It’s not that I’m cheap; I prefer the term “strategically frugal.” As I work from the desktop computer in my home office 98% of the time, it’s hard to justify spending a lot of money on a nicer laptop. That’s what drew me toward considering a Chromebook. And somehow, I ended up with an education Chromebook no less. Is it suitable for bloggers, freelancers and other on-the-go business users? Here’s my look at the Lenovo 300e Chromebook.

After putting it off for a while, I decided it was time to replace my Ultrabook, mostly because it no longer holds a charge. Even if I charge it up to full, if I unplug it and shut it down, the battery will completely drain in a day or two. That’s not very useful at all. Conversely, battery life is one of the biggest strengths of Chromebooks in general.

The Lenovo 300e Chromebook is very much geared toward the education market. It’s meant to be used by students in the classroom, particularly in the elementary and middle school kind of range, though I’m sure high school students could find it useful as well. It’s much more “rugged” (or at least rugged looking) than mainstream Chromebooks, and it comes with a splashproof keyboard, in case you spill your drink on it.

But is it right for business users too? Especially those on a tight budget? While I wouldn’t recommend using this as your main computer, the Lenovo 300e can be a great secondary machine.

Remember when I included new computer on my Father’s Day wish list last year? This isn’t really it. However, because I was able to save a good amount of money by going with a refurbished PC for my main computer, I had some “extra” cash to spend on a new laptop too. And that little bit of money was put toward a remarkably affordable Chromebook.

The Lenovo 300e Chromebook sells for about $250 US (or about $330 Canadian) if you can catch it on sale. Do you have a Chromebook? What do you love/hate about it?