Chromebook questions

[mr__ed]

My Toshiba laptop (Win 10 pro) is getting long in the tooth, and although still working well, I'm being proactive by serching for a possible replacement. I;ve noticed chromebook laptops have more attractive prices than Windows or Mac. My concerns are:

1. Chromebook can't be used unless tethered to the Internet (although I think I read somewhere that they can be used offline).

2. The operating system is Chrome OS. Should there be any concern with privacy since some folks are afraid of using their browser?

3. Are chromebooks inherently less prone to malware attacks?

4. Do chromebooks have hard drives, similar to regular computers?

5. If you use one, do you have anything to add?

Thaks in advance.

[Ron3rd]

Mr. ed, skip the Chromebook and get a real Windows PC or Laptop from Woot.com

If you're not familiar with them, they're owned by Amazon and is Amazon's blow-out website.

I bought a nice HP PC for my office and a very nice 19" HP laptop from them about 2 years for $299 each.
Full HP factory warranty and full Amazon return privileges if you are not satisfied.

Yes, they advertise all the computers they sell as "refurbished". "Refurbished" is a very imprecise term.

My personal option is these units are "new old stock" that they want to blow out. They come in the official HP Packaging with the plastic static film on the surfaces and all the necessary documentation and accessories.

These are not "returns". They look pristine in the factory package without a mark or fingerprint on them.

My two purchases have been performing flawlessly for over 2 years. I will never pay full price for a computer again and will buy through Woot.

The deals change almost daily. Here's what they're offering now:

TODAY'S LAPTOPS

[mr__ed]

wa8yxm wrote:
Well if you order a Tablet odds are you will do the new "Tower Pick Up" at the store. NO contact with any employee. Just walk in with a copy of the E-mail with the scanner part. hold it up to the scanner.. The machine clunks and bangs a bit, the door opens and there is your new laptop or tablet.

Thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten about the pick up machines at the store. I've used them before.

[wa8yxm]

Well if you order a Tablet odds are you will do the new "Tower Pick Up" at the store. NO contact with any employee. Just walk in with a copy of the E-mail with the scanner part. hold it up to the scanner.. The machine clunks and bangs a bit, the door opens and there is your new laptop or tablet.

[mr__ed]

Thanks for the suggestion, wa8yxm. I already have a walmart account. I'd just rather pick it up from the store when I'm ready. in the meantime, since I'm in no rush and have a good laptop, I'll just wait til the mad rush dies down.

[wa8yxm]

mr. ed wrote:
I've pretty much given up on trying to obtain a Samsung Chromebook 3 at my local Walmart. As soon as they arrive, they get grabbed immediately. I'll no doubt just stick with my good ol' Toshiba for a while. In the meantime, I've learned a lot about Chromebooks, which may be helpful for the future.:)

Check Wallmart dot com.. Very fast shipping.
Though I would rather you buy elsewhere.

[Naio]

Mr Ed, you might want to try mail order. I like Best Buy, because they have a very liberal return policy. If you don't like the computer you can send it back!

[mr__ed]

I've pretty much given up on trying to obtain a Samsung Chromebook 3 at my local Walmart. As soon as they arrive, they get grabbed immediately. I'll no doubt just stick with my good ol' Toshiba for a while. In the meantime, I've learned a lot about Chromebooks, which may be helpful for the future.:)

[wa8yxm]

T18skyguy wrote:

If you don't mind me asking, what online program do you use? The play store has Turbotax basic, but that doesn't cover my needs. Turbotax data can easily be converted over to H&R block, but I haven't tried that.

AshGuy already hit it:

Here is a quote from a Credit Karma vs Turbo Tax review: "If you have fairly normal taxes that include things like W-2 or 1099 income, investments, a mortgage and property taxes, and common deduction and credit situations, both stand equal. For business owners, it seems that TurboTax has an edge."

I use Credit Karma. used to use Turbo Tax and also Tax Act
Turbo Tax I used off a floppy back in the old days as I recall but then switched to Tax Act as I recall but TA would not let me log in the last time I tried it so I switched to CK.. I have a very simple return two 1099s and that's all folks not enough deductions to itemize.

[mr__ed]

Was at local super Walmart today and they were sold out of Chromebooks. I guess since many kids are being schooled at home, these reasonably priced devices will be big sellers for some time to come.
I've always bought my computers at Walmart, mainly because of price and their liberal return policy.

[T18skyguy]

wa8yxm wrote:
If you are doing taxes professionally using software ON YOUR COMPUTER then a Chromebook won't work,, But if you use an online program like I do so the actual computing is done else where (There is a security risk in that) it does.

When I do my taxes the only thing running on the Chromebook is Chrome OS and Browser.. and perhaps something to play music to sooth.

If you don't mind me asking, what online program do you use? The play store has Turbotax basic, but that doesn't cover my needs. Turbotax data can easily be converted over to H&R block, but I haven't tried that.

[AsheGuy]

wa8yxm wrote:
If you are doing taxes professionally using software ON YOUR COMPUTER then a Chromebook won't work,, But if you use an online program like I do so the actual computing is done else where (There is a security risk in that) it does.

I started using Credit Karma several years ago to easily track my credit scores and began using their online tax filing feature when they added it. I've filed my taxes the last four years with it. I used Turbo Tax for many years but I will never go back. It's all free with Credit Karma including online US and state tax filing. Regarding online security risks, no one quits driving due to the risk of death on the road, odds probably are about the same in both situations.

Here is a quote from a Credit Karma vs Turbo Tax review: "If you have fairly normal taxes that include things like W-2 or 1099 income, investments, a mortgage and property taxes, and common deduction and credit situations, both stand equal. For business owners, it seems that TurboTax has an edge."

[wa8yxm]

If you are doing taxes professionally using software ON YOUR COMPUTER then a Chromebook won't work,, But if you use an online program like I do so the actual computing is done else where (There is a security risk in that) it does.

When I do my taxes the only thing running on the Chromebook is Chrome OS and Browser.. and perhaps something to play music to sooth.

[TomG2]

Cheap and fast, just like I like my women. Tired of waiting and waiting on my Windows machines for Internet activities. Took me two years too long to get a Chromebook.

[T18skyguy]

wa8yxm wrote wrote:
I did my taxes with the Chromebook, Using one of the online tax services which I've been using for years. When done I saved the 1040.PDF to the hard card (The removable card) and copied it to my windows machine for printing and archiving.

Thanks for that tip. The only reason I keep my PC's is I need Turbotax premier for taxes, and I use a Canon high speed scanner, and it's software is critical to my needs. If your method works for me that would be great. I'm a landlord, and the thought of screwing up or not being able to import dozens of depreciation schedules is scary. Edit: If you would like to visit a Chromebook specific site go to https://chromeunboxed.com/