I have been working long shifts recently, but managed to get myself a Chromecast three days ago.
I have been debating on whether to get one as I have a Roku 2 XS which I love and use all the time, and when You Tube became available recently on the Roku, I thought I'd give Chromecast a miss. But, going Google and only costing £30 I finally decided to give it a try.
Yes, the Roku allows hundreds of choices. I can view Netflix, BBC iPlayer and You Tube on both devices. I have to admit that even though I have to pay the BBC Licence fee, I rarely watch any BBC TV channel, but it's handy for when my nephews visit, even though they mainly watch Netflix now. And, I discovered CNET TV a few months ago, which I tune into every night now, and I have to watch The 404 on CNET. And, I'm happy to view this online or via the Roku.
There is less choice to view via Chromecast, but I find the Chromecast much quicker loading up the main channels I watch. The You Tube channel on Roku is so clunky and slow and BBC iPlayer on the Roku seems to take forever to search and load and I get a fair bit of buffering playing HD this way.
Even though it took me ages to make up my mind, I'm glad I made the purchase. I also got a £4.99 credit to my Google Play account when I registered my Chromecast at chromecast.com/offers (offer available to UK purchased Chromecasts registered and used in the UK claimed by 15th July 2014).
So, it's looking good for me going all Google so far. I am not a tech expert but I do like things that are useful to me and easy to use. Just waiting patiently for the Moto 360 Watch now.
Thanks for looking in and here's 'til next time!
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Monday, 26 May 2014
Hello!
Hello and thank you for dropping by.
I have just finished ridding my life of Apple and Microsoft products. I have replaced all my mobile and internet tech with Chrome and Android. I am now "living in the cloud" and putting my faith in Google.
I did think long and hard about doing this as I do not change my tech products regularly. For the past 5 years I have used an iPhone 3GS and Windows Phone 7 in the guise of an HTC Mozart (and loved this mobile phone). I did toy with and quickly got rid of an HTC Android phone which I found far too clunky and complicated and not that user friendly (it may be my brain working on a different level). I will add now that I did work in a mobile phone store for 7 years and do no think that I am frightened of tech, but my first experience with an Android mobile phone was not positive.
For the last 6 years on the computing side, I have used a Samsung R720 notebook with Windows 7, and a Dell Inspiron 10 Windows XP and a Samsung NC10 Windows XP. I did utilise Windows 8 on the Samsung R720 as part of the public Beta testing and loved the Windows 8 experience.
My main computing needs are browsing, online banking and shopping, a bit of word processing, some video viewing (You Tube, Netflix etc.) and website work using Wix, 1&1 and the likes. Oh, and obviously a bit of blogging, Google+, Twitter and Facebook.
When I heard that Microsoft were ceasing support of XP, I got peeved. I have to replace at least 1 of my netbooks. Not too much of a chore as they are so damned slow anyway, but I don't have the money to just replace things on a whim. So I started looking for alternatives. Linux? Tried it on one of my notebooks before. And although the enthusiasts seem to love it, it is too complicated for little old me. Also, too much work for me to install it on my notebook and net books.
Had Microsoft given me a trade in incentive I may just have stayed with their products. Thankfully they did not. I say thankfully as I discovered my ideal option by searching the experiences of others and found some tech that seemed to suit me.
3 months ago I purchased a Nexus 7 (2013) tablet. Absolutely love it. A few weeks later I purchased a Motorola Moto G, and used it more in the first month than I used my iPhone in the last 5 years. I must add that in my 7 years working in a mobile phone store I never personally used a Motorola handset as I just did not like the software and layout. In fact it was mainly Nokia and a couple of Sony Ericsson handsets that I went for.
But I need something affordable with a decent keyboard. I will not buy a Windows product anymore, and even if I could afford it, Apple leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. After a couple of weeks watching unboxings, reviews and comparison videos on You Tube, my mind was made up.
A Chromebook.
Ideal for my needs. Had a look at them in Currys and PC World. Checked out prices online. Watched more video reviews.
In store I was close to buying a Samsung as it had a non reflective screen, but the Acer seemed quicker. I know more Chromebooks are being launched over the next few months but finally decided to get the HP11 and I am totally thrilled with the build quality and speed. But the screen is what does it. Better screen than any budget priced Chromebook available at this time, in my opinion. I love it so much, I'm buying one for my 11 year old nephew too. I may even treat myself to a larger screen Chromebook later on this year.
