Acer

Tara has a lot of computer stuff that she really doesn't need. Can she use an iPad and still do online banking securely? Leo says Tara can, but it's more dependent on the security of the bank than the iPad. If the bank's security is up to date, then absolutely she can do it. Leo also says she can keep her Wi-Fi and use a Wi-Fi enabled Chromebook instead. It's essentially a browser based computer with nothing else. Just about everything she does is online these days, and that makes the Chromebook an excellent and secure alternative.

Tina is a software instructor and her Dell Laptop is dying. So she bought an Asus 10" laptop and now her Asus is being recalled. She's returning that and now she's got no backup laptop to do her job. She's looking for something small that she can use.

Leo says that an ultrabook is ideal for Tina. It's thin and light, and has a decent sized 13" screen. It's also great on battery life. Tina's budget is $500, so Leo advises Lenovo's business class laptops.

Scott has heard that Chromebooks are being recalled. Leo says that the recall is applicable to the HP Chromebook, and it has to do with a potentially faulty power supply. So, just to be safe, HP is recalling them. This stuff happens and often it's just a precaution. Leo says that if he's going to get another one, avoid the Google brand because they are more expensive. The Acer and Samsung Chromebooks are a good deal.

Bruce bought an Acer computer with Windows 8 and it has a lot of bloatware. Can he delete most of the Acer apps without hurting the computer? Leo says yes, but Bruce will want to wait until he's installed the 8.1 update. Here's the link to the update: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

Kevin's son is heading off to college and he's looking at laptops, ultrabooks, and tablets. He's wondering what would be the best choice for an accounting major. Leo says that Lenovo running Windows 8 is a real good choice. He should get a touch screen. Leo likes the Acer Aspire S7. It's very thin and light. Don't go cheap, because it'll be his main education and entertainment tool. If he can, he should get a professional grade laptop.

Lou has a netbook and it's really slow. He likes the size because it's compact and doesn't take up a lot of room, but he's ready for something with more performance and quality. Size is still a factor, though. He does edit video for his website, so it has to handle that, and he's always been a Windows user.

Leo recommends the ultrabooks like the Acer S7. Lou wants a spinning drive for more capacity, but Leo says he can get an external drive to handle all the storage.

Tricia has twins and they're off to college. She bought her son an Acer laptop for gaming and school work, but her daughter wants a device that will just watch Netflix. She wants to find something that won't get too hot. Leo says that Acer is good for that as well.

Jesse is looking to get an Acer laptop. Leo says that Acer is a pretty good low cost option. She's looking to spend $1,000 and wants it to be scalable. Leo says that she can add memory and a larger hard drive, but that's about it. Laptops aren't usually upgradeable.

Leo says for $1,000 she could get an 11" MacBook Air, but that screen is tiny.

Daniel wants to get a new laptop and wants to know which one to buy. Leo he's been using the Asus S7 ultrabook of late, and running Windows 8, it's great. But he also likes Dell and Lenovo for Windows. i5 or i7? Leo says that i5 is sufficient for most stuff and you'll save $300 that way. Get up to 8GB of RAM AND A 1TB hard drive and you're good to go.

Dana has an Acer Aspire One netbook and when he restored the OS, he lost his sound drivers. Leo says to run Windows update. If that doesn't do it, then he can go to Acer's support site and get the drivers from there. The Windows update should fix it, though. The chatroom says another option is to use Linux Mint.