Review of Chrome OS and the HP Chromebook 11
/What does Chrome OS and the HP Chromebook 11 priced at $279 have to offer? Is it a good value for the education market?
HP Hardware
The build and finish quality of the HP Chromebook is quite nice. One does not have to pay for Chrome OS and that helps keep the price low. HP has wrapped the Chromebook in a plastic shell which is remarkably refreshing after the flood of Apple MacBook Air knockoffs with aluminium finishes over the last few years. The case feels notably solid for a plastic case. My largest annoyance with the physical case are the large rubber pads on the bottom of the case. In the lap they perform well to stabilize and keep the Chromebook in place. However, on a glass desk they slide around and lack the non-slip nature of rubber. This makes the device slip around while one is typing. When the device is not sliding around, the typing experience is quite nice; the keys feel solid and precise. Fun fact: the letters on the keys themselves are lowercase letters, not uppercase letters typically found on PC keyboards. The trackpad is well placed and I did not have any issues with bumping it while typing. The HP Chromebook 11 has a 1366 x 768 resolution screen which works well at 11 inches (unfortunately, HP uses this same resolution on their 14 inch Chromebook and most of their 15 inch laptops where it becomes an inadequate resolution). There is enough room on the screen to have two Google Docs open side by side. The Samsung Exynos 5250 processor seemed to handle everything adequately except for a Flash based video that I attempted to push to a Google Chromecast, which displayed choppy. Otherwise it was more than capable of handling the basic tasks that Chrome OS is designed to deliver.
Chrome OS
Chrome OS is basic and utilitarian. It gets the job done on the cheap, as long as that job can be done through the Chrome web browser. In addition to web surfing, Google’s Chrome OS primarily excels at office oriented tasks. Google’s basic webapps, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Google Keep work well. They have the ability to function offline and save as one types. These features reassure the user that their work is safe. Chrome OS is an operating system meant to be kept connected to web at all times with offline applications being few in number. Creatives will find the OS a challenge to accomplish tasks; having to find web based solutions to accomplish their objectives. Many normative Mac, PC, iOS or Andriod tasks that do not have a direct web interface simply are not accessible (i.e. listening to Audible audiobooks).
Google has become education focused, pushing Chromebooks as a laptop alternative for 1:1 initiatives. This reviewer has to admit that the simplicity and value proposition is quite appealing. It would be wise for K-12 school districts that primarily use online learning to carefully consider a Chromebook solution. Google offers a suite of basic applications for education that require little to no infrastructure on the part of the school district compared to traditional Windows based laptop programs. However, what is glaringly missing is any kind of PDF support other than basic PDF display in the browser. Currently, there is not a way to edit or markup a PDF file; no way to highlight or annotate. A PDF can be saved to one’s Google drive but there is not an application that supports markup. At the moment one would have to sign-up for a third party web based annotation tool (ie. A.nnotate.com). Then crossload their PDF file for markup/annotation. The lack of PDF support is a errant omission for Google in their quest to be education focused especially for potential higher education customers.
Side-note: A nicety for Mac or tablet users, Chrome OS has an option for the trackpad that comes in exceptionally handy. Referred to as Australian touchpad in settings, it allows the touchpad to operate in a much more natural orientation and two finger scrolling that most smart phone, tablet, and Mac users have come accustomed too.
Conclusion
To take full advantage and appreciate a Chromebook, one must live in Google’s ecosystem or be willing to make accommodations for workarounds. If one uses an email service provider other than Gmail, then there is not offline access to email. Plus, not all Chrome extensions work on Chrome OS. However, what you do get for $279 is a utilitarian computer that does the basics well and that is where most users spend their time. I would not suggest a Chromebook as a family’s primary computer for storing media and libraries of photos, but it works well as a secondary computing device. Chromebooks are great for web surfing and basic office tasks. School districts should take a good look at what Google has to offer. They offer a great value proposition compared to traditional laptops and require less infrastructure, technical support and management. Google however, will need to address their lack of PDF markup support to better compete in the education market. The true challenge for Google is, and will be, the differentiation in use case for Chrome OS over what is available through the Android. At this point it may very well be the form factor; Chrome OS for laptop and Android for tablets. However, the convergence and hybridization of these two platforms may quickly do away with the need for separate operating systems. All in all, Google’s Android OS is a more powerful platform but lacks the administrative simplicity that Chrome OS has to offer.
The HP Chromebook 11 is a solid platform that gives good value for the money. There are a few minor niceties that one could request such as better non-slip rubber pads to keep it from sliding around on a glass desk. It would also be nice to add a touch screen. With the keyboard’s proximity so close to the screen I kept finding myself wanting to touch the screen for navigation. Overall, HP has put together a nice piece of hardware that offers good value at its price point.
