I'm about to spend the next 30 days using a Chromebook. And to get the best out of my experience, I'm going to go all in on the Google ecosystem. What could possibly go wrong? Do I have to do it?

Yes. These are the devices that I'll be leaving behind for the next 30 days. We've got my 14-inch MacBook Pro, the iPhone 14 Pro, my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, as well as my Sony LinkBuds S, as well as my Apple Watch Series 7. This is what I have to give up to embrace the Google lifestyle.

Although thankfully, I don't have to wear this shirt the whole time because if I had to wear this shirt for 30 days, I'd be really grumpy. The first task here is going to be getting a new computer. I've got to find a Chromebook.

Did you say the C-word? I said the C-word. Using Google stuff is not new to me; I use a ton of Google stuff on a very regular basis. And I think on the phoneside, I'm going to be fine. The thing to consider is that I use a lot of Apple products, right? Not only do I use the iPhone and the Apple Watch but also I use a Mac and mostly that is for work.

So, my biggest fear is that Chrome OS is not going to let me do the work that I need. I rely every day on Thunderbolt accessories which the Chromebook does not have. I use things like Final Cut Pro which is certainly not on the Chromebook, and I'm also dealing with moving around just massive video files and dealing with server stuff.

I think I'll be able to find workarounds; I think I'll be okay, but I'm worried about that. My wife is going to kill me when she finds out I don't have FaceTime anymore. Alright, so I've made my decision.

This is a $380 Lenovo Chromebook tablet. So, this might not be terrible. It's an 11-inch Chromebook tablet. It's powered by a Snapdragon 7C Gen 2. It's not going to be fast. It's also only got four gigs of RAM. But, it does come with the full attachment. It's got not only the kickstand on the back but it also does have the keyboard, the trackpad.

And I've also got myself a pair of Pixel Buds. This should be my computing setup for a month. I don't see what could possibly go wrong. I've got four gigs of RAM! How many more gigs do you need? 12. Yes, this Chromebook costs 1/10 the price which is quite nice.

And yes, it's small but I'm gonna get really annoyed at the lack of performance that four gigs of RAM is going to give me especially with that tiny screen and the very small keyboard. I'm gonna regret my decisions. Let's take a look at the devices that I'm going to be using for the next month starting with the little kickstand thing.

It's very stiff on the hinge, so I can easily... Oh yeah, look at that. $380 of quality right here now we also have the version of the chrome OS which is quite nice and this is an 11 inch display not an 11.6 an 11-inch display. Just realized it's not a full-size keyboard. Yeah, that's like a 95%-size keyboard. Look at the

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- I'm about to spend the next30 days using a Chromebook.And to get the best outta my experience,I'm going to go all inon the Google ecosystem.What could possibly go wrong?Do I have to do it?- Yes.- These are the devicesthat I'll be leaving behindfor the next 30 days.We've got my 14-inch MacBookPro, the iPhone 14 Pro,my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, aswell as my Sony LinkBuds S,as well as my Apple Watch Series 7.This is what I gotta give upto embrace the Google lifestyle.Although thankfully,I don't have to wearthis shirt the whole time'cause if I had to wearthis shirt for 30 days,I'd be really grumpy.The first task here is goingto be getting a new computer.I've gotta find a Chromebook.- (gasping surprisingly)Did you say the C-word?- I said the C-word.Using Google stuff is not new to me,I use a ton of Google stuffon a very regular basis.And I think on the phoneside, I'm going to be fine.The thing to consideris I use a lot of Apple products, right?Not only do I use theiPhone and the Apple Watch,but also I use a Mac andmostly that is for work.So, my biggest fear is that Chrome OSis not going to let medo the work that I need.I rely every day onThunderbolt accessorieswhich the Chromebook does not have,I use things like Final Cutwhich is certainly not on the Chromebook,and I'm also dealing with moving aroundjust massive video files anddealing with server stuff.I think I'll be able to find workarounds,I think I'll be okay, butI'm worried about that.My wife is gonna kill mewhen she finds out I don'thave FaceTime anymore.