Chromebooks are laptops running Chrome OS that are good fits for many situations. The light OS doesn't require heavy hardware, and that makes them cheaper than many laptops. Those on a tight budget can find a couple of good Chromebooks from Acer for just $199.

Acer jumped into making Chromebooks early on, and is selling a lot of them. This is due to building solid units at a reasonable price. The Acer C720 and Chromebook 11 are similar laptops, each with a display of 11.6 inches (1366 x 768) and an Intel Celeron processor. The primary difference is in weight, with the Chromebook 11 lighter than the C720 (2.43 vs. 2.76 pounds).

Both Chromebooks have 2GB of system memory and 16GB of internal storage. Each features two USB ports, 1 USB 2.0 and another USB 3.0. There is a full HDMI port for connecting to TVs or external monitors. With a SD memory card slot, internal storage can be augmented for those who need more. That may not be necessary as Google gives 100GB of cloud storage with the purchase of any Chromebook. Chrome OS integrates Google Cloud storage in Chrome OS, so many should find this sufficient.