Samsung XE500C13-K03US Chromebook 3 - 11.6 HD - Celeron N3060 - 4GB - 16GB SSD

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I have been using this Chromebook for one month now and would like to share my first impressions about it. I do not intend to make a technical review, you may find several ones on the internet. Rather, I would like to tell you my experience using Chrome OS on this seemingly underpowered laptop. First, I bought this machine for my nine year old son, who will use it mainly for school. He had a tablet and broke it. While I was searching for a new one, I came across these inexpensive machines and I thought I should give them a try. I bought the one having 4GB of RAM (to have more room for multitasking) and 32GB of storage, in case all apps had to be installed on internal storage. I was lucky to make that decision, since this model received Google Play store. When I bought it, it was available on beta channel, but this month it became available on stable channel. Having android is a big plus, since the Chrome Web Store features way less apps (actually they are chrome extensions). The catch is that the android OS does not allow to install apps from unknown sources so far, nor to install apps on external storage. So, you are left with 20GB or so, if you buy the 32GB variant. But maybe this is not a problem for most people. Since I have a huge collection of movies for my kids in a NAS, one of the first things I did was to look for an extension called “Google File Share for Chrome OS”, which basically lets you mount a network drive to the Chrome file manager. After using it for a few weeks, I am coming to the conclusion that it is buggy. It is so slow, that it takes ages to load the folders, and the file manager cannot load the pictures thumbnails. I do not believe it’s a wifi issue, since I also have a Windows laptop and it can easily load the mounted shared folders. Anyway, I managed to stream movies by installing VLC for Android. I have yet to find a gallery app that lets me see pictures from the network share. Granted, chromebooks are meant to be used with the cloud, but it would be nice to access local network shares. This laptop is very capable for using the google suite of apps, so it is useful even for an adult if you are comfortable with Google’s apps. Youtube videos load almost instantly with no noticeable buffering. Streaming apps like Netflix or Spotify work fine also. I even managed to stream modern videogames from my gaming machine having Nvidia Gamestream on, and the Moonlight android app in the CB. Most of them were playable. I tried GTA V, Hitman Absolution, Far Cry IV, Rocket League, Disney Infinity, Mark of the Ninja and others. I first tried with a wifi N router and it was laggy. Then I tried with an AC router in the 5Ghz band and it performed way better and videogames were actually playable. Amazing! One thing about android support. You should consider buying a CB with touchscreen if you want to be able to take advantage of the huge collection of apps the Play Store has to offer. This laptop does not have a touchscreen and it is a limitation for playing games, for example. If you are considering buying a CB for a kid, I would strongly recommend to buy a foldable laptop with touchscreen, such as the Acer R11, which is not expensive and has similar specs. If you are not going to play games, then I believe a touchscreen is not that important. Other issues I had was some difficulty for pairing bluetooth headphones. Sometimes they are quickly detected but other times I had to turn them off and on so the CB can detect them and pair to them. In my experience, battery life is around 9 hours, but I honestly did not do a proper battery rundown test, so it’s hard to tell whether it reaches the advertised 11 hours. Anyway, you can expect it to last all day. This is a little laptop, very lightweight, but it’s screen size makes it usable. Overall, I believe it is a good laptop for basic tasks and entertainment. And with the addition of Android, it is even more appealing. I do not rate it five stars because of the buggy network share app, and the inability to install apps from unknown sources and to install apps on external storage, but, for the money, it is an awesome little machine.

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The unit stopped charging after two months. In response to my request for assistance, I received a generic response encouraging me to contact the manufacturer. Contact numbers were not even offered - I dont even know if an actual human being fielded my request. I wont be buying anything from Ocean Reef Electronics again.

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I bought this because trying to use my Nexxus tablet to browse the Web was a nightmare, even after a full factory reset. PROS - While sitting on a recliner, the machine works great ergonomically. - Features a fully featured version of Chrome and Google Apps, not the dumbed down, functional but annoying Android versions. Chrome on the Chromebook fully mirrors Chrome on my two desktops. - It has enough capacity to run Chrome and Webapps without any major issues. A little slower than a desktop maybe but not terribly so. - Very light weight. IT IS WHAT IT IS - the keyboard is functional. Its a little smaller than Id prefer but thats an expected trade-off. CON - There is no option for a simplified waking password. You need to type in your real Google password anytime you to wake it up. Mine is quite involved so its involved every time. You can set it so your phone unlocks when nearby but that doesnt always work. With a lot of flutzing, you can get your cell phone to sort of unlock it... sometimes. Though maybe its my iffy Huawei phone. TIPS Once the updates downloaded and I rebooted the machine, it was fully functional. Stuff like Android Play store and phone unlocking wouldnt work until I rebooted after the updates. Google how to use a Chrome mousepad. Knowing how and when to use two and three fingers really makes Web browsing much easier. You can even right click to pin tabs (Gmail, Calendar, etc) you want to keep up permanently. OVERALL This a great value for the money. I am extremely pleased. Easily the best of this sort of thing that I have ever owned. UPDATE I still LOVE this machine. And now its even $30 cheaper than when I bought it. Yesterday I installed the Linux version of Blender for a night class. It took some hacking skills but eventually I got it running. Though once installed, it wasnt the best experience; I had to reboot a few times, but it was much better than I expected. Ill use my real computer for all my Blend-ing outside of class. But Blender running pretty good on a $200 machine!

