Acer Chromebook R 11 Convertible, 11.6-Inch HD Touch, Intel Celeron N3150, 4GB DDR3L, 32GB, Chrome, CB5-132T-C1LK + Acer Wireless Optical Mouse

This unit is "pretty" and stylish, so my high school daughter was attracted to it for that reason. I would have purchased a rugged military grade ASUS C202SA-YS02 but it was not as pretty as this Acer, so, in order to please her I bought this Acer. Being a girl, I figured she would be gentle with it and she was. However, with in the first few months the Wi-Fi stopped working and it was repaired under warranty which got her through the rest of the school year; when I spoke to the repair technician they confessed this unit has a history of Wi-Fi receiver problems. Then it rested some over the summer (in other words, not much use). It has been about 2 months into the school year and the Wi-Fi has stopped working again, only a few days after the warranty expired. Acer wants $170 to just look at it then add the repair cost on top of that. The unit cost $275 to start with, so it is not worth repairing. Buyer-beware! UPDATE: I repaired it myself for $12. I had nothing to lose since it was a paper weight otherwise. Upon taking off the bottom cover I spotted the wireless communications chip (pictured) and googled the model number to find resellers. compupartsolutions.com had the best price but yours maybe different. The shame of it is knowing it took me 15 minutes and $12 to fix it and Acer wanted to rob me of $170 just to look at it.

Show more

Ive been EXTREMELY impressed by this device. I was initially a little nervous as the system was somewhat glitchy for the first couple of weeks, seemed to be a problem with the Chrome OS because it was fixed by the next update. I previously had an Acer Chromebook c720 which I LOVED--had it for 3 1/2 years and traveled with it all over the world before the keyboard finally died. Here are my favorite things about the R11: -Touchscreen: hey, its not an iPad, but it works great for what I need it to do (reading and annotating e-books and pdfs through Amazon Kindle and a great app called Xodo). If youre an artist, probably not responsive enough, but if you just want to play games and underline the occasional text, this is awesome. -360 degree rotation: LOVE the ability to watch movies in tent mode, turn it into a (slightly heavy, thick) tablet. Switching back and forth is seamless once you get used to it. I was super worried that touching the keyboard when it was in tablet mode would cause it to switch back to laptop mode, but it looks like once you move the screen back past like 180 degrees, it goes into full touchscreen. Took a week or so to get used to, but love it now. Screen stays in whatever position you put it solidly enough to use the touchscreen. Processor: I currently have 4 windows with a total of 18 tabs open. I streamed an HD movie on Netflix with all those open, no pauses or buffering. Unreal. Battery: SOLID. Seems to have a slightly shorter life than my Acer c720 (which literally went for days), but probably because of the aforementioned dozens of tabs and Netflix. The promised 8-9 hours definitely holds true, and will last longer if brightness is turned down/youre only web browsing, etc. Price. I mean, come on $300 is unbeatable if what you want is email, Netflix, and books. I feel like I have a tablet and super mobile laptop rolled into one. The bad: - speakers are a little tinny (though the volume is AWESOME) and its not possible to customize the equalizer on the Chrome OS right now :( - though its a super light laptop, the chromebook is a little heavy as a tablet, not super practical for holding, but if its resting on something, its golden. I mean, if you want a true tablet, buy a true tablet--this did honestly keep me from investing in a kindle as I was planning to. Overall: Im super happy with this product. So far, I feel like my expectations have been not only met, but exceeded. If you purchase this product, go into it with realistic expectations and patience getting familiar with the setup and youll probably love it, too! :)

Show more

I bought this Chromebook on the prime day deal, but even without $60 off it would still have been worth the money. I love that it is only as big as it needs to be to have a full-size keyboard (not with a number pad, but full-sized keys). It looks way better in person than in the pictures. White exterior, black keys, very sleek and modern. Since you have access to Android apps on the Google Play Store, you dont have to rely solely on the Chrome browser to access apps. I searched for top android apps for chromebooks on the web, and found which apps work better than Chrome pages. I havent had issues with the track pad as others have. It feels responsive to me, and I went to settings to customize the speed, clicking, and scrolling. I also bought a wireless mouse, which paired perfectly. Update it as soon as you turn it on! You can Google how to update it. I have a feeling that many of the negative reviews are by people who didnt update their Chromebook right out of the box. Do your research, learn how to optimize your experience, and youll love it!

