This is not for a poweruser. Don't fool yourselves, people. It's a tablet on steroids. Get that through your head when you purchase and use it. If you have any other expectations like some of the reviewers, well, you're honestly not the target audience. It's meant to be light and cost affordable. Sure, the screen isn't high resolution and it lacks expandable RAM and HD space. That's NOT what this computer is.

I've had the computer for a few days now and I love it. It's not super fast by any means; however, it gets the job done in regards to web browsing, finding papers for literature reviews and listening to rdio or Pandora. That's what I need this for. And most likely the average consumer. Face it, most college students buy $1000 Macbooks to look cool. For what? To facebook, stream music, and browse the web. Most people who do photo editing buy the 15" models with maxed out specs (like me). I don't want to bring that to campus. That's too much money to be slinging in my bag to just browse the web.

So, let me be clear. This laptop is excellent. The build quality is amazing for the price. Build quality is great of which I was surprised. The keyboard reminds me of the Macbook and the track-pad keeps up with my fast paced motions quite well. It's light and I can have four to five tabs open running different processes at ease. It does like to stutter when I do multiple things with a video running though. Expected for a tablet processor though. It keeps cool and charged for a days use. The front camera is great for chatting.

I will admit, this little computer will replace your daily use computer you lug around currently. I used the Chrome Remote Desktop today on campus and was amazed at the speed and ease. I was using my Macbook at home on campus without any hiccups like I experience with Logmein or those other clients. Accessing the 100GB of free storage was as simple as clicking a link. My music, documents and life are on the cloud. I can access them with ease. Printing is no problem for me, either.

This little beast will surprise you. Although, please, don't expect the world from this laptop. It's $250, folks.

P.S. I typed this from the Chromebook. No problems handling my typing speed. And ask questions if you need them answered.

UPDATE 11/24:

I've been using this for a good while now and I haven't had any regrets. The computer does what I need, when I want and I only miss running Netflix at school. That's ok though, I have other avenues for watching movies. They do plan on updating and that's a problem with Netflix, not Google. Printing is simple as it seems to be a very common question. To clicks on your computer and you're done. They have been updating the OS and the Chromebook is acting a little better now. Overall, I'm still loving it. Just remember, it's NOT for everyone.

UPDATE 02/06/13:

I love this computer. It is all I use around campus and for class lectures. I barely use Microsoft Office for my notes or spreadsheets in class. Google Drive and their office version is just awesome. If you do a lot of team-based activities, please, just use Google Drive. Keep your documents available to you at all times and collaboration is simple. It has made my life much easier. Just thought I'd let you all know.

UPDATE 04/11/13:

Netflix now works!

UPDATE 07/10/13:

Now that the school season is upon us, I thought I would go ahead and write an update of my handy-dandy little Chromebook. Let's just say, it's still alive and working. Drops, falls, and tosses across the couch and slides across the table this little tabcom is doing well. Software wise, Google has been working at it and getting all the bugs out of the system to provide an even more fluid experience. I love having the ability to use Google Print from ANYWHERE I am and have it waiting for me when I need it. Everything syncs up across platforms and this has really come in hand during projects. Just try the Google Docs as a team compared to Word with Review and you won't go back when doing initial collaboration. Battery is still holding up to 8-10 hours (I know, right)- that's with smart use of the brightness. I honestly don't know what else to say. It works and is the perfect complement for my Macbook that is collecting dust at home. The Macbook is used via my Google Remote Connection and it's just wonderful. No lag or anything like I've had with LogMeIn and the other one. And like always, ask questions if you have them. And I almost forgot to add that Spotify works in the browser just as well as the PC version. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming does work contrary to the other review posted saying the opposite. Cheers!

FINAL UPDATE:

The Chromebook is an excellent computer for those looking for something light. It won't do everything a full laptop will do and there are privacy concerns of the all-mighty Google. The question to ask yourself though is if you are really secure online? You can get a better laptop as some commentators have stated and that is very true. You can get a nice, heavy computer to carry around and worry about. This Chromebook offers you peace of mind that you can throw it around and not worry about it being stolen (as long as you have a good password on your Google account). It works for me and I'm sure it works for the MAJORITY of others. I've had it for nearly a year and it is only getting faster, not slower. I hope you will take the time to see if it works for you. If not, we live in a world full of other gadgets and tools to fit our lives. I will be removing myself from the comments as there has been a strong output of support from other owners. Live long and prosper!

