What Can't I Do With My New Chromebook?

[bama_ed]

I just got a new Chromebook to replace my dead Microsoft Surface 2 (I bought it for $100 as an open box special at Best Buy after Christmas one year so no big loss). It's the #2 machine in our house after the laptop and I really like it.

I went with the Chromebook instead of a tablet because I like having the constant keyboard. We're an Android house when it comes to smartphones so the Google Chrome interface is a natural fit for us.

I paid $299 for a Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015) from Amazon which has a 13.3" beautiful screen. Doing my research, the Dell 13" Chromebook is probably the top Chromebook currently but it is also is about 50% more expensive (it's geared more toward business/enterprise use).

The complaints about Chromebooks appear to be mostly unfounded or managed by using alternatives. About the only thing I can't get around is I have used my laptop's optical drive to rip musical cd's and dvd movies (with legal software) but even now Amazon provides an mp3 version of the cd music for nearly all the cd's I buy. The laptop is still kicking so I can rip my latest DVD purchases (the Bama Cotten Bowl victory over Michigan State and the Bama Championship victory over Clemson). But I don't rip many DVD's any more (I have my Bogart collection already ripped).

So I could almost feel like I could move full time to Chromebooks and simplify my life and migrate decades of pictures, music, and files to Google Drive. But it can't be that simple. I must be overlooking something. What am I missing?

I had an old 64GB microSD card that I stuck in an adapter in the SD slot of my machine to load my local music and movies onto. My entire catelog of Chicago albums (I through XXXIV or 1-34 for the unwashed) fits along side my Bela Fleck albums, Disney theme park music, "the best of..." of just about every pop/rock group from the 70s/80s, my Bogart movies, the Indy Jones 1-3 and Bourne 1-3 movies, and all the big Bama bowl game victories. And I have space left over.

What am I missing? Try to poke holes in my theory and I'll either tell you my work-around or say you got me. I want feedback from my DIS Camping brothers and sisters.

Bama Ed

 

[tiggerdad]

You remember when the truck and towing thread first came out and you posted something simple like "I have a Suburban, and it's blue". Well, in this case all I can post is "I have a Dell, and it's black".



You'll have to show it to me at GSP. It sounds pretty good.

 

[NoCutsies]

I've been on a chromebook for about 2 years now for most everything, really no complaints. I use a mac for games, pirating TV, and final formats on papers for school. Everything else gets done on the chromebook.

 

[bama_ed]

I've been on a chromebook for about 2 years now for most everything, really no complaints. I use a mac for games, pirating TV, and final formats on papers for school. Everything else gets done on the chromebook.

Thanks for the reply, NoCutsies.

Games aren't an issue for me.

TV - I'm an old guy and pay for AT&T U-verse.

Writing papers - I've read that Google docs can do MOST of what MS Word can in terms of formatting. But due to my sign-up/use of my old Surface, I have access to MS OneDrive which has, supposedly, the Office Suite online for free use and something like 75GB of storage. So my go-to work-around, if I have to, would be to use OneDrive to get that complex formatting done. Not that I write a lot of papers anymore - but DW still writes some stuff occasionally.

The other thing I've noticed is although my home inkjet printer was already Cloud-connected (DD had a Dell 11" Chromebook issued by the school), the scanner part of it can be run from the little screen interface right there on the all-in-one. With the #1 home machine the laptop, there is an app on the desktop to run and control all the scanning options but that software tool isn't available on the Chromebook. The all-in-one also has a USB port to stick a drive in to capture the scan.

Bama Ed

 

[peg110]

Okay.... You knew this was coming, right?

If you loose internet access, you lose access to your "Google Drive". Then you only have access to your local (64 GB?) storage.
Also, (as I am sure you suspect) I don't trust the "Cloud Storage" Security-wise. That's not to say that Google Drive is not safe or secure, but how do you know? Wouldn't you think that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for the government would be safe and secure? Yet it got hacked! (Thanks for the 3 years of free credit monitoring).

What about the US Postal Service. They operate one of the LARGEST networks in the US and possibly the world (Trust me on this... I know.) They too got breached and some data got leaked out (while the stealing of the data was intentional, the way it happened was a result of human error).

That is not to say your Pictures are subject to theft and should be protected for the sake of national security. It's just to highlight that what we think is safe, really isn't Even in your own home the computer isn't safe, but there is something about have the control over it directly that makes me feel better. (If I don't back up my data on the external drive and my PC gets hacked, then it's my own fault.)

