Acer C720 Chromebook Review

Let’s just be honest right off the bat: You’re probably not reading our review of this product so much to check out benchmarks and other performance indicators as you are to see if we’ll clarify whether or not Google's strange, new browser-based Chrome OS operating system is really worth investing in.

Chrome OS is indeed essentially a browser-as-operating-system solution, so the vast majority of the computer’s functionality is tied directly to being connected at all times, and that may be a big hang-up for a lot of people when it comes to Chromebooks. (Except that there are still several things you can do offline, which we'll get into in a bit.)

Most people are connected to the Internet the vast majority of the time, though.  That means you can use Google Drive for writing documents, creating spreadsheets and presentations, and basic file management, as well as Google Music, Gmail, the Chrome web browser, YouTube, Google+ Hangouts, and so on.
Despite what some might view as a hamstrung operating system, the reason that Chromebooks are a tempting option is that most of them are very inexpensive. The one we’re looking at today, the Acer C720 Chromebook, costs a mere $249, which is about on par price-wise for many Chromebooks these days. Acer recently also announced a slightly less powerful C720 to the lineup for just $199.

The question then becomes, can such a device possibly replace a laptop?

Here’s the good news: We have an answer for you, but it’s a complex answer, so you’ll have to read on to fully understand the big picture. Along the way, you’ll get a closer look at Chrome OS as well as the Acer C720 Chromebook itself.

Speaking of the Acer C720, here are some specifications to digest...