The main reasons for getting the products I chose was not only the price, but the value for money and the satisfied customer reviews and comments on Amazon.
After shopping around I paid £129 for the Moto G, £199 for the HP11 Chromebook and £199 for the Nexus 7. So £527 got me the lot. It may not be top notch, top spec. But these 3 items are perfect for me. and at the prices I paid for brand new gadgets, I know I could not have got equivalent Windows or Apple products.
Well, that's me. Why I Googled up and why I started this blog. I will keep you updated on my thoughts and experience using my new gadgets, and any further additions.
Yours,
The Chrome Android.
But you can call me Graham.
I have just finished ridding my life of Apple and Microsoft products. I have replaced all my mobile and internet tech with Chrome and Android. I am now "living in the cloud" and putting my faith in Google.
I did think long and hard about doing this as I do not change my tech products regularly. For the past 5 years I have used an iPhone 3GS and Windows Phone 7 in the guise of an HTC Mozart (and loved this mobile phone). I did toy with and quickly got rid of an HTC Android phone which I found far too clunky and complicated and not that user friendly (it may be my brain working on a different level). I will add now that I did work in a mobile phone store for 7 years and do no think that I am frightened of tech, but my first experience with an Android mobile phone was not positive.
For the last 6 years on the computing side, I have used a Samsung R720 notebook with Windows 7, and a Dell Inspiron 10 Windows XP and a Samsung NC10 Windows XP. I did utilise Windows 8 on the Samsung R720 as part of the public Beta testing and loved the Windows 8 experience.
My main computing needs are browsing, online banking and shopping, a bit of word processing, some video viewing (You Tube, Netflix etc.) and website work using Wix, 1&1 and the likes. Oh, and obviously a bit of blogging, Google+, Twitter and Facebook.
When I heard that Microsoft were ceasing support of XP, I got peeved. I have to replace at least 1 of my netbooks. Not too much of a chore as they are so damned slow anyway, but I don't have the money to just replace things on a whim. So I started looking for alternatives. Linux? Tried it on one of my notebooks before. And although the enthusiasts seem to love it, it is too complicated for little old me. Also, too much work for me to install it on my notebook and net books.
Had Microsoft given me a trade in incentive I may just have stayed with their products. Thankfully they did not. I say thankfully as I discovered my ideal option by searching the experiences of others and found some tech that seemed to suit me.
3 months ago I purchased a Nexus 7 (2013) tablet. Absolutely love it. A few weeks later I purchased a Motorola Moto G, and used it more in the first month than I used my iPhone in the last 5 years. I must add that in my 7 years working in a mobile phone store I never personally used a Motorola handset as I just did not like the software and layout. In fact it was mainly Nokia and a couple of Sony Ericsson handsets that I went for.
But I need something affordable with a decent keyboard. I will not buy a Windows product anymore, and even if I could afford it, Apple leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. After a couple of weeks watching unboxings, reviews and comparison videos on You Tube, my mind was made up.
A Chromebook.
Ideal for my needs. Had a look at them in Currys and PC World. Checked out prices online. Watched more video reviews.
In store I was close to buying a Samsung as it had a non reflective screen, but the Acer seemed quicker. I know more Chromebooks are being launched over the next few months but finally decided to get the HP11 and I am totally thrilled with the build quality and speed. But the screen is what does it. Better screen than any budget priced Chromebook available at this time, in my opinion. I love it so much, I'm buying one for my 11 year old nephew too. I may even treat myself to a larger screen Chromebook later on this year.
The main reasons for getting the products I chose was not only the price, but the value for money and the satisfied customer reviews and comments on Amazon.
After shopping around I paid £129 for the Moto G, £199 for the HP11 Chromebook and £199 for the Nexus 7. So £527 got me the lot. It may not be top notch, top spec. But these 3 items are perfect for me. and at the prices I paid for brand new gadgets, I know I could not have got equivalent Windows or Apple products.
Well, that's me. Why I Googled up and why I started this blog. I will keep you updated on my thoughts and experience using my new gadgets, and any further additions.
Yours,
The Chrome Android.
But you can call me Graham.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)