Are you in need of a laptop that you’ll just use primarily for web browsing? Something that doesn’t need to have the fastest and most advanced processor since you’re not going to install any software in it? If so, you should get your hands on a Chromebook, which is a cheaper alternative to Windows and MacBook laptops and is packed with only the most important features, like the Acer Chromebook Spin 11.
As part of Walmart’s summer clearance sale, this Chromebook is available for only $229 , which is $70 less than its normal retail price of $299. This stylishly designed Chromebook/tablet hybrid is powered by an Intel Celeron processor and boasts 32GB of storage.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 11 sports a minimalist metal-like plastic chassis. The Chromebook feels solid to the touch and its touchscreen rotates 360 degrees that convert it into a tablet. It weighs 2.7 pounds, which makes it a little heavy to use as a tablet, but as a Chromebook, it feels light on the lap. Its dimensions are 11.7 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches, which again can be too big and unwieldy if carried using only one hand, like a regular tablet.
Its 11.6-inch touchscreen has a 1,366 x 768, or 135 PPI (pixels per inch) resolution that honestly doesn’t give the sharpest or brightest picture. Watching videos that are drenched in shadows makes it hard to make out the details. The bezels are also obnoxiously large which makes the display appear smaller. The screen is very responsive to the touch though. It can accurately track finger movement and commands and opening apps is relatively easy.
The keyboard is also easy to use and pleasantly compact. Whereas other Chromebook keys are awkwardly placed and often too small, the Spin 11’s keyboard offers precise typing and keys are big enough and comfortable to press. The touchpad is also fast and responsive.
Performance-wise, the Spin 11 is a bit sluggish compared to other Chromebooks. Its Intel Celeron N3350 CPU is a low-end processor that runs at a base clock of 1.1GHz and tops out at 2.4GHz. The Spin 11 is fast when browsing the internet, but once you open 10 or more tabs, that’s when it starts to slow down. Android apps that are open can also make it run at a slower pace.
The battery life is decent at 10 hours tops. It has a 720p web camera that takes pictures that are a bit grainy. You don’t need to worry about the Spin 11 overheating though, unlike other Chromebooks. Streaming HD videos on YouTube for 15 minutes straight didn’t cause it to heat up significantly.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is very affordable, performs well and has a comfortable keyboard. The display could use a little more brightness, and the battery life isn’t that great. Still, for just $229, it’s quite a bargain.
Looking for more options? Here’s a page of our best Chromebooks for 2019, and affordable laptops under $300.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.