Show more

I rarely write reviews. I mostly do video reviews, but never of specific products. That may change here soon. This this is awesome and has quickly replaced many of my gizmos and gadgets, some that have cost me upwards of thousands of dollars. People who complain that Chromebooks are useless without internet access clearly are narrow minded and simply not thinking outside the box. Allow me to explain: Let me begin by saying I take tech seriously. Since beginning a journey into a lifelong passion of filmmaking and screenplay writing I have invested tens of thousands of dollars of my own money into PCs that can keep up with the demands of 4k video editing and post processessing. I have amassed a couple of decent PCs, one a custom desktop (still being built; $3K~) and another an ASUS 970m ROG Laptop ($1300~) that are great for exactly what I need them for. My desktop runs all my video editing software for my bigger and most demanding projects and my laptop is great for editing video and running PC games in places other than my home (like school!). Recently, Ive really gotten into writing more and Ive found myself coming up with ideas on the go and wanted something a bit lighter than a 10lb ASUS Laptop (that thing is a monster). So mind you I really ONLY purchased to type down ideas as I had them, Seriously. I wanted something I could work on my writing projects on the go, so I paid the $250 for this thing. I just wanted a mobile typewriter. But oh my... I had no idea how far the rabbit hole went, When I recieved the item I was amazed at the quality of it. Ive had my fairshare of "eBay Special" aka Cheap Chinese iPad knockoffs (seriously, Ive owned atleast 8 I think over the past 8 years) and have found each one to be a complete waste of money. Either they were so slow I couldnt get any work done or they just flat out broke after a couple months. I even broke bad and bought an $350 iPad and returned it not too long afterwards (I grew to dislike Apple products as they dont play nicely - or cheap - with just about anything else I own.) I was weary about paying this much for another iPad wanna-be tablet, which has an OS that doesnt go with anything, from a company that specializes in WalMart consumer PCs. But just at first glance, this thing is top quality. Nothing on it feels cheap at all. Not the glass, the display, the aluminum cover, the plastic. All of it feels very strudy (within reason) and has a nice, modern look and feel to it. I feel like this will look good in any decade. Very futuristic. I boot it up and notice quickly the display seems to be 720p (or something close) but for what I need this thing to do... who cares? I just want to type words on it. The touchscreen and the hotkeys along the top take some getting used to but I was quickly in the Google Play Store, downloading all the apps I have on my phone and linking them to my accounts. "This thing is neat." I thought to myself as I was scrolling through Facebook, listening to Pandora and playing my cloud save of Falloiut Shelters. I became a wizard, learning to use the touchscreen, keyboard, and touchpad all in tandem. I prop the thing up to watch a Youtube video. "This thing is really neat." But oh yah! I was supposed to use this to write! So I went to install my favorite screenwriting app, Trelby, only to find its not available. Darn. I use some other apps but nothing is quite the same for my workflow. So I got desperate and booted up Linux on it. After some headaches and code learning, I quickly abandoned the stupid idea when it became more trouble than it was worth and factory reset. I thought the gizmo was neat but I was disappointed that I couldnt really use it the way I wanted to it that regards. This is where the R11 gets interesting. I quickly realized that I could use the Google Remote Desktop app to access my desktop computer. BAM! I was writing on my scripts at home! I was using my whole $3k desktop on this little $250 laptop and it ran flawlessly! I could even watch videos and game from the laptop itself (to an extent). THIS IS AMAZING! But... If i wanted to use it on the go... I would NEED that internet connection to access the files. Man... maybe those negative reviews are right. Maybe this thing does suck without an internet connection.... Except everyone in 2017 is carrying a little WiFi router in their pockets. Its called a cell phone and even my cheap $30 ALCATEL has a tethering option. And just like that, I realized that I can use my studio desktop wherever I want, whenever I want. That is just incredible. For $250 I can control my $3000 PC anywhere. Shes got a USB for a tactical mouse and external keyboard, an SD slot and an external HDMI output. This thing is the ultimate mobile workhorse. Sure, it wont completely replace my ROG Laptop is terms of what it can do on its own but the ability alone to access my own desktop and use it as a touchscreen laptop is just amazing. This is the ultimate tablet. This thing is amazing. As a matter of fact, I wrote this whole review on it. Buy it for school, buy it for home, buy on for the grandkids. Cant go wrong on this one.

