The continual changes in hardware and software sometimes seem to make it difficult to get things "set up" for any extended length of time. Just as we think we have everything as we like, a program or device is no longer supported, or we upgrade and try to find a new optimal solution. I am not a big fan of relying on my smartphone as anything other than a device of convenience, but as much as my last phone delivered the web to me at my convenience, it was a horrible piece of hardware that never seemed to get out of its own way. My contract recently ended, and as much as I normally do not like upgrading for the sake of being able to, I could not wait until I was given the choice of choosing a new phone.

My trusty iPad2 has been been by my side for the past three or so years, but I found that it was really best for web surfing. As handy as many of the app that I had were, I just found that I preferred doing any serious work with a keyboard and screen(s). So, my laptop rode in my brief each day, but was used less and less except around the house. In light of this, and my ability to choose a new phone, I decided to "go big" and get a phablet. I just picked up a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and have been getting acquainted with it these past few days. I enjoy a larger screen as I do not talk on my phone as much as use it for information retrieval. And, its larger screen size makes it a bit easier to use than my old phone, giving me a bit of a mini tablet.

Now, all of this is nothing new to any of us, but I am curious to see if my habits or app usage changes with this change in hardware. Asana's app seems to be a bit improved from the version on my previous phone (which was really not a very useful app for actively managing my tasks/data). And, I am curious if the digitizing pen will change my habits for collecting small bit of information that sometimes escapes me if I do not put it to pen and paper. I will post any significant changes or observations if they should arise, and am looking forward to seeing if I can leverage this change to be a bit more on top of my data, especially my extensive task lists. I suspect that my iPad 2 will still be used extensively, but it may no longer ride in my brief on a daily basis. I am hoping for the best, as I could use a bit of a productivity bump to keep up with my life these days.

--Ken

Ken wrote:

The continual changes in hardware and software sometimes seem to make it
difficult to get things "set up" for any extended length of time. Just
as we think we have everything as we like, a program or device is no
longer supported, or we upgrade and try to find a new optimal solution.

My way of dealing with this problem is that I have decided to 1) stick with old software and hardware for as long as possible, 2) actively resist being drawn into a hardware upgrade path (such as upgrading from iPad 1 to iPad 2 etc.), and 3) only invest into new hardware that work with very simple OS that get automatically updated at no additional cost (such as Chromebook or Boogie Board Sync).

My trusty iPad2 has been been by my side for the past three or so years,
but I found that it was really best for web surfing. As handy as many
of the app that I had were, I just found that I preferred doing any
serious work with a keyboard and screen(s).

I've had the same experience, which is why I'm reluctant to carry on buying tablets, whether iPad or otherwise. I've just found that other than for the basic tasks (reading, writing, note-taking, surfing, calendar, contacts), most of the productivity etc. apps I've tried where mostly nice ideas in theory, but not all that easy to use in practice. The iPad 1 was like a concept device, a prototype for what might be possible one day when the hardware is better... Maybe things have changed by iPad 4 and Air, but I'm miffed about having been abandoned as an iPad 1 user, and these days I prefer to use my Chromebook for most of these tasks anyway.

I normally try to get the most out of hardware as I do not have unlimited amounts of money and time to keep switching out to the next BSO (Bright Shiny Object). But, my last phone was a disaster, and when technology gets in the way of being productive, action is usually necessary. I have mixed feelings about my iPad2. It has served me very well these past three years and has been used heavily as a device for reading the web, something that I do quite frequently. But, the moment any significant input is required, I find that wait until I am on a device that has a good keyboard, and that has a mouse attached. I suspect that I would enjoy a MBA or a Chromebook, but until I clear out some of my older technology taking up space in the house (as they have not been properly decommissioned during the transition period and then relegated to the bottom of my seemingly endless task list), my beloved would not be too happy with me if I brought home "another box" to live in the house.

