I've been a fan of the Chromebook since buying the Samsung Series 5 550 when it was first released. I work in the Chrome browser all day and the Chromebook is built from top to bottom to make that the best experience it can be.

Image: James Kendrick/ZDNet

Six months ago, Acer released the C720 Chromebook. After reviewing one provided by Acer, I promptly bought one . I have been using it as much as any of the laptops and tablets in my menagerie, and it has served me well .

Because my work day is centered around the Chrome browser, every time I open the Chromebook it feels like coming home.

I attribute the fact that it has never crashed or hung even once to the tight integration of hardware and software that is a trademark of Chrome OS. Before a Chromebook is released it is designed to handle Chrome OS without hiccups. That's been the experience with all of the Chromebooks I have used.

See related: The misunderstood Chromebook: Why few get it

Because my work day is centered around the Chrome browser, every time I open the C720 it feels like coming home. Everything is where it should be, and even if I've used Chrome on other devices since the last time I used the Acer, it's all up to date.

The Acer C720 Chromebook is still one of the fastest models I've used. It handles everything I do without hesitation. I open it up and in maybe two seconds I am right where I need to be.

ZDNet's Sean Portnoy reports on a new Acer C720 Chromebook with a Core i3 processor . That could be a better performer than the Haswell Celeron in the C720 without impacting the good battery life. That spec bump comes at a price ($350), and since I have no performance issues, I see no reason to upgrade to the new model.

The only things I would change about the Acer is I wish it were thinner; I also wish it was closer in weight to two pounds than three pounds. It's not huge but I'm all about thin and light, and I wish the C720 was more (or is that less?) of both.

I see the Acer C720 Chromebook is now $199, and given the utility I get out of it that is a tremendous value. It travels well and delivers the best Chrome experience I've had on any device with the exception of the expensive Chromebook Pixel.

Speaking of the Pixel, I admit I am surprised that Google has not produced an updated model. The Pixel is one of the best laptops running any platform. I really thought Google would wow us with an improved model. Given how long it's now been (1.5 years), I doubt we'll see it. Google declines to confirm or deny whether a new Pixel might come along.

Additional Chromebook coverage: