This was a MISTAKE - Switching to Chromebook

Aug 24, 2023

This was a MISTAKE - Switching to Chromebook

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook Tablet: https://austin.tech/chromebookduet
Google Pixel 7 on Amazon: https://austin.tech/pixel7
Google Pixel Buds Pro on Amazon: https://austin.tech/pixelbudspro
Google Pixel Watch on Amazon: https://austin.tech/pixelwatch

By using our Amazon affiliate links we may receive compensation for purchases through those links.

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Chapter Titles:
0:00 Goodbye Apple
1:24 Hello Chromebook
2:15 The Pixel Life
4:29 A Chrome OS tablet is fine, right?
5:35 Day 1
7:20 Pixel Buds aren’t it
8:15 The Limitations of the Chromebook
10:05 A Friendly Check In with Ken
11:52 Making a Thumbnail
13:25 Maybe this was a bad idea
15:03 Don’t tell JerryRigEverything
16:17 My breaking point
18:41 Was it all worth it?

Content

0 -> - I'm about to spend the next 30 days using a Chromebook.

2.46 -> And to get the best outta my experience,

4.17 -> I'm going to go all in on the Google ecosystem.

6.93 -> What could possibly go wrong?

8.64 -> Do I have to do it?

9.9 -> - [Jared] Yes.

10.733 -> - These are the devices that I'll be leaving behind

12.72 -> for the next 30 days.

13.98 -> We've got my 14-inch MacBook Pro, the iPhone 14 Pro,

18.15 -> my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, as well as my Sony LinkBuds S,

22.41 -> as well as my Apple Watch Series 7.

24.66 -> This is what I gotta give up

26.76 -> to embrace the Google lifestyle.

29.1 -> Although thankfully,

29.933 -> I don't have to wear this shirt the whole time

30.766 -> 'cause if I had to wear this shirt for 30 days,

31.95 -> I'd be really grumpy.

32.783 -> The first task here is going to be getting a new computer.

34.95 -> I've gotta find a Chromebook.

38.885 -> - [Jared] (gasping surprisingly) Did you say the C-word?

39.718 -> - I said the C-word.

40.59 -> Using Google stuff is not new to me,

42.3 -> I use a ton of Google stuff on a very regular basis.

44.76 -> And I think on the phone side, I'm going to be fine.

46.68 -> The thing to consider

47.73 -> is I use a lot of Apple products, right?

50.43 -> Not only do I use the iPhone and the Apple Watch,

53.236 -> but also I use a Mac and mostly that is for work.

55.62 -> So, my biggest fear is that Chrome OS

58.98 -> is not going to let me do the work that I need.

61.38 -> I rely every day on Thunderbolt accessories

63.78 -> which the Chromebook does not have,

65.25 -> I use things like Final Cut

66.81 -> which is certainly not on the Chromebook,

68.88 -> and I'm also dealing with moving around

70.92 -> just massive video files and dealing with server stuff.

74.25 -> I think I'll be able to find workarounds,

76.41 -> I think I'll be okay, but I'm worried about that.

80.22 -> My wife is gonna kill me

81.18 -> when she finds out I don't have FaceTime anymore.

83.296 -> (everyone laughing amusingly)

84.87 -> Alright, so I've made my decision.

87.18 -> This is a $380 Lenovo Chromebook tablet.

92.55 -> So, this might not be terrible.

94.38 -> I mean, it's an 11-inch Chromebook tablet.

97.02 -> It's powered by a Snapdragon 7C Gen 2.

99.96 -> It's not gonna be fast.

100.793 -> It's also only got four gigs of RAM.

102.36 -> But, it does come with the full attachment.

104.31 -> It's got not only the kickstand on the back,

105.69 -> but it also does have the keyboard, the trackpad.

108.9 -> And I've also got myself a pair of Pixel Buds.

110.94 -> This should be my computing setup for a month.

112.56 -> I don't see what could possibly go wrong.

113.91 -> I've got four gigs of RAM!

116.01 -> - [Jared] How many more gigs do you need?

118.47 -> - 12.

119.46 -> Yes, this Chromebook costs 1/10 the price,

122.61 -> which is quite nice.

123.443 -> And yes, it's small.