Show more

Well, I have to say, I’m fairly impressed with my new Chrome Flipbook! My trusty Windows 7 laptop was on its last leg and I opted to try something new. It’s a tablet and a laptop and now most of the Android apps work on Chrome. So now you can find just about any functionality that you’re used to in Windows. The only drawback is that it only comes with 32 GB of hard drive. However, it comes with 100 GB of free Google Drive online storage. And you can plug in an SD card or external drive to if you need to. Configuring the printer was a little tricky but not bad. And the Blue Mail email app handles my multiple emails from multiple domains. It’s cheaper than most laptops. AND THE BATTERY LIFE! I’ve used it for 3 days and still haven’t plugged it in!

Show more

I spent most of my life using Windows, and the last 4 years using MacOS. I wasnt really sold on the idea of Chromebooks ("Why would I buy a computer thats just a browser?") but after trying one I may never go back. Handling everything online erases all the headaches that usually come with owning a computer. Its fast, secure, easy to use (even as a tech geek, its nice knowing somethings just going to work). Im a writer, and this has easily become my main computer for both work and play (Google Docs easily replaces Word, and Android apps make it much better for gaming than I originally expected). The touchscreen looks good and is responsive, and the keyboard is nice. The battery life is great (I get about 9 hours). My only complaint is the click on the touchpad feels a little cheap, but I just use "tap to click" so its not an issue. Overall I love this machine, and all my computers will probably be Chromebooks in the future.

Show more

I was deciding between this and the Asus Flip C100. I chose this one mainly because of the full size keyboard, larger screen, and full size HDMI. Most specs were similar between the two as far as performance/battery life/touch screen. I bought a new device (1 year Acer limited warranty). Here are some of the things I wanted to know during my research: 1. Touchpad. A LOT of negative complaints about the touchpad. It does make quite a loud click when you depress the button. I use tap-to-click, so its not an issue for me. You CAN right-click by using two fingers to tap the track pad at the same time (or 2 fingers on the touchpad, using one of them to press press down/click the touchpad). The feel of the touchpad is not as smooth (frictionless) as others I have used, but its not terrible either. I have not had any finger detection issues. 2. You cannot open it with one hand like a Mac. However, it does feel like a sturdy hinge. The screen does not wobble as there is a good amount of friction holding it where you put it. When closed, the two slabs of the computer are noticeably discrete, but flush against each other (they dont form a smooth ovoid shape when closed like other laptops). 3. Reserve your judgement until youve updated the software entirely. Performance will be poor unless you click "Restart to update" on the lower right corner of the screen (symbol is a small arrow pointing up). This may happen multiple times for ChromeOS, Adobe, or other programs. After this, performance will pick up to what you would expect. I have not had any freezing or screen flashing issues. 4. Its a chromebook. Giving lower stars for not realizing its limited capabilities is your own fault. I love the feel of a lighter OS and can do many tasks using Google/Web based apps. Overall: I like it and am happy for paying a bit over $200 for the 4gb model (at the time of writing this, it sells for $220 new). I can live with the so-so touchpad since the rest of it feels solid/sturdy. I bought a new device so I wonder how many technical issues (freezing, finger detection issues) came from people who bought used devices. One plus Im particularly happy about: a quiet fan-less device that doesnt heat up too much! I will update if there are any issues I run into.

