Chromebook?

[emily_in_nc]

By the way, the system I just bought is this one. It has a lot of capability for a small price, a touchscreen, 500 Gb HDD, etc. and having used many Windows machines over the years (from my first IBM PC jr,with DOS, through Windows 95, 98, XP, 7, 8.1, and now 10), this is by far the easiest transition ever. I complain about Microsoft at times, but they have really done a fine job with this new O/S, I must say. And I was skeptical, as I am not a big fan of technology change and don't even own a Smartphone!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Black-L...-Home/47836539

Just throwing it out there as I have just gone through this thought process in the past week when my ASUS Transformerbook T100 (small tablet/laptop hybrid) died and I had to replace it. In two days, I am pretty much 98% back to where I was, just a couple final things to figure out. And I am relearning how to use a full-size keyboard; that's probably been the hardest transition.

[Catrin]

Thanks! I'm pretty sure I want a 2-in-one convertible regardless of the OS, but I appreciate the link. I'm trying to make up my mind before my elderly 30-inch all-in-one dies completely... what is interesting are the range of options if I raise my price point up just a bit. Am also looking into seeing if I can create a system recovery disk (or 10) & reformat the brick. I may be able to get more life out of it that way and thus put off both decision and expenditure.

[emily_in_nc]

Understood completely, Catrin. My last system was a compact two-in-one, an ASUS Transformerbook T100. I loved that tiny machine, and it was fabulous for traveling (took it to Mexico). Light and handy. I seriously considered getting something similar this time around, but ultimately I grew tired of only having a tiny bit of solid-state storage and having to supplement with microSD cards just to have all my photos where I could quickly access them. And I really wasn't using it as a tablet at all, since I also have an older Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0, which still works fine as an e-reader. That's the only thing I was using the ASUS for in tablet mode, when I only had the one system. I didn't take the Tab to Mexico as we traveled really light. So, now I'm back to a full-size laptop with large HDD and faster processor, and the Galaxy Tab as an e-reader.

My dream machine would be a Microsoft Surface Pro, but I just wasn't willing to spend that kind of money for aesthetics. My new HP meets my needs just fine. It's amazing what $329 can buy these days compared to just a few years ago!