Acer new Chromebook 15
Most people who've heard of Chromebooks think they're cheap underpowered laptops
running an OS that doesn't work offline. While that last bit is false, Acer's
latest Chromebook definitely isn't doing anything to change people's
impressions about how powerful these products are.
The new Chromebook 15 has a 15.6-inch screen that
comes with the positively appalling 1,366x768 resolution. At that size, you can
be sure you'll be counting pixels all day long. This device has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, not to mention the fact that
it's 'powered' by an Intel Celeron N3060 processor.
Sure, Chrome OS is much less bloated than its
biggest competitors, so generally speaking you don't need a Core i7 and 16GB of
RAM to give it a smooth feel in day-to-day tasks. But this Chromebook is on the
exact opposite end of the scale. No one should be forced to have to deal with a
Celeron N, much less pay for something having it built-in. The same goes for
2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage in a world where even lower-midrange smartphones
have more of each memory type.
The main selling point for Acer's new Chromebook 15
is, unsurprisingly, price. It will retail for US$ 199, which is obviously not a
lot. With those specs, though, it's hard to recommend to anyone - even as a
second, third, or fourth computer just to have around the house.
Strangely, the device has a backlit keyboard and
support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi, things usually not seen at this price level. It's
also got Bluetooth 4.2, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI out port, and alleged
12-hour battery life. The Chromebook 15 will at some point get support for
Android apps. It weighs 1.95 kg and Acer says it can withstand drops from up to
58cm without an issue.
