For those of you thinking about purchasing a ChromeBook I thought I would share with you my list of advantages and disadvantages for this new piece of technology covering all aspects from security to functionality:
Advantages:
• Faster boot up times: ChromeBook boots up very fast. On the average, it boots up in 10 seconds. You can see the screen instantly switch on when you close and open it.
• Better battery lifetime: The average battery lifetime is 8 hours, much longer than that offered by traditional laptops.
• Secure data: Since all the data is stored in the cloud, it doesn’t matter if your ChromeBook is stolen or lost – your data is secured a 100 percent.
• Secure transmission of data: all data, including downloads, are fully encrypted, so you don’t need any anti-virus software.
• Easy sharing: since all of your data is securely stored in the cloud, you can lend your ChromeBook to others and they can use the device through the Guest Mode option, without affecting your own data and settings.
• Automatic updates: as soon as you switch on the device, all updates are made automatically.
• Access to Web Apps: you can access Web apps through the Chrome Web apps store. You can also download applications such as the Office 1010 Web Apps for Chrome to work with Windows Office applications such as Word and Excel.
Disadvantages:
• No DVD player
• Primarily for Internet use: If you don’t have internet access, you can’t use most of the functionality offline.
• Applications are limited: You can’t install any other applications (other than those offered by ChromeBook) from the internet, thus potentially limiting its use for some users. However, this also limits the potential for viruses to mess up your system!