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2016-08-20

Best Chromebooks 2016 & Android Apps on Chromebooks (videos)

The best Chromebook (2016):

Chromebook is the future of computing: Chromebooks are wonderful computers that can get a surprising amount of work done. This episode of the Verge's 'This Is My Next,' sorts through the available models to find the best of the bunch. Video published July 26, 2016.

 A real shift in personal computing is the arrival of Android apps on Chromebooks: Attention, College Students: Chromebooks Are About to Get Awesome | WIRED.com: "Later this year ... the Google Play Store is coming to Chrome OS. That means millions of Android apps on your Chromebook, which is going to change Chromebooks completely. Touchscreens will be more important; new sensors and processors will probably be integrated."

Android Apps on Chromebook:

Video above: Lisa Gade of MobileTechReview demonstrates Android apps and the Google Play Store running on the Acer Chromebook R11, one of three Chromebook models that currently support Android apps on Chrome OS (the Asus Chromebook Flip an the Pixel are the other two--see list below for more models to be supported later in 2016-17--Google will add this milestone feature to a host of Chromebooks later in 2016 and in 2017. If you own one of the three supported models, you can enable developer builds in your Chromebook’s settings to try it yourself. Tested: Evernote, Mission Impossible, Microsoft Word, Asphalt 8, note taking apps and more from the Play Store. Also compared are the web vs. Android app version of some apps like MS Word (hint, the web version is often better suited to a laptop style device).

The Acer Chromebook R11 is an 11.6” Chrome OS laptop with a very pleasing 1366 x 768 IPS touch screen, 360 degree hinge, 4 gigs of RAM, a quad core Intel Celeron processor and an ample selection of ports. It sells for around $300. Video published on Jul 26, 2016. Domain Mondo also recommends looking at Acer Chromebook 15 (with 4 GB Ram) which is one of the models to be enabled for Android apps (see list below).

More information:

Chrome OS Systems Supporting Android Apps (source: The Chromium Projects 12Aug2016):
  • Use the Google Play Store and Android apps on many Chromebooks (see Google Chrome blog).
  • "The Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, and Chromebases that will be able to install Android apps are listed below. We'll update this list as new devices are added."
  • "For the best experience with Android apps on Chromebooks, we recommend purchasing a device from the list below."
  • Even if your Chromebook isn't on this list, it will continue to get other new features and improvements.
  • Chromebooks that will work with Android apps in June/July 2016 - Android apps are now available on the dev and beta channel for: Asus Chromebook Flip; Acer Chromebook R11 / C738T; Google Chromebook Pixel (2015).
Chromebooks that will work with Android apps later in 2016/2017 (list via The Chromium Projects, supra, list to be updated here):

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