Upfront disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate seller, so the links in this review article help keep my site alive! Or, if you're not comfortable clicking on these links, just head over to Amazon independently and searching for the basic product name!
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With some of the latest Chromebooks and other tech going replacing most peripherals with USB-C ports only, the computer manufacturers have put it on the consumer to obtain the necessary plug-ins or add-ons to help you on your way with using your Chromebook and various peripherals. This new mode of only having a USB-C port is especially pesky if the consumer, you, uses micro cards or other functionalities that make your day more productive or accomplished, and yet, are no longer supported in the new laptops. But then again, removing all these other ports and what not are how they're making laptops so dang thin and light these days. Let the consumer heft the weight in their laptop bags instead!
Plus, it's nice to see a new industry standard that doesn't need to have the plug be oriented in a certain direction to plug in! And the one thing I appreciate about the Google Chromebook is how truly plug-and-play they are. Literally.
The other day I plugged my phone's earbuds into my 2-year-old Microsoft Dell Inspiron laptop and it took me around 10 minutes to go through the steps to install the drivers and use them. With my Chromebook, same earbuds, I plugged them in and they worked... instantly.
And Chromebook seems to be that way with pretty much anything I plug into it. I also love how more and more programs and applications are starting to operate under Chrome. And when the laptop updates itself, you barely even notice what it's doing in the background, versus, how slow my Windows machines get.
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But back on track! What accessories do Chromebook (CB) users need to consider as they come up to speed using their CB?
There are 'Plugable USB-C docking stations' that have a ton of options for just about every contingency, and these docking stations plug in to a power source and end up also powering your Chromebook. Plugable offers docking stations, adatpers, cables, hubs... well... you get the picture.
Here's a link to all that is Plugable on Amazon. But there are more affordable options noted below too.
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Docks can be pricey, ranging from $80-200! But many also act as your Chromebook's power supply eliminating the need to have more than one item plugged into your Chromebook. Plus, they can be bulky to carry around.
There are less pricey adapters you can buy that will take up the second USB-C port, along with your power supply.
I myself went with a Mokin 5-In-One 'USB C Hub HDMI Adapter' (see article header image) that ran me just over $25 and I love it. It's very protable and it has, well, five different ports. It has one 4K UHD HDMI port, two USB 3.0 Ports, one SD Memory Card slot and one TF memory card slot from one USB-C/Thunderbolt 3/ Type C port
You can check out the Mokin 5-In-One 'USB C Hub HDMI Adapter here.
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I bought a few of these myself... USB C to USB Adapter' plugs
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-Amazon Basics Laptop Bag.
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What's nice about my 'Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo' is that if you're piping content from your Chromebook to your TV via an HDMI cable (out of an adapter I might have mentioned here) but where you sit is too far away from where you have to set up the laptop, this combination duo makes everything work sweetly from your couch. That way, you can plug in your laptop to your smart TV and play that Apple TV service that your older Smart TV doesn't have an app for yet.
Or, just use the mouse itself... I'm always carrying my mouse around. Logitech Keyboard/Mouse Combo (This links to a product like the one I've purchased, but Amazon would not allow me to direct link to the exact product I've been using for five years.)
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Privacy screens are a super neat technology... you can see your screen just fine when you are right in front of it, but if you veer off a few degrees from straight in front of the monitor, you can't see crap. And hence, no one else around you can see what you're tinkering with.
There are some pricey ones out there, but I found a few that are within a decent budget range. I'll let you look around and see the ratings and options. The privacy screen I had was larger than my monitor, and I merely measured up, cut it down to size and went from there. It seems to be good to buy bigger than what could be a perfect fit.. unless you're in an actual brick and mortar store where you can try them. (I would hope) Do your due diligence.
I've linked you my basic search result for Laptop Privacy Screens on Amazon.
But a word of Bruce's Wisdom: I don't look at the top-rated product if it only has a few votes. I would rather see a product with thousands of votes and come in at 4 or better out of 5, than something with with only a 100 votes. Even if you find one with a ton of review votes, but it's only sitting at a 4-4.5 out of 5, keep in mind, sometimes people rate things not due to the product failing, but rather, something their patience didn't let them deal with. Or, there are those out there that NEVER give 5 stars, ever.
And here's a screen that has almost a thousand votes, sitting at 4 out of 5 stars:
And be aware of details if you have an edge-to-edge glass monitor.
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Your Chromebook has some amazing capabilities AND has some amazing sound. I have YouTube TV, Netflix, Amazon, and soon to be streaming, Disney Plus (that comes out on November 12th). And sometimes, when I'm not working, I am goofing off in Starbucks, but I don't want to bother people.
There are various kinds of auditory accessories, from headphones, to wired or wireless earbuds. I have both wired and wireless earbuds, but my wireless earbuds seem to help with noise cancellation to some degree better.
I recently bought some wireless Bluetooth (OFUSHO Bluetooth 5.0 Deep Bass) Earbuds and I'm still getting used to how I snug them up into my ear, but for the quality sound I'm getting out of these bad boys, I kind of love them. They sit in a charger that in and of itself, is a battery that could charge your phone twice, or the Earbuds 19 times.
I'm still testing how long they last, but every time I'm done with them, the place to store them also charges them but I've gone almost two days without charging them, with an estimated six or seven hours of use before they whine about the charge levels. But otherwise, I'm getting used to them and LOVE THEM. I judged my purchase on the reviews, plus, at $37 bucks, they compare to the triple digit priced wireless earbuds nicely.
It takes a little getting used to how to handle them in your ear without setting off some options, but once you figure it out, it's pretty cool. And comfortable. I have sensitive ears and I'm surprised how seamlessly snug and pain-free they sit in my ears.
I'm sure others are like this too, but this has been a good experience for me. OFUSHO Earbuds.
This is the generic search result for wireless Earbuds on Amazon.
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Oh, I almost forgot.. if for some reason you still need a DVD RW drive, though with everything going digital and in 'the cloud,' this is probably a moot suggestion, but to be thorough... I have this particular product:
'Rioddas External CD Drive, USB 3.0 Portable CD/DVD +/-RW Drive Slim DVD/CD ROM Rewriter Burner' is what I have. Yes, it's USB 3.0 but they do have USB-C units or you can plug this one into the adapter I mentioned above.. eh hem.
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That's about it for my Chromebook accessories that I have. They're all small enough to tote around with me everywhere, where I keep a few of them in the book's carrying case, and we go from there.
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