#HP GOOGLE CHROME LAPTOP REVIEW INSTALL#
#HP GOOGLE CHROME LAPTOP REVIEW FULL#
#HP GOOGLE CHROME LAPTOP REVIEW OFFLINE#
#HP GOOGLE CHROME LAPTOP REVIEW BLUETOOTH#

Full HD YouTube playback was smooth, too. At the high setting there were some lost frames, but it was still watchable. We tried it with the NBA League Pass streaming service, for example, and it performed smoothly when using that service's mid-range quality setting. The laptop feels zippy for Web browsing, viewing photos, and also when streaming video from the Web. It's powerful enough to provide a smooth overall user experience. On the inside, the Chromebook relies on an Intel Celeron CPU that's based on a fourth generation Haswell architecture, and there is also 4GB of RAM. When you watch video on it, you should do so in a dimly lit environment or reflections, especially during dark scenes will be very noticeable. For basic browsing, email tasks, and typing documents, its fine. The brightness isn't overly high, and the screen tends to look a little dull at times. It has a native resolution of 1366x768, which is standard, but the glossy finish can reflect a lot light, and this can be annoying. Its screen is a bit of a mixture, though.

Basically, though, the input peripherals on this Chromebook are enjoyable to use. Like other Chromebook touchpads we've seen, though, you can't use a tap-and-hold to drag function. The touchpad under the keyboard is large (100圆8mm) and smooth, and it supports different multi-finger gestures such as two-finger scrolling and three-finger flicks. They make a slight rattle sound when they are hit, but they are not loud enough to be a nuisance in a quiet environment such as a library. The keys feel soft and are laid out in an island style with good contrast. It has an ample palm rest and a regulation keyboard that is good for long sessions of typing. While these traits may not make it the easiest of the Chromebook bunch to lug around ( HP's Chromebook 11 is a lot more mobile, for example), the Chromebook 14 is very comfortable to use. It's one of the larger Chromebooks on the market, and at 1.83kg also one of the heaviest. It will stay cool as long as the CPU doesn't work too hard. We noticed only a little bit of heat when using the Chromebook to browse the Web and stream music. Speaker slits are located under the unit, and they are decent for casual listening though can be easy to muffle unless you are using the unit on a flat surface. The lid is a smooth, matte white with the familiar Google Chrome logo on it (and a silver HP logo), while the base is also white, but has a bit of a texture on it. You would do well to carry it around in a protective case or laptop bag. Incidentally, different colours are available, but we tested the white version, which is prone to getting noticeably dirty. The palm rest is grey and contrasts nicely with the white keys and the bezel around the screen. It does have a certain similarity and it does look good.

#HP GOOGLE CHROME LAPTOP REVIEW BLUETOOTH#

If you make use of Google Play Music, you can easily stream your library to a Bluetooth-equipped stereo or Bluetooth speakers.Īs far as its design is concerned, the Chromebook 14 got a few comments from people in our office about how it looks similar to a MacBook. Wireless connectivity is by way of a dual-band Wi-Fi module and Bluetooth. If you want more local storage for storing music, photos and other things, then you can just plug in a USB drive or insert an SD card (these go in all the way and can be a good semi-permanent storage solution if you just leave them in there). You're encouraged to make use of the Cloud as much as possible with this laptop, and to that end the Chromebook 14 (and all other Chromebooks) come with 100GB worth of Google Drive storage that's valid for two years.

#HP GOOGLE CHROME LAPTOP REVIEW OFFLINE#

You can work in offline mode as long as you synchronise your Gmail and Drive to the local drive, which is a small 16GB. The only thing is that you will require a Wi-Fi connection to the Internet. Once you get used to the fact that the majority of your data is stored in the Internet on Google's servers, and that the laptop is just there to facilitate your access to that data, you'll be making the most of it in no time.

This makes it a simple laptop that's perfect if all you want is something that will allow you to check your Gmail, browse the Web, do some video chatting, and other online tasks. Think of it as a computer that's dedicated to Gmail, YouTube, Docs, and Drive, among other Google-centric things (including Web apps from the Chrome OS store). Chrome OS is essentially a Web-based environment in which you log into and use your Google account to access all of Google's services.

#HP GOOGLE CHROME LAPTOP REVIEW INSTALL#

The Chromebook 14 runs Chrome OS rather than Windows or Mac OS, meaning you can't just install any programs that you might be used to on your current desktop or laptop. Our usual disclaimer starts here: if you're after a regular notebook, this isn't for you.

Hp google chrome laptop review