STACK #232 February 2024

TECH FEATURE

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Chromebooks: Study on a budget There’s no denying that gearing up for uni is a major expense – but nobody knows how to stretch a budget better than uni students. Not every course will need a powerful, pricey laptop, so why not consider a Chromebook and save yourself some money to splash out on better meals than two-minute noodles every day? Words Michael Irving

Why would you need a Chromebook? Unlike other laptops, which usually run Windows, Chromebooks are made by Google and so use that company’s own operating system, Chrome OS. The main advantage, especially to uni students, is the price tag – Google works closely with manufacturers to keep the cost as low as possible. That doesn’t mean Chromebooks

breaking a sweat. If your course mostly involves online research, emails, writing essays or documents, dealing with spreadsheets, taking notes, or other things that don’t need much computing power, choosing a Chromebook could be the best thing for your budget. Price isn’t the only pro – being smaller and lighter than most laptops, Chromebooks are even more portable. You can easily slip them into

a bag or backpack and barely notice them as you rush between lectures. Chromebooks cut out much of the software bloat that can bog down some laptops, leaving you with a lean, mean, study machine. They play nice with Google’s productivity apps, like Docs and Sheets, or you can download others like Microsoft Office if you prefer the classics. Google’s built-in virus protection keeps everything safe and secure without ongoing subscriptions.

aren’t capable, though. On the contrary, these reliable little workhorses can handle many of the usual uni tasks without

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If you already have a Google account, Chromebooks become even more useful. Once you log in, it will automatically carry across all your Chrome settings, Gmail, Google Drive files, etc from other devices. That makes it easy to sync between multiple work stations, like your Chromebook and library computers, for example. Get going with Google

Asus CM3 The Asus CM3 is a cute little companion that’s kind of a 2-in-1 Chromebook. The main machine is a tablet, so you get the benefit of a touchscreen with an included stylus – but when you need to bang out an email or essay, you can attach the included keyboard. It’s a veritable featherweight too, at just half a kilo, and the 12-hour battery will keep you going for even the longest of study sessions. 10.5” WUXGA touchscreen MediaTek Kompanio 500(8183)

HP 15A-NA0 The HP 15A-NA0 is a professional-looking portable workstation, with a big Full HD display and a speedy Pentium Silver N6000 processor to tackle tasks, even with a few running at once. The 128GB of internal storage can be bolstered with a cloud subscription, or through the microSD card reader.

The battery will give a good ten hours of use, to power through those all-nighters. 15.6” Full HD display Intel Pentium Silver N6000 processor, up to 3.3GHz 128GB storage 4GB RAM USB-A/2x USB-C/microSD card reader 10 hours battery 1.69kg

processor, up to 2GHz 128GB storage 4GB RAM USB-C 12 hours battery 0.51kg

14 FEBRUARY 2024

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