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Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 6:13 pm
by whm0829
Is this a bad idea? How will a CB limit your abilities to function as a law student?

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 6:31 pm
by sims1
Thinking about the same thing for taking notes since my current laptop is 17". Don't see any issues with it since you are just using it for word processing and web browsing.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:30 pm
by florida1949
You can't install ExamSoft on a CB and you can't use Microsoft Office on a CB. But neither of these are necessarily problems, you can take exams on another laptop and work on your memo/brief in Google Docs (although I wouldn't recommend this because Google Docs sucks for anything beyond simple notetaking). Also, everyone will expect to receive documents from you in .doc form and when you save Google Docs to .doc format, the formatting will often mess up, so that's something to look out for.

Nonetheless, I use to CB to take notes and I love it.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:44 pm
by ymmv
florida1949 wrote:You can't install ExamSoft on a CB and you can't use Microsoft Office on a CB. But neither of these are necessarily problems, you can take exams on another laptop and work on your memo/brief in Google Docs (although I wouldn't recommend this because Google Docs sucks for anything beyond simple notetaking). Also, everyone will expect to receive documents from you in .doc form and when you save Google Docs to .doc format, the formatting will often mess up, so that's something to look out for.

Nonetheless, I use to CB to take notes and I love it.
Yeah, I think examsoft and Word/Pages compatibility are basic prerequisites for any law school laptop. CB is only acceptable if you have another machine.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:46 pm
by sublime
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Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 11:00 am
by LAWYER2
You don't need much beyond Internet capability and the ability to run word processing apps.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 1:07 pm
by Crowing
I actually would have considered this but I happen to go to a school that doesn't have internet in the classrooms

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 1:11 pm
by ymmv
Crowing wrote:I actually would have considered this but I happen to go to a school that doesn't have internet in the classrooms
They have law schools in the Congo?

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 1:14 pm
by Crowing
ymmv wrote:
Crowing wrote:I actually would have considered this but I happen to go to a school that doesn't have internet in the classrooms
They have law schools in the Congo?
LJL at this site: http://www.hg.org/law-schools-democrati ... -congo.asp

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 1:50 pm
by sublime
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Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 5:46 pm
by Dads707
sublime wrote:
LAWYER2 wrote:You don't need much beyond Internet capability and the ability to run word processing apps.
examsoft is kind of important.
Any new support for examsoft with Chromebook?

Any issues with using Chromebook as a portable with a Windows as a backup?

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 5:50 pm
by sublime
Dads707 wrote:
sublime wrote:
LAWYER2 wrote:You don't need much beyond Internet capability and the ability to run word processing apps.
examsoft is kind of important.
Any new support for examsoft with Chromebook?

Any issues with using Chromebook as a portable with a Windows as a backup?

Not that I can tell. Using a chromebook for notetaking and other miscellaneous stuff would probably be fine, but you will want a reliable computer that runs examsoft for exams.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 5:57 pm
by Babum
I don't think it is that big of a deal. At my school you can take exams in the computers lab if you do not want to use your own laptop. Also, while Onenote won't work as an app (you could try their online app) there are other alternatives native to chrome. I would personally not get a CB for law school, but you do you.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 11:28 pm
by Famous
Honestly, Chromebooks are overrated. I don't see the point in limiting your computing capabilities when you can buy a similarly priced and sized laptop that has Windows. You gain nothing from Chromebooks, besides maybe coming off as savvy for using a fad technology. Stick with the tried and true.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 7:52 am
by Dads707
Famous wrote:Honestly, Chromebooks are overrated. I don't see the point in limiting your computing capabilities when you can buy a similarly priced and sized laptop that has Windows. You gain nothing from Chromebooks, besides maybe coming off as savvy for using a fad technology. Stick with the tried and true.
Laptops with Windows under $200? Where do I find these?

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 2:10 pm
by Famous
Dads707 wrote:
Famous wrote:Honestly, Chromebooks are overrated. I don't see the point in limiting your computing capabilities when you can buy a similarly priced and sized laptop that has Windows. You gain nothing from Chromebooks, besides maybe coming off as savvy for using a fad technology. Stick with the tried and true.
Laptops with Windows under $200? Where do I find these?
Fair, not that cheap. But it's still worth dishing out a couple hundred more for a laptop with Windows.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:29 pm
by Babum
It really depends. I think Chromebooks are helpful when you already have a regular laptop and need one that is more mobile (a rather odd thing to say but I stand by it). It is a cheap alternative that you can use to travel, media, etc.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 9:00 pm
by bk1
Dads707 wrote:
Famous wrote:Honestly, Chromebooks are overrated. I don't see the point in limiting your computing capabilities when you can buy a similarly priced and sized laptop that has Windows. You gain nothing from Chromebooks, besides maybe coming off as savvy for using a fad technology. Stick with the tried and true.
Laptops with Windows under $200? Where do I find these?
The HP Stream laptops were decently reviewed (they used Celeron processors to achieve the cost savings to hit that price point), though I'm not sure if they still make them.

Re: Chromebook for law school?

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:23 am
by Dads707
Famous wrote:Fair, not that cheap. But it's still worth dishing out a couple hundred more for a laptop with Windows.
bk1 wrote:The HP Stream laptops were decently reviewed (they used Celeron processors to achieve the cost savings to hit that price point), though I'm not sure if they still make them.
Thanks for the insight. Just looking for cheap portability so when I inevitably drop/throw it I won't be out much and will still have a back-up in the form of another PC at the apartment.

Came across this looking for the Stream:

http://store.hp.com/us/en/ConfigureView ... quantity=1

They show an MSRP of $299, but it drops to $199 when it goes in the cart.