So why would I ever buy a device like this?Well, I ordered the Chromebook to evaluate it for my parents.They are not tech savvy at all.They have a Kindle Fire and an iPad, but when they do write e-mails and want to do other tasks, the pads are just not enough.They are computer users and media consumption people.What I found out during my work with the Chromebook is that it is the right computer for me too.Now, off to the review...

First off the Google Chromebook is computer unlike anything coming from the minds of Apple or Microsoft.Something on the surface that an IT Geek like me probably wouldn't like.It doesn't have a full-blown operating system like OSX nor is it a mobile platform like Android.It is something in between, it is ChromeOS.It is very fast, very reliable, and is perfect for doing youreveryday tasks.If you mostly read e-mail, write notes, run spreadsheets, develop presentations, chat, Facebook, and surf, you should read on.

The Samsung Chromebook is very sleek, thin, and light.It is somewhat similar in form to a Macbook Air, but it's also close to a number of the new Ultrabooks.The feel in hand is very solid and doesn't seem like a $249 computer.The keyboard is very good; very solid feel and great action.If you type quickly (100+ wpm), you'll be happy to know this keyboard can keep up with you.The only better keyboard I've used in recent memory is the Air, but it's not far off.

When you open the box and lift the lid it automatically starts up in under 10 seconds.This is not coming up from sleep mode.That's its boot time from a cold start.The setup process is as painless as it can be.Attach it to your wireless network and if you have a gmail account, just login and you are done.I up and reading e-mail in my account in less than 5 minutes.The last out of the box Windows experience took nearly an hour before I was through all of the setup questions, patches, and add-ons.

Now that you are logged in, the simplicity of the system reveals itself.Effectively the entire Chromebook is a dedicated Chrome browser.Almost everything you do is in a Chrome browser window.There are applications included and that can be installed, but they all run inside of the Chrome framework.It is a new way to think about computing.And boy is it fast.

About the speed: Wow is the best way to describe it.I dare you to find a browser that is as responsive as the Chrome broswer on ChromeOS.All running on a tiny little ARM processor.This tiny little ARM processor is what gives the Chromebook its 7+ hour run time on a single charge.In practice a lot of this depends on what you are doing.If you want to stream 7 hours of YouTube videos, you're probably going to be disappointed, but for practical all-day off the charger use, I'm seeing that performance easily.It also charges like lightening, so if you throw it on the charger for an hour at lunch, you won't need to worry about it into the evening.

Back to why I am keeping the Samsung Chromebook.The device does what I need to do 95% of the time during my work day and 99% for the rest of my life.All of this in a very sleek, inexpensive, and portable package.I still have my work computer, a Lenovo i7 based monster, but it is huge, heavy, and doesn't have nearly the battery life or portability of the Chromebook.I now leave that laptop in the docking station on my desk and carry around the Chromebook and that is the computer I take home.I suppose if I was still spending the majority of my time writing C# I would need a different tool, but the Chromebook is the right tool for me.

Pros and Cons?

This introduces an interesting point of view.What can we really compare the Chromebook to?There is nothing else that is in it's class, so I guess I'll focus primarily on functionality.

Pros:
-Inexpensive (I didn't say cheap)
-Light
-Fast
-All Google-Centric(this can also be a Con)
-Very simple to setup and use
-Long battery life
-Good build quality
-Good keyboard
-Good library of add-on applications (yes, another app store)
-Everything for one price (Hardware, Operating System, Storage, Office Applications)

Cons:
-Not a full-blown operating system
-Doesn't run Mac, iOS, Windows, or Android applications...none of them, it can't
-All Google-Centric (this can also be a Pro)
-Some apps you know and love aren't available yet, maybe never (Netflix is one)
-Not as mainstream as either full-blown computer platforms or mobile platforms

I gave the Samsung Chromebook 4 stars because it's really good, but not perfect.Bottom line, this is a new device that lives somewhere between tablets and full-blown traditional computers.It is a great consumption device with a full keyboard for doing some serious work (documents, spreadsheets, presentations, e-mail, and web-based applications).I recommend that you give it a shot, I think you'll really like it.

