Okay, here’s my blog post about my experience with the Acer Chromebook C740:
So, I’ve been messing around with this old Acer Chromebook C740 I found in my closet. It’s been collecting dust for, like, forever, and I figured, “Why not see if I can get this thing running again?” I mean, it’s a Chromebook, so it’s not like I’m expecting to do any heavy lifting, but it could be cool for just browsing and stuff.
First Impressions
First off, this thing is built like a tank. Seriously, it’s super sturdy. I remember why I liked it back in the day – it’s perfect for tossing in a bag and not worrying about it getting banged up. It’s got that classic, no-frills Chromebook look. Plain, simple, gets the job done.
Getting it Going
I plugged it in, and… nothing. Dead as a doornail. Okay, no surprise there, it’s been sitting for years. I left it charging for a few hours, and still nothing. I started thinking the battery was totally shot. But then, I held down the power button for a really long time – like, a good 30 seconds – and boom! It sputtered to life.
It booted up pretty quickly, all things considered. The Chrome OS welcome screen popped up, and I went through the setup. Connected to my Wi-Fi, signed in with my Google account, and… we’re in! It was surprisingly smooth. Of course, it needed to update, which took a little while, but that’s to be expected.
Putting it Through its Paces
Once it was all updated, I started poking around. Web browsing is… well, it’s a Chromebook. It’s fine for basic stuff. YouTube videos played okay, although I wouldn’t go above 720p. I opened a bunch of tabs – Gmail, Google Docs, a few news sites – and it started to chug a bit. But hey, it’s an older machine, I can’t complain too much.
I even tried some light coding with an online IDE. It worked, but it wasn’t exactly speedy. Again, not a shocker. This thing wasn’t built for that.
- Pros:
- Tough as nails.
- Boots up fast (once it’s actually charged).
- Decent for basic browsing.
- Cons:
- Battery life is probably not great (haven’t fully tested it yet).
- Can get slow with multiple tabs.
- Definitely not for anything demanding.
The Verdict (So Far)
Honestly, I’m pleasantly surprised. For a Chromebook that’s been sitting in a closet for years, it’s still pretty usable. It’s perfect for just casual web browsing, checking email, and maybe watching some videos. I wouldn’t try to do any serious work on it, but as a secondary device, it’s totally fine. I’m gonna keep playing around with it and see what else I can do. Maybe I’ll try installing a lightweight Linux distro on it at some point… but that’s a project for another day!