New Mouse for My 40-Month Old Chromebook

My Thinkpad Chromebook is now 40-months old. It still works like I just got it yesterday. I use it mainly to blog, edit videos and do adulting things (i.e. accounting). I used to do groceries on it too, but we've been doing it in person the past year. It was a good decision for me to invest in a Chromebook since I don't do fancy dev stuff anyway. 

The most tedious thing I do on my Chromebook is edit videos. Editing sewing and cooking videos don't require effects. It's pretty straightforward and I just use WeVideo. Most of my files are uploaded through my phone. I still use a camera sometimes and I just transfer files like how I used to do on a Mac or Windows OS laptop. Easy peasy. 

The mouse I got when I bought my Chromebook conked out on me. I only changed the battery once in the past 3+ years. It worked really well on my Chromebook. I may have forgotten to turn it off and didn't use my laptop for 2 weeks. That's probably why it died on me. Sweetie lent me two of his devices, but it didn't work well on my Chromebook. 

I found an upgraded version of my old mouse. It's a Logitech M330. It's pretty pricey at PhP995, but it works well on my Chromebook. The only complaint I have is it doesn't have a clicking noise! It's a silent mouse! This GenX grew up with noisy clicking and noisy keyboards, so this is certainly weird, haha. I hope I don't forget to turn it off before I keep my Chromebook so it lasts me a couple of years. 

As for my Chromebook, I have no plans (and no budget!) to change it. I hope Google will keep it updated forever! (BTW, my older Chromebooks also still work!). 

#BeKind #StaySafe

10 Reasons Why I Bought a Chromebook

The last time I bought myself a laptop was in 2013. I had a rocky relationship with that laptop because it started deteriorating just before it turned one. The keyboard became unusable and had to be changed. Good thing it was still under warranty, but it was never the same after that. I still used it until early last year even though some keys were not working anymore. 

Oh yes, I'm a cheapskate when it comes to purchasing devices. It takes me years to decide to buy something new. Instead of buying I would use Sweetie or Miggy's discards until the laptop dies on me. I'm not fussy when it comes to devices as long as it works smoothly. I realized I probably spent more usage time on Miggy's old Toshiba Chromebook (2015) than on my 2013 laptop. Why? Because the Chromebook never gave me any headaches. I turn it on and boom I can do my tasks seamlessly. 

It was like Christmas when I received my first Chromebook. It was just there sitting on my desk. I started using it immediately. It was the first Pixel Chromebook. It was heavy but a beauty. I've had it for more than 5 years now and it still works! I fell in love with it and used my Mac less and less and one day just completely stopped using it. I realized I could do everything on the Chromebook anyway. 

The Chromebook has been perfect for me. Here are the reasons why I super love Chromebooks:

1. No maintenance needed. It updates by itself and just tells you to restart when needed (which is rare!).

2. It doesn't make me wait to use it. I turn it on and tada I could immediately do my stuff on it. 

3. You can do anything using a Chromebook. I write, edit videos, do social media etc. on it. There are a gazillion apps you can use from the Chrome Web Store and Play Store (Android). 

4. Amazing battery life. You can just go on and on. 

5. It's lightweight. I'm not allowed to carry heavy stuff so the weight has been perfect for me. 

6. It just keeps running! I have the gen 1 Samsung Chromebook which I got in 2014. It still works! Actually all my Chromebooks still works. 

7. You can work seamlessly on any device. 

8. In my experience, any Chromebook brand is good. I've used the Pixel (gen 1 and 2), HP, Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, and Asus. It all worked for me. 

9. I never needed servicing for any of my Chromebooks. They all still work! 

10.  I feel secure when I use a Chromebook. Do you know Google pays money if you're able to hack it's browser? (News here).

So after 8 years and using Sweetie and Miggy's old devices I finally decided to gift myself with a new laptop. I got a new Lenovo Thinkpad Chromebook C13 Yoga. Reasons on why I got this device are here. It's supposed to be the Chromebook for grown-ups. It's a bit pricey, but I decided to invest on this Chromebook because I expect it would beat the number of years of service my 2013 laptop gave me (7 "good" years). I hope to have many years of happy time on this Chromebook. 

Oh, here's my unboxing video!

Day 18 Minimalism challenge, Go out without your phone. Oh this is something I can't do. I need to have a phone with me all the time in case of an emergency. Maybe I should remember to use my medical bracelet whenever I go out!

