Samsung Chromebook Review and Giveaway

This post is sponsored by Staples. All opinions are my own.

With back to school time upon us, many parents are thinking about buying a computer for their student. I recently had the opportunity to review the Samsung Chromebook. This was PERFECT timing for me, as I have a son who will be heading to middle school in the not-to-distant future. He has been asking to have his own computer for school (and let’s get real– play games and watch YouTube) but we have held off until now. I was curious about the Samsung Chromebook and whether it would be a good fit for our family. Starting the review, I had some questions.

Is the Samsung Chromebook a Good Choice for Students?

1. What are the capabilities for doing schoolwork (writing papers,making presentations etc)?

2. How easy are the functions for a kid to use?

3. How heavy/portable is the machine (is it something a kid could comfortably carry in his or her backpack)?

4. Is there tech support available?

5. Is is a good value for the price point?

Samsung Chromebook Info (from the Staples website)

• Samsung Exynos 5 Dual 1.7GHz 1MB Cache Processor
• 2 GB DDR3L 800Mhz Installed Memory
• 16GB Solid State Drive
• 11.6″ HD Anti-reflective Display (1366 x768)
• Google Chrome Operating System, which ensures a secure virus-free experience, it updates itself automatically and storage in the Cloud means secure, convenient access to your data.

Getting Started with the Samsung Chromebook

 I am fairly savvy when it comes to blogging and social media, but I don’t feel as confident about my techie skills – which showed more than anything when I was selecting between Samsung vs LG TVs for 6 months last year. The thing I appreciated about the Chromebook was how simple it was to get started. After receiving a box from Staples I opened it up to find the three essentials– the Chromebook, an AC Adapter, a Power Cable and the Quick Start Guide. Just plug the Power Cable into the AC Adapter and the other end of the Adapter into the computer and you are in business. A kid aged 10 or up could do it by themselves.

Once you start the machine, you are prompted to choose your language, and keyboard and select a network. The language and keyboard were a cinch. I experienced a little bit of a hiccup with the network. Basically, the Chromebook “picks up” the nearby networks. We have one for our home, as I’m sure many people do, that’s password protected. So here’s my tip– KNOW THE CORRECT PASSWORD FOR YOUR NETWORK, including the cases.

I entered our wifi password and was denied from the network. I instantly figured out I had forgotten to make one letter capitalized. No biggie, right? Just try again. Well, that was the hard part. It doesn’t give you another opportunity to try again.

But that was kind of a good thing because it let me to an answer to question #4: Is there tech support available? I consulted the handbook that came with the computer to find the site for Chromebook Help. After reading up on the issue and following the prompts, I realized I needed some support from a human. So I filled out the brief form to be contacted by a Chrome Ninja.

Within 10 minutes, I had an email from a Chrome Ninja, who helped me work out my problem through a series of emails. Basically I needed to get on a public wifi network to reset my computer aka “powerwashing” it. Issue solved and a enthusiastic YES to Question #4 about tech support– it is available.

It isn’t essential for you to have a Google account to use the Chromebook, but if you don’t, the functions are limited. I already had a Google account and was able to login, no problem. You can also sign up for a Google account by clicking “Create a Google Account” on the right of the log in screen.

 Using the Chromebook

Now that I was “in”… yay(!) everything was easy peasy. A bright, easy to follow screen popped up with rectangles filled with helpful things like “Welcome to Your Chromebook,”Get to Know Your Touchpad,” “Save an access files,” Work offline,” Redeem your free offers,” “Create documents,” “Chat, phone calls and more,” “Listen to music,” “Edit photos,” and “How to Print.” 

Additionally, apps are available in one convenient location by clicking a little icon at the end of the line of icons.

So the Chromebook is a different type of computer from Google. What makes it different?  

How is the Chromebook Different from a Traditional Computer?

-Google apps that you use frequently are included (like Google Search, Google+, Google Calendar and  YouTube among them)

-Your files are stored online

 I thought that was helpful and cool to have those apps already there, especially if this computer was going to be used by a student.

I checked out some of the other features of the Chromebook.

 Create Documents

This was something I was very interested in, as it related to students– how to create different documements. After clicking on the “Create Documents” rectangle, three apps are displayed:

Docs: Word Processor

Sheets: Spreadsheet application

Slides: For presentations

I messed about with “Docs.” It was an easy to use system. There is also a share function, which could be great for a student working on a project with another student. “Sheets” looks like a big spreadsheet. It could be helpful for a Science project and again– it has the share function. The “Slides” app also appeared to be something that would be great for students. Lots of different Google themes, layout and transition options. So I had an answer to Question #1: Yes, there are great apps for writing papers and presentations… AND Question #2: Yes, the functions are easy enough for a kid to use.

Chat, Phone Calls and More

The Chromebook comes with a built-in webcam and microphone and it allows you to IM, make phone calls and video chat. 

Edit Photos

It also has an image editor, allowing you to easily edit photos. You can access this feature by opening any photo file from the Files app and then you can upload them to albums online.

Play

For those times when students aren’t using the Chromebook for their (ahem) studies, there are THOUSANDS of free and paid games in the games section.

Pick Your Wallpaper

Young people love personalizing their stuff.  There’s an app that allows you to choose one of their pre-loaded wallpaper or upload your own, choose your own background image and add your profile photo. I think students would love these features.

Redeem Your Free Offers

Of course I had to redeem the free offers which turned out to be 100GB of Free Storage. Awesome!

Light and Portable

At just 2.5 pounds and is 0.8 inches thin the Chromebook is very light. It also has over 6.5 hours of battery life. To answer Question #3: The Chromebook is light and portable and it would be easy for a student to carry it in a backpack.

Virus Protection Built In

The Chromebook has built in virus protection, giving students and parents peace of mind.

Price

 At $249, I think the value is great for the price point.

Samsung Chromebook: A Good Choice for Students

Here are the questions I had when I began this review and my conclusions:

1. What are the capabilities for doing schoolwork (writing papers, making presentations etc)?

Great capabilities for writing papers and doing slideshows.

2. How easy are the functions for a kid to use?

The functions are very easy to use.

3. How heavy/portable is the machine (is it something a kid could comfortably carry in his or her backpack)

The machine is extremely light at 2.5 pounds and 0.8 inches thin.

4. Is there tech support available?

There is solid tech support available.

5. Is is a good value for the price point?

Samsung Chromebook Giveaway

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