I have an iMac (never again!) and a Mac Mini at home, but for light, portable computer/tablet use, I'm really enjoying this budget setup: a Chromebook Acer C710 and a Nook HD+. Together they were under $270.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My Budget Setup
- Thread starter emeraldringer
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I like the Chromebook a lot, more than I thought I would.
I got the Nook HD+ after selling my 2012 Nexus 7. I'm running cyanogenmod 10.1 on it and like the wider screen and microSD slot.
I got the Nook HD+ after selling my 2012 Nexus 7. I'm running cyanogenmod 10.1 on it and like the wider screen and microSD slot.
It would be interesting to see other people's home setup.
Mine:
IMac 27 2009 for serious work and stuff.
Mac Mini 2010 as media center thanks to Plex Home Theater, connected to my 47 inch TV. I want to buy a 3D TV at some point.
Synology 5-bay NAS with all my media with Plex Media Server installed there.
Old Vaio Windows 7 that I never use except for flashing stuff with Android.
Nexus 7 2013 32GB is my "real" laptop.
SGS3.
Mine:
IMac 27 2009 for serious work and stuff.
Mac Mini 2010 as media center thanks to Plex Home Theater, connected to my 47 inch TV. I want to buy a 3D TV at some point.
Synology 5-bay NAS with all my media with Plex Media Server installed there.
Old Vaio Windows 7 that I never use except for flashing stuff with Android.
Nexus 7 2013 32GB is my "real" laptop.
SGS3.
I don't see how anyone can keep a nook. I bought one as a gift and when I was setting it up, I knew it was junk. First it is slow as can be and secondly it had a lot of issues with multi profiles. I was setting it up for a child and whenever I would launch youtube on the second profile it would crash. After looking online it was a software issue and nothing could be done to fix it.
The OP said he had CM on it. I'm guessing CM runs much better than the stock software.
Nice cheap setup. I probably would have gone with a Windows laptop but not a bad setup nonetheless. Should handle most peoples mobile computing needs. I'm limping along on an iPad mini until I get a new laptop. Desktop does all of the heavy lifting.
I've been entertaining the idea of getting a Chromebook as well. I feel like I've been very successful at migrating all of my data to the cloud and slightly modifying my behavior to use web-based apps. I think the biggest realization is that I'm not a power user by any means ( no games, no video/audio editing ) and I can do everything I need to do on quickoffice/google docs.
At this point, I wish they made a higher resolution chromebook.
At this point, I wish they made a higher resolution chromebook.
I think you can't beat a chromebook for sheer portability and carefree use. It's something that you can just through in your bag and not worry about as it's as cheap as chips. I've got the Samsung Series 3 chromebook and find it incredibly useful, especially as my other half tends to hog our Dell i5 laptop. So he has the laptop and I have my chromebook, iPad mini and galaxy tab 2 10.1 and get on fine with those.
Oh, they do. You just have to pay a bit more for it.
I always forget about this model. I don't think I'd really use the touch-screen, but dayum, what a piece of work. That, and I psychologically have a hard time swallowing that price.
Getting both of those for the price you did is a steal. Nicely done.
Thanks. The chromebook is great for my needs. Wakes up instantly (even going from completely off to fully booted only takes a few seconds!)
For what I want it to do (web browsing, streaming music, Google Drive, watching videos) I'm loving it.
Hey OP I was in Best Buy playing around with that exact same chromebook and for $230 i was impressed.
Only worries I have is that you cant open and edit MS word documents and cant print. If you can, let me know as I would love to downscale from my MBP to a chromebook and pocket a good amount of cash.
Only worries I have is that you cant open and edit MS word documents and cant print. If you can, let me know as I would love to downscale from my MBP to a chromebook and pocket a good amount of cash.
SkyDrive has a Word Web App, along with some other Office apps.
To print, you just need a Cloud Print based printer, I'm not sure if wi-fi ones work too? I have a Kodak AIO that is less than $100 that can do that.
How is the nook HD+? I've been eying one up for a while and think I'm ready to go and get one tomorrow. I already have an iPad mini and a samsung galaxy tab 2 10.1 but I'm looking for a higher quality display and increased internal storage. I don't want to spend a lot as I've got too many gadgets already and I have no interest in selling any of them.
So just want to know how you are getting on with it.
So just want to know how you are getting on with it.
Beauty setup.
Sometimes what I don't like about society (mac/pc, ios/android) is people hating on other people for what they have, but honestly if you like what you have why does it affect other people?
Some of my closest friends are windows/android guys, and rip on apple products any chance they can get. WHY? I'm happy with what I have, who cares!
/end rant
Great setup once again
Sometimes what I don't like about society (mac/pc, ios/android) is people hating on other people for what they have, but honestly if you like what you have why does it affect other people?
Some of my closest friends are windows/android guys, and rip on apple products any chance they can get. WHY? I'm happy with what I have, who cares!
/end rant
Great setup once again
Though I haven't tried this, my guess is yes. You can download ShiftEdit and Neutron Drive on the Chrome web store.
More Info:
https://shiftedit.net/
https://www.neutrondrive.com/
Last edited:
Cool. You can pick up an Acer C720, a newer/faster model than mine (not to mention 8+ hours of battery life) for about $199. Just look for "Acer - C720 11.6" Chromebook - 2GB Memory - 16GB"
I just opened and edited an MS doc on my Chromebook without an issue. Here's a quick video w/ more info:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNpIhvGeD_c
For printing, here's info on two options:
Using Your Local Printer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_aFz2k1x5Q
Google Cloud Printer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fPR5A2pg3k
I had an iPad 4 which overall was a better tablet than the HD+. However, for my needs (reading, web browsing, streaming music/video), the HD+ is a better fit when factoring in cost.
If I wanted to record music, create videos, etc., on a tablet, I'd go for an iPad, but I prefer to do that stuff on my Mac.
Last edited:
How many tabs do you typically keep open in Chrome? I'm trying to determine if the basic 2GB model would be OK for my use; I only have 5-10 tabs open at once. (plus google play music and hangouts.)