Chromebook, please help me narrow it down

[Dream]

I want to get my 9 year old DD a Chromebook. She"ll be using it for keyboarding, word/excel, researching and youtube etc. So she doesn't need anything fancy. I want to avoid a touch screen. I decided on a Chromebook because I don't have to worry about virus, updates etc and the school use Chromebooks.

I'm considering the following:

ASUS chromebook c202sa-ys02, Intel Celeron 4 GB, 16GB eMMC, 2M Cache, up to 2.48 GHz. But the comparison on Amazon says 1.6GHz. (This is ruggedized and water resistant so suitable for kids, ) $218 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DBGVB7K/ref=psdc_13896615011_t1_B00VUV0MG0) and Can open/edit MS Office files using free embedded Quick Office editor.
VS
ASUS C201PA-DS02 11.6 inch Chromebook (1.8GHz Quad-Core, 4GB LPDDR3, 16GB eMMC) $190 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VUV0MG0/ref=psdc_13896615011_t2_B01N6UAH8I)
VS
Acer Chromebook 11, 11.6-inch HD, Intel Celeron N2840, 4GB DDR3L, 16GB Storage, 2.16GHz, CB3-131-C8GZ $200 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6UAH8I/ref=twister_B07571QWV7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

If you have other suggestions I would love to hear it too.

Thank you.

[sariana]

We have an Acer and an Asus. I prefer the Acer. It seems more robust.

Getting the 4G is wise.

[liz]

My DS has the Asus. He and his grandfather did a lot of research and decided on the model similar to the first one you posted (they are both really into tech, so they spent a lot of time looking at the diff models). DS says he has the second one on your list at school, he says it seems flimsy (his words). He does not have a touch screen. DS has had his computer for over a year now and absolutely loves it. DS says his second choice on your list would be the Acer you listed. hth.

[citymama]

We have the Asus and its been great. My recommendation is to set up parental controls before your child even sees it. It's harder to do later on with a Chromebook as the parent needs to be the main "owner" of the Chromebook for that to work.

[sariana]

I just re-read the OP. You do realize you can't use traditional MS programs (Word, Excel, etc) on a Chromebook, right? Chrome has its own suite, Google Apps, and it has extensions that allow you to work with Word, Excel, etc. files. But those programs cannot be installed on a Chromebook.

I just wanted to make sure you were aware of how a Chromebook is different. I think they are great for that age, and I use a Chromebook on a regular basis (including to type this [ETA: a CB3-131, in fact, but a 2G version, which I do not recommend--but otherwise I love it]). But it is not a PC and does not work the same way as a PC.

Since you said the school uses CBs, I assume your DD is familiar with Google Apps.

I hope I'm not sounding condescending; I don't mean to be!

[Dream]

We have the Asus and its been great. My recommendation is to set up parental controls before your child even sees it. It's harder to do later on with a Chromebook as the parent needs to be the main "owner" of the Chromebook for that to work.

So I need to set up 2 separate accounts? This is the first computer that I'll string up parental controls.

[Dream]

I just re-read the OP. You do realize you can't use traditional MS programs (Word, Excel, etc) on a Chromebook, right? Chrome has its own suite, Google Apps, and it has extensions that allow you to work with Word, Excel, etc. files. But those programs cannot be installed on a Chromebook.

I just wanted to make sure you were aware of how a Chromebook is different. I think they are great for that age, and I use a Chromebook on a regular basis (including to type this [ETA: a CB3-131, in fact, but a 2G version, which I do not recommend--but otherwise I love it]). But it is not a PC and does not work the same way as a PC.

Since you said the school uses CBs, I assume your DD is familiar with Google Apps.

I hope I'm not sounding condescending; I don't mean to be!

I'm glad you pointed it out. I was hoping she can use Microsoft office online version. It says so it's n the description of the first ASUS.

[redstone]

Not sure if your DD likes to play Minecraft, but you can't play the game on a chromebook - no hard drive to install the game.

But we all love using chromebook for internet surfing.

[sariana]

I'm glad you pointed it out. I was hoping she can use Microsoft office online version. It says so it's n the description of the first ASUS.

Hmm, I don't know. Office 365 is newer than my experience.

I would not trust the info on the device. Research it at Microsoft. Make sure it says 365 can run on the Chrome (aka Chromium) operating system, NOT just the Chrome browser.

I'll have to research this. Since 365 is all web-based, it may work on Chromebooks; I'm not sure.

Also be aware that it may not matter unless it matters to you. If she's using CBs at school, she's probably using Google Apps (Docs=Word, Slides=PowerPoint, Sheets=Excel). These files can all be converted to the MS equivalent if needed.

As I said above, I'll need to do more research on Office 365.