124.68 -> But, I'm gonna get really annoyed at the lack of performance

128.19 -> that four gigs of RAM is gonna give me,

129.75 -> especially with that tiny screen

131.43 -> and the very small keyboard.

133.92 -> I'm gonna regret my decisions.

135.96 -> So, let's take a look at the devices

137.4 -> that I'm going to be using for the next month,

138.96 -> starting with the brand new Pixel 7.

141 -> Here's the thing, as much as I love the Z Flip...

143.313 -> Shh, don't tell anyone.

144.39 -> I have dailied Pixels in between.

146.04 -> Like, there have been times

147.27 -> where I've cheated on the Z Flip.

148.53 -> Every year, I've cheated on the Z Flip with a Pixel

150.6 -> for at least a little bit.

151.53 -> Now to be fair, I always go back,

153.09 -> but going from Z Flip to Pixel,

154.77 -> Android to Android phone is super easy.

156.509 -> There are also advantages here.

157.35 -> It's got better cameras,

158.61 -> it's gonna have better battery life,

160.05 -> it's going to have a non-flippy screen

161.67 -> which is easier just to kinda pull out of your pocket.

163.62 -> So, I think I'll be okay without the Z Flip.

166.89 -> I also have the Pixel Watch,

168.12 -> which is going to be a little less easy to deal with.

172.08 -> I use the Apple Watch so much.

174.96 -> I use it for sleep tracking, I use it for workouts,

177.63 -> I use it for notifications.

179.01 -> And while the Pixel Watch is good, don't get me wrong,

182.28 -> I just don't think it's gonna do them as well.

184.17 -> My biggest concern with this whole challenge, hands down,

186.75 -> is going to be spending time with the Chromebook.

188.67 -> I actually really like Chrome OS

190.077 -> and I think that there's real advantages to using it,

193.02 -> especially if you're a student

195.03 -> or if you're at an enterprise

196.44 -> where you need to manage a bunch of things.

197.91 -> And realistically,

198.9 -> I know that almost everything I do on a daily basis,

201.66 -> I can do on a Chromebook.

203.1 -> The problem might be more so with this particular one

207.45 -> because while it is very small,

209.34 -> and I am a huge fan of tiny things,

212.7 -> this is very underpowered.

214.05 -> - [Jared] Let's see what we got! (laughing amusingly)

215.55 -> - I actually really like the way this hardware feels.

217.56 -> And you've got dual side-firing speakers,

219.75 -> so you've got proper stereo.

220.8 -> You've got what seems to be a very small webcam,

222.57 -> but it's in the correct orientation

224.07 -> since no one's ever gonna wanna use the tablet like this.

226.08 -> You do have a rear-facing camera.

227.37 -> And it feels nice, I mean it's-

229.573 -> - [British Voiceover] Aluminum.

230.464 -> - That's got this sorta like nice soft-touch finish.

231.72 -> All like closed up, it actually feels nice.

233.67 -> So, it's plastic,

234.87 -> but it's kinda got like a fake sort of cloth texture.

237.27 -> The fact I've got two USB-Cs is nice.

239.61 -> This is gonna sound weird, I'm actually kind of excited

241.74 -> to spend time with the Chromebook.

242.88 -> - [Jared] What?

243.96 -> - The thing is I actually like using Chrome OS sometimes.

247.14 -> I've used Chromebooks in the past.

249.014 -> Now, this is gonna be the longest

249.847 -> that I've completely committed

250.98 -> to using one on a daily basis.

252.72 -> But look, I have been making videos on tech for a long time,

256.38 -> but it still excites me to try new things, right?

258.63 -> And while I've used Chrome OS in the past,

261.48 -> I haven't used it in a while.

262.5 -> So, I'm curious to see

263.37 -> how a $380 Chromebook right off the shelf can perform

267 -> when I just drop it into my normal day-to-day tasks.

269.4 -> So, first step

270.63 -> is I'm going to attach the little kickstand thing.

273.21 -> It's very stiff on the hinge, so I can easily...

275.1 -> Oh yeah, look at that.

276.391 -> (Jared cringing loudly)

277.224 -> $380 of quality right here.

278.057 -> Now, we also have the ver...