(everyone laughing amusingly)Alright, so I've made my decision.This is a $380 Lenovo Chromebook tablet.So, this might not be terrible.I mean, it's an 11-inch Chromebook tablet.It's powered by a Snapdragon 7C Gen 2.It's not gonna be fast.It's also only got four gigs of RAM.But, it does come withthe full attachment.It's got not only thekickstand on the back,but it also does have thekeyboard, the trackpad.And I've also got myselfa pair of Pixel Buds.This should be my computingsetup for a month.I don't see what could possibly go wrong.I've got four gigs of RAM!- How many more gigs do you need?- 12.Yes, this Chromebook costs 1/10 the price,which is quite nice.And yes, it's small.But, I'm gonna get really annoyedat the lack of performancethat four gigs of RAM is gonna give me,especially with that tiny screenand the very small keyboard.I'm gonna regret my decisions.So, let's take a look at the devicesthat I'm going to beusing for the next month,starting with the brand new Pixel 7.Here's the thing, as muchas I love the Z Flip...Shh, don't tell anyone.I have dailied Pixels in between.Like, there have been timeswhere I've cheated on the Z Flip.Every year, I've cheatedon the Z Flip with a Pixelfor at least a little bit.Now to be fair, I always go back,but going from Z Flip to Pixel,Android to Android phone is super easy.There are also advantages here.It's got better cameras,it's gonna have better battery life,it's going to have a non-flippy screenwhich is easier just to kindapull out of your pocket.So, I think I'll beokay without the Z Flip.I also have the Pixel Watch,which is going to be a littleless easy to deal with.I use the Apple Watch so much.I use it for sleep tracking,I use it for workouts,I use it for notifications.And while the Pixel Watchis good, don't get me wrong,I just don't think it'sgonna do them as well.My biggest concern with thiswhole challenge, hands down,is going to be spendingtime with the Chromebook.I actually really like Chrome OSand I think that there'sreal advantages to using it,especially if you're a studentor if you're at an enterprisewhere you need to managea bunch of things.And realistically,I know that almost everythingI do on a daily basis,I can do on a Chromebook.The problem might be moreso with this particular onebecause while it is very small,and I am a huge fan of tiny things,this is very underpowered.- Let's see what wegot! (laughing amusingly)- I actually really likethe way this hardware feels.And you've got dual side-firing speakers,so you've got proper stereo.You've got what seems tobe a very small webcam,but it's in the correct orientationsince no one's ever gonnawanna use the tablet like this.You do have a rear-facing camera.And it feels nice, I mean it's-- Aluminum.- That's got this sortalike nice soft-touch finish.All like closed up, itactually feels nice.So, it's plastic,but it's kinda got like afake sort of cloth texture.The fact I've got two USB-Cs is nice.This is gonna sound weird,I'm actually kind of excitedto spend time with the Chromebook.- What?- The thing is I actually likeusing Chrome OS sometimes.I've used Chromebooks in the past.Now, this is gonna be the longestthat I've completely committedto using one on a daily basis.But look, I have been makingvideos on tech for a long time,but it still excites meto try new things, right?And while I've used Chrome OS in the past,I haven't used it in a while.So, I'm curious to seehow a $380 Chromebook rightoff the shelf can performwhen I just drop it intomy normal day-to-day tasks.So, first stepis I'm going to attach thelittle kickstand thing.It's very stiff on thehinge, so I can easily...Oh yeah, look at that.(Jared cringing loudly)$380 of quality right here.Now, we also have the ver...- Hmm.- This is an 11 inch display,not an 11.6, an 11-inch display.I just realized it's nota full-size keyboard.Yeah, that's like a 95%-size keyboard.Look at the "Backspace," lookhow small the "Shift" is,look how small all of thesekeys on the right are.What have I done?There was a $700Chromebook that they had...That's a Lightning port.Okay, see,(Jared laughing amusingly)this is emblematic of my life now!I'm trying to plug a Lightning port...