Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Chromebook functionality

I have been playing with several the "productivity" apps that are available for Chromebook. First I used Google Docs and Sheets. I found that they work great on my Chromebook, but not so great on any other device. Then I used Microsoft Word and Excel. They worked great on my Windows laptop and Mac Mini, but were just okay on my iPhone, and not so great on my Chromebook. Finally I used Apple's iCloud and Pages and Numbers. They worked great on my iPhone and Mac Mini, and are actually not to bad on my Chromebook. On my Windows laptop I use iCloud, which is exactly like it is on my Chromebook.

Now all the apps are free to use online and usually free on a smartphone or tablet, but the Microsoft products are not free on a Windows or Mac platform (you used to have to pay for the Apple products, but they have been free lately). Also, all the online versions of the apps do not have the full functionality of the offline versions (except for Google which is basically online for all platforms).

Which one is the best? I actually like using Apple's software. The experience on my Chromebook and Windows laptop is pleasant, and it works very well on my iPhone, iPad, and Mac Mini. In fact, that is what I am using right now to write this post.

These apps also prove a point about which platform you use. It does not make that much of a difference anymore because you can get versions of each one for whatever platform you are using. So why spend hundreds on a Mac or Windows platform when you can have access to the same basic apps on the Chromebook? If you are looking for a way to do basic computing and save a lot of money, Chromebook is the way to go.

What do you think?

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