281.635 -> - [Jared] Hmm.

282.468 -> - This is an 11 inch display,

284.819 -> not an 11.6, an 11-inch display.

287.637 -> I just realized it's not a full-size keyboard.

288.63 -> Yeah, that's like a 95%-size keyboard.

291.24 -> Look at the "Backspace," look how small the "Shift" is,

294.03 -> look how small all of these keys on the right are.

296.4 -> What have I done?

297.233 -> There was a $700 Chromebook that they had...

301.05 -> That's a Lightning port.

302.28 -> Okay, see, (Jared laughing amusingly)

303.24 -> this is emblematic of my life now!

305.49 -> I'm trying to plug a Lightning port...

306.528 -> (sighing disappointingly)

307.361 -> But, on the flip side, I wanted to be true...

310.11 -> The Pixel just-

311.34 -> - [Jared] Dude!

312.99 -> It's gonna be broken

313.823 -> before you even have a chance to use it.

315.261 -> (Jared laughing amusingly)

316.094 -> - Thankfully, I do have a pair of Pixel Buds Pro.

317.76 -> The most important thing, do they pass the pocket test?

320.943 -> - Ooh! - Ooh, they do, they do.

323.16 -> - [Jared] That's a tight fit.

324.12 -> - A little tight, but it's fine.

326.58 -> You know what they say about a tight fit, "It fit."

328.92 -> Day one.

329.79 -> Let's go, baby!

332.01 -> Google, Google, Google, Google!

333.829 -> (menacing music swelling)

335.1 -> Alright, so I'm winding down day one with the Pixel,

338.22 -> and so far, pretty good.

340.44 -> I'll say the Pixel Watch has been less than spectacular,

344.52 -> mostly because the original pairing process

346.92 -> was super annoying,

348 -> and having to log into the Fitbit account

349.56 -> as well as the normal account has been annoying.

351 -> But outside of that, things have been fairly smooth.

353.16 -> So, wrapping up day one for my Google experience.

356.31 -> So, let's start out by talking about the Pixel 7.

358.83 -> And look, I've been a big fan of pretty much every Pixel

361.23 -> that's come out since the first one,

362.55 -> even back to the Nexus days.

363.81 -> And the 7 is no exception.

365.25 -> It's a much more refined version of the 6.

367.29 -> The only real downside

368.67 -> that I really have in my day-to-day life is on the video.

372.09 -> So, you're looking at video

373.41 -> directly off the Pixel 7 right now.

375.961 -> And it's fine and it's decent,

378.12 -> but that's one of the biggest advantages in my opinion

380.01 -> of the iPhone.

380.843 -> And that is a huge reason why I've,

382.35 -> while I prefer the hardware of the Z Flip,

384.36 -> still continuing to also carry an iPhone at the same time.

387.499 -> So, I've been using a Z Flip as my main device

389.94 -> for a few years now.

391.08 -> However, the iPhone has stayed in my back pocket

393.27 -> for one major reason: I can't always rely on Android.

397.92 -> Now, that might sound like a really weird thing to say,

400.59 -> but I've run into a lot of scenarios where I need to, say,

403.98 -> post a sponsored story on Instagram,

406.62 -> and I've had issues uploading it

408.24 -> from the Android Instagram app.

410.16 -> It works most of the time, but I've had issues

412.68 -> where it suddenly comes out

413.513 -> like looking potato quality or something.

415.05 -> And you know what I don't have to worry about

416.58 -> for my livelihood,

417.72 -> is relying on my iPhone to do the exact same thing.

419.91 -> I also just finished up a workout with the Pixel Watch.

422.46 -> The set-up process is annoying, it's just not good.

426.3 -> There's the Fitbit layer, there's the Google layer,

428.25 -> you have to sync it all up.

429.63 -> It's a bit of a pain.

430.68 -> But, once I just got into the workout,

432.81 -> the Fitbit stuff worked pretty well.

434.67 -> I mean, the heart rate tracking,

436.62 -> the kind of zones and stuff, I actually like that more

438.9 -> than the way that the Apple Watch does it.

440.31 -> The Pixel Buds have actually been... (sighing fairly)

442.44 -> They're kind of mid, I guess, is my first impression.