--Ken

Well, on the promise of clearing out some boxes, of which I have already started, and finding a bit of spare funds, I let a little GAS get the better of me and picked up an Acer Chromebook to try out. I am still getting used to its keyboard, one of the primary reasons it was under consideration as I just could not find an acceptable typing arrangement with my iPad2, but as our members east of the pond are fond of saying, it is cheap and cheerful. It has taken the concept of computer as appliance to the next level, as it is quite easy to not have any identifying data stored on the machine, thus reducing the hassle factor to almost zero if died or was lost or stolen. And the fact that it boots up in seconds makes it a strong second to an iPad for leaving around the living room for simple tasks. I like my Lenovo laptop for when I am going to work at my desk, but the whole plug in/boot up process takes minutes before I can get to work. I am always a bit concerned about budget technology, especially one at this price (under $200USD) but unless this machine behaves in some unruly manner, I may make an exception. I hope it proves to be as useful as my iPad2, but with a focus on input as opposed to consumption. I am curious to see how things will progress. Lord knows I need all the help I can get with respect to getting organized.

--Ken

Ken wrote:

picked up an Acer Chromebook to try out.

Lord knows I need all the help I can get with
respect to getting organized.

Hi Ken,

speaking of getting organised on a Chromebook, I can suggest the following:

Services:
- Google Calendar
- Google Drive, especially Google Sheets

Apps:
- WorkFlowy - to dos, outlining
- Chrome Remote Desktop - to access your PC
- Writebox - for distraction-free writing
- Caret - text editor
- Text - text editor

Extensions:
- AdBlock
- Clipboard History
- Cloudy Calculator
- Cool Clock
- Create Link
- Extensions Update Notifier
- Notable PDF
- Send from Gmail
- Speed Dial 2
- Tab Activate
- Split Screen
- Evernote Web Clipper

Also, the bookmarks bar is useful for quick surfing.

I'm curious about how useful the Chromebook can be when you don't have an Internet connection. What still works, what doesn't? I gather from the comments that none of your files are available to work on when offline. Is that a correct inference? Thanks.

Steve Z.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

I'm curious about how useful the Chromebook can be when you don't have
an Internet connection. What still works, what doesn't? I gather from
the comments that none of your files are available to work on when
offline. Is that a correct inference? Thanks.

Not quite. It's a common assumption and misconception that Chromebooks won't work without an internet connection. It really depends on the given app and service you want to use.

If it's an online service, obviously it won't work, but neither would it work with a Windows laptop without an internet connection... I'm finding that in an urban environment in a developed country it's almost impossible to be without either a wifi connection or the built-in (free for 2yrs!) 3G mobile data connection (which came with my HP Chromebook 14).

But there are now quite a few Chrome apps that work offline. They normally either allow you to sync when you're back online or to save on the hard drive (or connected external drive via USB) or both.

Here are all the offline apps currently available:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/collection/offline_enabled

I mainly use text editors for writing (Writebox, Caret) and WorkFlowy for todos and outlining, and those work offline just fine.

Thanks, Doc. I live in a rural area, where wifi accessibility is still hit or miss in a lot of towns, so I am always concerned about being able to save files locally.

Steve Z.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

Thanks, Doc. I live in a rural area, where wifi accessibility is still
hit or miss in a lot of towns, so I am always concerned about being able
to save files locally.

You're welcome. That's a valid concern. It really depends on what exactly you'd want to use it for when you're offline. The main strength of the Chromebook is the ease and speed of web browsing and using web services, and the long battery life (7-10 hrs).

If we're talking about Google Docs and other files on Google Drive, it is possible to sync Google Drive with a Chromebook and have it as offline access. However, most Chromebooks come with small hard drives, and so there will come a point when not all of the data will fit on the local machine or where syncing may become too slow.

But otherwise offline Chromebooks can function perfectly well as typewriters, notakers, outliners etc. (depending on the offline availability of the given app), saving locally, and syncing later (with your choice of cloud service, normally Google Drive, Dropbox, Box).

