12.6.2019

I have to admit this was a bit of an impulse purchase. 12 months ago we were looking for a new laptop for when we go on holiday but didn't want to spend a lot of money so ended up with a standard Windows operating system unit. Unfortunately the balance of windows 10 and the cheap price means that it is getting slower and slower to boot up, constantly nags about upgrading - which is a real nuisance as we only use it when away for a few nights and are generally on a metered connection. So, for the last 2 or 3 months my other half has been going on and on about getting a Chromebook. I finally snapped after the laptop gave me a blue screen of death whilst installing yet more Windows updates and the battery was more or less flat so I couldn't retry there and then.So,Chromebook it has to be and I will admit I knew nothing about them before searching online for one. As we use either Android based phones or tablets (unless it is my Kindle addiction) and realising that basically a chromebook is a tablet with perks I decided that it would be a good idea to get one. The next consideration was screen size. We still have an old 11" Notebook (so old it runs under XP - and YES it does still work just fine) so I knew that 11" was just too small a screen if we were going to be doing an streaming off either catch up TV sites or content providers. Then the next criterion was cost and, lets face it this one has an excellent price point - even better if you chose the gold version which was on offer when I purchased.The first thing it tells you to do is plug the unit in before switching it on the activate the battery. The charging cable comes in two parts and the kettle lead is a tight fit to the transformer, took a bit of a shove but you know it isn't going to come free accidentally. Because it is a two part lead you get a nice long cable for charging so it was easy to plug it in and then sit with it on my knee without worrying anyone would trip over an ankle or knee height cable as it trailed nicely on the ground.The instruction leaflet (and it is a leaflet) warns you set up could take 30 minutes. Honestly, from booting up to being online took me less than 5. Just make sure you have your google account details to hand (username and password for your G-Mail account) and the password for your wifi connection. Once logged in it invites you take an online tour but I skipped this, figuring I would work things out as I went along and there is an Help app installed where you can access all the functionality details. Even better no booting up and immediately being prompted to install updates - BLISS!The touchpad is HUGE and has a smooth operation. I'm not a fan of touchpads as my manual dexterity is not the greatest these days but I did like that there is no dedicated left click or right click buttons you just tap anywhere on the pad to left click with one fingertip and anywhere with two fingertips simultaneously for the right click. Okay so I had to go to the help app to find this out but that's what it's there for.To access the settings you click on the time in the bottom right hand corner - which is still amusing me, it is kind of out there. Bluetooth connection was simple and my 12 month old Sony headphones connected easily (once I figured out how to set the headphones to pairing) and my brand new mouse was easy to set up too. Both work as expected.You have links along the bottom already set up for Gmail, Chrome and the Play Store. Nice and easy to set up as it is all through your linked account so no interminable adding your usernames and passwords from your desktop device or trying to remember which apps you have on your phone that you want on here - the Play Store even prompted me to select which apps I wanted to download that I already had on my phone and tablet.Browsing was fast through my home wifi connection. However, it will rarely be used at home so I turned that off and put my Huawei (yes, I know!) dongle in as it still had credit from our last holiday on it. It connected straight away - no waiting like I had with my Windows laptop which confused me and made me think it wasn't working until I tried going online. The dongle does show up as being an Ethernet connection though in your network connections.Turning the unit off is a two stage process. You press the power button and it logs you out of your account, then you need to click on Turn Off to fully power the unit down. As soon as you click it turns off, no waiting it is OFF. Turning it on is just as speedy. I have to admit I was tempted to just sit turning it on and off as compared to a standard Windows operating system unit this is a breeze.The design of the chromebook itself is sleek and feels nice in your hands. I also love the brushed gold finish of the case, the only drawback is the raised Acer logo which looks a bit naff to my eyes.Basically this is an overgrown Android tablet that is perfect for everyday usage. We purchased this for a unit to use when on holiday - checking social media and email, streaming catch up TV and playing games when you wake up at 4am and can't get back to sleep and there's nothing to do until breakfast at 8am. For our needs this is perfect and I can fully see us taking it out and about if we are having a pub crawl and will be in one place for a couple of hours as it is so much better than relying on your phone to watch that horse race that isn't on the pub TV.Does everything we need it to for a second machine but if you are looking for something more geared towards preparing documents and for working on I am not convinced that Google Docs yet provides an adequate solution. Although you could grab the Open Office App and you really will be good to go then. All I really need now is for Firefox to release a truly Android compatible version (my husband uses Chrome and I use Firefox so we can both be logged in simultaneously on the desktop and have our own bookmarks - yes, I did get the worst of this deal as Chrome is a far superior browser).For the price point this is an impressive unit and I am VERY happy with my purchase.

