Tech Advisor - UK (2020-02)

FEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 63

storage to be used, though Google would prefer you

to store your apps and files in the cloud. A Windows

PC typically includes a USB-C or USB-A slot that can

connect to an external hard drive. (Some Chromebooks

do too, or use an SD card.) You’ll find less need for

local storage on a Chromebook than on a Windows

PC, which helps lower the price and simplifies the

experience. Weirdly, while both Google and Microsoft

have developed their own digital assistants, the first

Chromebook with Google Assistant support was the

Google Pixelbook. Microsoft Cortana fans will find

‘her’ on all Windows PCs that include a mic – which is

virtually all of them. Now, however, Amazon’s Alexa has

also been added as a Cortana partner application or

‘skill’, which means Windows users get two assistants

for the price of one.

Is a Chromebook or a

laptop better for office work?

Productivity apps – word processing, spreadsheets, and

the like – represent the majority of the working day.

Here, both Windows and Chromebook users alike have

several choices, the most popular being the Google

Apps suite of office apps and Microsoft’s own Office.

You might think that Office would be restricted to

Windows, but that’s not true either: Office.com, AKA

Office Online, runs in a web browser, and – assuming

you have a subscription to Office 365 – offers nearly

all the functionality that the Office 365 suite does.

(Microsoft Office apps are also available as Android

apps, but it’s simpler to run them within the browser.)

In fact, given that it’s powered by the cloud, you’ll

FEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 63

storage to be used, though Google would prefer you
to store your apps and files in the cloud. A Windows
PC typically includes a USB-C or USB-A slot that can
connect to an external hard drive. (Some Chromebooks
do too, or use an SD card.) You’ll find less need for
local storage on a Chromebook than on a Windows
PC, which helps lower the price and simplifies the
experience. Weirdly, while both Google and Microsoft
have developed their own digital assistants, the first
Chromebook with Google Assistant support was the
Google Pixelbook. Microsoft Cortana fans will find
‘her’ on all Windows PCs that include a mic – which is
virtually all of them. Now, however, Amazon’s Alexa has
also been added as a Cortana partner application or
‘skill’, which means Windows users get two assistants
for the price of one.

Is a Chromebook or a
laptop better for office work?
Productivity apps – word processing, spreadsheets, and
the like – represent the majority of the working day.
Here, both Windows and Chromebook users alike have
several choices, the most popular being the Google
Apps suite of office apps and Microsoft’s own Office.
You might think that Office would be restricted to
Windows, but that’s not true either: Office.com, AKA
Office Online, runs in a web browser, and – assuming
you have a subscription to Office 365 – offers nearly
all the functionality that the Office 365 suite does.
(Microsoft Office apps are also available as Android
apps, but it’s simpler to run them within the browser.)
In fact, given that it’s powered by the cloud, you’ll