Tag: Blog

The FAQ’s about the Acer C710-2856 and what you should know!

Paul

The Story so Far!

After buying this Acer C710-2856 and Reviewing it, people have started to ask questions about it.   I thought this would be a good time to discuss these questions and help understand what this computer can be used for.  I’m sure some of you have asked these sorts of questions in the past and thus you will want to verify this with other website but I am going to tell you what I can do on mine and hopefully I will answer some of your questions about the hardware!

Can you download files with it?

You can download anything on the web as long as you can right click on thel ink and hit save to file!  It doesn’t really have the right click moust button but if your use two fingers on the touchpad you can easily learn to do it this.  

Can I download MP3 Files and listen to them!

You can download music and listen to them offline, but you can also listen to Pandora and Spotify online without much problems!   I have had no problems listening to MP3’s that are not copy protected from Amazon US.   So if your looking to download music and listen offline it shouldn’t be a problem!

What about Video Files?

Again you can do it as long as it isn’t copy protected and does not require authorization to view the video.   I am hoping Google Play does that with the chrome book soon with regards to watching shows offline but I am sure that is a ways away!

Can I write Papers and HTML documents?

You can do this simply and easily offline as much as online.   Google has brought programs that will help you use these offline as well as online so you don’t have to be online all the time to do these.   You can open and save files to a SD card or a USB Stick easily and save them in ODT (OpenDocument Format), DOCX (Microsoft Word), PDF, TXT, RTF (Rich Text Format), and HTML or Zip files!

Can I print?

Yes and easily and safely.   You can print to other devices such as a Android Device or even a Phone.   You can also print to a PDF and save it online for later to print.   You can also use Google Cloud Print and they have several printers you can buy that will allow you to print with your Chromebook!

Can I use a VPN?

Yes you can, after looking hard and trying to find that will work for your situation.   I have found three or that will work, so far.   VPN4ALL, PureVPN, and WiTopia.   Each one of them have there benifits.  Just like VPN4ALL only gives you 5 Gigs because of it being consider a Mobile Device.   Witopia  only has 3 servers you can use but seems to work really well!  I should know I used them with the Chrome OS in the past and right now!

Playing Games on the Chromebook?

If they are online and you can access them, you should have no problems with the Chromebook.   It is only games that are Online that you can actually play using the Chromebook.   I have yet to find a Facebook game that I can’t play on it.   

Should I backup my Chrome OS?

This is a Definate yes.   The instant you buy your Chromebook, you should use a 4 gb USB drive or a 4 Gb SD card and go on your Chromebook to:

chrome://imageburner/

What are some other Chrome URLS that I could use?

I thought it would be fun to at least show you a few good Chrome URLS that you might need to know or at least enjoy playing around with on your Chrome OS:

 

  • chrome://predictors/  (Great fun see which links you go to alot and see how Google predicts which ones are most likely going to be put in)
  • chrome://settings/  (This is for your system settings and can be great resource for those who might need to change something in your Chrome OS!)
  • chrome://system/  (Everything you need to know about your system at your figure tips!)
  • chrome://downloads/ (If you decide to download anything, this is the URL to go to find those downloads)
  • chrome://bookmarks/ (This is where your bookmarks are kept and stored.   So if you need to get to them easily this is the place to go)
  • chrome://chrome-urls/ (This is where you find these a some other ones you might need to know down the road.   So keep learn these and you have a better chance at using the Chrome OS to the fullest!)

As you can see I have had a few weeks to play around with this little OS and actually starting to get a hang of it.   If you have a question that I didn’t answer let me know and I’ll try answering it on the blog or by email.   I hope this helps those who had questions.   This isn’t a bad little system once you figure out what you can and can’t do with it!

 

 

 

What I have learned from Person of Interest Show!

Paul

Person on Interest!

When I first started watching this show, I thought it was unique but then last year we had the revelation of the Snowden contraversy and how the government was collecting all sorts of information.  Then this became so relevant to the government and how they are collecting my information.   You will see in this show so much talk about how they are collecting it.   It is scary and I am sure the Government has put this out to help have a plausible deniability factor to it.   I know I am going to have conspiracy theories tell me all sorts of stories, and frankly I am not interested.  This is my take on the show and here it is!

