I've had the Samsung ARM since Christmas. I bought it because I work from home, and my company is getting more and more restrictive about personal online stuff to the point I didn't feel comfortable doing what little they allowed us to do in terms of personal web browsing.
So I use it side by side my i7 HP EliteBook's with SSD's and Windows 7 and IE and Firefox. I'd give the Chromebook the edge in performance most every Web browsing type activity vs the Windows laptops. I have fast, high quality internet with Verizon fiber and a decent wireless n router, and suspect that internet speed is directly correlated with perceived performance on a Chromebook.
I like the keyboard a lot, so surprised at the above comments. Also, like the trackpad a lot, and have gotten quite used to the gesturing. I can't stand using the HP trackpads in comparison. The screen I'd definitely give a 6 or 7 out of 10, mostly because the black levels are pretty grey. The screen is fine for Web browsing, passable at best for watching a dark movie.
I do love the instant on, background updates, very good battery life (and quick charging), no fan, very portable. Lots of the pluses of a tablet experience, except you get a keyboard and a far better browsing experience.
I've also gotten very used to doing personal finance and any word processing needs in google docs. Working on the cloud is a pretty liberating experience with never having to worry about backing up or losing stuff, and you have your docs available from any computer with a browser.
In terms of extensions, I recommend going light on those. I use hangouts a lot, so I have that extension loaded, and that is about it. Lots of reports that a lot of them can hurt performance or cause issues, so only load things you truly have a need for. They kind of go against the spirit of Chrome OS IMO, anyway.
Google Keep is a web app I use a lot. Pretty cool way to build lists and notes that are seamlessly sync'd to your android app.
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