CB///*Yr2/129 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/152 #NewG317 #Home75 #StayHome #BeKind

Thinking of Getting a New Laptop

The last time I bought myself a laptop was in 2013. It was a touchscreen laptop which I mainly used to manage my photos. It started getting buggy just a year after I got it. The service center had to change the screen. Good thing it was still under warranty. It still served it's purpose until the keys started to break down and it eventually died on me early last year. 

Since my laptop was buggy I would just use Sweetie and Miggy's discards. I'm typing this post on Miggy's old Toshiba Chromebook. It still works well and the battery life is still amazing. The only drawback is it's been hard to edit videos on it. I've been using Sweetie's old laptop now to edit videos, but it's been cranky the past two months. I wait an hour before it turns on. 

Ten years ago I used to spend so much money on buying branded desktops. I wanted my gadgets to work smoothly. I'm not so patient with building computers. My friend who used to build them for me moved elsewhere so I stuck to buying branded ones. They worked really well for me. My needs changed though and that's why I've been able to survive using old devices for my personal use. 

I know the Toshiba Chromebook (2015) still have a lot of life in it. I'll continue to use it for writing and non-editing tasks. It's auto-update policy though expires in September so I expect it might start slowing down more. So I'm now searching for a new Chromebook. I'm choosing between the Google Pixelbook Go or the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2020 (not the Samsung Chromebook 2). 

The Google Pixelbook Go option is a no-brainer, but it's certainly more expensive. The auto-update policy ends in 2026. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2020 expires in 2028, but the specs are lower than the Pixelbook. Sweetie said he'll have to compare the specs of the two before he makes a recommendation. I know though build-wise the Pixelbook Go will give me less issues since it's built by Google (that's why I stick to Pixel phones). 

Oh well, have you acquired any new devices? What do you use?

Day 20 Gratitude Challenge, A holiday you love. The holiday I love most is Christmas! It's just always a happy time to be with family. I love the traditions we built around the holiday. We always have a family picture with our Christmas tree every year. Last year since we were incomplete Miggy worked on adding himself to our family photo. It was hilarious and fooled a lot of people haha. My one wish this year is to celebrate Christmas as a complete family. 

CB///*Yr2/103 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/126 #NewG343 #Home101 #StayHome #BeKind 

Gadgets I Can't Live Without at Home

I'm very fussy when it comes to purchasing gadgets. I usually take so long to finally decide on buying one. I grew up without them and like to keep my home simple. Would you believe I had to be far away when Sweetie made the executive decision to retire my legendary LG TV (c1997). It had gone under water during Typhoon Ondoy, but after drying it under the sun it still worked. I hand on to things until they die on me. 

It was a good thing Sweetie retired my TV. Technology has changed a lot in the last two decades, especially for things we use at home. Here's a few things I can't live without now:

Google Chromecast - I got to try this amazing gadget because of work. The first version was just for audio and I enjoyed it. Eventually the one for video came out and that was even better. We don't have a cable subscription here in SG and we stream what we watch from Netflix, YouTube and HBO via Google Chromecast. All our TVs have Chromecast connected to it. 

Google Nest (previous called Google Home) - I mainly use this as audio for Spotify. I listen to music and podcasts on it. I haven't bought a speaker for many years now. We also use this to play YouTube on TV, ask questions, set an alarm and play games. Sweetie has played around at using it to make our home smart, i.e. connecting the fan and air filter. 

A tablet - I haven't used a tablet for many years. Sweetie got one last December and I got envious, so I got one for myself too. I use it mainly as a remote control for YouTube/Netflix/HBO, shopping and looking at Pinterest. I don't have any social media apps installed on it. It's my designated "me time" gadget and I watch a lot of reflections on it while eating breakfast. 

Fitbit Watch - the watch and app to get me moving all day. I was forced to get one because my favorite version 2 MiBand finally gave up on me. I didn't like the newer ones and thought it'll be more useful to get  a gadget that could measure more health metrics. I've used the data with my doctor and PT in the last few months. Great to see improvement through this gadget. 

Miggy's Old Chromebook - my personal laptop died over a year ago and I never needed to buy a new one. I can live on hand-me-downs haha. I'm still using Miggy's old Toshiba Chromebook 2. I use it mainly to blog and edit vlogs. It's set to end auto-updating this month (OMG!). It will still work, but I guess it means I have some justification to buy a new one haha. 

One thing I learned in the last few months is to spend more time offline. Being too wired isn't good for your soul. I like looking out of the window to watch the clouds and check out the trees in the park. Would I live in a gadget free home? I don't think I'll survive, but I can manage a few hours without electricity if it happens haha. 

CB///*Yr2/70  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/97 #StayHome #BeKind