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this light little thang has a battery that lasts for days, it boots up in seconds and is superfast. i use it as my bedside computer so im just messing around on facebook etc. at night - no work being done on this. but if you need a casual or web-based computer thats crazy lightweight, this is perfect

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I’ve always purchased laptops in the past, but am really happy with this Chromebook. It loads pretty darn quickly and offers the bare necessities required for mobile computing. I had the thing figured out while playing with it for a couple hours after it arrived on my doorstep--really basic system. So you are going to need a Google e-mail account to get started. The system will ask for one when it first loads. From that point on it’s pretty simple. What I like about this Chromebook: Overall a slick design--thin and contoured. Very lightweight and compact in size. This easily fits in my small backpack. It powers up when you raise the screen. It took me a few tries to figure this out--no need to press the power button. The initial screen is simple and offers several options, from opening programs to configuring the system. It’s a very basic format all the way around and should be easy for anyone to understand. Everything loads reasonable fast. The OS and browser open and operate quickly. The screen is small but adequate and is good and bright. I still use my reading glasses, but this is a big step up from looking at the 7” screen on my Kindle Fire. The touchpad works perfectly as far as I’m concerned. The keyboard works well, though I’m learning how to use it since it is smaller than a standard keyboard. The keys are responsive. There is a microSD slot for added storage. This thing doesn’t come with a lot of storage, but you really shouldn’t need much, since it’s mostly for online activities and cloud storage. Nonetheless, there is the microSD slot should you need it. There are two USB ports, an HDMI port and headphone/microphone jack. The battery holds a big charge. I’ve had this thing running for many hours on a single charge. What I don’t like: There isn’t much I dislike about this Chromebook, but I will mention what I’ve noticed. The male connector on the end of the power cable is very thin. It’s not huge deal, and it’s probably not a problem for most people, but when I look at it, I think it looks flimsy. I’m use to connectors with a much larger diameter. The sidebar on the Chrome browser is so small that it is nearly impossible to use. I had to add an extension (Rescroller) to the browser, so I could adjust the width of the scroll bar. So those are my thoughts on this Chromebook. I’m happy with my purchase and would do it again if given the opportunity.

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This is a great alternative to a full size laptop that has been prone to viruses and bloat ware. Simple to use. No programs or apps to deal with - just get on the interwebs and click away. Kids use it for homework and watching videos mostly. Ill probably get one for each of them! Only drawback - no Delete key which slows typing some.

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I ordered and received my Chromebook in June and have enjoyed getting familiar to its speed, accuracy and overall excellence in the past couple of months. I have wanted a Chromebook for some time and took the leap, and am very happy that I did. I have found the keyboard very compatible and very user friendly. The screen quality is excellent for streaming live movies, etc...I highly recommend this gem of a laptop. The battery life is excellent and provides the expectation that is familiar with Samsung. I highly recommend this computer... it has exceeded my expectations. My first time with a touch mouse and am enjoying it...It is fast!

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I like everything about this unit, except for one thing: the touchpad is way too sensitive. One has to use great care when typing, if the thumb gets anywhere near the pad, the cursor jumps to who-knows-where and can really foul up a document. I finally put a mouse on it and disable the touchpad. No, the Software doesnt offer any control of the sensitivity. Im also running Linux on the machine, using Crouton (KDE) and that works very well.

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This used/refurb is my first Chromebook, and I really like it. Cosmetically nearly perfect. Functionally perfect. Turned it on and it was ready to sign in after a few seconds. Battery is like the Energizer bunny. Its a couple of generations old but does everything Ive thrown at it so far. Since it only has 16GB on board (9GB available) I stuffed a 16GB microSD in to hold offline data -- fits flush and was recognized immediately. The wifi functionality is really strong. It will take some seat time to wrap my head around ChromeOS but this little booger is a keeper. From my seller review: ===== Refurb, condition better than described. Only one scratch on the bottom of the case. Works 100%, and the 100GB Drive offer was still good on it. Product label says its a XE500C13-S02US, which as far as I can tell is the equivalent of the XE500C13-K02US. Same specs. and the K02US doesnt even show up on Samsungs website. Maybe it stands for School? =====

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This is my second Chromebook. I cried when my first one broke, because it was just outside of the warranty and all I needed was the screen to be fixed. Itd been dropped on the floor about a dozen times, and it just happened to hit something at the wrong angle and broke the screen, BUT THE REST OF IT STILL WORKED BECAUSE CHROMEBOOKS ARE CHAMPS. My friend gave me his old laptop so I could still do my schoolwork and blah blah.. Fast forward to Christmastime and I decided I should treat myself. I AM SO HAPPY. Its like I have my baby back, and I couldnt be more happy with my purchase. If anything, Im upset I didnt splurge and get a bigger one, because I know it would still be affordable and lightweight. The battery power is fantastic, the learning curve is a breeze, and it is especially useful to anyone who uses Chrome products regularly (including Google Drive, Notes, Sheets, etc.)

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