Chromebooks can’t do everything. Maybe that’s why they’re the only computer we take on vacation.

Jim and I are on vacation right now. We’re in Grand Cayman about to board a dive boat for a week. The first few nights we stayed in the Comfort Suites hotel and they have good Wi-Fi, so we did our normal “Gabbing with the Geeks” Facebook Live session on Thursday afternoon, and we’re getting our newsletter written, designed and emailed out also.

Our Facebook Live session from Grand Cayman, using Jim’s Chromebook

I brought my 2 year old ASUS C100P chromebook, and Jim brought his brand new HP X2 Chromebook. They’re great little laptops for anything web-based. Facebook, emails, YouTube, website work, all work great. I’m creating this post on my Chromebook right now. Jim updated information in our newsletter, using the AWeber website that we use for that purpose. I can update our blog, our calendar, our website, answer questions on our forum, and Jim plans to edit his underwater GoPro video this week using the GoPro software or the We Video android app. We’ll report back on that next Sunday when we return and do our next “What Does This Button Do?” show.

So, can our Chromebooks be our only computers? No. There are still a few Windows only programs that we need. I need Camtasia for editing my tutorial videos, Snagit for making my graphics, and MS Word for long documents. I can use Word Android app, or web-based, but it is just not as powerful as the Windows version that I use for writing books. Jim uses some windows only graphics programs. And, we’re finding that some processes just don’t work right, even when they’re web-based. Jim is working on publishing our book thru CreateSpace, but some things just don’t work on his Chromebook, and, darn, some of the files he needs are stored locally on his Windows computer … at home.

It’s getting close though. More and more apps are getting powerful on Chromebooks. I recently bought a new Windows Surface Book 2, a powerful (and powerfully expensive) laptop computer that will do everything I ever need. I’m willing to bet that it will be the last Windows computer I buy.

Hey! We’re on vacation. It’s good that we can’t do everything. We’re going diving.

2 replies on “Chromebooks can’t do everything. Maybe that’s why they’re the only computer we take on vacation.”

  1. enjoy your vacation. I do have a comment. I purchased a surface computer last Jan. i find it will not load all the play store apps that I use on my phone.I also noted the keyboard is a bit of an issue for typing as the curser will jump to other locations with a mind of its own. I would be interested in hearing your opinion on the surface 2

    • James, the Surface is a Windows computer, so it only runs Windows software, not Android. My main computer is the Surface Book 2, and it’s great. I especially like the dual cameras.

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