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I've been thinking about a chromebook for my father for Xmas. I've just been to Curry's and came up with a question for them that seemed obvious (as you're using Google chrome as you might use it on any other PC) but I hit the guy with it anyway. The question being 'can I access my bt email account or do you need a gmail account?'
The answer was no.I'm not great with computer stuff as it is and new to chrome books etc but this seems a bit bull.
Anyone care to put me right on this one?
Tia!
yes you can.
Just log into the BT website and access your mail from there.
I'm pretty sure you can. I am running an AOL account through their webmail on a chromebook with no issues.
This, like I said, seemed obvious but the answer was no. He never thought about it.. Straight out with the answer. He wasn't keen on selling me one at all. I think he eben said they were pretty useless. Thanks!
Wot they said ^^ If BT have a webmail site then just login to that and Email away.
I then asked to see something running so he plugged it in.. Then I find out 'its out of stock anyway'. Grr!
FWIW, I bought a second hand one to try it out and it's fab. I still don't really understand where my files are, and learning and transferring between googledocs and office compatible has a couple of tricks / foibles but nothing too tricky.
Get him one and if he doesn't like it you can probably sell on for 75% value.
I've been using one for about 8 months now, am really happy with it. If your father is mostly doing emails via web-browser and general internet stuff, he'll be fine.
It will help to set up a Google account (which does give you gmail), but you don't have to use it for anything, just helps with the configuration (also means that you can share bookmarks etc between devices that use the Chrome browser)
Come on over to the dark side, it's a hoot!
Had my Chromebook over 18 months...hardly touched the old Windoze laptop since - usually just to find some old photos/emails on outlook, once or twice to use Tracklogs and Google Sketchup.
Still zips along like a new machine, battery life has reduced but still measured in hours, its been dropped a fair bit and still in one piece.
If you just want a browsing machine its great, I don't even miss the video and picture editing stuff as the software on my Sony phone deals with that and everything syncs to Google Drive as soon as the phone is on Wifi.
It came with 100Gb google drive for 2 years, that runs out in May so if they are doing a similar offer I may replace it at that point.
I've been using one for about 8 months now, am really happy with it. If your father is mostly doing emails via web-browser and general internet stuff, he'll be fine.
THIS using one now much handier for surfing weighs less than a laptop and better battery life
However for work mode a laptop is far superior - easier to use basically for word and the like but if i wanted a primarily surfing machine it would be a chromebook
As for e-mail you can access any internet based e-mail as long as chrome works with it and it will.
Yeah, surfing the web and checking/sending emails. nothing else really. I just thought it would be the thing as he's been using Chrome for a while as it is so I thought it might be the easiest to get the hang of.
The young guy probably see's it as a dull incapable machine for what HE might want to do with it* but it'll suit my paw spot on.
* I read a review on one last night and the guy slated it a bit for struggling with over a dozen tabs open at once! Jeez.
I think Chrome has been a bit of a memory eater in the past, but I read that a recent update may have fixed that. I often have 8-12 tabs open, its fairly rare I notice an issue (occasionally Youtube gets a bit stuttery but closing the browser fixes it)
The only thing I didn't expect was you can't install Apps on it as you would a phone (you can add them but its just a shortcut to the standard site, not an App as such) and you will need a compatible Wifi printer (Google Cloud Print) I bought one that was Wifi Direct and Apple Airprint, and a bit of research showed it was compatible, they just hadn't stamped it on the box.
My Chromebook is a Toshiba and its very light on sockets, I have power and SD on one side, and HDMI, 2 USBs and headphones on the other. The only one I've missed (briefly) is a LAN port when I was trying to diagnose a dodgy Wifi connection. Its also the first laptop out of the last three that the surface of the trackpad hasn't worn off, this one is still silver!
I bought mine about 9 months ago and I've used it 99% of the time in preference to my laptop. I've only used the laptop for some PDF form filling, to configure a home printer, rip some CDs and set up a Sat Nav.
The Chromebook is ace - 9 hours of battery, I use Google apps for word processing, spreadsheets etc and with everything syncing via Drive it's all available on my phone too. I needed a new printer to use Cloudprint but as the old one was 10+ years old I deserved a new one anyway.
It was only £220, HD screen, weighs very little and is perfect for travelling too.
Oh, I use BT Internet email - web interface is fine but may get a bit of getting used to if your father is used to Outlook/email client.
The printer issue raised by spooky is a good point, if your Dad does use a printer then the printer will need to support google cloud print to work with the Chromebook.
It's just a web browser like any other. If you can access your email from a web browser on a normal computer, you can do the same from a Chromebook.
you can add them but its just a shortcut to the standard site, not an App as such
That's not strictly accurate. The apps aren't just shortcuts to the site - they are links to sites but the webpage is sort of an app in itself that's designed to use the features of chrome.
if your Dad does use a printer then the printer will need to support google cloud print to work with the Chromebook
Again not quite correct - there are other ways for your Chromebook to talk to a printer on the network, but the printer has to support that too.
Daughter and my mother both have HP Chromebooks, my daughter regularly has a dozen or more tabs open on hers with no issues and would be the first to complain if it was slow.
My mother is 67 and previously had a laptop but much prefers the Chromebook, highlights for her were ease of use, and the instant on nature(ie.No waiting around for it to boot, slow whilst installing updates etc).
I'd say for the non power user who just want to browse the web, access emails, watch you tube and videos these are ideal.
On a side note I'm sure you can configure Gmail to download emails from other Pop accounts, I used to have mine set up to pull in emails from a Sky Email account.