444.72 -> The noise canceling isn't great.

446.13 -> Like, I actually was cycling

447.75 -> between transparency and noise canceling,

449.58 -> and I couldn't necessarily tell

450.96 -> a massive, massive difference.

452.64 -> Not impressed with the Buds.

454.2 -> So, I was in the middle of pairing my Pixel Buds

457.26 -> to the Pixelbook,

458.28 -> and I realized there's a little bit of a problem.

460.08 -> Take a look at my Pixel Buds less than 24 hours in.

462.57 -> Can you see how blue?

465.24 -> Like, my jeans have rubbed off so much.

466.86 -> Look at that. - Oh, wow.

468.09 -> - These are brand new.

469.05 -> It's been put in this pocket maybe three or four times ever,

471.66 -> and it is already looking massively blue.

473.67 -> So, as part of this challenge,

474.51 -> I am only using Google products whenever I can,

477.3 -> which means that I'm using YouTube Music instead of Spotify.

480.09 -> For music, it's totally fine.

481.77 -> But my favorite podcast, "Dissect,"

484.14 -> just dropped the first episode of a new season

487.08 -> on one of my favorite albums and I can't listen to it.

492.621 -> I caved. (laughing amusingly)

495.63 -> So, it is day four

497.01 -> and I'm doing a little bit of work on the server

498.63 -> with the Chromebook.

499.98 -> Now, this is clearly a bit of an issue because our servers

504.21 -> are entirely run using either Windows or Mac.

507.33 -> So, mostly what I'm doing here

509.85 -> is just keeping up with like spreadsheets

512.22 -> and data management stuff, which I can do in the Chromebook.

514.71 -> But, the actual like interfacing with the server

517.02 -> has to be done on the Mac that's sitting here,

520.32 -> that's in the rack.

521.28 -> One thing I found that has been a real learning curve

525.69 -> is dealing with the trackpad.

527.07 -> The trackpad is not horrible

528.39 -> and the keyboard is a little bit better than I thought.

530.88 -> But the problem is is that when it comes to using it

534.18 -> for extended periods of time, and you know,

536.07 -> dealing with like spreadsheets and that kinda stuff,

538.74 -> it is so irritating. (laughing frustratingly)

541.11 -> It's just not a good trackpad.

542.91 -> So, I've gotten to carrying around my MX Master with me

545.4 -> everywhere I go.

546.33 -> I literally walked into the server room,

548.16 -> brought the mouse

549.3 -> 'cause I knew I was not gonna wanna sit here

550.53 -> with the trackpad for that long.

552.27 -> It is time to unwind and play some games on my Chromebook.

558.24 -> So, what I think I'm gonna do

559.17 -> is I'm actually going to use Game Pass,

561.24 -> and I'm gonna pick up my "Cyberpunk" game

562.92 -> that I was recently playing on Xbox.

564.78 -> So, let's see how this goes.

567.933 -> Well, my Xbox controller isn't pairing particularly well.

573.705 -> (laughing amusingly) Uh...

575.13 -> Time to play a cloud gaming service

578.1 -> that I can use a mouse with!

579.84 -> It was a pretty smooth day.

581.01 -> Pixel was completely rock solid,

583.08 -> I've had no real battery issues.

584.94 -> The same thing actually goes with the Chromebook.

586.95 -> I've actually been pretty happy with it.

588.72 -> Now, mind you, the performance is not great.

591.03 -> So, I'm gonna sit down,

592.41 -> get some email done on the Chromebook,

594.78 -> watch some "Andor," and call it a night.

597.21 -> But, I actually don't think

598.53 -> this is gonna be that hard of a challenge.

600.18 -> Like, I'm actually starting to kinda see the light,

602.76 -> although I miss some things. (laughing cutely)

605.61 -> So, Ken?

606.443 -> - Yeah?

607.276 -> - I have had quite the journey so far.

610.44 -> And-

612.113 -> - [Jared] Whatchu got on there?

612.946 -> - Don't worry about it.

613.779 -> It's the Pixel Watch 2, made by Tim Cook.

617.46 -> - Great, are you having fun? (laughing amusingly)

620.16 -> - I actually kind of am, like-

621.72 -> - Really? Okay.

