Acer Chromebooks
/My first Chromebook was the white Acer 15.6". The best part about this Chromebook is the up firing speakers without a doubt. I could put on music and roam around without missing a beat. It was fast, I loved the keyboard, and everything else it had to offer, but again the speakers were the best part. If you watch videos, listen to music, etc. and want loud sound along with a 15.6" screen, you won't go wrong with this Chromebook. I actually liked it in white too. I saw a couple of stains here and there from normal handling, but they wiped off with no problem. The only downside for me was it did feel a bit bulky from time to time. My main reason for getting a Chromebook was to have something I could use while sitting on the couch watching TV that had good battery life and wasn't too big. My 17" gaming laptop was just way too bulky to have sitting next to the couch and of course the battery life meant I wouldn't be able to use it for long without having to plug it back in. Being able to use the Chromebook for hours on end without needing a charge was perfect and even though the 15.6" Chromebook was a bit bulky, it was no where close to a monster gaming laptop. I definitely recommend the 15.6" Acer if the size is right for you, again especially with the awesome speakers. With that being said, time to move on to my 2nd Acer Chromebook...
One of my family members needed a new laptop and I was thinking about getting a less bulky Chromebook, so I passed my 15.6" Acer on to them. I did a lot more research and thought about going with a touch screen model, but I didn't particularly care for the keyboard resting on my hand or arm while it was in tablet mode. After my typical over analyzing (spent probably 2 1/2 weeks watching a ton of videos and reading countless reviews), I decided on the 14" Acer. The speakers aren't near as good as the 15.6" model, but I do like that it is lighter and more portable. I also like the metallic feel. The only downside is the lack of an SD card reader. I didn't use it a lot when I had the 15.6" model, so it wasn't a deal breaker. However, there have been a couple of times I wish I could have put the SD card from my camera in the Chromebook for a quick picture download. Again, not a deal breaker for me, but it may be for you. I just upload the picture I want to download on my Chromebook either on a USB thumb drive or to my Google Drive and download it that way. I don't really store a lot of files on my Chromebook though, so again not a big deal for me. The speakers are adequate, so they aren't a deal breaker either, but man do I miss those up firing speakers from the 15.6". I definitely recommend the 14" Acer. I read a lot about quad-core processors vs dual-core processors on Chromebooks and I was worried about the 14" being slow due to the processor it has, but in the end it's more than adequate for what I do. The biggest downside would be it is hard to read outdoors. Even if I'm in the shade and it's plugged in, the screen is very dim. I never used the 15.6" Chromebook outside, so I can't speak for that one. With the 14" one though, I would recommend looking at something else if you planned to use this outdoors on a regular basis.