Articles by Ara Wagoner

We have already rounded up all the best Chromebook options available, but when it comes to the best student Chromebooks, that’s a different set of options. Education Chromebooks are designed to withstand the use and abuse of a classroom full of kids, as well as being carried around in an overstuffed backpack. Reinforced hinges and ports are the norm, as are water-resistant keyboards and all-day battery life. These lightweight laptops also have some of the easiest and most useful keyboard shortcuts to help your child get homework done quickly once they find their rhythm. There are many great options to choose from, but the best Chromebook for students overall is the ASUS Chromebook Flip C214. Here are some of our other trusted favorites to consider.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C214

Best student Chromebook option available now

The ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is the best Chromebook for students because it provides an excellent experience in a compact, durable package. The 11.6-inch screen i…

The best student Chromebook accessories elevate their experience in any environment, not just in school. Chromebooks are fantastic for so many people, but there are few environments they thrive in better than schools. Between easy management and maintenance, enterprise-grade security, and drop-dead easy workflow — not to mention all those lovely, lovely keyboard shortcuts — Chromebooks are, in most cases, quite literally, made for the classroom. So before you head back to class for another year of learning and making dope memes with your friends, here are some of the best Chromebook accessories for students that can make your device slicker and sweeter than ever.

Expand your space

SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card

Staff Pick

Chromebooks tend to have less internal storage than traditional Windows or Mac laptops, but just about every Chromebook has a microSD card slot to help make up for it. This U3 card comes in sizes from 32GB all the way up to 1 terabyte, but I r…

If you’re buying a Verizon phone on a budget, this is your winner.

As I sit here writing this review, it is lunchtime and the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G in my hand is at 67%, with five hours screen on time since I took it off the charger yesterday. While the A42 is easy to misplace in the now crowded A-series on sale this summer, it can definitely differentiate from the other best cheap Android phones itself in two ways: a unique look and a battery that really will last for days.

The A42 5G also has the mmWave support that the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G lacks, which will make this a very tempting choice for Verizon customers wanting to use its 5G Ultra Wideband (UWB) network — assuming you actually have any patches of it rolled out in your area. For $400, it could be a decent mid-range phone for those who value screen and battery above all. There’s some definite compromises made at this price point — phone calls are quiet and the camera is average at best — but overall, the Samsung Gal…

In previous years, Chrome OS lacked a built-in screen recorder, which forced users like us to go download third-party extensions or Android apps to use it. But it was clunky, a lot of steps, and it didn’t always work well, especially when done through Android apps. Thankfully, 2021 and Chrome OS 89 brought us a revamped screen capture menu, which took partial screenshots easier and also added in a native screen recorder. (Hallelujah!)

This means that recording your best Chromebook’s screen is easier than ever because it uses the same buttons and menu as taking a screenshot on Chrome OS and gives us the option to record a single window or a custom area of the screen in addition to the good old-fashioned fullscreen recording. Here’s how to start and stop a screen recording on a Chromebook.

How to record the screen on a Chromebook

If you want to take a video rather than a still screenshot, that’s easy enough to do on a Chromebook now that Chrome OS 89 has rolled out to everyone. Befo…

The best business Chromebook isn’t always the best Chromebook for everyone — we often need more powerful specs for Linux applications or longer-lasting machines that will make the most of your IT budget — but thankfully there are some great Chromebooks out there for when you need to get to work. Whether you need a big screen for your multi-tasking or a durable little laptop to take from meeting to meeting, there’s a model here for everyone! If you want the best of all worlds, I recommend going with the Acer Chromebook Spin 713, a powerful Intel Evo-powered Chromebook with a gorgeous 2K screen — and a 3:2 aspect ratio for better productivity — and all the ports you need including HDMI.

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

Best Business Chromebook

Business Chromebooks need power, stability, and longevity, and Acer delivers all three in a sturdy, portable package with the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (2021). It’s one of the best Chromebooks on the market today due to the best blend of powe…

Here are the answers to all your questions about YouTube TV.