18.4.2017

I finally made the decision to upgrade from my ageing HP Chromebook 11 G2 which has served me very well over the last couple of years. I am already sold on the concept and use of Chromebooks as an every day computing device so purchasing another one was an easy decision.I am still in the "honeymoon period" with this machine but I must say that I am delighted with its build quality and its battery life. I have been using it quite frequently for almost two days and have not had to charge it yet, in fact, I am down to about 50 percent battery and I think I will make it to the end of the day (note: not constant use so don't get the wrong idea).

6.10.2017

A really nice Chrome book. I purchased this to replace a Samsung Tablet that had a) Run out of memory & b) I couldn't stand the swiping user interface. I have a substantial I7 based laptop when I want to do programming, so when I saw the 'limited' functionality offered by the Chromebook I thought it was exactly what I wanted. I had decided to go for a smaller 11" screen, as I often use it sitting in an armchair, not at a desk. However when I saw what specifications this Acer was offering, I decided to go for it. Its not quite a 5 star for me, as there is several points I am not to keen on - but must add that these are very personal preferences, many will disagree with me.a) The full metal case is both strong,

24.5.2019

I bought this over a year ago.It's beautiful. Stylish and sleek. Battery life is excellent.I love the Chrome OS. It's arguably the safest out there.You do not need anti virus protection with this Chromebook.The 14" inch screen is crisp and clear.The Chromebook is ultra thin making it easy to transport.Apart from the keyboard and screen, it is all metal and looks very stylish.I love the Chrome OS. It is ultra fast. I gave up on windows due to it's sluggishness and bugginess.You can store things in the cloud or add an SD card up to 64mb.The beautiful gold aluminium chassis makes it look sleek, stylish and expensive, it is the icing on the cake.Two USB ports and one HDMI port,

8.10.2017

Basically i didn't have high expectations for this laptop and just wanted a cheap laptop that started up quickly so i could browse the net and read emails etc - However it has ended up living up to these expectations and way beyond them.I am truly struggling to find fault with this device at the price i paid for it.The only 3 things that i would say need sorting if i am being picky are:-1) The trackpad buttons are horrible - however you can set options so you never have to use them.2) The missing SD Card Reader is just mind boggling - Definitely needs adding to the next machine3) The 2GB Ram on this machine is definitely on the verge of being an issue and future OS updates may be problematic.But disregarding these issues,

21.5.2018

Firstly, you should know this doesn't run Windows. If you want a Windows machine running Microsoft applications then look elsewhere. If you understand and are happy with the fact that this runs Google's operating system 'Chrome' and the software is Google's own version of Office – 'Google Docs' – then I would completely recommend this laptop.The build quality for the price is excellent. The screen is adequate, keyboard, speakers and trackpad great. It plugs into TV's using HDMI no problem. WiFi, Bluetooth etc are all great too. Getting used to Chrome takes a little while but for basic tasks like surfing and creating docs this is a great machine.The only thing I would recommend is picking up the HD version with a better quality screen and more RAM.

7.3.2017

This is such a gorgeous looking machine - the colour is so chic it makes me want to go and sit in a nice coffee shop with it just so I can show it off.I personally am not a big fan of how the apple interface is so closed off and so I always go for android/google products - much easier for devices to communicate & you can access all of the same services so why on earth pay 5x as much money for a macbook if all you are going to use it for is surfing/netflix/the odd document and email???I bought this for myself but it would make a brilliant present for someone (it's also really lightweight so great for using on the go).I did have a slight issue with the inbuilt web security (it wouldn't let me open Amazon properly!)