622.553 -> - The thing is I feel like

623.386 -> I only have like one of these videos in me a year, right?

625.08 -> Because you know,

625.913 -> I get settled in with my ecosystem and all my devices.

629.01 -> And yeah, I'm sadly looking at my Z Flip on the counter,

632.04 -> not being able to touch it for a month,

633.45 -> but like it is kind of fun for me

635.28 -> to kinda like get outta my comfort zone

636.87 -> and try a bunch of stuff.

637.8 -> Because things like this Chromebook

639.33 -> have been legitimately interesting to me

641.16 -> in ways that I was not expecting.

642.63 -> Last week,

643.463 -> I purchased this Chromebook for $380 from Best Buy.

646.59 -> It is now on sale for $299.

649.732 -> - [Ken] Okay.

650.565 -> - On top of that,

651.398 -> if you wanna get a slightly older version of this,

652.29 -> it's on Amazon for like $230 bucks.

653.91 -> - I mean, this hardware feels nice.

655.43 -> It actually kind of feels like a proper Folio.

657.81 -> It has a nice texture to it, I love the color.

660.63 -> - I'm gonna take advantage of the Google ecosystem.

662.85 -> - Oh, can you unlock it with your phone?

664.11 -> - Unlock my phone, and then...

666.75 -> - Oh, okay, okay.

667.583 -> - The main thing where this struggles

668.7 -> is when you have multiple tabs and whatnot,

670.38 -> four gigs of RAM is just not enough.

671.88 -> Also, something I've realized,

672.93 -> while this can run Android apps,

674.61 -> I kinda don't run Android apps that often.

676.68 -> So, Spotify has a web app and also the Android app-

678.99 -> - You didn't use Google Music?

681.3 -> - Uh...

682.26 -> But, the Spotify Android app,

684.48 -> literally, it was like skipping.

686.22 -> It was not playing my music back smoothly.

688.26 -> When you're on this Chromebook,

689.16 -> if you can live inside the browser and not using apps,

691.32 -> it's better.

692.153 -> So, I use Slack in the browser,

694.35 -> I use Spotify in the browser.

696.27 -> The only things I do...

697.23 -> And most of the other ones I have that are "apps"

698.94 -> are just Chrome tabs

700.29 -> that are just sort of pinned in Windows.

701.88 -> Single-tasking is fine,

703.44 -> multitasking is where it gets a little sketchy.

706.92 -> - So, for grandma, it's fine.

709.02 -> - No, for those who are patient and can deal with-

711.179 -> - So, Grandma.

712.35 -> - Yes.

713.183 -> So now, I have something I don't wanna do,

716.4 -> which is to create a thumbnail using the Chromebook.

720.004 -> So, I'm here with my good buddy, Myke,

721.05 -> who's my co-host on the "Backmarkers" podcast.

724.11 -> And 'cause I gotta make the thumbnail,

725.7 -> I gotta figure out how to use Canva.

726.99 -> What is Canva?

728.13 -> It looks like there's so much...

729.24 -> Look, I can make a website, print a product,

731.55 -> create a video, or I can play with Canva.

734.91 -> What?

735.743 -> - Just play with it.

736.827 -> - I can just play with it. - Just play with it.

737.66 -> - When I fail, can you use Photoshop to create them all?

738.92 -> - Yeah. - Okay, cool, thanks.

740.22 -> The most attractive thumbnail.

741.907 -> (Myke laughing amusingly)

742.74 -> Oh, it's a 404.

743.573 -> YouTube thumbnail templates.

744.42 -> Okay. Wow!

745.35 -> These are actually good.

746.183 -> "Customize template," let's go.

747.3 -> Alright, so I'm gonna specifically use Canva

748.98 -> because this actually works inside the browser.

751.44 -> Now, there are certainly Android apps that I could use.

753.87 -> There's even things like Lightroom

754.83 -> which you are sort of optimized.

756.54 -> But, based on my terrible experience running Android apps,

758.97 -> I wanna stay inside Chrome as much as I can.

760.89 -> - Ooh, I like the font, the font's great.

762.6 -> - This is another kinda disaster actually.

764.16 -> Actually, no, performance is not bad.

