Chrome Can: Chrome-based Tablet for the Classroom

I recently got my hands on the CTL Chromebook Tab Tx1. This tablet is a ChromeOS based tablet. I was excited to trial a Chrome-based tablet to see how it measured up to the iPad. I am, as you are probably aware, a fan of Chromebooks, however, I also love iPads and the wonderful things you can do with them in the classroom! For the past week, I have used my Tx1 as much as I can for all things worked related. When I went out to classrooms, meetings, integration assistance, etc… I grabbed the Tx1. I checked my email on it, I even created some of this blog post on it.

This isn’t the first touchscreen ChromeOS device I have used, I also have a Samsung Chromebook Plus that I absolutely love. However, since this specific Chromebook is a hybrid it has an attached keyboard and, therefore, I have not used the touchscreen as my main way of interacting with the device. On the Tx1, however, this is a different story. Since there is no built-in keyboard, I have been forced to use the touch interaction as my only means to interact with ChromeOS.

First, I have enjoyed learning the user interface of ChromeOS in tablet mode. It works very much like other tablets. When you see your home screen it is a bunch of apps that you can scroll through. When you scroll you need to scroll up and down not left to right. At the bottom of the screen, on the left, you will find a back arrow and a circle home button. On the right, you will see the recent app button. In the middle is your dock for apps. I thought it was cool that you can add a shortcut to a website to your dock and have it open up in its own window. This gives it an app like feel. The interactions with all of these various controls are as you would expect. When you open recent apps you can swipe to dismiss or click the x in the corner. If you swipe up you open your app tray from within any application. If you are in an app and want to return to the home screen you merely tap the home button. Very intuitive user interface.

I am not really a fan of typing on a screen so I was very surprised by how much I liked the onscreen keyboard on the Tx1. The versatile ways that the user can input text is just amazing. Of course, you can type like normal with the onscreen keyboard as well as voice typing. Keep in mind that this voice typing works really well, better than the iPad in my opinion. Another way that you can type is through swipe typing. What I found really cool was the ability to use the stylus to write on the screen. I tested it, and it still recognized my messy left-handed writing! See these in action below!

In fact, this section I hand wrote using the built-in stylus. It wasn’t perfect, but it did a good job of recognizing my messy left-handed writing, while I probably wouldn’t choose to write the way normally, as I can type faster, it is great for those moments when you want to take notes by hand.

I tried a few other Android-based applications that were specifically built for the touchscreen. I messed around with Artrage, my favorite painting app. Squid, my favorite note taking application for touchscreens worked very well, especially with the built-in stylus. Overall, I am impressed with the Tx1.

There are a few things I think this tablet does better than the iPad. First, it has speakers on both sides so it has stereo sound. Second, the screen is really nice and the colors are richer than my iPad. Also, since this is a Chromebook, it is a full browser experience. Google Suite is not app based and, therefore, is not as limited like on the iPad. The Tx1 also comes with that handy built-in stylus this is great for classrooms. Also if you are afraid you might run out of space the Tx1 also has a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage. Overall, I am pleased with it.

I still like my iPad though. My iPad is definitely a better build quality and a lot thinner. Also, it is smoother in operation. At times the Tx1 lags a bit. Nothing so bad that it would be a deal breaker but enough to be noticeable. If you are looking for a tablet, in the classroom, the Tx1 might just be the tablet for you. It is cheaper than the iPad and does many things better in my opinion.

Thanks for reading.

Dr. Shannon H. Doak