I have been testing numerous tablets, laptops and other computer-like devices recently and I have been trying to find the perfect device for me to use as a backup to my desktop and smartphone. Well, I think I have found it with the Acer C720P Chromebook, which is actually Acer’s First Chromebook with Touchscreen. It is 11.6 inches, measures only 0.78-inches thin and weighs only 2.98 pounds. This is great device to take on the road and be able work remotely.
Acer already has the industry-leading Chromebook line and they are only sealing the deal by adding a 10-point touch display, which only makes this more convenient. Even though this has a mouse track pad and keyboard included, I like the option of being able to tap and swipe your way through navigating on it. In fact, the Chrome OS also has custom gestures built-in, so you are able to tap, swipe, and pinch to zoom just like you would do on your tablet or smartphone.
The device lasts up to 7.5 hours of battery life and boots literally in a mere seconds. I mean this thing is lightning fast. It includes the latest Intel® Celeron® processor based on Haswell micro-architecture. This device also has a fantastic tilt angle of up to 145° which gives the best view of the screen since I am usually lying down when working. It also has the option to extend to a bigger screen or television using the HDMI port.
So all this talk about how great this device is but in case you don’t know Chromebooks are not laptops and they are not tablets. They are basically used for browsing the web and also come with popular Google products built in: Search, Gmail, YouTube, and Hangouts. You are able to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings with apps like Google Docs, Zoho and SlideRocket. Plus the Chrome Web Store offers thousands of free apps, themes, and extensions to help you make the most of your Chromebook.
The Chronebook comes with only 2GB of space but you are able to take advantage of up to 100GB of free storage on Google Drive the first 2 years after purchase. The Acer C720P Chromebook also connects with dual band Wi-Fi and even comes with 12 free Gogo Inflight1 passes, which is worth about $150 bucks and can be used on continental U.S. flights of participating airlines. Another thing that I love is that these machines are virtually virus, malware, spyware, adware free and being an IT guy myself that is always a bonus.
So I have been shopping various Chromebooks in the last few months and this Acer C720 Touch is easily the best that I have seen on the market. If you are looking for something that is light, powerful and very easy to use that I cannot recommend this anymore. Plus this device only would run you around $299.99, which is much cheaper than a laptop or any iPad. Highly recommend this for sure! Another great Acer product.