Acer Cloudbook – An Affordable Laptop for Your Aspiring Student

My son’s school recently sent home a notice telling us that my son now has access to Microsoft Office Online.  In fact, every kid in his elementary school not only have access to PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, and Sway, but also a new email account.  Sweet!

My son has been learning Word and PowerPoint on my husband’s and my computers at home, but now that he has his own email account and he will likely need to use Microsoft Office more; it’s time for him to have his own computer.

My son is a bit of a nomad when it comes to doing his homework.  Some days his work is spread across the kitchen counter, other days he’s in the office with me.  Still other days he’s doing his homework in his room.  To accommodate my son’s personality, as well as foreseeing the option of needing a computer outside our home, a laptop is a  good choice for him.  However, he’s only a 4th grader, so I wouldn’t want him to use an expensive one.  

A Low Cost PC

An Acer Cloudbook, priced at only $197, is a good match for my son.  It offers a full Windows 10 experience and even includes a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal.

It’s 14-inch screen is big enough for homework and videos yet it’s still light enough at 3.5 lbs. to tote to school if need be.  It includes Microsoft OneDrive for online storage, and yet the laptop still affords 32 GB of internal space too.  The battery life?  14 hours, which is great because my son’s homework migratory pattern doesn’t always account for a nearby plug!

My Son’s Reaction

To my surprise, the first thing my son did with the laptop was not check his email, no, he didn’t set up his own personal picture for his desktop scene either.  He pulled up our local Christian radio channel, KSGN, plugged in his earphones, and began singing alone to his favorite songs while he did his homework!  He absolutely loves the flexibility of listening to his favorite radio station wherever he goes throughout the house!

Later, yes, he checked his email, did some surfing, and we logged him onto his Microsoft Office account.  He has a big project coming up where he has decided to write about Yosemite.

 We are going to Yosemite to visit over Spring Break.  He is so excited that he has the flexibility to bring his laptop with him to add notes if he wants to.  The idea of being untethered from a desktop computer is so freeing to him.

Uh-oh!

Just last night, he was settling into his swivel chair and he turned around and I heard a large crash.  I nervously looked over right away.  He told me, yes, he had dropped his new laptop (with the screen open!).  Thankfully, the laptop survived with no signs of destruction.  Somehow, I’m afraid this is going to be an ongoing concern!  My son can be a bit accident prone!

With the first drop successfully passed, I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the laptop will likely make it through subsequent drops!

Acer Cloudbook

Features:

• 14″ HD widescreen LED display
• 3.5 lbs in weight
• 1.60 GHz dual-core Intel Celeron processor
• 2 GB RAM
• 32 GB Hard drive storage
• 3-Cell internal battery (up to 12 hours of battery life)
• WiFi (802.11 ac)
• Webcam
• Bluetooth 4.0
• SD memory card reader
• 1 3.0 USB port, 1 2.0 USB port, 1 HDMI port, 1 headphone port
• 1 lock slot for Kensington security

Pros:

• Has a good sized-screen
• Battery life is really good for such a low-cost laptop
• Includes Bluetooth 4.0 – great for connecting to a Bluetooth speaker or mouse
• Great news that it has a HDMI port!  THE HDMI port allows you to use a HDMI cable to display laptop contents on a TV or projector
• With a $199 price point, I won’t be as nervous if my son wants to take his laptop to school or even when we travel
• Setting up the laptop to our Bluetooth Epson printer was a snap

Cons:

• The laptop is a little heavy at 3.5 lbs., but next year my son will have a rolling backpack, so it won’t be so heavy if he takes it too school
• Cortana, Microsoft’s personal assistant isn’t set up to hear voice commands.  It took me about 30 minutes searching online and  trying things before I was able to turn it on

The Acer Cloudbook is available at Walmart.com for $197 + free shipping.  Amazing price, huh?  

A Mom’s Perspective

We have been using the Acer Cloudbook for over a month now and have been very happy with it.  The Acer Cloudbook has a number of features, like the HDMI port, 3.0 USB port, and Bluetooth 4.0 functionality that I wouldn’t expect on a low-cost laptop.  For $197, you really get a lot of bang for your buck.  And of course, a year’s free subscription to Office 365 (a $70 value) is an added bonus.

The Acer Cloudbook is the perfect first “computer” for my son.  If offers him mobility – he can take his laptop anywhere, cloudability – wherever he roams, with its strong WiFi access point, he can access his online Office Suite and OneDrive files.  Lastly, it offers my son a sense of ownership of a seemingly expensive tech item.  Taking pride in the care of this laptop will afford him future opportunities to own more expensive tech as he proves he’s responsible.

I am thrilled to provide my son a low-cost solution that supports his new found digital presence online and his school projects without a hefty price tag.  The Acer Cloudbook is a great first “computer” for kids that supports their studies and empowers them to use new digital tools to connect with their school and friends online.