765.78 -> There we go, there we go.

767.493 -> Now, I need a photo for the background.

769.17 -> I'm gonna look up a royalty-free image of a Ferrari.

771.21 -> - Don't just... I'm just gonna...

772.293 -> (static buzzing)

773.126 -> - Paste.

774.386 -> Oh!

775.328 -> (Myke laughing amusingly)

776.161 -> Oh, you can go play graphics and stuff?

777.85 -> This is actually not bad.

778.683 -> - Subscribe.

779.516 -> There.

780.349 -> (both laughing amusingly)

782.543 -> - Here's the thing, like this actually is fine.

785.163 -> - Canva's fine, you just don't know how to use it.

787.918 -> - "Ferraris Suck: Disaster in two Weeks."

789.868 -> Okay, sure.

790.701 -> (both laughing amusingly)

791.937 -> How do I export this?

792.93 -> I need to save this one, just for my own personal use.

795.66 -> That's a thumbnail right there that I made on a Chromebook.

798.63 -> Three or four people would click that.

799.763 -> I think that's a win.

801.39 -> I'm feeling good about myself.

803.52 -> Can you please Photoshop us a good thumbnail?

805.204 -> (laughing amusingly)

806.037 -> So, this is the first time

807.42 -> that I have launched a video from my Chromebook,

810.06 -> and it's working right?

812.04 -> So, I've had problems

813.12 -> when I've done challenges like this with an iPad

814.68 -> because some things like uploading the captions for videos

817.77 -> and some of the backend analytics stuff

819.3 -> straight-up will still not work on an iPad.

821.7 -> And thankfully, it is working on the Chromebook.

823.95 -> The problem though is that four gigs of RAM.

826.89 -> I am playing this stuff back right now.

829.014 -> I think we should do our own AI art generation-

830.91 -> It's like dropping frames.

833.16 -> It's like you can tell that it doesn't have the bandwidth.

837.953 -> It just can't handle this well.

838.92 -> That being said, I am able to get this video live.

841.56 -> It's a compromise, it's not a deal breaker.

844.44 -> But, this is probably

845.37 -> the roughest thing I've done with the Chromebook,

847.14 -> and it's not that demanding.

848.94 -> Now, the astute among you may notice something different

853.62 -> on my wrist.

855.51 -> So, I switched back to the Apple Watch. (laughing amusingly)

859.56 -> I made it five days with the Pixel Watch.

861.24 -> Stuff like if you wanna go to pick a workout,

863.49 -> pick the Fitbit exercise app, then it doesn't...

865.92 -> Unlike the Apple Watch- - Ah yeah,

867.3 -> the Fitbit thing's kind of annoying-

868.72 -> - Yeah! - And they make you use it.

870.42 -> - It's like, stupid.

871.253 -> So like, on the Apple Watch,

872.25 -> if I'm gonna pick a workout,

873.27 -> it shows me all the workouts I've most recently done.

875.43 -> On the Fitbit, it gives me one or two workouts,

877.44 -> and if that's not those,

878.28 -> I have to scroll through like 30 different things

879.96 -> to find the thing I'm gonna do.

880.89 -> I'm like, "Why can't you remember I did this yesterday?"

883.02 -> The moment that I gave up on it, okay?

884.851 -> - Yeah.

885.684 -> - I'm at the gym, I'm like 30 minutes into a workout,

888.21 -> I missed a very important call that it did not notify me on

891.24 -> that the Pixel had all the notifications on.

893.01 -> I don't know what happened,

894.03 -> maybe didn't catch it or whatever.

895.35 -> But, that was the final straw.

896.58 -> I literally went straight home, took the Pixel Watch off,

899.01 -> went back to Apple Watch.

899.91 -> I would rather use this on wifi and LTE

902.79 -> than the Pixel Watch.

903.967 -> (tape stopping abruptly)

904.8 -> - What's up?

905.633 -> - Is this curved?

906.466 -> Look, I'm gonna barely flex this a little bit.

908.16 -> (gentle pensive music)

909.03 -> - Oh, Jesus!

910.39 -> Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. (everyone laughing amusingly)

911.223 -> - Look at it. - Okay, okay.

