HP 14" 16GB Chromebooks (2014 Model)

The C200 I got from Ebay new, I was able to register and use that free storage. Although mine didn’t come in a retail box, it looked brand new with all the stickers packing and stuff adhered to it and no signs of previous use. I recommend that if you get this, charge it fully for like 3 hours, do NOT disconnect from charger when you set it up. It will eventually download an important update, after it installs the update and you reboot, then you can disconnect from charger.

I bought this version in Ocean Turquoise on Woot, Jan. 27th. It’s been about a month and all seems to be well. It did arrive slightly dirty, with some marks around the edge, like sticker residue and even something red (maybe dried sauce??) on the side of one of the keys. Some basic cleaning with a wipe took care of it.

I was able to get 1TB of storage from chromebook goodies for 2 years! Not sure every factory refurbished chromebook will get that deal but it’s amazing.

I got one for my daughter, a Junior in High School, last time they were on sale. She does all her school work on it and I don’t have to give up my computer any more. The battery life is incredible, and the size is amazing. It does everything she needs.

I bought my HP Chrombook back in December and I absolutely love it - one of my favorite purchases ever. It’s fast, lightweight, and is perfect for web browsing and email. I game too much for it to replace my primary computer completely, but basically now I ONLY use that for gaming - everything else I use the chromebook for.

I just bought this one for my mom, because I think it’s so simple to use that it will be perfect for her. And I am hoping I won’t get virus/pop-ups/things-dont-work calls anymore!

This is what kind of blows about the refurbed Chromebooks. There is a huge amount of value in the increased Google storage and other freebies (like 10 units of GoGo inflight wifi) that come with it.

I would have thought that if you returned the computer that they pulled the freebies, but I guess not. So, good people, if you want to know how to get a crapton of Google storage without paying for it, you now have a good idea where to start.

I’m in the market to replace my current Samsung Chromebook (it is bogging down on the heavier internet pages), but I’m not going to save the money on a refurb.

The Cheapskate on CNET has a coupon code to save the $5 for shipping. Use code CHROMEO at checkout.

Page down to bonus deal.

I purchased one of these about a month ago when they appeared on Woot for the first time. My biggest concern at the time was about the display quality. I’ve been using it for about a month now, and overall I’m pretty happy with it. Although it’s a refurbished model, you’d never be able to tell. I really can’t focus/work on displays smaller than 14/15" inches so I wouldn’t even really consider other Chromebook models, despite having much better displays. It does as advertised, but it’s certainly not a lightweight. It’s surprisingly weighty for its size. The display is not great at all, but you get used to it after a while. Also, at around 5-6 tabs open, the machine begins to choke up. Overall, it’s not the worst deal in the world, but it’s not as powerful as others, has an average-poor quality display and is a bit on the heavier side for carrying all day.

I am looking for a simple, dependable machine that come with and runs Microsoft Word and Excel. Does the Chromebook come with these programs already loaded? I am typically a Mac user, so please excuse my ignorance regarding this product. Thank you!

It can use Google Docs/Sheets/Slides which are Office compatible.

Here is more info:

I can’t help you with Silverlight, but you can buy a CAC reader (plugs into any available USB port) from many online stores. For example, Woot’s parent company has a plethora of choices available.

My attempts last week indicate that ChromeOS does not have the required drivers to use a USB CAC Reader. Have you had a different experience? If so I would like to hear about it, but if you have not specifically used a reader on a Chromebook then it is misleading for you to tell someone to purchase one in this thread.

Chrome OS is pretty easy to tether to a cell phone, and since an update last year, can discern what type of connection used and adjust tasks related to bandwidth accordingly.

If your needs are basic, then there various alternatives…

You can use:

  • Google Docs/Sheets/Slides (comes “preloaded”)
  • iCloud Pages/Numbers/Keynote
  • MS Office online Word/Excel/Powerpoint

The challenge will be if you require some advanced formatting and/or functionality.

Another challenge is printing. I find it virtually impossible to get my HP Chromebook to print to my Brother (supposedly supports Google Cloud Print).

By default, apps open up in browser tab but if you right-click on the icons in the start menu, you can specify opening the app as a window for a more traditional experience.

An increasing number of ChromeOS apps are able to work “offline” (ie. without a network connection).

IMO, this is a good price for a good device. If you find that it doesn’t work out for you, it would be great to give to a less tech-savvy family member.

That’s great, but seriously, not everybody wants to modify their Chromebook. Some just enjoy how simple it is.

To each his own, I guess.

This is probably why there are so many returns (which benefit people like me).

A lot of folks do not understand that is a “special” operating system derived from Linux that will NOT run Windows or Mac programs but likely will read files created on those machines.

There are alternative “kinda like” apps that you can substitute, but folks weaned on the mainstream will have to get used to them and there may be some incompatibilities.

Even if you don’t modify, the Asus still has twice the RAM and twice the storage for less money. Making a simple device even better.