(sighing disappointingly)But, on the flip side,I wanted to be true...The Pixel just-- Dude!It's gonna be brokenbefore you even have a chance to use it.(Jared laughing amusingly)- Thankfully, I do havea pair of Pixel Buds Pro.The most important thing, dothey pass the pocket test?- Ooh!- Ooh, they do, they do.- That's a tight fit.- A little tight, but it's fine.You know what they sayabout a tight fit, "It fit."Day one.Let's go, baby!Google, Google, Google, Google!(menacing music swelling)Alright, so I'm windingdown day one with the Pixel,and so far, pretty good.I'll say the Pixel Watch hasbeen less than spectacular,mostly because theoriginal pairing processwas super annoying,and having to log into the Fitbit accountas well as the normalaccount has been annoying.But outside of that, thingshave been fairly smooth.So, wrapping up day onefor my Google experience.So, let's start out bytalking about the Pixel 7.And look, I've been a big fanof pretty much every Pixelthat's come out since the first one,even back to the Nexus days.And the 7 is no exception.It's a much more refined version of the 6.The only real downsidethat I really have in myday-to-day life is on the video.So, you're looking at videodirectly off the Pixel 7 right now.And it's fine and it's decent,but that's one of the biggestadvantages in my opinionof the iPhone.And that is a huge reason why I've,while I prefer the hardware of the Z Flip,still continuing to also carryan iPhone at the same time.So, I've been using a ZFlip as my main devicefor a few years now.However, the iPhone hasstayed in my back pocketfor one major reason: Ican't always rely on Android.Now, that might sound likea really weird thing to say,but I've run into a lot ofscenarios where I need to, say,post a sponsored story on Instagram,and I've had issues uploading itfrom the Android Instagram app.It works most of thetime, but I've had issueswhere it suddenly comes outlike looking potato quality or something.And you know what Idon't have to worry aboutfor my livelihood,is relying on my iPhone todo the exact same thing.I also just finished up aworkout with the Pixel Watch.The set-up process isannoying, it's just not good.There's the Fitbit layer,there's the Google layer,you have to sync it all up.It's a bit of a pain.But, once I just got into the workout,the Fitbit stuff worked pretty well.I mean, the heart rate tracking,the kind of zones and stuff,I actually like that morethan the way that the Apple Watch does it.The Pixel Buds have actuallybeen... (sighing fairly)They're kind of mid, I guess,is my first impression.The noise canceling isn't great.Like, I actually was cyclingbetween transparency and noise canceling,and I couldn't necessarily tella massive, massive difference.Not impressed with the Buds.So, I was in the middleof pairing my Pixel Budsto the Pixelbook,and I realized there's alittle bit of a problem.Take a look at my PixelBuds less than 24 hours in.Can you see how blue?Like, my jeans have rubbed off so much.Look at that.- Oh, wow.- These are brand new.It's been put in this pocketmaybe three or four times ever,and it is already looking massively blue.So, as part of this challenge,I am only using Googleproducts whenever I can,which means that I'm usingYouTube Music instead of Spotify.For music, it's totally fine.But my favorite podcast, "Dissect,"just dropped the firstepisode of a new seasonon one of my favorite albumsand I can't listen to it.I caved. (laughing amusingly)So, it is day fourand I'm doing a littlebit of work on the serverwith the Chromebook.Now, this is clearly a bit ofan issue because our serversare entirely run usingeither Windows or Mac.So, mostly what I'm doing hereis just keeping up with like spreadsheetsand data management stuff, whichI can do in the Chromebook.But, the actual likeinterfacing with the serverhas to be done on theMac that's sitting here,that's in the rack.One thing I found that hasbeen a real learning curveis dealing with the trackpad.The trackpad is not horribleand the keyboard is a littlebit better than I thought.But the problem is is thatwhen it comes to using itfor extended periodsof time, and you know,dealing with like spreadsheetsand that kinda stuff,it is so irritating.