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Six months with the Acer C720 Chromebook: Still good for $199

Every time I pull out the Acer C720 Chromebook I am reminded again just how good a value this laptop is.
Written by James Kendrick, Contributor

I've been a fan of the Chromebook since buying the Samsung Series 5 550 when it was first released. I work in the Chrome browser all day and the Chromebook is built from top to bottom to make that the best experience it can be.

Acer C720 Chromebook
Image: James Kendrick/ZDNet

Six months ago, Acer released the C720 Chromebook. After reviewing one provided by Acer, I promptly bought one. I have been using it as much as any of the laptops and tablets in my menagerie, and it has served me well.

Because my work day is centered around the Chrome browser, every time I open the Chromebook it feels like coming home.

I attribute the fact that it has never crashed or hung even once to the tight integration of hardware and software that is a trademark of Chrome OS. Before a Chromebook is released it is designed to handle Chrome OS without hiccups. That's been the experience with all of the Chromebooks I have used.

See related: The misunderstood Chromebook: Why few get it

Because my work day is centered around the Chrome browser, every time I open the C720 it feels like coming home. Everything is where it should be, and even if I've used Chrome on other devices since the last time I used the Acer, it's all up to date.

The Acer C720 Chromebook is still one of the fastest models I've used. It handles everything I do without hesitation. I open it up and in maybe two seconds I am right where I need to be.

ZDNet's Sean Portnoy reports on a new Acer C720 Chromebook with a Core i3 processor. That could be a better performer than the Haswell Celeron in the C720 without impacting the good battery life. That spec bump comes at a price ($350), and since I have no performance issues, I see no reason to upgrade to the new model.

The only things I would change about the Acer is I wish it were thinner; I also wish it was closer in weight to two pounds than three pounds. It's not huge but I'm all about thin and light, and I wish the C720 was more (or is that less?) of both.

I see the Acer C720 Chromebook is now $199, and given the utility I get out of it that is a tremendous value. It travels well and delivers the best Chrome experience I've had on any device with the exception of the expensive Chromebook Pixel.

Speaking of the Pixel, I admit I am surprised that Google has not produced an updated model. The Pixel is one of the best laptops running any platform. I really thought Google would wow us with an improved model. Given how long it's now been (1.5 years), I doubt we'll see it. Google declines to confirm or deny whether a new Pixel might come along.

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