Bluetooth Force Pairing

To some this is impossible, and to some like me it is possible but highly unlikely.   I however tend to be more paranoid than most and think this is probably happening more than most would care to admit.   People have shown how to pair without confirmation in many situations and thus that I why I believe this is happening in today’s society without your knowledge.   Again this go back to the Plausibility factor, so who really knows this is after all I good reason to keep your cellphone secure as you can by turning off Bluetooth when not in use!

There will Always be a FINCH!

This is self evident in the series, he can hack and do all sorts of things that makes your head spin.   We have hackers and crackers who do this sort of stuff all the time but in much less detail and much less exposure.   I am sure they do not do all this stuff but they do some of it without your knowledge and without much publicity.   They probably have gotten into people’s Facebook accounts without your knowledge also!

Only the Paranoid Survive!

This is a quote from FINCH also, the geek humor of it is what struck me as funny.  Those who are paranoid have good reasons to worry and be cautious of what everything we do online.   It is good to be asking questions about what is going on and trying to keep our personal information safe.  It is sometimes hard to fight for your rights.   That was one reason I tell people to use a VPN service like VPN4ALL and that way you can keep your bank information and your identity from those who could do the most damage! 

As you can see I have been watching this show for the past few weeks going back and starting from Season 1 of Person of Interest and it is quite interesting and somewhat scarey what they do on the show.   It keeps me wondering just how much of this is true and how much of it is made up.   Only time can tell what really is true but you have to wonder and ask questions.   Could this be true?

My Problems with Virgin Mobile and the ZTE AWE!

Paul1 Reply

Virgin Mobile likes to mislead people!

When I was researching this phone, I saw this on their website and thought well it looks to be promising and that I could pay the extra 15$ and be able to teether my phone to my laptop whenever I needed to.  Even though, I am simply am enjoying this new phone of mine.   The idea that they made me believe that I could easily without effort pay them to allow me to teether my phone is simply absurd.   I shouldn’t have to circumvent the new security feature in Android 4.1.2 which  Google decided to break tethering and prevent people from using those so called teether apps.   I have yet to find one that will work.

Calling all Geeks!

I’m going to have to probably root the phone and install a Cyanogen mod on it to be able to use the tethering option on the phone.   I would however like to keep it the way it is.   Rooting the AWE be to much trouble for me right now.   Since I am mainly using a Chrome Book and have yet to install a Linux Distro to the machine.   I’d have to do that first before I could even root the device and you know how that is!

Does Anyone know of an app that will do that without having to break the warranty of the phone as Virgin Mobile told me over the phone?   I would break the warranty if I rooted the phone.   LOL That was a laugh.   If you know of an app in the Google App store please leave a comment and help everyone out who might have the same problem!   

How to Secure your Chromebook from threats!

Paul

Acer Chromebook C7

The Journey So far!

When I first started this journey to find a way to use my chrome book to blog and keep it safe, I just didn’t know how hard it was to switch from Windows or even the Linux system to this!   It wasn’t as if I had any choice in the matter.   It was in my price range, under 300$ and thus I decided I was going to overcome some of the obstacles of the OS.  I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy it but I am saying you need to know what your getting into before you try some of these things.

What you need to do!

If it isn’t obvious yet it soon will be is to make sure you have HTTPS Everywhere installed and running.   You don’t have much options when it comes to a VPN service but that will be changing soon because I have a great tutorial coming down the pipe from VPN4ALL.   I’ve have been talking to them and urging them to come up with a way to use their service with Chromebook.   I have found a temporary service for the time but I feel I should keep with my sponsors as long as possible.   I will also be publishing the tutorial about the other VPN services that work with Chrome OS in a few days.  As you can see I have been really busy and researching all this!   

Password Management!

I have told you in the past, I just love Lastpass and you should be installing a password manager that suites you and here are a few that you can install:

Some of you probably are wondering why I think this is important.   If a hacker got a hold of yoru account because your password was rather weak then you will have lost your chance to keep that account from being compromised.   So when your creating passwords it should not be memorable, and should have letters, numbers, and symbols and that is where these guys come in.   They all create unique passwords that will keep your account safe and they will also encrypt those passwords in a database.

These are just a few good apps to secure your Chrome OS and keep the bad guys from getting into your online identies and also snooping on your privacy.   Each person should worry about stuff like this but I am sure they have no clue.   At least this will help you start protecting your stuff and who you are online!

 

Reviewing the Acer Chromebook C710-2856

Paul

The New and Old!

