scoggs Posted November 10, 2016 Posted November 10, 2016 Good morning, We are looking at getting 120 Chromebooks for our Year 5 and 6 students to fully utilise GAFE to support their learning. We are based in the Middle East so there is not many Chromebooks to be found around so apart from the previous posts all of my research is web based. Are there any that I should stick clear of? Any suggestions? Thanks Hamish
FN-GM Posted November 10, 2016 Posted November 10, 2016 The Asus Flip Chormebooks are not very reliable. I would avoid those. The Dell Chromebook 11 are pretty good. We have just placed an order for a further 360 of them.
scoggs Posted November 10, 2016 Author Posted November 10, 2016 Thanks for this, I will look into the Dell. Have you heard anything about the Lenovo N22?
FN-GM Posted November 10, 2016 Posted November 10, 2016 (edited) I haven't with that model specifically, but we have stopped buying Lenovo due to a few quality issues and poor technical / warrenty support. I believe @witch has had similar issues with the support. Edited November 10, 2016 by FN-GM
jtotheb Posted November 10, 2016 Posted November 10, 2016 The Dell Chromebook 11 are pretty good. We have just placed an order for a further 360 of them. +1 for the Dell. We've had the original Samsung Chromebook, the cheap Samsung Exynos powered ones, Asus standard Chromebooks, and Dell. The Dell are by far the most robust of the ones that we've had.
witch Posted November 10, 2016 Posted November 10, 2016 I haven't with that model specifically, but we have stopped buying Lenovo due to a few quality issues and poor technical / warrenty support. I believe @witch has had similar issues with the support. I have found Lenovo TECH support pretty good on the whole. - there was a bit of miscommunication at the beginning but that wasn't really the support techs fault. That was more to do with the delivery of replacements etc and the design team who refused to believe my issue!
dhicks Posted November 11, 2016 Posted November 11, 2016 The Asus Flip Chormebooks are not very reliable. In what way? We've had no issues reported so far (110 of them around the school since the start of this term), but it could simply be that no-one is reporting issues.
FN-GM Posted November 11, 2016 Posted November 11, 2016 In what way? We've had no issues reported so far (110 of them around the school since the start of this term), but it could simply be that no-one is reporting issues. We have had to RMA quite a high percentage due to not being able to boot. They also take ages to get them back. 1
PrimaryNetMan Posted November 11, 2016 Posted November 11, 2016 First place to look is Googles EoL Page - https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en to make sure the Chromebooks you are getting still have plenty of support left. Asus C202s have been designed for schools. We chose these over Dells Chromebook 11 which are also very good. The HPs 11/14 G4 I looked at were nice but build for a consumer so I couldn't see them lasting long in a school setting. 1
dhicks Posted November 11, 2016 Posted November 11, 2016 We have had to RMA quite a high percentage due to not being able to boot. Hmm - something to check up on. Did they not boot on arrival or stop working after a certain amount of time? I don't think we've had any with that particular issue, although this morning I had a class trying to use a couple of Chromebooks along with some older Lenovo laptops and the Chromebooks weren't picking up a wireless signal. It was simply a signal strength issue (that classroom is tucked away in the basement, with two really thick walls between it and the access point), but they would seem to either have less reception or simply be more picky about signal strength than the older laptops we have. Bearing in mind the arial for laptops is generally inside the screen, I guess devices with smaller screens are going to have less area for the arial. 1
ITBadger Posted November 11, 2016 Posted November 11, 2016 We've had approx 250 Viglen Chromebook 11's from XMA. They've been cheap, reliable, easy to maintain and the few issues we have had with them have been repaired quickly. They also come with a three year warranty. There is a new model due to be released very soon which incorporates a HD touch screen and flip functionality. I'm sure that XMA would be happy to send you an evaluation model if you got in touch. 1
fiza Posted November 11, 2016 Posted November 11, 2016 We've had approx 250 Viglen Chromebook 11's from XMA. They've been cheap, reliable, easy to maintain and the few issues we have had with them have been repaired quickly. They also come with a three year warranty. There is a new model due to be released very soon which incorporates a HD touch screen and flip functionality. I'm sure that XMA would be happy to send you an evaluation model if you got in touch. We have the XMA ones and in addition to what has been mentioned they also have a carry handle (makes it easier for little ones to carry) and a removable battery. XMA - allLearn - Google - Viglen Chromebook 1
FN-GM Posted November 11, 2016 Posted November 11, 2016 Hmm - something to check up on. Did they not boot on arrival or stop working after a certain amount of time? I don't think we've had any with that particular issue, although this morning I had a class trying to use a couple of Chromebooks along with some older Lenovo laptops and the Chromebooks weren't picking up a wireless signal. It was simply a signal strength issue (that classroom is tucked away in the basement, with two really thick walls between it and the access point), but they would seem to either have less reception or simply be more picky about signal strength than the older laptops we have. Bearing in mind the arial for laptops is generally inside the screen, I guess devices with smaller screens are going to have less area for the arial. All fine on arrival just gave up randomly. I might have just been unlucky (or you being lucky!), - - - Updated - - - We have the XMA ones and in addition to what has been mentioned they also have a carry handle (makes it easier for little ones to carry) and a removable battery. XMA - allLearn - Google - Viglen Chromebook They look like some HP laptops I have seen. Nice design. 2
TIOAOA Posted November 25, 2016 Posted November 25, 2016 Could anyone recommend me a chromebook supplier that might trial me a class set (15). I have the funds to secure devices for the whole of KS3 but unless I can persuade teachers chromebooks are the way forward I'm going to end up with standard windows laptops again. I'd love to work with someone to start a revolution
PrimaryNetMan Posted November 25, 2016 Posted November 25, 2016 Any of the companies below should be able to help you out. Getech were great when I was looking for some trial units. Supplied a set of 15, but could offer 30. Getech Schools | Certified Chromebook and Google Apps for Education Partner Google for Education Partners and WiFi installation experts - Haptic Networks http://yourcloudworks.co.uk/ 3
Haptic Posted November 25, 2016 Posted November 25, 2016 Any of the companies below should be able to help you out. Google for Education Partners and WiFi installation experts - Haptic Networks Hi We're more than happy to offer class set trial units, feel free to get in touch Joe 1
TIOAOA Posted November 25, 2016 Posted November 25, 2016 @Haptic Thanks what length of trial period could you offer ?
Haptic Posted November 25, 2016 Posted November 25, 2016 They usually depend on the specific time scales laid down by Schools. Anywhere from 2 - 6 weeks typically. Happy to speak further, PM us if you wish Joe
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