I also see the model where Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and all the other big names, start to charge for this cloud space. I think right now Google drive will give you something like 10 (or is it 100) GB for free, but then..... Bring on the charges. While 10 (or even 100) GBs seem like a lot, it really wasn't that long ago when PC's came standard with 1 GB of Ram and 30 GBs of Hard drive space and a CD-RW Drive would let you write 640 MB to a CD Disk? Who would need more? In fact I still have 3.5" Floppies. Why did they call them floppies if they are hard? (I do know the answer too!) If this isn't a ROFLMAO moment.

Just look now. You have SaaS (Software as a Service). You no longer by Microsoft Office and use it for the next 10 years. Sure you paid $300 but it gave you all you needed. Unless you really wanted those special bells and whistles of the next version... You didn't have to buy it because your current version works just fine. Right. SO MS Office 2003 in 2003. SO if you paid $300 for it. It's about as good today as it was in 2003 for Most folks. Today you can use Microsoft Office 365 for a monthly subscription plan. It's $5.00 a month. It is however somewhat limited, but still, it's $60.00 annually (plus tax of course). Assuming the price does NOT go up (Yeah right) in 5 years, you will have paid the $300 to own it. On the plus side, you will have the updated versions of Office 365 (Cloud version only at that price) along the way. In 2009, (assuming we started in 2003) however, you have now paid (again assuming price doesn't go up) $60.00 more for the extra bells and whistles. After 10 years, you have paid double. Etc.... Yes you have the latest (cloud) versions, but what does that really get you when the original version worked fine. Well besides a headache of trying to figure where MS moved the functions you knew how to do to somewhere else. (I hate the "RIBBON" Bar with a passion. )

Anyway, the point is, is that where you could buy once and use it as much as you wanted regardless if it was out of date or not (I still have and use a Windows XP machine too) they want to move everything to a service and a monthly Fee (or worse yet, a per/use fee.!) that's what the Chromebook can get you (or is moving too).

Now... with all of this "Cloud" computing.... It's going to start hogging your bandwidth. There are still many folks out there that have "limited" data plans even with their Cable Modems (Comcast has a limit of 300 GBs per month. Not a problem right now.... but as things continue to grow.... ).

Now all that being said, I tend to need a bit more computing power. I will typically have more than 4 windows open at the same time (I have had as many as 12 windows open with several browsers running and multiple tabs in each of them.) I use a lot of RAM, I like solid video and I hate waiting for things to up or download from/to my machine.

For the "Non-Power" users, non-Video Game Addicts, and the person that just wants to surf the Internet, watch an occasional netflix video, scroll their pictures and music, send an occasional email or write a few documents, not doing anything super secret, the chromebook (or similar) is probably wonderful. If you need real computing power or have privacy concerns then it's probably not for you.

On a side note, I used to build computers for people (custom), and I always laughed as they would ask me what they should get. I'd ask them what they wanted to spend, they would inevitably say a (relatively) small amount. My next question was, "What do you want to do with it?", the response almost always included "GAMES". That's fine... Simple Solitaire or the role games.... Of course they want the Role games... That means Fast Video, Great Sound, and quick computer.... That means lots of $$$$$$

 

[bama_ed]

Paul,

I'm glad you weighed in - I value your opinion.

Since my smartphone works as a hotspot, I'm never away from an internet connection. WIFI at home and the office and some businesses, smartphone everywhere else. About the only place my data side had problem was at the Grand Canyon.

Google Drive is $2/month for 100GB which is enough for my pictures. I can back up movies and music but those are all ripped from the original source and I could live without them.

I am past my paper-writing days (I'm like a good smokey Gouda cheese continuing to age and ripen with a hard outer shell - my Engineering and MBA days are thankfully behind me). So my needs are admittedly low-tech.

I have a Western Digital 1TB portable hard drive that's my backup primarily. If you go down the "what if your house burns down? you would lose your laptops, chromebook, and the HD? My response would be, I have bigger issues than whether or not I still have "Casablanca" in digital form.

AT&T (my provider) bundles unlimited home Uverse internet with Uverse internet tv service. I know some people are stuck with a cable provider and some folks are too rural but between the fiber network and DSL, there is a lot of capacity out there (my heart goes out to Verizon customers).

You are right about power users having different needs than yokels like me. But my question was about the way I was using it. I considered getting a big tablet with a bluetooth keyboard but went this route.