912.056 -> Stop, stop, stop. (Ken laughing amusingly)

913.26 -> That is-

914.093 -> - [Jared] 21 days, Austin!

916.854 -> You can't break it yet.

918.03 -> - [Ken] You made it worse.

919.56 -> - I know!

921.593 -> No, no, like one finger, one finger, watch, one finger.

924.54 -> - [Ken] No, no, no, no, no, no.

925.822 -> Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

926.655 -> You need to chill.

927.72 -> Stop that. (Ken laughing gently)

929.01 -> - Honestly, I'm flabbergasted.

930.48 -> I have not done any durability testing.

931.83 -> It's been fine, but it's literally curved

934.08 -> and it's been in my bag for a week.

935.55 -> Nevermind, I said a lot of nice things about it,

938.01 -> I didn't realize you could take one finger

939.45 -> and almost snap it in half.

940.44 -> Honestly,

941.31 -> I'm rethinking almost everything I've said

943.05 -> about this Chromebook throughout.

944.25 -> As much as I've found like using Chrome OS interesting

947.07 -> and this hardware to be mostly good,

948.63 -> that might be the flimsiest bit of bending

952.23 -> I've ever seen in my entire life,

953.7 -> including like cheap Wish tablets and everything.

955.47 -> I don't trust that this is gonna last the 30 days!

957.48 -> I don't trust this is gonna last a year

959.19 -> or multiple years in someone's backpack,

960.63 -> I don't believe it.

961.463 -> - But on the upside, Austin,

962.55 -> you've always wanted a Z Flip replacement, right?

964.62 -> Here you go.

966.81 -> - [Jared] Good luck on the rest of your three weeks.

968.538 -> (gentle pensive music continues)

971.19 -> Don't sit on it.

972.45 -> - [Ken] Don't drop it.

974.018 -> Don't look at it.

974.851 -> (Jared laughing amusingly)

975.684 -> (gentle pensive music continues)

977.4 -> - Alright, it is a Monday,

979.8 -> which means that I have spent the last three hours

982.77 -> on this beautiful webcam on my Chromebook.

986.19 -> Yeah, today was not super smooth.

987.84 -> I mean, to be fair, it's worked

990.06 -> but, you can see the auto exposure

990.93 -> is just wildly all over the place,

993.03 -> which is fairly indicative of cheaper lower-end devices.

996.51 -> But, the other thing

997.613 -> that I think was a little bit more of a problem

998.446 -> was this thing was lagging on me

1001.79 -> as I was trying to like be on a video call on one tab,

1004.88 -> pull up like docs and other things.

1006.53 -> Like, it was chugging pretty hard,

1008.63 -> more so when I tried to plug it into my monitor

1011.03 -> to have some extra screen real estate.

1012.59 -> That did not work.

1013.76 -> Not an amazing experience,

1016.31 -> which shouldn't be a surprised as my face keeps flickering.

1021.26 -> But, I certainly had hoped for a little bit better.

1022.97 -> So, I've got a little bit of a problem.

1024.5 -> So, I've got-

1025.608 -> - [British Voiceover] To commit tax fraud.

1027.02 -> - In a couple days, and I'm a little worried

1030.29 -> about actually relying on this on the day.

1034.19 -> I think it will work.

1035.69 -> I have USB-C, I can plug in my mic and everything else,

1038.75 -> but just seeing how it's been choppy

1042.62 -> makes me legitimately concerned to trust this

1044.81 -> for an actual real thing.

1046.91 -> Like, it's one thing

1047.743 -> if I'm goofing around and it takes a bit,

1049.34 -> but I am recording something live for a sponsor.

1052.82 -> I can't exactly just lag out

1055.43 -> or have choppy audio or anything like that.

1058.68 -> Like, I think it'll be okay,

1060.2 -> but it's really kinda making me second guess

1062.63 -> how much I can really trust the Chromebook.

1066.14 -> Which is unfortunate

1066.973 -> because it's generally been fine so far.

1069.11 -> Yeah, not feeling super confident right now.

1072.62 -> (tense dramatic tone)

1074.315 -> Like it just literally will not open for me.

1077.152 -> Do you know what's going on,

1077.985 -> do you know why I'm having this problem?

