Pat's Chromebook is old and it's time for her to get a new one. Leo says it will still work, but it won't be updated. However, eventually, it'll stop connecting. It should stay in the specs, but Google says that new Chromebooks will get 6 1/2 years of support. Go to Google's AutoUpdate page here to find out how long you have before you need to upgrade.
Google uploaded an update to ChromeOS this week that was missing the "&" ampersand code, causing many Chromebooks out in the wild to be locked out of ChromeOS. This comes fresh off another update that left out the "%" sign, causing similar issues should your wifi network or password rely on it. Google didn't announce the problem, but it was ferreted out by a Reddit user this week. The only fix was to powerwash your Chromebook and start over.
If your Chromebook has a wifi only connection because of a lack of ports, Dick has a gadget for you! The OWC USB-C Travel Dock plugs it into a Chromebook to not only give it a wired connection, but also a 100 watt power pass through, so you plug it into your USB-C powered notebook or Chromebook, and then you'll add six ports, one of which is the USB-C power pass-through. You don't even need to remember to bring a cable because one is built into the bottom of the unit.
Joseph would like a Chromebook recommendation for taking online classes. Leo says that a Chromebook would be great for that as many online courses even do their practice labs online. So it comes down to budget. Leo's favorite is the Acer Spin 713.
Vince wants to get his daughter a laptop for college. He'd like to keep it under $400. Leo says a lot of it depends on what his daughter is going to study. Leo likes a Macbook Air, but it's between $900-1100. But he can get college pricing. Still, it's a solid student computer. There is a good Chromebook - the Acer Spin. But chances are, she's going to want something more capable. Also, take a look at the windows version ... the Acer Aspire.
George is looking for an affordable replacement for his Android phone. Leo says that he likes the Motorola G9. It's $238 and it has a huge battery. Decent camera. A little more expensive, but with a better camera is the Google Pixel 4a - and the 5a should be out in a few months.
Frank wants to get a laptop for his brother, who lives in Ukraine. Leo says that 8GB RAM is the minimum for a Windows 10 PC, but Leo says he should double that. RAM is different from hard drive storage. Get as much as he can afford, but 128GB is the minimum for a hard drive, 256GB is even better.
An SSD is best. Frank has a budget of $300. Leo says that's going to limit Frank's choices, so if he can go higher, the better.
Another option is a Chromebook. Less expensive, so he can get more bang for the buck, and if his brother's work is mostly online, that would be ideal.
Linda is looking to get a Chromebook to replace an old Lenovo laptop. Her budget is around $300. But remember that when you have a budget that low, you tend to sacrifice performance. But if you don't mind that, Leo says that Lenovo has a few models in that range. There's also the Acer Spin, which is a nice one that Leo likes. And can she transfer her data to the new Chromebook? Leo says that Chromebooks store everything in the cloud, so you can easily backup all your data to Google Drive and Google Photos for stills.
Al wants to get a Chromebook. What does Leo recommend for under $500? Leo likes the Acer Spin. It's quite good. Solid aluminum, decent keyboard. Good screen. Battery life. And it's in his budget. Check out Chromebooks.com for reviews of others. How about a USB Hub for his Mac Air? Leo likes the Cal Digit TS3 Plus. It has Thunderbolt. USB-C. Ethernet.
Jim recently got the OnePlus 9. He likes the camera but misses the Pixel camera. Leo says that there's something in the Pixel camera software that gives it the edge. But watch out for the Google Pixel 6, it's going to be a really great upgrade.