22.5.2017

Have had this for well over a month now and love it!My one is the 4GB RAM version.Build quality wise, spec wise, it is the best laptop I have had. The battery life lasts all day, it doesn't heat up at all and is just dead silent.I love Chrome OS, and this is the perfect companion for me when I don't want to use my desktop computer. Though I have put Seabios on and GalliumOS Linux alongside Chrome OS. This in turn makes it an absolutely incredible Linux ultrabook which I find really nice for doing work on my website because I have the power of Linux in my hands.The only few things I'd wish was on this Chromebook:An upgradable storage drive so I could put a larger capacity SSD in rather than non removable eMMC flashAn SD card readerA backlit keyboard.But other than those few things,

27.5.2019

I cancelled my sky movies as it’s super expensive and realised a year ago I can stream free of charge and decided to not pay 72 quid every other month and now only pay half my sky bill at 48 keerrrching!I use this to watch all my American series, films and occasionally for email and shopping online.Not a tech expert but sound quality is on point easy to type too keyboard is super soft and not hard to type the fact that it’s scratch proof helps as I have acrylic nails.I added some cute stickers and a girly pink keyboard cover as I love to eat and be on my laptop at the same time ? and it’s grease proof thankfullyIf you’re not looking to spend a fortune and refuse to pay Apple ?

23.9.2018

First my elder son bought a Chromebook, then, on his recommendation, my younger son bought one too.I then decided to buy this model for myself, but I never got a look in as my wife appropriated it as she loved it so much! Finally I bought my own - not this model, but an Acer with a 15.6 inch screen which I'm now typing this review on.Chromebooks are wonderful: no messing about with Windows to load or update - they literally boot up within 5 seconds of opening the lid and have a long battery life and are quite cheap to buy.They don't need anti-virus software, it's just about impossible for a Chromebook to get viruses or ransomware. They are brilliantly simple and just work beautifully without fuss or worry.

16.5.2017

Great product, Amazing battery life, boots in seconds,Please be clear and know that this is ChromeOS, it will not run Microsoft Word nor will it run Spotify as an installed application, Not even steam with games.ChromeOS is purely a web browser application, and this machine requires an internet connection to run, however what it does, it does amazingly well. Boots in less than 5 seconds, is incredibly light (my previous chromebook was double the weight) and beautiful design.I've only had 1 issue which is the fact that when i'm running facebook it has a tendancy to freeze and the screen will go black for a second or too, i attribute this to resource intensive facebook than anything else

27.4.2017

Got this as I had ordered another Acer 11" windows 10 notebook which i returned as I was not impressed with at all. I have to say I'm very pleased I did. This chromebook is perfect for my needs. I has a good bright screen that doesn't noticeably dull when on battery power. The battery is v impressive itself and lasted 3 days of occasional use. The notebook itself is really nice, its very thin and looks a lot more expensive than it cost. Full size keyboard and a good responsive scratchpad, I have the 14" version and would recommend it, if you just browse and youtube its perfect. It will soon be able to download Apps from the Play store too making it even more desirable. Buy it.

11.4.2018

I liked my Acer Chromebook 10 so much, in spite of rubbish speakers and lousy battery life, that when google decided recently that they did not support it any more my choice was the Acer Chromebook 14.Apart from it's reassuring familiarity and ease of use, it is lovely to look at, slick, sleek brushed chrome, reassuring heavy metal construction and super speakers.BUT BIG BUT: why on earth have the guys at Acer replaced the CAPS LOCK with a search key?!! There are many ways to search in the course of browsing, buying and searching sic. But to have to stop speedy touch typing to hold down the shift key for capitals and type with one hand is beyond ridiculous!! <SIGH>

19.1.2018

Internet access without the need of security programmes has to be a positive.Google does all thatQuick wi-fi access prior to sign in to your provider.Internet search,playback of music and movies VGDInternal speakers OK for those website video clips etc when you have not headphones at hand.The balance and weight of the device,really suits me.The screen can be adjusted readily,indeed flat surface to the keyboard.Bluetooth connection is a breeze to my 3 diifferent Bluetooth devices TAO TRONICS ,ANKER and SONY.Would recommend to all peoples experiences of computering from beginners upwards.

14.10.2018

Delighted with this Chrome book, it's my third and best,I am 84 years old and I use it for many things including :-Banking, news, gmail, utube videos, word processing, I could go on and on.It is fairly light and portable and very attractvely styled in a champagne gold metallic finish.The chassis is aluminium making it strong and durable and the keyboard is excellent.I find it works best with a wireless mouse, the one I love is the Microsoft wireless mouse.At present prices this laptop is surely a bargain.Brian.

Acer Chromebook 14 - Reviews

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