Dr Andus wrote:

Hi Ken,

speaking of getting organised on a Chromebook, I can suggest the
following:

Services:
- Google Calendar
- Google Drive, especially Google Sheets

Apps:
- WorkFlowy - to dos, outlining
- Chrome Remote Desktop - to access your PC
- Writebox - for distraction-free writing
- Caret - text editor
- Text - text editor

Extensions:
- AdBlock
- Clipboard History
- Cloudy Calculator
- Cool Clock
- Create Link
- Extensions Update Notifier
- Notable PDF
- Send from Gmail
- Speed Dial 2
- Tab Activate
- Split Screen
- Evernote Web Clipper

Also, the bookmarks bar is useful for quick surfing.

Thank you for the suggestions. I presently ude Google Calendar with Pocket Informant, so it will be my calendar of choice. I have not been much of a user of Google Docs, but that may change a bit because of its offline abilities. I will go through your suggestions as I get more familiar with how I want to set things up.

Thanks again,

--Ken

Dr Andus wrote:

Stephen Zeoli wrote:
Thanks, Doc. I live in a rural area, where wifi accessibility is still
>hit or miss in a lot of towns, so I am always concerned about being
able
>to save files locally.

You're welcome. That's a valid concern. It really depends on what
exactly you'd want to use it for when you're offline. The main strength
of the Chromebook is the ease and speed of web browsing and using web
services, and the long battery life (7-10 hrs).

If we're talking about Google Docs and other files on Google Drive, it
is possible to sync Google Drive with a Chromebook and have it as
offline access. However, most Chromebooks come with small hard drives,
and so there will come a point when not all of the data will fit on the
local machine or where syncing may become too slow.

But otherwise offline Chromebooks can function perfectly well as
typewriters, notakers, outliners etc. (depending on the offline
availability of the given app), saving locally, and syncing later (with
your choice of cloud service, normally Google Drive, Dropbox, Box).

I think that Dr. Andrus gave a pretty good overview of where a Chromebook will or will not serve a person's needs. In my case, I decided on one because much of what I cannot seem to get done these days is web-based, and I have good wifi at home and at work. On the go, I have my phone, and it doubles as a hot spot. So, my Chromebook will function as a step up from my iPad in that it will be an almost instant on device, but with a reasonably sized keyboard. This is useful for me, as I frequently need to respond to email, and I sometimes cannot get to my desk and boot up my main laptop (which is hooked up to two monitors among other things). If I wanted to spend more money, I would have either bought a small laptop like the MBA 11" or a Lenovo Yoga. These have similar form factors, an important criteria for me, but as I really do not need their additional processing power and software, I decided to spare my wallet any more damage. The price differential is significant in comparison to this Acer, as I walked out the door, after taxes, with change from $200, and fully capable laptop of that size is no less than $500, and probably closer to $800. I am willing to live with these trade-offs, at least until my primary laptop needs replacing, and then I will reconsider.

--Ken

Ken wrote:

So, my Chromebook will
function as a step up from my iPad in that it will be an almost instant
on device, but with a reasonably sized keyboard.

Yes, that was exactly why I bought mine in the first place as well. The other advantages just came as a surprise and a bonus.

If I wanted to spend more money, I would have
either bought a small laptop like the MBA 11" or a Lenovo Yoga. These
have similar form factors, an important criteria for me, but as I really
do not need their additional processing power and software, I decided to
spare my wallet any more damage. The price differential is significant
in comparison to this Acer, as I walked out the door, after taxes, with
change from $200, and fully capable laptop of that size is no less than
$500, and probably closer to $800. I am willing to live with these
trade-offs

The irony of that is that even if you spend hundreds of more dollars on a Windows laptop, it will never be as quick to use for checking your calendar, browsing, emailing and note-taking, once you factor in the boot time, wake-up time, and the inevitable degradation in performance. And then there is the fan noise...