(laughing frustratingly)It's just not a good trackpad.So, I've gotten to carryingaround my MX Master with meeverywhere I go.I literally walked into the server room,brought the mouse'cause I knew I was notgonna wanna sit herewith the trackpad for that long.It is time to unwind and playsome games on my Chromebook.So, what I think I'm gonna dois I'm actually going to use Game Pass,and I'm gonna pick up my "Cyberpunk" gamethat I was recently playing on Xbox.So, let's see how this goes.Well, my Xbox controller isn'tpairing particularly well.(laughing amusingly) Uh...Time to play a cloud gaming servicethat I can use a mouse with!It was a pretty smooth day.Pixel was completely rock solid,I've had no real battery issues.The same thing actuallygoes with the Chromebook.I've actually been pretty happy with it.Now, mind you, theperformance is not great.So, I'm gonna sit down,get some email done on the Chromebook,watch some "Andor," and call it a night.But, I actually don't thinkthis is gonna be that hard of a challenge.Like, I'm actually startingto kinda see the light,although I miss somethings. (laughing cutely)So, Ken?- Yeah?- I have had quite the journey so far.And-- Whatchu got on there?- Don't worry about it.It's the Pixel Watch 2, made by Tim Cook.- Great, are you havingfun? (laughing amusingly)- I actually kind of am, like-- Really? Okay.- The thing is I feel likeI only have like one of thesevideos in me a year, right?Because you know,I get settled in with myecosystem and all my devices.And yeah, I'm sadly lookingat my Z Flip on the counter,not being able to touch it for a month,but like it is kind of fun for meto kinda like get outta my comfort zoneand try a bunch of stuff.Because things like this Chromebookhave been legitimately interesting to mein ways that I was not expecting.Last week,I purchased this Chromebookfor $380 from Best Buy.It is now on sale for $299.- Okay.- On top of that,if you wanna get a slightlyolder version of this,it's on Amazon for like $230 bucks.- I mean, this hardware feels nice.It actually kind of feelslike a proper Folio.It has a nice textureto it, I love the color.- I'm gonna take advantageof the Google ecosystem.- Oh, can you unlock it with your phone?- Unlock my phone, and then...- Oh, okay, okay.- The main thing where this strugglesis when you have multipletabs and whatnot,four gigs of RAM is just not enough.Also, something I've realized,while this can run Android apps,I kinda don't run Android apps that often.So, Spotify has a web appand also the Android app-- You didn't use Google Music?- Uh...But, the Spotify Android app,literally, it was like skipping.It was not playing my music back smoothly.When you're on this Chromebook,if you can live inside thebrowser and not using apps,it's better.So, I use Slack in the browser,I use Spotify in the browser.The only things I do...And most of the other onesI have that are "apps"are just Chrome tabsthat are just sort of pinned in Windows.Single-tasking is fine,multitasking is where itgets a little sketchy.- So, for grandma, it's fine.- No, for those who arepatient and can deal with-- So, Grandma.- Yes.So now, I have something I don't wanna do,which is to create a thumbnailusing the Chromebook.So, I'm here with my good buddy, Myke,who's my co-host on the"Backmarkers" podcast.And 'cause I gotta make the thumbnail,I gotta figure out how to use Canva.What is Canva?It looks like there's so much...Look, I can make awebsite, print a product,create a video, or I can play with Canva.What?- Just play with it.- I can just play with it.- Just play with it.- When I fail, can you usePhotoshop to create them all?- Yeah.- Okay, cool, thanks.The most attractive thumbnail.(Myke laughing amusingly)Oh, it's a 404.YouTube thumbnail templates.Okay. Wow!These are actually good."Customize template," let's go.Alright, so I'm gonnaspecifically use Canvabecause this actuallyworks inside the browser.Now, there are certainlyAndroid apps that I could use.There's even things like Lightroomwhich you are sort of optimized.But, based on my terribleexperience running Android apps,I wanna stay insideChrome as much as I can.- Ooh, I like the font, the font's great.- This is another kinda disaster actually.Actually, no, performance is not bad.There we go, there we go.Now, I need a photo for the background.I'm gonna look up aroyalty-free image of a Ferrari.