1079.88 -> - [Person On Phone] Um, no,

1080.713 -> but you were supposed to be here about five minutes ago,

1082.94 -> and we really need you to start soon.

1086.005 -> - I'm trying to join right now,

1086.84 -> but the problem is is that literally,

1088.22 -> the link is just not functioning.

1089.87 -> Like, it loads and then it shows nothing.

1092.51 -> - [Person On Phone] Okay.

1093.343 -> Um, well...

1094.176 -> - Can you send me a new link?

1095.009 -> Can you send me like an updated link that I can try?

1097.58 -> 'Cause this one's just not working.

1100.13 -> - [Person On Phone] Yes,

1100.963 -> I can send you an updated link right now,

1102.56 -> just try and get here as soon as possible.

1103.97 -> - Okay, thank you.

1105.296 -> Alright, see ya.

1106.129 -> I'm gonna throw this Chromebook out the window.

1107.897 -> So, I'm trying to do something very important right now,

1110.599 -> and it is literally not working and I'm gonna get grumpy.

1113.485 -> (inhaling heavily)

1114.669 -> (key clicking laboriously)

1116.06 -> Now's not the time, okay?

1117.56 -> Now's not the time!

1119.362 -> I'll just close it up and I'll just...

1121.37 -> I'm getting my Macbook, I'm getting my Macbook.

1123.216 -> (exhaling stressfully)

1124.52 -> I apologize for getting just a little bit upset.

1127.4 -> I'm all down for a challenge,

1128.84 -> I'm all down to do something to learn about the experience.

1132.05 -> And I have learned a lot

1133.34 -> spending the last several weeks with this Chromebook.

1136.13 -> Almost none of my problems

1137.54 -> really have come down to Chrome OS.

1139.16 -> It really has been down

1140.48 -> to the hardware of this particular Chromebook.

1143.93 -> For basic use, it is totally acceptable.

1146.39 -> But, I feel like I need a little bit more.

1148.76 -> This Snapdragon (sighing quickly) chip in here

1150.77 -> is a low-end processor.

1153.14 -> Four gigs of RAM is not enough.

1154.76 -> And when you put that all together

1156.02 -> with the flaws of a fairly small tablet

1160.91 -> that bends when you start to flex it...

1163.316 -> (sighing disappointingly)

1164.149 -> There's certainly things I like about Chrome OS,

1165.74 -> and there's certainly things I've learned

1166.88 -> about really leaning into the Google ecosystem.

1168.68 -> But also, there have been some real shortcomings

1170.45 -> that have been made very clear to me.

1172.13 -> When you look at Apple,

1173.54 -> they have an absolutely impeccable ecosystem.

1176.36 -> Every single Apple product

1178.22 -> works well with other Apple products, right?

1179.72 -> And the more you get, the better it is.

1181.1 -> Sure, there's a little bit of a nefarious angle there,

1183.59 -> where if you wanna try to leave that ecosystem,

1185.78 -> suddenly half of your things don't work anymore.

1187.43 -> And I get that, that's a completely real trade-off.

1189.35 -> But, when I can use my Apple Watch to control my Apple TV

1192.08 -> which is running an AirPlay video from my Mac

1194.51 -> as I'm streaming on my phone.

1196.37 -> Like, all these things when they work together so well,

1198.71 -> I kind of expected that going all Google

1200.66 -> would be a little bit more of a stronger value proposition,

1203.48 -> and it really isn't.

1204.313 -> Yeah, an Android phone and Chromebook

1206.12 -> do work together relatively well,

1207.89 -> you can unlock it and stuff.

1208.82 -> But generally speaking,

1210.02 -> nothing really talks to each other in the way

1212.45 -> that something like a series of Apple products would.

1214.43 -> And that's the thing

1215.682 -> that's been the most disappointing element

1217.25 -> of this entire sort of video.

1219.5 -> So, I don't think it's a surprise,

1221.702 -> (gentle rhythmic music)

1222.98 -> I'm gonna go back

1224.42 -> to the way I was using devices before this.

1227.019 -> And I'm gonna use an Apple Watch

1227.852 -> to check my blood pressure right now

1228.961 -> 'cause I think it's still elevated after that.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uowRXM3wzA0