And plus, I notice you conveniently left out the costs for virus protection, hard drive crashes, the blue screen of death, and Apple trying to justify overpaying for a pretty machine. I've been around since DOS, WordPerfect, Peachtext Editor, Lotus 1-2-3, Basic (not VisualBasic), and DOS. I was around when a full height 5.25 floppy drive was the cat's meow with the monochrome monitor. I've seen Apple soar, crash, soar, crash, soar and now it's nosing over again.

I don't use my home machines for work purposes. So I'm not a power user - I'll work with Google Drive (I have 100GB free for 2 years) and see what it can do.

Meanwhile, I think I emerge unscathed.

Bama Ed

 

[NoCutsies]

The only formatting issue I have is having a different header on the first page in Google docs. I love Google docs otherwise. Just knowing that my work is constantly being backed up is priceless. I lost more than one paper to wonky ms office on a PC during my undergrad. You can also select to use all Google docs apps offline.

My work also uses Google docs so I can work from wherever pretty seemlessly.

 

[peg110]

And plus, I notice you conveniently left out the costs for virus protection, hard drive crashes, the blue screen of death, and Apple trying to justify overpaying for a pretty machine.

Okay, you got me there... But in all fairness you asked what you were "Missing" not what you gained.
I don't overpay for Apple Machines. While they are good computers, dealing with Apple is just a pain. Again, I know... I work in IT and in a previous role, I was a Network Admin/Support/all around Techie Guy for a Book printing company. Of course they use Apple Macs (graphics is where these machines really accel). We had a new one that just didn't work out of the box. I called Apple, all they could say (at first) was if we had bought the Apple Care Plan (which we did) but I insisted it should not matter. It's brand new out of the box... Send us a new one. Why should the ACP even matter? Oh well...

I've been around since DOS, WordPerfect, Peachtext Editor, Lotus 1-2-3, Basic (not VisualBasic), and DOS. I was around when a full height 5.25 floppy drive was the cat's meow with the monochrome monitor. I've seen Apple soar, crash, soar, crash, soar and now it's nosing over again.

Yup, me too. I miss DOS. DOn't really miss WordPerfect (or QuatroPro, but that's another long story). I have done stuff in Basic (Yeah, I believe it was actually called Q-Basic, but I have also done VB.) I will go a step further and say I remember the 8" floppies (although I don't have any of those and haven't ever used them.)

Dad had a TRS-80 Color Computer "CoCo" with the "Tape Drive" (you know, the old actual Tape player with a regular cassette!). Dad was a High School Teacher, and he taught math and computers (basic). You know. Line 10 Print "Hello World!" Line 20 Goto 10 Ah... the good ole days. I remember as a young kid, (before he had his TRaSh-80) that he would bring home an HP computer to do his grading. It was a big Clunky thing that had it's own cart. Similar to this one:

except it also had a printer (like a register tape on top right (and no tape drive built in)
PLUS it had a Card reader about twice the size of the computer that sat on the cart underneath.

When he wasn't using it for grading (or developing a new project) we could play with it. We did the simple things with it and loved it. Dad used to say we practically cut our teeth on computers.

Nonetheless, I do believe that you are still unscathed. If the chromebook works for you, It sounds like you have a good match. I don't try to be the Power User" I once was. It's amazing that the more I work with them, the less I want to. My home use is simple surfing or email, however occasionally I need to do more. (Like Graphic editing. - I love the GiMP). I have also dabbled with video editing. My personal PC runs Ubuntu and is a beefy machine. It's an iCore 7 with 16 GB of ram but, except for those few things, I think I could probably get away with using a chrome book too.

The only formatting issue I have is having a different header on the first page in Google docs. I love Google docs otherwise. Just knowing that my work is constantly being backed up is priceless. I lost more than one paper to wonky ms office on a PC during my undergrad. You can also select to use all Google docs apps offline.

My work also uses Google docs so I can work from wherever pretty seemlessly.

Haven't really gotten into the Google Docs. I can't even access them from work, so that's not even an issue. My schooling days are mostly behind me so my "Document" needs are more for helping my kids with their schooling.

All this discussion, however, is making me consider checking out a chromebook to see. After all the price is good and if it does 90% of what I need, it might be worth it.

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks Paul.

For my simple needs, my Chromebook does the 90% I need it to do.

Bama Ed