RealClear Summary
Posted On November 30, 2012
A $199 laptop is bound to turn heads, and Acer's C7 Chromebook has certainly done that. The Chromebook runs Google's cloud-based operating system - so fans of Gmail, Chrome and Google Drive will have an laptop optimized for apps you regularly use. The OS is regularly updated, so Google can keep its anti-virus protections fresh.
The C7 sports an 11.6-inch HD display (1366 x 768), a 1.1GHz Intel Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. On the hardware front you'll find an HD webcam, HDMI output, memory card reader and three USB ports.
Even with its bargain basement price tag, the Acer C7 Chromebook did not impress reviewers. They faulted a poor battery life, cheap design, poor display and touchpad. Chromebook fans were advised to pony up an extra $50 for Samsung's superior $249 Chromebook instead.
Reviews Sources
Acer missed the mark with the C7. The company chose to spec it like a laptop - more powerful, Intel-made internals, a larger hard drive - but ignored the key tenets of what makes a...
Acer's $199 system certainly wins on price, but it looks and feels extremely cheap. It offers a fast processor along with Ethernet and VGA connectivity, but at the expense of a glossy...
Ultimately, we're left unmoved by the Acer C7 Chromebook. It's weird; compare it to the only slightly older Samsung Series 3 Chromebook and it looks on paper like it's better in almost...
At $199, the Acer C7 is an attractive proposition for anyone looking for a supercheap portable laptop, but the Chrome OS and short battery life mean you'll have to accept a lot of...
Acer has succeeded in boiling out all the high-end features that make a notebook cost more than $400 and took Google's Chrome OS to just about as standard and basically acceptable...
| Approve | Mostly Approve | |
Mixed/Caveated | Mostly Disapprove | Disapprove |