Chromebook Tablet

Chuckanut said:
Thanks. The Chromebooks are looking good. Maybe I will have one Mac or Win machine for PhotoShop.
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That’s similar to my setup. I have the iMac as my “workhorse” computing infrastructure, running mostly MacOS but also Windows (for Quicken). They’re physically in my home office on the second floor.

A device like a Chromebook/iPad is for hanging out doing sofa-surfing on the main floor. I like a feeling of physical separation between office and relaxation.
 
That's interesting...Windows market share has dropped from 83% to 70% in the last few months.
 
JustCurious said:
That's interesting...Windows market share has dropped from 83% to 70% in the last few months.
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I'm taking those numbers with a grain of salt. I think I'd have heard of a new OS that's taken over more than 10% of the market in the past 2 months, so I think most of those "Unknowns" are probably Windows installations that are being miscounted.

It's interesting that Chrome declines over the summer though. Same thing happens in the 2017 data. I wonder if that's due to so many schools using Chromebooks.
 
cathy63 said:
I'm taking those numbers with a grain of salt. I think I'd have heard of a new OS that's taken over more than 10% of the market in the past 2 months, so I think most of those "Unknowns" are probably Windows installations that are being miscounted.
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Fair enough, it did seem too dramatic a change in too short of a time, you would think that would have been more news worthy.

I expect Chrome OS to continue to gain market share.
 
marko said:
I wasn't sure if one still physically downloaded things like Excel/Word onto one's desk/laptop or if they were now Cloud based.
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It can be done either way, however I believe Microsoft is pushing the cloud based Office 365 subscription model.
 
I think that storage in a networked world will probably be the most important thing going forward.

Attention to security will be up to consumers (do I want this in the cloud? For most things it may not matter).

Devices using standards to access data reliably are important but are swappable. Applications that are architected to evolve are good, but subscription models are like a reversion to old Windows.

Sun Microsystems had an interesting tag: “The network is the computer”. They were right, but they are gone.
 
Yeah I won't put important docs only up on the cloud or at all.

I turned on iCloud Drive for a bit and it's kind of nice to access some docs on all your devices

But I'd have to purchase more storage on a subscription basis to store more than a few docs up.

So I spend time and money doing 2 back ups weekly.
 
steelyman said:
As far as I know, Sling doesn’t work on a Chromebook (in response to an earlier comment).
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I think there may be some confusion over Sling (TV) and Slingbox.

Slingbox lets you watch your own TV from on the road. I a hotel you can remote in & watch your cable channels/DVR

Sling TV is a fully cloud app like Hulu or the like.

I watch Sling(TV) on my chromebook all the time. I 'think' Slingbox requires a program download so the chromebook would not work in that configuration
 
Slingbox does allow you to view the stream in a browser but on my PC using Chrome browser, it uses a separate program, not a browser plugin.

May depend on browser and maybe the OS makes a difference.
 
Regarding Sling: I think confusion arises from Sling not being clear on specifics about supported hardware and software, whether “Sling” or “Chrome” is in the name. I tried for a while but that was over a year ago.

I mainly use Sling TV on my TV.
 
steelyman said:
Regarding Sling: I think confusion arises from Sling not being clear on specifics about supported hardware and software, whether “Sling” or “Chrome” is in the name. I tried for a while but that was over a year ago.

I mainly use Sling TV on my TV.
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Huh...I did not know that. (Johnny carson....or was it Ed?) I have not had issues with Sling on my Chromebook. Just looked. There is a Sling app that i put on a long time ago. I seem to remember being confused when I set it up. The app thing confused me
 
Despite being a huge Chromebook proponent, I just remembered that Skype video doesn't work on older Chromebooks.

I use my cellphone for that but only use it a few times a year so I don't care.

The Skype app for Chromebook does not yet support video although it allows text and voice unless you have a newer Chromebook model.
 
marko said:
Despite being a huge Chromebook proponent, I just remembered that Skype video doesn't work on older Chromebooks.

I use my cellphone for that but only use it a few times a year so I don't care.

The Skype app for Chromebook does not yet support video although it allows text and voice unless you have a newer Chromebook model.
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That’s interesting. My current Chromebook is definitely an older model, way out of date. I guess it points to paying attention to more than just hardware specs when comparison shopping, including what you plan/hope to run on it (software).

Your post reminded me to check out compatibility for iReal (a music app I mentioned recently in some other thread). The tablet form factor is ideal for display (e.g., placed on a music stand). It may be iOS only.

[ADDED] Belaboring the point (I know...), I took a closer look at iReal and it leans heavily toward iOS (but also Android). That'll likely push me toward iPad (my first!) over something like Slate.
 
Last edited:
marko said:
Despite being a huge Chromebook proponent, I just remembered that Skype video doesn't work on older Chromebooks.

I use my cellphone for that but only use it a few times a year so I don't care.

The Skype app for Chromebook does not yet support video although it allows text and voice unless you have a newer Chromebook model.
Click to expand...

But it seems you can still use Skype through the browser. I found lots of links like this:

https://www.lifewire.com/skype-for-chromebook-4161037

One of the more popular apps is Skype, which lets you communicate online through voice, video and text-based chat.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for many older Chromebooks, where Google Play app support isn't always available. If your particular model falls into this category, there is a workaround that will allow you to place audio and video calls using your webcam and a microphone via Skype’s browser-based interface. While it doesn’t feature all of the bells and whistles found within the Skype app, this web-only alternative still gets the job done by coming very close to mimicking the desktop experience.

...

If your Chromebook model can't take advantage of Google Play apps, Skype's web-based version is certainly a respectable alternative. From here you can still access all communication methods that the app offers.


  1. Open your Chrome browser and navigate to web.skype.com.
...
Click to expand...

-ERD50
 
ERD50 said:
But it seems you can still use Skype through the browser. I found lots of links like this:

https://www.lifewire.com/skype-for-chromebook-4161037

-ERD50
Click to expand...

OMG! Thank you. I had been waiting for this but then forgot about it.


JustCurious said:
You can also make video calls using Google Hangouts.
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Yes, I also use Hangouts which is my preference but Skype seems to be the only one with autoanswer which is key to video with my 89 year old mom who can't for the life or her figure out how to swipe a screen.
 
A question for Chromebook users.... if I don't have internet but I have power, can I use and edit documents and spreadsheets on a Chromebook? Can I use Quicken? TurboTax?

I presume that even with an internet connection that TT is the online version only... right?
 
Yes you can edit documents/speadsheets off line. No problem. I'm not sure about Turbo Tax or Quicken.

Someone mentioned they have the Toshiba Chromebook. I bought mine last year at Walmart for ~$225. Was so impressed, went and bought the same one a month later. Wifey though has absconded with it and ditched her Mac.

I'm aware of the Pixel, but it's a price I don't want to pay. Waiting for other players to enter the fray. In a few years, it'll be 5G, foldable and fitting in one's pocket--what's not to like :)
 
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