Someone I met recently bought a Chromebook, installed a larger SSD drive, installed Linux on it and is very happy with the result. I've pretty much given up on Linux for my own use but it seemed like a good way to get an inexpensive fuller-featured laptop.

Ken wrote:

I normally try to get the most out of hardware as I do not have
unlimited amounts of money and time to keep switching out to the next
BSO (Bright Shiny Object). But, my last phone was a disaster, and when
technology gets in the way of being productive, action is usually
necessary. I have mixed feelings about my iPad2. It has served me very
well these past three years and has been used heavily as a device for
reading the web, something that I do quite frequently. But, the moment
any significant input is required, I find that wait until I am on a
device that has a good keyboard, and that has a mouse attached. I
suspect that I would enjoy a MBA or a Chromebook, but until I clear out
some of my older technology taking up space in the house (as they have
not been properly decommissioned during the transition period and then
relegated to the bottom of my seemingly endless task list), my beloved
would not be too happy with me if I brought home "another box" to live
in the house.

--Ken

I'm also tired of having to update everything with every new iteration of BSO. My newest way of dealing with it is to depend on specialty apps as little as possible and save all my documents, etc. as plain text and password encrypted zip files and synchronize using a cloud service (currently Dropbox). Most of my input is still through a Windows laptop, but even then I keep everything on a USB key so I can switch easily from computer to computer without having to worry about installing applications.

For mobile devices I have a Galaxy S3 and a Nexus 7, both of which are sync'd to Dropbox using DropSync. Android 4.4.3 has disallowed writing to the SDCard so I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with Android devices for my next BSO purchase. I do feel confident that I'll be able to switch to Windows Phone (or whatever) and easily take my stuff with me though since I'm sure there will be an app that will be able to read text files and open the zips.

I have to confess I now avoid Android like the plague, but I realise it's a very practical solution for many people.

As a substitute for SD cards, you could take a look at the SanDisk Connect series of mobile products (Flash drive and Media drive). They're not very expensive, and act as wireless servers for Android and iOS devices. The apps have improved (a lot) since they were first released last year. They're very portable, have pretty good battery life, and act as a very useful repository for stuff (documents and media files). More details at:

http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/press-room/press-releases/2014/sandisk-connect™-wireless-storage-devices-for-smartphones-and-tablets-now-available-in-canada/

MadaboutDana wrote:

I have to confess I now avoid Android like the plague, but I realise
it's a very practical solution for many people.

Bill,

I am not big fan of Android, although I do use it for my phone, but I would be curious as to what are the primary reasons that you avoid it like the plague.

--Ken

I do hate to bother those of you using a Chromebook, but, for better or for worse, I need to bring my Chromebook with me on an upcoming trip, and have a few questions about its set-up. I have mostly been playing with it in guest mode, as I am still deciding which Google account I want to sign up as the owner account (and subject it to all that is "Google"). What I would like to know are the owner's extensions and apps available to additional Google accounts if you log into the accounts just like you do in any other operating system (where they open up in a new browser tab). Also, are the apps and extensions available for use to people who log in as Guests? The answers to these questions will help me decide if I want to use one of my regular accounts, or if I want to create an account just for use on this machine. any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am not paranoid, but I hate it when your are logged into a Google account and then use the web. I usually surf the web when I am not logged into any accounts. I know that my cookies are still present for Google to scan, but I believe that it still limits my exposure a bit (but without losing my log-ins and history if I were to use Incognito). As always, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

--Ken

Ken wrote:

What I would like to know are the owner's extensions and
apps available to additional Google accounts if you log into the
accounts just like you do in any other operating system (where they open
up in a new browser tab).

I don't know, as I haven't created additional Chromebook accounts. You could search or ask on the official Chromebook forum:

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!categories/chromebook-central

Also, are the apps and extensions available

for use to people who log in as Guests?