If you’re considering abandoning a traditional cable plan, YouTube TV is a viable alternative. While the service is one of the spendier streaming options and is only available in the United States, its selection of live channels and on-demand content make it a top contender. With that in mind, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about YouTube TV to make an informed decision.

YouTube TV

Live TV and sports

Watch all your favorite channels without cable

$65/mo. at YouTube

YouTube TV provides access to your favorite shows across 85 live channels, without the cable drama. You can also record new episodes to view later and add premium channels to your monthly plan.

YouTube TV

What is YouTube TV?
How much does YouTube TV cost?
Channels on YouTube TV?
What devices support YouTube TV?
Account limits and profiles
Are there any YouTube TV deals?

What is YouTube TV?

YouTube TV is one of the most expansive c…

It may be hard to pick the best Google Pixel 5 case because there will be so many options. Whether you want a ruggedly handsome heavy-duty case, a super slim and stylish case, or something in between like the perfectly balanced Caseology Parallax, these are the best Google Pixel 5 cases to be found right now.

Safe and stylish

Caseology Parallax for Google Pixel 5

Staff Pick

This mesmerizing case has protected my last two Pixels with grace, and the colorways for the Pixel 5 are quite fetching. The Aqua Green will fit the green Pixel 5 perfectly, while Burgundy and Navy Blue jazz up the black Pixel 5.

From $15 at Amazon $15 at Walmart

Long-term protection

Tudia Dualshield Merge Series

If you want a heavy-duty case without a heavy-duty price, Tudia has been the go-to for years. The Merge Series gives you the impact protection and grip of a flexible TPU sleeve with the sturdiness of a polycarbonate back.

$13 at Amazon

Machine washable

Google Fabric Case

Google’s fabric …

What in the world is going on with the Chrome OS team this month??

Update, July 20 (5:15 p.m. ET): Version pulled, new update rolling out on Wednesday, July 21

What you need to know

Reports of issues started flooding as Google pushed out Chrome OS update 91.0.4472.165 today.
Impacted users cannot log back into their Chromebooks, so do not update your Chromebook.
If your Chromebook asks to Restart to update, do not click Reboot and do not shut down your machine.
Google is aware of the problem, and a fix should be deployed soon.
If you’re already locked out, you’ll have to Powerwash your Chromebook to get back in. If your device is bootlooping before you can get to the lock screen, recover using a USB drive and the Chromebook Recovery Utility.
This is the second critical bug on the stable Chrome OS channel in less than a month.

Somehow, a major bug has slipped through three experimental channels and made its way into a Chrome OS stable channel — AKA the channel that the vast, …

From Google Drive to Chrome to Files, these are keyboard shortcuts that you’ll find useful when doing just about anything on a Chromebook.

Some keyboard shortcuts are universal — Crtl + C for copy, Ctrl + V for paste — but just as often, shortcuts change between systems, websites, and programs. The best Chromebooks have some fairly standard shortcuts — and a handy shortcut Ctrl + Alt + / to show you the more basic ones — but looking at the full list of shortcuts will make your eyes glaze over faster than the old 400-page novel you had to read over summer vacation.

Well, after years of Chromebook use and abuse, I’ve hit on some shortcuts that every student should know to get what they need to be done quicker and better. Start with the 10 essential Chromebook keyboard shortcuts you need to know, then scope out the masterclass below. After all, if there’s anything I learned from school, it’s that you’ve got to work smarter, not harder.

Shortcuts:

General Chromebook short…

I wanted to love this laptop, but that screen just kills me.

While searching out the best cheap laptops, I was impressed by the longevity and the productivity of the Aspire 5 line. Even year-old models still seemed to hold their own and could allow users to save money without sacrificing power. For other Aspire 5 models, this has proved true time and time again, but the Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-56VK sadly doesn’t keep the tradition.

Don’t get me wrong; this is a solid laptop with decent performance and plenty of ports. Battery life will last you most of a workday, and the keyboard is backlit for late-night crunch-time. So what’s so wrong with this laptop? The screen makes most of my beloved Chromebooks look great by comparison, which renders this laptop mostly irrelevant unless you can catch it on sale.

At a glance

Acer Aspire 5 (A515-55-56VK)

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