I won't go through the technical details or features here; you could read them from the website description.

After using the Chromebook for a couple of days, all I can say is: I SO LOVED IT!The machine is fast, dead silent and does just about 80 percent of all the things I would use a laptop for daily. And I am a Mac and iPhone/iPad app developer guy; I have 2 MacBook Pros and all the I devices. My guess is for 90 percent of computer users, this is all you ever need and more. The machine is beautiful, light and supports everything you need. I currently have a Bluetooth headset and a mouse connected to it. The track pad is wonderful, very responsive to motions and requires almost no force to operate. Keyboard is great, if you are a touch typist you would love this keyboard; very nicely spaced and decent size. I feel like I am on my MacBook because they are so similar in design and operations.

Battery actually lasts as long as Samsung claimed; I have it all with video playing intermittently throughout the day and it has gone for 7 hours with about 15% left. Charging is fast too; It took about an hour to charge the Chromebook from 7% to full.

Worry about availability of apps? I was able to find most of what I want FREE from the Playstore.The Chromebook comes with free Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides that allow you to work on Microsoft Words, Excel and PowerPoint documents. Installing additional apps is a few seconds affair as there was no downloading required. I added a 64GB microSD card to have more space for videos, documents and music.You will need a free Gmail account to used Chromebook; I have 2 different accounts so have 2 different set ups on my Chromebook. This is a very nice feature of Chrome OS: you can log in any Chromebook and have your own set up, or several people can use the same Chromebook, each with different set up.

This Chromebook will travel with me from now on unless I specifically need my Macbook Pro. I used to take my 13" MacBook Pro with me on trip, but no longer. For a regular computer users, this Chromebook could be the only laptop you ever need; unless you are a hard-core gamer, application developer or graphic artist who needs more power and application features for your work. If 90 percent of the time you use a laptop for emails, reading and browsing the internet, this is the perfect laptop for you.

9/22/14 update: I have this Chromebook for almost a week now, and like it even more. Watching a movie on this Chromebook is an awesome experience. The non-glare screen is easy on the eyes, while sharp with excellent color rendintion. Without a headset, sounds is still outstanding. I watch a movie with a scene that the actors were in side a house while it was raining outside, and I keep thinking it was actually raining outside! Chrome OS supports most of the major formats: .avi .mkv, .mp4, .m4v, .mov and more,so that save you time converting your video too. The only problem (personal) is I kept touching the screen, as I am so used to the iPad :-).

9/26/14 update: The Chromebook is acting up today. All of a sudden, I lost the mouse cursor on the track pad. I finally connect with Google Chrome support and a person tried to solve my problem. We spent almost an hour, tried everything from briefly disconnect the battery (Ctrl Alt Shift R) to Power wash (Refresh Power), to no avail. Finally, I was advised to return the Chromebook to Amazon. Just think if this happens after the 14 days return period! Amazon then gracefully agreed to shift me a new machine. Just to see if it works, I connect a USB mouse to the Chromebook and it works!! But I only get the cursor back with a mouse, the track pad remains non-responsive. In fact, I am writing this update on the defective Chromebook.

I liked this Chromebook so much that I ordered the 13" version for myself and promised to give this 11.6" Chromebook to my sister. The latest issue made me paused. I do not want this to happen after 2 months using the machine; it will be a mess to return to the manufacturer for repair. I still like it and will continue to use it; but less happy with it now.

I purchased an item thinking that I actually stole it from Samsung and Google.

The build quality of this machine is fantastic considering it's price.....and it was evident the minute I opened the box and lifted it out. The solidity of it is just amazing.It feels far more expensive than it really is....okay, I'm impressed with the build.

Now, I turn it on......BOOM! It's on!No waiting, no downloading updates (well just a little one) and no please wait 20 minutes while we get your machine ready for use...BOOM!ON!I've used Google Chrome for over 2 years now and all I had to do is input my Google email address and password and everything from my taped up, held together with chicken wire 2 year old Lenovo is on Chrome!Amazing!Bookmarks, contacts....everything....and it's quite fast for the price.

A must buy!