As you know my Acer Aspire with Windows 7 was falling apart and I had to figure out a way to keep blogging without breaking the bank.   I happen to fin this nice little system for under 250$ and with the amount of positive reports from people around the globe about this laptop.  I figured I have to try it out myself.  As you know I simply love to buy products from Acer because I believe in them so much.   Every time I buy something from them, they just seem to last and thus I couldn’t resist trying this little Chromebook out.   I also thought this might be something that could be given as a gift to other people since Christmas time is almost upon us.   I just didn’t realize what I was getting myself into with this laptop.   

Specifications

Let’s start off by detailing to you what the specifications are for this Chromebook:

Chromebook With Chome OS:

  • Screen Size: 11.6”
  • Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768
  • Processor Type: Intel
  • Processor Model: Celeron 847
  • Processor Speed: 1.1GHz (Dual core)

Display:

  • Screen Size 11.6’
  • Screen Mode HD
  • Screen Resolution 1366 x 768

Network:

  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n (With Fast Ethernet Technology)

USB:

  • 3 USB 2.0

Comes with no optical drives, so no DVD’s or CD can be played with this device.   I am sure someone was going to ask this so I figured it was time to point that out!  Now I can tell you every detail about the specifications but it really doesn’t need to be discussed.  

Pros and Con’s

I am sure some of you are think there isn’t really anything positive that I could say about this laptop but you’d be wrong.   I started using this laptop last month for 3 weeks now and thought it was high time we at least do a review of this and try to talk about my experience.   

Now let’s get to the juicy parts of this article.   Would I recommend this to everyone, I would say NO.  If your doing photo editing or something that requires high processing editing then you might as well go look somewhere else.   The good part of this Acer Laptop is quite obvious but can be oblivious to others.  You can Stream movies and Shows and watch them on the laptop.   Google did a good job of this.   Just like Chromecast, you can stream them from your laptop to the big screen if you want.   

Processing Speed

The speed of the laptop when used with the Chrome OS is very different compared to my old laptop but then again, I am sure it was getting sluggish and probably needed a good clean refresh of the system.  I wasn’t how well I would like this system but I am not disappointed at all with what I expected to be doing with it.   I wasn’t going to be doing much other than blogging, surfing the net, and streaming movies and shows using HULU, CBS, and Netflix.  Let’s not forget about Pandora, which also worked perfectly for my needs.  It works perfectly on this Acer Chromebook.   I had no problems watching shows and movies from all those providers and many more.   

Hard Drive

If your planning on putting a lot of music files and documents on this laptop, think again.   You can however use USB drives to increase it to what ever size you may need but that will impact your time of the laptop if you don’t have it plugged in then you are are going to be using batter power to power the USB HDD.   It comes with a 16 gb Solid State Drive and it is really quite.   You can increase the space to 48 Gb’s by adding a 32 Gb SD card which is helpful for some.  

Screen

Most videos I streamed worked flawlessly and were quite nice to watch on the 11.6’ display.   They say it is High Definition and I believe it is.  I have had no problem surfing the web and checking out other web sites to see if there would be any problem with viewing them on a smaller screen and it was nice and no problems.

Battery

The battery power in this was quite amazing.   It at times has lasted me more than 5 hours on one charge an that has been a record for me.   The size and power alone is something that is definitely big plus to me because I don’t always need to keep it plugged in.   Very portable and can be taken to McDonald’s or any Wifi Hotspot.   I will be discussing this in detail later, and how to setup a VPN on a Chromebook! 🙂  So stay tuned!

Keyboard and Touchpad

Now to tell you I had a learning curve for the touch pad would be understand statement.   You have to understand that it has different gestures for double clicking and right and left clicking.   So when you first start using this laptop you will need to be prepared to go to the Chrome Book Help section to help you out and figure out all those new gestures.  The keyboard is like most other laptops and does a superb job at letting me type.  It all worked out in the end with me because it worked just well for all my needs.

If I haven’t changed your mind and you would like to try this laptop out for yourself you have a few options available to you and here they are:

 

Most of the time almost everyone has this version of Chromebook because it is the cheapest there is.   It is quite responsive and I have no qualms with this laptop.   I even like the size more easier to carry around and not be so bulky.   

*Those nasty disclaimers* Some of the links in the site are for use to help keep my website going and thus any Amazon links are undoubtedly affiliated with my site.