- Don't just... I'm just gonna...(static buzzing)- Paste.Oh!(Myke laughing amusingly)Oh, you can go play graphics and stuff?This is actually not bad.- Subscribe.There.(both laughing amusingly)- Here's the thing, likethis actually is fine.- Canva's fine, you justdon't know how to use it.- "Ferraris Suck: Disaster in two Weeks."Okay, sure.(both laughing amusingly)How do I export this?I need to save this one,just for my own personal use.That's a thumbnail right therethat I made on a Chromebook.Three or four people would click that.I think that's a win.I'm feeling good about myself.Can you please Photoshopus a good thumbnail?(laughing amusingly)So, this is the first timethat I have launched avideo from my Chromebook,and it's working right?So, I've had problemswhen I've done challengeslike this with an iPadbecause some things likeuploading the captions for videosand some of the backend analytics stuffstraight-up will stillnot work on an iPad.And thankfully, it isworking on the Chromebook.The problem though isthat four gigs of RAM.I am playing this stuff back right now.I think we should do ourown AI art generation-It's like dropping frames.It's like you can tell thatit doesn't have the bandwidth.It just can't handle this well.That being said, I am ableto get this video live.It's a compromise, it'snot a deal breaker.But, this is probablythe roughest thing I'vedone with the Chromebook,and it's not that demanding.Now, the astute among you maynotice something differenton my wrist.So, I switched back to the AppleWatch. (laughing amusingly)I made it five days with the Pixel Watch.Stuff like if you wannago to pick a workout,pick the Fitbit exerciseapp, then it doesn't...Unlike the Apple Watch-- Ah yeah,the Fitbit thing's kind of annoying-- Yeah!- And they make you use it.- It's like, stupid.So like, on the Apple Watch,if I'm gonna pick a workout,it shows me all the workoutsI've most recently done.On the Fitbit, it givesme one or two workouts,and if that's not those,I have to scroll throughlike 30 different thingsto find the thing I'm gonna do.I'm like, "Why can't youremember I did this yesterday?"The moment that I gave up on it, okay?- Yeah.- I'm at the gym, I'm like30 minutes into a workout,I missed a very important callthat it did not notify me onthat the Pixel had allthe notifications on.I don't know what happened,maybe didn't catch it or whatever.But, that was the final straw.I literally went straighthome, took the Pixel Watch off,went back to Apple Watch.I would rather use this on wifi and LTEthan the Pixel Watch.(tape stopping abruptly)- What's up?- Is this curved?Look, I'm gonna barelyflex this a little bit.(gentle pensive music)- Oh, Jesus!Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.(everyone laughing amusingly)- Look at it.- Okay, okay.Stop, stop, stop. (Ken laughing amusingly)That is-- 21 days, Austin!You can't break it yet.- You made it worse.- I know!No, no, like one finger, onefinger, watch, one finger.- No, no, no, no, no, no.Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.You need to chill.Stop that. (Ken laughing gently)- Honestly, I'm flabbergasted.I have not done any durability testing.It's been fine, but it's literally curvedand it's been in my bag for a week.Nevermind, I said a lotof nice things about it,I didn't realize you could take one fingerand almost snap it in half.Honestly,I'm rethinking almost everything I've saidabout this Chromebook throughout.As much as I've found likeusing Chrome OS interestingand this hardware to be mostly good,that might be the flimsiest bit of bendingI've ever seen in my entire life,including like cheap Wishtablets and everything.I don't trust that thisis gonna last the 30 days!I don't trust this is gonna last a yearor multiple years in someone's backpack,I don't believe it.- But on the upside, Austin,you've always wanted a ZFlip replacement, right?Here you go.- Good luck on therest of your three weeks.(gentle pensive music continues)Don't sit on it.- Don't drop it.Don't look at it.