Chromebooks

We here at tekMate are fans of the Chromebook.  They provide a simple, and cheap, computer for people who don't want to be Computer Scientists, and just want a computer to be a simple and useful tool.  

The ChromeBook advantage:
• Cheap - New Zealand prices range from around $350 to $600 (around $US200-250 if you buy online).
• Minimal set-up - You need a Google account, then just plug it in, set your Wifi password and sign-on.
• Simple - it's just a Google Chrome Web Browser.  No backups needed.  No anti virus needed.  No checking for updates.  No additional software to purchase.  Just use it.
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The only disadvantage is that you can't run much 'standard' PC software - unless it is on the web.  That's where we come in - we can show you how to do most things, usually for free (the software - not us!).

We will discuss with you if using a Chromebook is the best solution for you.  We can provide advice on purchase and set-up (that's easy with these devices).  We can also show you how to make the best use of the Google infrastructure, and its programs like Gmail, Google+, Google Drive and its word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software.  We can point you at other useful sites to allow most tasks to be completed - for example photo editing.