Chromebooks have come a long way since they were first introduced.

I didnt expect to love my Chromebook, but its replaced my laptop for most of my work.

I have to confess: I sort of hate laptops.

Its a thing with me.

Its safe to say that my experience will not reflect everyones needs.

However, I needed a machine that I could write with when I wasnt at home.

So, I settled on aChromebook Flip.

So far, its been fantastic.

Whats the point if you might just get Chrome on Windows?

At the time, this was a legitimate concern.

However, the Chrome ecosystem has been built out a lot in the time since its first release.

Technically, Chrome OS was never just a web client.

It was a surfing app on top of a Linux distribution that developers can write native apps for.

Netflix, Twitter, Slack, Dropbox, and plenty of other common services have perfectly fine web sites.

Fortunately, Chromebooks have gotten better at that, too.

Most of Googles appsincluding Docs, Sheets, Keep, Calendar, and Gmailcan work offline.

Of course, you cant do everything when youre offline, but you’re free to stillwork.

In fact, I wrote this very section while disconnected from the internet in Google Docs.

This seems like something that should be enabled by default.

However, its very quick and easy to do.

Any future gadget you get should remember.

I use Photoshop for work regularly.

I was worried this would be a problem that would end make using a Chromebook frustrating.

Chrome Remote Desktoplargely solved this problem.

The app is free and its stupidly simple to set up on any gadget that runs Chrome.

There Are Some Awesome (and Cheap!)

The hardware, however, is agreatreason.

As I mentioned earlier, I chose theChromebook Flip.

Its a sturdy, aluminum laptop that reminds me of my old Macbook Pro.

Its obviously not as powerful, but it doesnt feel like a low-end laptop.

It also comes with a touchscreen that can flip backwards into a makeshift tablet.

And it costs $300.

Myactual10 tabletcost $400 new.

Battery life is also a huge plus.

Compared to other laptops with comparable hardware, Chromebookstend to have better battery life.

Laptop batteries are notorious for not holding a chargetowards the end of their lifespan.

With better battery life out of the gate, Chromebooks can reasonably last longer.

And, if all that isnt enough, most Chromebooks worth buying are considerably cheaper than their laptop counterparts.

The irony, of course, is that I still owned tablets.

This sort of proves a larger point about Chromebooks: they dont need to do everything to be useful.

I wont claim that Chromebooks are for everyone, or that they can replace all laptops.

You cant play AAA video games on them.

If you dont have an always-connected desktop at your house, remote desktop becomes useless.

However, theyre also amazing at what they do.

Tablets were lighter, they had much better battery life, and the apps were nicer.

Now, I have a Chromebook that can serve this same purpose.