Lost ... trying to decide which cheap tablet to buy for youtube

Kwok Yung

Senior Member
Oct 3, 2019
6
3
Thanks!

As usual, life got in the way. I am working my butt off trying to get a roof on the new shop. We had snow in the area last night!!!!

Plus stupid things like the gas company showing up and saying they are putting a pole right were drive so I won't have access to my back yard ... to protect the meter. This is 200 ft from the road and I have trailers and an RV parked in the backyard ... they didn't care! I had to take time to file a complaint ... a bunch of calls .... still not resolved but at least on hold till next week.

With some luck I will take some time and do more reading this week ...my wife says jut buy one, not worth the time I spend doing all the research.

Thanks again ... Mike
I know exactly how you feel. I had been there. Last year, I finished fixing up a window leak and my wife reported no power in the bath room the following morning. It was a ground fault detected by the CFCI outlet. I need to do some external wiring so that she can use the bathroom. At this point, I am not able to nail down where the shot is. Work seems to come one after another. Anyway here is what I will consider if I were in your position. I hope this will help you to shorten your research time. My assumption is you have already decide on buying a Chromebook laptop and your budget is up to $200. To avoid trouble, buy known brands from reputable sellers (one who will accept returns if you are not happy with your purchase) or even better direct from manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo....).
1. confirm my requirements : I am not a gamer. I use it mainly for email , surfing the web, running some android apps and watch Youtube videos. For videos I watch, High definition (HD, up to 1080p) is good enough. I want to send the movies I watch to big screen TV.

2. If #1 are my requirements, most entry level Chromebook with 4G of memory and 32G of storage will do the job. I will also make sure that :
a. The Chromebook has Android pre-installed because I want to run Android apps
b. It has an HDMI output port. This allow me to connect the Chromebook to my TV using just a HDMI cable , Unless you have an antique TV otherwise it should have a HDMI input port. This will save me money on buying a Chromecast or a Mirrorcast device.
c. It has a micro SD card slot which allow me to add a micro SD card in case the basic 32G storage is not enough
d. Does it has a touch screen ? Chromebook with touch screen are slightly more expensive. But you should still be able to found one within your budget. The touch screen allow you to use your finger to navigate (like on the cell phone) instead of using a mouse. Most non-game android apps will be happy with a mouse. But some apps, especially gamming apps, simply do not cooperate when using a mouse. Of course, if you are sure that you will not be playing games or willing to switch to an alternative app if mouse does not cooperate, you can save money with a non-touch screen.

If you are using big screen TV or a monitor most of the time, you can get Chromebook with smaller screen size. 10, 11 inches is cheaper then 13" 14". You can use the money saved on better specification (better CPU, more memory or whatever...). I am a senior and I am fine with doing all emails using a 11 in laptop. I watch videos on my TV screen using Chromecast or HDMI cable.

I am not a big spender and I care about every penny of my hard earning dollar. Even there is no guarantee because technologies are changing so fast these days, I still hope my purchase can last me at least 3-5 years. Today, I am still using old cell phone and laptop computers that are 7+ years old.
 
Last edited:

xtal_01

Junior Member
Sep 12, 2022
10
0
I know exactly how you feel. I had been there. Last year, I finished fixing up a window leak and my wife reported no power in the bath room the following morning. It was a ground fault detected by the CFCI outlet. I need to do some external wiring so that she can use the bathroom. At this point, I am not able to nail down where the shot is. Work seems to come one after another. Anyway here is what I will consider if I were in your position. I hope this will help you to shorten your research time. My assumption is you have already decide on buying a Chromebook laptop and your budget is up to $200. To avoid trouble, buy known brands from reputable sellers (one who will accept returns if you are not happy with your purchase) or even better direct from manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo....).
1. confirm my requirements : I am not a gamer. I use it mainly for email , surfing the web, running some android apps and watch Youtube videos. For videos I watch, High definition (HD, up to 1080p) is good enough. I want to send the movies I watch to big screen TV.

2. If #1 are my requirements, most entry level Chromebook with 4G of memory and 32G of storage will do the job. I will also make sure that :
a. The Chromebook has Android pre-installed because I want to run Android apps
b. It has an HDMI output port. This allow me to connect the Chromebook to my TV using just a HDMI cable , Unless you have an antique TV otherwise it should have a HDMI input port. This will save me money on buying a Chromecast or a Mirrorcast device.
c. It has a micro SD card slot which allow me to add a micro SD card in case the basic 32G storage is not enough
d. Does it has a touch screen ? Chromebook with touch screen are slightly more expensive. But you should still be able to found one within your budget. The touch screen allow you to use your finger to navigate (like on the cell phone) instead of using a mouse. Most non-game android apps will be happy with a mouse. But some apps, especially gamming apps, simply do not cooperate when using a mouse. Of course, if you are sure that you will not be playing games or willing to switch to an alternative app if mouse does not cooperate, you can save money with a non-touch screen.

If you are using big screen TV or a monitor most of the time, you can get Chromebook with smaller screen size. 10, 11 inches is cheaper then 13" 14". You can use the money saved on better specification (better CPU, more memory or whatever...). I am a senior and I am fine with doing all emails using a 11 in laptop. I watch videos on my TV screen using Chromecast or HDMI cable.

I am not a big spender and I care about every penny of my hard earning dollar. Even there is no guarantee because technologies are changing so fast these days, I still hope my purchase can last me at least 3-5 years. Today, I am still using old cell phone and laptop computers that are 7+ years old.
Thanks so much! Saved me a lot of reading. You are exactly correct. When I want to search the web, I don't do it on the phone, I come in and use my dual screen computer. When I watch a movie, I do it on a large screen TV. HDMI port is a good idea ... when the shop gets built, I am planning on taking the oldest TV and putting it in the shop.

Thanks so very much for all the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike
 
Top