Show more

I have to say, I was somewhat hesitant purchasing this chromebook mainly because of some of the reviews. Due to the excellent return policy on Prime I decided to purchase this. Yes, I threw the dice! 1st, I was shocked at how easy it was to set up. Maybe 2-5 minutes to log into to my gmail account and bang! Had access to my files stored in the cloud. In preparation for becoming a chromebook user I had purchased a 256 gig memory card and moved all my laptop files to it. It worked great. I now have my files backed up to the card and the cloud. Every app I have downloaded from the google app store has worked perfectly. Of course, I am not a gamer but I dont see why they wouldnt work also. Amazon, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Facebook, Skype, as well as the google suite of docs, sheets, slides, and photos work great. There nwere complaints regarding the lousy screen resolution, as well as the mouse pad not working well. I guess I got one of the good ones as I have had no trouble at all. Honestly, my 1st computer was a Atari 800 which I hacd to learn Basic programming to get it to do anything. Since then I have owned HPs, Dells, Compaqs, IBMs, essentially every major computer maker desktops and laptops. This by far has been the easiest to set up and use. Thats from a guy who has been fighting the technology for 40 years. OK, heres a wake up call to people complaning about the Chrome OS. Quite simply, this is not a Windows machine. Period. It does not look like windows nor does it act like windows. It reminds me a great deal of my Samsung Note. It is fast and simple. That said, there are windows software that you cannot even attempt to use on this machine. For instance, MS Project, MS Visio, software like that. You can however download from the playstore MS Office suite. I did not and will not do this. I am trying to break from Mr. Gates and this machine allows me to do this. Did I mention, I can access all my word, excel, and powerpoint files using the google apps. Also, when need be I can save the docs as pdfs like I had to do for updatiung my website. Oh, by the way, Weebly website builder works great on this chromebook. I also read reviews that the sounds wasnt good on this machine. I downloaded Pandora and listened to all my stations at 3/4 volume and it sounded fine. The speakers are not like my JBL 4311 studio monitors at home but they sound good enough to watch Netflix. Of course, I have only had this Acer for a week. I am really putting it to the test. If something happens within 30 days I will return it but I will get another one. One irritating item that was a easy fix, The chromebook really wants to save to the cloud and not to the card I installed on the computer. If you go into setting and click the advanced tab you can decide where you want to save your files. You also have the choice of it asking you everytime where to save the document. Good luck in your hunt!

Show more

Yes, this Chromebook comes with the Android app store pre-installed. Although 4 gigs of RAM doesnt seem like a lot to some of us, because of the simple software, it is very fast with no lag. My wife upgraded from the 2 gigs of RAM version to this, and it seems like there is more than twice the performance. The screen is pleasantly satisfying with the touch screen and foldability. The power button is no longer on the keyboard, but is instead on the side of the machine which is fine. My wife uses it for her work where she uses programs for scheduling clients along with editing and posting pictures. This machine, through her minimum time of using it, has already been so much faster for her to use. Spending the same amount for a PC would be a very SLOW PC, but this Chromebook is definitely not slow. Im amazed at this product that has the same build as the other Acer Chromebooks. We are happy to be selling her old one we bought just a few months ago, in replacement of this new R11!

Show more

I am VERY happy with my Chromebook! I have had it about 4 days and have been checking out how well it runs my favorite Android Apps. So far all but 1 of the Android Apps that I have tried have functioned properly, but some are restricted in the size of window that will work properly. The 1 App that is giving me a problem pertains to the sign-in process, the App gave me a choice to sign in with a Facebook account, Google account, or Email account. I chose to sign-in using my Google account which did not work properly, it seems that the Chrome OS was not able to supply the correct account information to the Android App. So my advice is to use an email account if possible to sign-in any Android Apps that you originally set up that way. Now about the Chromebook, I am very impressed with the speed and physical design. I have always been a "mouse" guy and actually have a wireless mouse operating on this Chromebook, but I find myself using the touchpad more and more. I have read about people having trouble "right clicking", scrolling and a few other problems (as I did), my advice is to use the "Help" function to see the correct methods to use the touchpad. I suspect that the Android glitches mentioned above will be corrected with future Chrome OS updates, but even until that happens I am still thrilled with my Chromebook! ***Update*** The 1 Android App mentioned above has resolved their problem with the Chrome OS, so now all of my favorite Android Apps operate satisfactorily on my Chromebook! I am still very happy with my purchase!

Show more