Make a Chromebook With Your Android Phone for $20

Making A Chromebook

I couldn't handle spending $150 for a Chromebook, so I made one using my Android phone for $20 instead...

I Made A Chromebook for $20
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I was recently on the road and had an article I needed to write to meet a deadline.  I did not take a computer with me on the trip- I planned to use a computer at the business center of the hotel to type my article.  Unfortunately, the office center was closed due to flooding.

I considered typing the article on my cell phone using the on-screen keyboard.  This would have been possible, but would have been frustrating and would have taken hours to get done.  I needed a better way to type my article.

I walked to a nearby Best Buy and checked out cheap computer options.  I could get a Chromebook or a cheap Windows 10 computer for about $150.  I quickly decided that spending $150 was more than I could handle.

Studying these netbooks did give me an idea, though.  I realized that these inexpensive computers have solid state drives and small screens.  I realized that this was similar to the capability of my Android cell phone that I had with me, except unlike my cell phone the cheap laptops had a keyboard.

I checked out Bluetooth keyboards and found a nice solution.  With a $20 Bluetooth keyboard, I could essentially make a Chromebook that would allow me to type up my article just as fast as I could type it on a computer.  With my homemade Chromebook, I could work with Google Docs and do basically anything I could with a real Chromebook.

The Bluetooth keyboard can also be used with a tablet computer, so I could have a bigger screen by using a cheap Android tablet computer.

Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard I Used To Turn My Android Phone into a Chromebook
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Making a Chromebook using my Android phone and a wireless keyboard was a great solution when I needed a computer and didn't want to spend much money.  The screen size using my cell phone was pretty small, but I made it work.  An Android tablet computer with Bluetooth would make a better homemade Chromebook.

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