chromebooks

Mike wants to get his parents a new Chromebook, but he's concerned that Google won't update them after a few years. Leo says that Google says that they will update them up to five years. But one, Chromebooks are extremely secure by design, so even after its end of life, you still can use it online and two, Chromebooks are cheap to replace. Worst case, you may run into issues visiting some websites. Check out about Chromebook's end of life and Auto Update policy here.

Gary's wife is a teacher working at home and he wants to know what to get to make her job easier. First off, Leo says to get a more comfortable chair for her. He also needs a computer for her. Leo says a laptop would be good and Apple's new MacBook Air is about as close to the ideal laptop as you can get. Great screen. Faster. Yet light. And since Gary's wife uses a Mac at school, the MacBook Air is perfect. And she could get an educational discount. The only negative on the MacAir is that it doesn't have any ports other than a single USB-C connector.

Jeff wants to know if a Chromebook can be used to watch TV. Leo says you can, but you need internet access to do it via streaming. Can he connect an antenna and watch? Leo says no. That doesn't work. A Chromebook needs internet access to work, and it doesn't have a tuner. So to add all that will cost a lot. But with decent internet access, you can then subscribe to YouTubeTV and enjoy it. You're better off going over to tvfool.com, RadioLabs.com, or AntennaWeb.org and finding an antenna for your TV. It'll even show you which way to point it.

Joseph needs a good laptop for browsing, email, and syncing to his phone. Leo says that he's recommending Chromebooks now. They are the most secure because they work with just the Chrome browser. Data is stored in the cloud. Samsung makes a great one. The only hiccup is the photo browser. But Leo recommends using Google Photos on the phone and let it back it up to a Google account. If he has to have a Windows laptop, look at Dell, HP, and Lenovo. An iPad is another option.

Tom grows saltwater coral, and you use an LED light to simulate reef light from morning to evening. But it's very smart and he needs to connect it to an app. It requires Windows, but he's a Chromebook guy. Is there an emulator that can work with Chromebook? Leo says that he thinks the hardware has a generic interface and a BIN file. There are Linux apps that can do that. Google is starting to support using Linux on a Chromebook, so that's one way to go.

Jose wants to know if he should get a Chromebook. Leo says that a Chromebook is great for those looking to get stuff done, but most of the things they do are online and in the cloud. Can he get the same by putting Linux on an older laptop and still be secure? Leo says that you can, but you have to update it regularly to keep it healthy. Leo recommends PopOS. But there's also an obscure OS called Qubes because it's very locked down. But it's very hard to use as well. 

Maria has a Windows 7 computer and with the end of life support for it, she's is looking to get a Chromebook but doesn't know which one is best. Leo says that she can still upgrade your Windows 7 machine to Windows 10 for free, and that would be cheap. But a Chromebook is a great option for someone who isn't tech-savvy. Her HP printer is rejecting her new cartridges. Leo says that's a known issue.

Cara's mother is recovering from a stroke and she wants to know how she can still communicate by email on her Chromebook. Leo says that Google Assistant will voice dictate, so she can activate it and dictate. Then she can clean it up before sending it. Google has gotten really good with it. The Google NEST Home Hub Max makes a great video caller. She can also do that. There's also the Facebook portal. One even connects to the TV.

Rick has up to six copies of photos on his computer. How can he get rid of duplicates? Leo uses a "dedupe" program called Gemini 2, and it works on macOS and iOS. It's from MacPaw. It'll go through all your photos and figure out which image is a duplicate, which is an edited copy, and more. And for $20, it's worth it.

Rick also wants to know if he can turn an old laptop into a Chrome book. Leo says not strictly, but there is a company called NEVERWARE that has an app called CloudReady, which promises to turn your old laptop into a Chromebook. 

Carl is having a Chromebook issue where he's typing, the tab and address bars will disappear. It goes full screen. Leo says to use the keyboard combination Alt "-" to reset it. Also check the function keys, like F11. He may strike the wrong one and boom, he's in full screen. That's likely the issue. Carl also powerwashed his Chromebook and he can't log into his network because the keyboards reset. Leo suspects that Carl may have a faulty or damaged keyboard.