Acer C720 Chromebook Is a Budget-Friendly Choice for Your Child’s First Computer

If you’re thinking about getting a laptop for your child, but don’t want to invest in anything super expensive, I highly recommend the Acer C720 Chromebook.

I actually like this machine so much that I went out and purchased a second one for myself after buying my nine-year-old son one for Christmas. For $200, it’s a wonderful child’s computer or a supplement to your desktop.

Here’s what I love:

• It starts up extremely fast and is basically ready to go right out of the box. It look me less than five minutes to get each Chromebook up and running.
• It has a very long battery life. My son can easily go two or three days before needing to recharge his.
• The Chrome interface is clean and easy to navigate. My son seems to find it easier to use than Firefox or Internet Explorer.
• We’ve had no problems using Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime’s instant video services.
• There are lots of free apps for both children and adults in the Chrome Web Store. Build with Chrome, an online version of building with Lego bricks, is a great choice for any child who likes Legos. My son also really likes making little movies with his webcam at the WeVideo video editor.
• The machine itself is lightweight, which makes it perfect for travel.

Potential drawbacks:

• You need to create a Google account for each person who wants to use the machine. I wasn’t wild about the idea of my son having his own email address, but the only other alternative I could think of was giving him access to my Google account and risking him accidentally deleting my files.
• The 11.6 inch screen is smaller than a laptop, but the size doesn’t seem to bother my son at all. The keyboard is decently sized and I can actually type quite well on mine.
• Without Internet access, you’re a little limited in what you can do with the machine. You can open a Google Doc and have it sync with your account the next time you’re online, which I’ve managed to do several times, but accessing your emails and other documents is tricky. Most of the games for kids available in the Chrome Web Store require an Internet connection, but I did find a few my son likes that you can play offline. (Click here to check out the offline enabled apps.)

The Acer C720 Chromebook gets 4.5 stars on Amazon, with reviewers praising it as a low maintenance yet powerful alternative to a traditional laptop.

Photo credit: Amazon