Chapter 1

Choosing and Setting Up Your Chromebook

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding what makes a Chromebook tick

Selecting your very own Chromebook

Using your Chromebook for the first time

Switching to Chromebook from Windows, Mac, or Linux

Google rocked the computer world in 2011 with the introduction of the Chromebook because there was nothing on the market quite like it. It was, and still is, an affordable laptop that offers an internet-centric platform. Today, more than 50 million Chromebooks are used in classrooms by teachers and students in blended learning environments that allow students to have unlimited access to educational resources. Chromebooks are also increasingly being used by businesses, remote workers, and digital nomads that need an inexpensive laptop that allows them to work from the office, home, or the nearest coffee shop. The Chromebook has evolved far from its humble beginnings and will likely be the only laptop you need.

In this chapter, I discuss what makes the Chromebook so compelling compared to other personal computers on the market. I also take an in-depth look at how to set up your Chromebook and prepare you to transition to Chromebook from Windows, Mac, or Linux.

A Chromebook is very easy to use and understand. Easier, I'd say, than a Windows computer or even a Mac. In fact, a Chromebook is about as easy to use as an iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Checking Under the Hood of the Chromebook

In short, a Chromebook is a laptop computer running Google's proprietary operating system, ChromeOS.

The operating system (OS) is the software that manages and schedules your computer's primary tasks and functions. You may have a little experience with other popular operating systems such as Windows, Linux, or macOS. Smartphones and tablets also have operating systems; Apple's iPhone OS is called iOS, iPadOS runs on Apple iPads, and the OS that runs on Android tablets and phones is called, um, Android.

ChromeOS is an operating system developed by Google to work primarily with web-based software on laptop and tablet computers. Your experience using your Chromebook will be very similar to previous experiences you may have had surfing the web with the Chrome web browser (or any browser). The Chrome web browser shares many similarities with other web browsers on the market, like Firefox, Edge, and Safari. (See Figure 1-1.)

Illustration courtesy of Peter H. Gregory

FIGURE 1-1: The Google Chrome web browser.

Except for the Chromebook Pixel Go, Google isn't manufacturing Chromebooks directly. Instead, Google has licensed several major laptop manufacturers to create them. Manufacturers such as Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, and Samsung are all making their own Chromebooks with their own technical specifications. They all come with ChromeOS pre-installed.

The software

Much of what you will do on your Chromebook happens in the Chrome web browser. This is because many of the applications you will use on your Chromebook actually reside on the internet. This is one of the things that sets Chromebook apart from other computers: You don't need to install most applications on a Chromebook; instead, you access them from the internet. You find applications through the Chrome Web Store (dubbed CWS) and add them to your Launcher, which, in many cases, means nothing more than creating a bookmark for quick access through your Chrome web browser. This approach can be limiting in some cases, but these cases are rare. Thanks to the vast nature of Google's global computing ecosystem, thousands of great applications are at your fingertips.

Although some Chromebook applications offer offline features and functionality, you need an internet connection to initially set up your Chromebook and be able to take advantage of everything your Chromebook has to offer. You may assume that Chromebooks are designed for an "always online" lifestyle, but once you have set up your Chromebook, you can definitely do things with it while offline as well.

The hardware

Unlike all other computers on the market that run macOS, Windows, or Linux, not much software is installed on your Chromebook, which means that your Chromebook doesn't need to have vast amounts of hard drive space, memory, or processing power. Most Chromebooks have 4 gigabytes (GB) of memory, at least 80GB of hard drive space, and a low-power processor.

The reduced technical features mean that Chromebooks use less power, which means longer battery life. It also means that Chromebooks have a drastically lower price tag than other computers. This explains why Google is gaining such a large share of the laptop market. For the things that most people do, a Chromebook is more than adequate and far less costly.

If you prefer a desktop computer running ChromeOS, plenty are available. These computers are called Chromeboxes. If you own or are thinking about getting a Chromebox instead of a Chromebook, 99 percent of everything you read in this book will still apply to you because most of what's in this book is about ChromeOS - the same OS that runs on Chromebooks and Chromeboxes.

Choosing a Chromebook

Given the online nature of ChromeOS, Chromebooks do not require extremely high-powered hardware to provide an excellent user experience. Even so, the great variety of manufacturers, models, and hardware specifications available can make choosing a Chromebook somewhat tricky.

If you are not yet familiar with computer terms like hard drives, RAM, SD card slots, or HDMI ports, you don't really need to understand any of these things to buy a Chromebook that will work for you. If you are shopping for your first Chromebook (even if it's the first computer you have ever purchased), go to a store with a good selection (three or more models) of Chromebooks and knowledgeable salespeople. If you buy the least expensive model with a screen size you can live with, you probably won't be disappointed. If you do want to understand the inner details of Chromebooks and make your purchase decision based on RAM, hard drive size, and ports, flip over to Chapter 20 for all those details.

Another helpful way to decide which Chromebook to purchase is to research models online. PC Magazine and other well-known publications have good reviews on Chromebook models that can help you pick one.

Setting Up Your Chromebook

You should have a wireless internet service when setting up your Chromebook. If you're using a stationary (home or public) wireless internet network or a portable device with an internet hotspot, you probably need to know the following:

• The network name (like Smith Family Wi-Fi or ATT034)
• The network password (usually a bunch of random letters and numbers, often printed on a sticker on your internet router)

If you don't already have a Google Account, you'll also need a landline phone or smartphone handy to verify your new account while you set up your Chromebook.

Turning on your device

Regardless of the brand you choose, the Chromebook is built for speed - and you'll notice this speed the first time you turn on your device! To turn on your Chromebook, you may simply need to plug in the power cord and open the laptop. If your Chromebook doesn't turn on automatically, locate the Power button, which may be found on the top-right corner of the keyboard itself, or on the side or back of the Chromebook. Look for the familiar power logo consisting of a circle with an intersecting vertical line. Figure 1-2 shows the Power button on the Lenovo C330 and the Samsung 303C. The Power button on your Chromebook is probably similar to one of these.

Photos courtesy of Peter H. Gregory

FIGURE 1-2: The Power button on two different Chromebook models: the Lenovo C330 (a) and the Samsung 303C (b).

When you turn on the device for the first time, a Chrome logo pops up on the screen, and within seconds, the computer powers on and displays the Welcome window. Click Get Started to begin setup.

I recently unboxed an HP Flagship 14 Chromebook and went through the setup. In addition to guiding me through the setup visually, it also spoke to me in a friendly, mechanical voice.

Selecting a language

When the Welcome window appears, it will most likely say Welcome in the English language. If you want to change your Chromebook to work in your language, click on the current language. The Choose Language and Keyboard window displays. When you click on Language, a list of available languages appears, and when you click on Keyboard, a list appears. (I wish it had an option for Pirate English. "Select your languaaaarge, matey!")

Connecting to the internet

Next, you need to select a network to connect to the internet. If no network is available, I suggest holding off on attempting to set up your Chromebook until you can connect to an internet source.

If you're using a mobile device that can provide an internet hotspot, it's time to turn on the hotspot and find the network name and password.

You need to know the network name and possibly the password to connect your Chromebook to the internet for the first time. Just follow these steps:...