(Jared laughing amusingly)(gentle pensive music continues)- Alright, it is a Monday,which means that I havespent the last three hourson this beautiful webcam on my Chromebook.Yeah, today was not super smooth.I mean, to be fair, it's workedbut, you can see the auto exposureis just wildly all over the place,which is fairly indicativeof cheaper lower-end devices.But, the other thingthat I think was a littlebit more of a problemwas this thing was lagging on meas I was trying to like beon a video call on one tab,pull up like docs and other things.Like, it was chugging pretty hard,more so when I tried toplug it into my monitorto have some extra screen real estate.That did not work.Not an amazing experience,which shouldn't be a surprisedas my face keeps flickering.But, I certainly had hopedfor a little bit better.So, I've got a little bit of a problem.So, I've got-- To commit tax fraud.- In a couple days, andI'm a little worriedabout actually relying on this on the day.I think it will work.I have USB-C, I can plug inmy mic and everything else,but just seeing how it's been choppymakes me legitimatelyconcerned to trust thisfor an actual real thing.Like, it's one thingif I'm goofing around and it takes a bit,but I am recording somethinglive for a sponsor.I can't exactly just lag outor have choppy audioor anything like that.Like, I think it'll be okay,but it's really kindamaking me second guesshow much I can reallytrust the Chromebook.Which is unfortunatebecause it's generally been fine so far.Yeah, not feeling superconfident right now.(tense dramatic tone)Like it just literallywill not open for me.Do you know what's going on,do you know why I'm having this problem?- Um, no,but you were supposed to behere about five minutes ago,and we really need you to start soon.- I'm trying to join right now,but the problem is is that literally,the link is just not functioning.Like, it loads and then it shows nothing.- Okay.Um, well...- Can you send me a new link?Can you send me like anupdated link that I can try?'Cause this one's just not working.- Yes,I can send you an updated link right now,just try and get here as soon as possible.- Okay, thank you.Alright, see ya.I'm gonna throw thisChromebook out the window.So, I'm trying to do somethingvery important right now,and it is literally not workingand I'm gonna get grumpy.(inhaling heavily)(key clicking laboriously)Now's not the time, okay?Now's not the time!I'll just close it up and I'll just...I'm getting my Macbook,I'm getting my Macbook.(exhaling stressfully)I apologize for gettingjust a little bit upset.I'm all down for a challenge,I'm all down to do somethingto learn about the experience.And I have learned a lotspending the last severalweeks with this Chromebook.Almost none of my problemsreally have come down to Chrome OS.It really has been downto the hardware of thisparticular Chromebook.For basic use, it is totally acceptable.But, I feel like I need a little bit more.This Snapdragon (sighingquickly) chip in hereis a low-end processor.Four gigs of RAM is not enough.And when you put that all togetherwith the flaws of a fairly small tabletthat bends when you start to flex it...(sighing disappointingly)There's certainly thingsI like about Chrome OS,and there's certainly things I've learnedabout really leaning intothe Google ecosystem.But also, there have beensome real shortcomingsthat have been made very clear to me.When you look at Apple,they have an absolutelyimpeccable ecosystem.Every single Apple productworks well with otherApple products, right?And the more you get, the better it is.Sure, there's a little bitof a nefarious angle there,where if you wanna tryto leave that ecosystem,suddenly half of yourthings don't work anymore.And I get that, that's acompletely real trade-off.But, when I can use my AppleWatch to control my Apple TVwhich is running anAirPlay video from my Macas I'm streaming on my phone.Like, all these things whenthey work together so well,I kind of expected that going all Googlewould be a little bit more ofa stronger value proposition,and it really isn't.Yeah, an Android phone and Chromebookdo work together relatively well,you can unlock it and stuff.But generally speaking,nothing really talks toeach other in the waythat something like a seriesof Apple products would.And that's the thingthat's been the most disappointing elementof this entire sort of video.So, I don't think it's a surprise,(gentle rhythmic music)I'm gonna go backto the way I was usingdevices before this.And I'm gonna use an Apple Watchto check my blood pressure right now'cause I think it's stillelevated after that.