I know exactly how you feel. I had been there. Last year, I finished fixing up a window leak and my wife reported no power in the bath room the following morning. It was a ground fault detected by the CFCI outlet. I need to do some external wiring so that she can use the bathroom. At this point, I am not able to nail down where the shot is. Work seems to come one after another. Anyway here is what I will consider if I were in your position. I hope this will help you to shorten your research time. My assumption is you have already decide on buying a Chromebook laptop and your budget is up to $200. To avoid trouble, buy known brands from reputable sellers (one who will accept returns if you are not happy with your purchase) or even better direct from manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo....).
1. confirm my requirements : I am not a gamer. I use it mainly for email , surfing the web, running some android apps and watch Youtube videos. For videos I watch, High definition (HD, up to 1080p) is good enough. I want to send the movies I watch to big screen TV.
2. If #1 are my requirements, most entry level Chromebook with 4G of memory and 32G of storage will do the job. I will also make sure that :
a. The Chromebook has Android pre-installed because I want to run Android apps
b. It has an HDMI output port. This allow me to connect the Chromebook to my TV using just a HDMI cable , Unless you have an antique TV otherwise it should have a HDMI input port. This will save me money on buying a Chromecast or a Mirrorcast device.
c. It has a micro SD card slot which allow me to add a micro SD card in case the basic 32G storage is not enough
d. Does it has a touch screen ? Chromebook with touch screen are slightly more expensive. But you should still be able to found one within your budget. The touch screen allow you to use your finger to navigate (like on the cell phone) instead of using a mouse. Most non-game android apps will be happy with a mouse. But some apps, especially gamming apps, simply do not cooperate when using a mouse. Of course, if you are sure that you will not be playing games or willing to switch to an alternative app if mouse does not cooperate, you can save money with a non-touch screen.
If you are using big screen TV or a monitor most of the time, you can get Chromebook with smaller screen size. 10, 11 inches is cheaper then 13" 14". You can use the money saved on better specification (better CPU, more memory or whatever...). I am a senior and I am fine with doing all emails using a 11 in laptop. I watch videos on my TV screen using Chromecast or HDMI cable.
I am not a big spender and I care about every penny of my hard earning dollar. Even there is no guarantee because technologies are changing so fast these days, I still hope my purchase can last me at least 3-5 years. Today, I am still using old cell phone and laptop computers that are 7+ years old.
Last edited:
