For silent input, my loaner Chromebook 514 has Acer’s optional touch display.
Besides the obvious fun factor, touch adds practicality in cramped places (an
airline economy seat, for instance) where you don’t have a lot of elbow space
and it’s easier to reach forward to tap. The Acer’s anti-glare screen coating is
somewhat unorthodox on a touch device, which usually sports a glossy surface,
but it feels quite smooth and doesn’t hamper usability in the slightest. I prefer
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wobble when you touch the display, although it has too much resistance to allow
the lid to be opened without holding down the chassis.
GET A GOOD LOOK
The machine I have for testing has Acer’s optional 1080p panel, with a
1,920-by-1,080-pixel native resolution. That resolution is an ideal match for a
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(1,366-by-768-pixel) display that comes on some of the less expensive
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The picture is bright and vibrant without being oversaturated, and it is further
improved by the wide viewing angles from its in-plane switching (IPS)
technology. This screen would pass muster on a considerably more expensive
computer.
The Chromebook 514 covers the essentials of physical connectivity for a
Chromebook. The left edge has a USB Type-C port for power and data, a USB
Type-A 3.1 port, a microSD card slot, and an audio combo jack. Plan to use the
latter (or the internal Bluetooth 4.2 wireless) for audio, or you’ll be stuck with
the dismal sound quality of the twin built-in speakers.
On the right edge is another USB Type-A 3.1 port, another USB Type-C port
(this one supports DisplayPort over USB Type-C), and a Kensington-style cable-
lockdown notch. No video-out adapters are included for the USB Type-C port
over here, but even if one were, I’d still prefer a dedicated HDMI or DisplayPort
video-out connector. Inside, the Chromebook 514 packs an 802.11ac wireless
card and the mentioned Bluetooth connectivity. Both had good range in
my testing.