chromebooks

Russ wants to control his Chromebook from his tablet. Can he do that? Leo says that there's an extension called Chrome Remote Desktop. It's in the Google Play Store. 

Tommy bought a Google branded Chromebook. Leo says that you can get 12 hours battery life on that chromebook and it's incredibly secure. You pay a bit more for Google's brand, but they are well built, will always be updated, and offer great security.

Elizabeth wants to get a new computer but wants to save money. Which budget computer should she look at? Leo says that a Chromebook or a Chromebox is ideal for her because she can use her existing monitors (with the ChromeBox) and it's ideal for most of the things we do today online. Liz doesn't have WiFi though. Leo says that if her computer is next to the modem, that's not really an issue. But she'll be chained to your desk when doing things. That's why a WiFi router/modem combination would be better. 

Andy wants to get his granddaughter a Chromebook for Christmas. But he doesn't understand what EMMC storage is. It has 128 GB worth. Rich says that EMMC is basically the same kind of memory that's on your mobile phone. So, it's flash memory. RIch likes the HP i3. It's a pretty good model, great for someone who spends most of their time in the Cloud. In fact, most people are better off with a Chromebook. 

Gary uses Microsoft Outlook and OneNote and wants to know if he can use a Chromebook. Rich says that the Chromebook is super simple for 99% of everyone who lives online. But if he lives and dies by those two apps, he is not going to get all he needs in a Chromebook. 

Mark wants to get a Chromebook or a small, cheap laptop. Leo says that he's a big fan of Chromebooks, and for most users, it's a very good choice. Most people buy a computer that is too much for their needs. The beauty of ChromeOS is that it's very secure and inexpensive. But it always has to be connected to really do what users need to do. HP makes a really good Chromebook. Leo recommends only using Google Chrome on a computer for a week, and see if it is tolerable.

Debbie got a message on her Chromebook that says that Chrome is missing or damaged and she can't log in. Leo says it's easy to fix by using the powerwash utility if she can get to the sign-in screen. However, if she doesn't get to the log in screen, that points to a more serious problem. There's also a keyboard reset - Turn it on and press CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-R. This will open up the powerwash utility and completely reset and reinstall the ChromeOS. If that doesn't work, it's likely a hardware issue. Should she buy a new one? Leo says Chromebooks are still a great solution.

Barb recently bought a Chromebook and wants to know if they have screensavers? Leo says no. Screensavers are an anachronism from the old CRT days when images would burn into the screen. That doesn't happen anymore with LCD screens. The Chromebook just goes into power saving mode and shuts off the screen. That's how it saves the screen. The screen also flickers a little. Leo says that the image may be too bright and that causes it to flicker. That's an easy fix, you just turn down the brightness a bit.

Sherman is going to be going hiking around the world and wants to know which service to go with? Leo says that Google Fi is great because it uses three separate mobile carriers. He could also go with TMobile, they offer 2G around the world for no extra cost. But it's slow. He's also getting a Chromebook, is an i5 processor fine? Leo says it'll be expensive, but he can. Does he need a VPN? Leo says not really.  Especially in a country like China, where using a VPN will get him arrested.

Veronica wants to know if her Chromebook works on a home network. Leo says if you have internet access, you will. Are they secure? Leo says absolutely. The thing is, a Chromebook uses ChromeOS, which uses a browser-based interface. This makes it far more secure. And if it does get infected you can simply use the "power wash" feature to start over. But it stores all your data in the cloud, which is far more secure than a hard drive on your laptop.