No.

The answers to these questions

will help me decide if I want to use one of my regular accounts, or if I
want to create an account just for use on this machine. any advice
would be greatly appreciated. I am not paranoid, but I hate it when
your are logged into a Google account and then use the web.

I also had these concerns but eventually for me convenience had won over privacy concerns. Firstly, I wanted to get the 'free' 100GB cloud space added to my main account. But using your main account also means that you can launch Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Drive with a single click any time, which is just extremely convenient and quick, rather than having to log in and out every time you want to do something with these services.

If you are logged in with your main account, it is still possible to check your email etc. on other Google accounts, as they can be accessed from within the given service (e.g. Gmail), but it takes 3 clicks to get there. I suppose you could use an alternative account as your main account, and then access those services from within that account, if you're willing to trade 1 click for 3 clicks.

So just to clarify, there are two options to use two or more Google accounts. You could create separate Chromebook user accounts for each as additional users. It would be quite cumbersome to switch between those, as you would need to sign in and out every time from one to the other.

Alternatively you could just add the additional Google accounts to your main Google/Chromebook user account, and access them from within that user account. This would be a lot faster to use (3 clicks to switch).

Dr Andus wrote:

I suppose you could use an alternative account as your main
account, and then access those services from within that account, if
you're willing to trade 1 click for 3 clicks.

P.S. Under this scenario you would have access to all the extensions and apps, as you are using the same browser and user login to access multiple Google accounts.

I doubt that those extensions would be available if you create separate Chromebook user accounts for your separate Google accounts, as each Chrome ID seems to be uniquely associated with a given Google account.

P.P.S. If your privacy concerns are about remaining totally anonymous towards Google, then probably a Chromebook would be the wrong choice, as it is so deeply integrated with one's Google account (unless your Google account is an anonymous one already).

But if you're concerned about being advertised to, I can recommend the AdBblock extension. It blocks 99% of ads on my machine (I've never seen a Google ad). I heard that AdBlock may still sell your browsing behaviour as market research info, but no one will be able to use that to advertise to you because AdBlock blocks them anyway. AdBlock Plus (different company) on the other hand apparently lets ads through if advertisers pay them extra, hence I prefer AdBlock.

See the pros and cons for AdBlock vs. AdBlock Plus here:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8102584

Hi Dr. Andrus,

Thank you for the reply. You reminded me that there are not two, but three ways to access multiple accounts (guest, separate accounts, separate tabs in one account). I suspect that I will either use one of my main accounts, or use one of my lesser accounts and then use separate tabs. I do not really want to create multiple accounts, and if I could find a way to get the extensions and apps I need without an account, I would continue to use the CB as Guest. I am not losing sleep over Google's access to my habits, but I would rather not have my life all tied together from the moment I wake each day.

I am not concerned about the 100GB storage, as it is only temporary, as is the free music service. But, I would like to know what other benefits follow the Owner account, like the 12 free wifi passes, so I do not sign up the wrong account. It seems that once a CB has an assigned owner, a Powerwash does not renew these offers (which makes sense from trying to limit the loss on the "free" services).

Thanks,

--Ken

Dr Andus wrote:

P.P.S. If your privacy concerns are about remaining totally anonymous
towards Google, then probably a Chromebook would be the wrong choice, as
it is so deeply integrated with one's Google account (unless your Google
account is an anonymous one already).

But if you're concerned about being advertised to, I can recommend the
AdBblock extension. It blocks 99% of ads on my machine (I've never seen
a Google ad).

My concern is not getting targeted advertising, it’s getting targeted search results, news, etc.

This is not just a concern with Google, BTW. The same is true of nearly all major online sellers, who will try to steer you to products their analytics indicate you are most likely to buy and that will provide them with the greatest profitability.

I’ve tested this on Google, Amazon and some other sites by searching for the same item from two different browsers, one where I was identifiable through cookies, and one where I was not.