Considering the Chromebook for next Travel

[terry88]

Hi All,

My Macbook Pro (2008) 13inch is getting a bit dated and I'm now considering a replacement.

The Chromebook will soon be merged with the Google Store ie Chromebook will be able to run the Android Apps.

I've been reading articles like How Android apps transformed my Asus Chromebook Flip into an entirely new device | PCWorld

So, I'm hoping someone may share their "real experiences" when travelling with a ChromeBook?

Mainly, want to backup my photos to a external HD as I travel.

Thanks in Advance

 

[maxwell]

I had the original Toshiba Chromebook and didn't mind it using it at home where I had a fast and constant WIFI connection, I avoided using it for travel as they work best when you they are connected to the internet. Unless you plan to tether it to your mobile network and use its data then I wouldn't recommend using it for travel. They are good for the price so if you''re mainly just transferring data to an external HD then a Chromebook would definitely be suffice.

 

[jhamill]

I'm just sitting in BA lounge in SIN (with my toshiba chromebook) waiting for my flight back to Sydney, after 3 weeks away in Italy/Greece. there was enough wifi everywhere for this to be usable and I used the web clients for gmail and outlook 365 (for work email). I also managed to log in to work via remote desktop with a vpn client no problems. All my photos were synced to google photos which has around 15GB of space for native storage. the chromebook is the laptop I use normally at home anyway so it wasn't really any great culture shock using it when away. I have very few apps on it apart from plex and the SSL vpn client.

if 99% of what you want to do is via a web browser, and you are heavily engaged with the google infrastructure (photos, calendar, mail etc) then it's a good option, but if you want itunes and the like then you will have a problem. I had one issue with a word document I was supposed to fill out - and google docs mangled the forms. not a big deal and it can wait until I get home.

john

 

[TomVexille]

I've been running a 2nd generation Samsung chromebook for about 5 years now. For me it works really well since I'm no power user. As maxwell points out, the issue with chromebooks is that they are very much cloud based devices that don't tend to have a huge amount of onboard memory. However in today's world with wifi readily available in hotels, lounges and many airports, they are rather usable devices.

This reply written on a chromebook from an AirB&B apartment overlooking Lake Como

 

[moa999]

Good devices..
but as mentioned above itunes, and native Microsoft Excel can be limitations depending on usage.

Mind you I'm still rocking a 4y/o Toshiba Z830 Ultrabook (recently upgraded with more RAM, an AC wifi card and new battery)

 

[terry88]

Big thank you everyone for confirming that. Happy to do the upgrade. I'm not really an iTunes fan so all is good.

Only problem now is I need to buy it from amazon.com as they don't sell it in Australia. After 8 years I've decided to upgrade to the the Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015)

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

[pippen_2k]

I bought my HP Chromebook in Brisbane for about $150 a few years back. I find it perfect for travelling as I only need it to surf the web via Hotel and public wifi.

 

[terry88]

Yes, that was my main appeal too, it's nice and cheap so if I lose or gets stolen it I don't need to care as it has not personal data on it. Thank you