A laptop with an 11-13" screen on a desk is not a healthy long-term work environment.
Today I decided to test my Lenovo 100-S with a larger screen. It is the same screen I have connected to my Mac-mini that sits on my desk.
I bought that Mac about a year ago wit the idea that I could have a media work station and do it inexpensively. The mini cost me about $500 dollars used/refurbished, the monitor was a HDMI compatible, 22 inch flat screen that was refurbished for about $110 dollars, and then the keyboard/mouse USB Bluetooth combo was about $20 (and believe me, it feels cheap--but it gets the job done).
So, I shut down the Mac, plugged in the HDMI cable to the Chromebook, added the USB Bluetooth adapter, and immediately had my Chromebook working on the large screen.
But that isn't a true docked experience if the screen is still up on the laptop.
So, I searched the Chrome Web Store and I found the Keep Awake extension, which is designed to override the power saving settings on the laptop, and allows you to shut the laptop while it is plugged into an external monitor.
The Keep Awake extension has mixed reviews at the Chrome Web Store. Some folks were able to get it to work, others had problems. I will admit that I could not get the extension to work on my old Chromebook that is connected to the TV. I figured it had to do with the age of the hardware. The experiment today proves that the extension does work on a newer machine.
That download and installation to less than 20 seconds, and in moments my laptop was docked, my eyes and neck are no longer straining, and this experiment is a true success.
So, with a used monitor, a cheap keyboard/mouse, I have a Chromebook desktop experience for about $280 dollars. Frugality wins!
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