET

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Chromebooks, oregon laptops that tally connected Google's ChromeOS, person been astir for more than a decade and person gone from basal net appliances to fantabulous laptops for idiosyncratic oregon nonrecreational use.

Their user-friendly quality besides makes them a bully enactment for radical who are little tech-savvy.

A batch of antagonistic ideas astir Chromebooks person circulated implicit the past 10 years too, including the fallacy that you can't usage them offline and that the devices are underpowered. Some of these critiques whitethorn person been existent erstwhile Chromebooks were archetypal released, but they person since been corrected oregon improved upon.

Here are 8 Chromebook misconceptions to disregard erstwhile looking for a caller laptop.

1. Chromebooks are underpowered

This is simply a communal misconception that dates backmost to the Chromebook's launch, erstwhile it was chiefly utilized for accessing the net via the Chrome browser. As much radical started utilizing Chromebooks, including for schoolhouse and business, Google accrued the functionality of the operating strategy and Chromebook makers improved their show to instrumentality vantage of caller features. Now, similar different laptops, you get what you wage for with a Chromebook.

ChromeOS, the Chromebook operating system, inactive has debased hardware requirements, though. This means Chromebooks tin supply basal functionality for little money. Despite the debased hardware requirements, Chromebooks tin execute arsenic good arsenic -- and successful immoderate cases amended than -- likewise priced Windows laptops.

"New Windows laptops for $200 are fewer and acold betwixt and, frankly, are seldom worthy buying," CNET's Joshua Goldman writes. "Finding a bully $200 Chromebook, connected the different hand, is beauteous casual to do… Premium Chromebooks typically commencement betwixt $400 and $500, but tin easy tally much than $1,000 depending connected your needs."

The Lenovo Duet 3, for example, is $379, and it tin watercourse videos, tally astir immoderate Android app and beryllium utilized for unreality gaming via Nvidia GeForce Now oregon Xbox Cloud Gaming. Other premium Chromebooks, similar the CNET Editor's Choice award-winning Acer Chromebook Spin 714, are much expensive, but they tin person up to 10 hours of artillery life. They tin besides watercourse videos and grip productivity apps similar Slack with ease.

2. You tin lone usage Chrome connected Chromebooks

It's understandable -- yet incorrect -- to deliberation that Chromebooks, which tally connected ChromeOS, tin lone usage a Chrome browser. You tin tally different browsers, similar Brave and Firefox, connected your Chromebook.

To usage these browsers, you request to download the apps from the Google Play Store. While those apps are meant for Android phones, they volition enactment connected your Chromebook. Some apps person tablet enactment truthful they look cleaner and usage the further abstraction connected the surface of your Chromebook. Their windows tin besides beryllium resized conscionable similar accepted desktop software.

3. Chromebooks aren't harmless to use

Chromebooks person multiple layers of protection to support your information safe. For example, you'll get automatic updates from Google truthful your instrumentality ever has the latest patches. Chromebooks besides tally idiosyncratic websites and apps successful sandboxes to incorporate threats.

These information features marque Chromebooks much unafraid than galore different laptops. According to CVE Details, a information vulnerability datasource, ChromeOS has had astir 50 information vulnerabilities since 2010. In comparison, Windows 10 has had astir 3,000 vulnerabilities since 2013.

4. Chromebooks don't enactment offline

While the archetypal models were designed to beryllium utilized online only, Google changed that agelong agone truthful that galore Chromebook apps volition enactment with oregon without an net connection. You tin usage your Chromebook to instrumentality notes, ticker movies and perceive to euphony erstwhile offline. You tin adjacent cheque and respond to emails oregon view, edit oregon make documents successful Google Drive. In these cases, immoderate emails you are sending oregon changes you are making to documents won't spell done until you reconnect to the internet.

5. You can't crippled connected Chromebooks

Years agone you could lone play web-based games connected your Chromebook but since 2016, you tin play galore of the games successful the Google Play Store. That includes games similar Roblox and Apex Legends Mobile. You tin besides play games from Steam, Nvidia's GeForce Now, Amazon Luna and Xbox Cloud Gaming connected your Chromebook.

Google is adjacent selling Chromebooks made for unreality gaming. The Acer Chromebook 516 GE, Asus Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip and Lenovo Ideapad Gaming Chromebook are the archetypal 3 gaming Chromebooks that fto anyone play AAA machine games without a high-end gaming PC utilizing unreality services.

Three Chromebooks from Acer, Lenovo and Asus from near to close designed for gaming with colorful backlit keyboards.

6. Chromebooks aren't bully for photograph oregon video editing

For basal editing, the Google Play Store has a fig of photograph and video editing apps, including Adobe's Android apps and LumaFusion, which are Chromebook-compatible. Google besides unveiled a new video exertion and movie maker in Google Photos successful July.

If you're a concern nonrecreational and request much precocious photo- oregon video-editing capabilities, similar Adobe InDesign oregon Photoshop, you'll inactive privation a Windows, Mac oregon Linux laptop. However, if you are putting unneurotic a household photograph medium oregon a video for a household reunion, Chromebooks person everything you need.

7. Chromebooks can't tally Microsoft Office

Yes, you tin tally Microsoft Office connected your Chromebook. However, alternatively of utilizing the bundle suite made for Windows oregon MacOS, you'll usage Microsoft's Office progressive web apps, oregon PWAs.

PWAs are similar the mobile versions of websites, but they springiness you much features, similar offline usage and propulsion notifications. There are PWAs for Microsoft Office 365 that enactment large connected Chromebooks. Besides having to download the PWAs, utilizing them is the aforesaid arsenic utilizing the web versions of Office 365. Microsoft Office powerfulness users mightiness find that Office PWAs aren't arsenic robust arsenic the desktop software, but the PWAs volition apt conscionable astir people's needs.

8. You can't usage Windows connected a Chromebook

This 1 is fractional true. While you can't instal Windows onto your Chromebook, you tin entree the operating strategy via distant access. You tin usage distant machine entree tools, similar Parallels for Chrome oregon Chrome's Remote Desktop, to link your Chromebook to a Windows computer.

Parallels lets you tally full-featured Windows applications and is chiefly meant for concern users. Chrome's Remote Desktop takes minutes to acceptable up and tin beryllium utilized to entree Windows -- oregon Mac -- bundle connected your Chromebook. Is this cheating? Maybe, but I won't archer if you won't.

For much connected Chromebooks, cheque retired these 8 Chromebooks for immoderate budget, how to get Steam connected your Chromebook and how to tally Windows Office connected your Chromebook.