My home desktop computer, “BLASTER”, died around 10AM on May 6, 2015, bringing a nine-year relationship to an end. This is a log of how I missed it over the following days/weeks, and the changes in my computing and home entertainment setup since then.
May 6 - I now have to use headphones to listen to music in my bedroom, because BLASTER was mainly used for entertainment (I do most of my writing and online communicating on a Chromebook).
I thought about how I would take this opportunity to design and build a system that would meet my computing and entertainment needs for (hopefully) the next ten years. After a week of planning, these are the requirements I came up with:
- Inexpensive
- Secure
- Wireless wherever possible
- Solid-state hard drives for any operating system(s)
- Bluetooth audio
- Data in the cloud; backups on earth
- Mobile; modular; scalable; distributed
- Windows, Chrome, and Android system compatibility
- MSOffice available locally as a last resort
- Computer on a stick add-on (for entertainment and/or niche needs)
May 8 - I tried to check something online by selecting the HDMI-2 input option on my TV’s remote control. Since BLASTER used that input, nothing happened.
That same day, I received Facebook messages via smartphone that required immediate replies. I refuse to install Facebook Messenger on my smartphone, so I had to turn on my Chromebook to read and reply to the messages.
May 10 - My Chromebook is now my primary computer, but I’d rather not leave it on all day like I used to do with BLASTER. Thanks to my smartphone, I can still check things online quickly when necessary.
I have not been able to figure out wireless printing from the Chromebook to a Deskjet printer. The 'book sees the printer on the network and can log onto its web print server, but the printer won't appear as a print option.
May 18 - Charging my iPod has been hit or miss on both my Chromebook and an old Dell tower that I pulled out of retirement (it’s so old that I can't see what it's doing when I turn it on because I no longer own a compatible monitor or the necessary adapter). After trying to charge it all day, I've decided to make do without the iPod. The cable supplied by Apple may need to be replaced, and I don’t want to pay $30 for a one-trick-cable.
I downloaded some music onto my smartphone, and am using that as a local music source for the time being. This limits the amount of music that I can carry around with me, because my smartphone has 8GB of memory and is not upgradeable.
June 15
It’s been a busy three weeks.
I purchased a cheap Vizio sound bar, and quickly learned that you get what you pay for. The sound bar is fine for use with the television and for listening to music at low volumes, but it is not designed for listening to music full-blast. On the bright side, Bluetooth is one of its many input options, and I look forward to pairing it with Bluetooth devices in the near future.
A set of very-reasonably-priced Bluedio bluetooth headphones have more than made up for my disappointment with the Vizio sound bar. The sound quality won’t satisfy an audiophile, but I’m no audiophile. I just like to listen to music with reasonably good sound quality, and these headphones do that as well as any wired headphones or earbuds I’ve owned. Bluetooth technology is very easy to learn and use, as long as the audio source is Bluetooth-capable. The headphones can be recharged with a standard USB charger, and the playback and standby times on a full charge are excellent, ranging from days to weeks depending on how often the headphones are used. They also come with a jack that lets the headphones to be used like regular wired ones. I give this item an easy four out of five stars.
An Amazon Fire TV Stick is another welcome addition to my setup. I can now enjoy Internet content without using a regular computer. There is loss of signal sometimes, but I’ve experienced the same thing when using a network cable. Overall, I am pleased with the purchase.
Finally, I replaced BLASTER with an ASUS notebook/tablet hybrid with Windows 8.1 and Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013. The main reasons I chose it are (a) the price, (b) the notebook part has a 500GB hard drive, (c) Windows 8.1 is on a 32GB solid-state drive so it’s faster, and (d) MS Office Home and Student 2013 are included.
I was very unhappy with the machine for the first week or so. It charges fine with my other USB chargers, but takes a really long time when I use the charger that it shipped with. And, when attached to the tablet, the notebook actually drains the battery while in charging mode! I came really close to sending it back for a refund, but the technician in me told me to hang in there -- and I’m glad I did.
The tablet works great. My first installation of Google Chrome contained some crapware, but an uninstall/reinstall took care of that. Wireless printing and Bluetooth work as advertised. It’s been awhile since I used a tablet, so I had to get used to swiping with my fingers all over again. I’m using the notebook’s 500GB drive to store local backups and restored data from BLASTER. Everything on the drive is a copy of data that is stored elsewhere. And, as long as it isn’t plugged in, the charge lasts as long as other tablets and notebooks that I’ve used over the years.
I finally took a close look at my trusty Chromebook’s ports and discovered that I can connect it to my TV and use it the same way I used BLASTER! This is great, but I don’t want to wear the Chromebook out. It is my trusted road warrior, and until something better comes along I will try to use it the same way I always have.
All in all, I am pleased with the new setup, and I realize that, as “thrifty” as my collection of electronic gear is, I am blessed to have what I have.
Remaining tasks: download my Google music library to an external drive so I have an Earth-based backup of all my music (somewhere between 15 and 18GB - I haven’t checked in a while); and eventually get a small, non-Apple MP3 player, a subwoofer, and a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI adapter to connect the hybrid to the TV when necessary.
No comments:
Post a Comment