Android available for existing computers

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Android 4.4 RC1 is available as a download for installing on a PC. It can be installed on a USB stick or SD card for testing purposes without interfering with the original operating system. Most modern computers before Windows 8 allow booting from USB or CD's. My test machine was a 5 year old entry level laptop with 1Gb RAM. Boot time was around 40 seconds and Shutdown 15 seconds. No virus scanning needed. The wireless printer / scanner worked with the iPrint&Scan App from the Google store correctly. Web and e-mail App's worked perfectly on Ethernet and wireless connections. Skype automatically set itself up with the internal camera and microphone. External drives were usable but the internal hard disk drive could not be seen. Open office 3.6 is available on the Google store but cannot open the writer and spreadsheet together, although Android 4.4 does support two Applications at once. Remote desktop software can be used to run Windows programs from another computer. Operation is very fast with screens that fade in and out giving an appearance similar to a tablet. This software could give a new life to many slow and old computers.

First Chromebooks, and now Chromeboxes

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Chromebooks are now manufactured by most major PC makers except ASUS. As this space is a little overcrowded ASUS are betting on a Desktop system rather than a Laptop. These will be available in March 2014 for US $179 recommended retail price. This is a quiet "Fanless" machine running the new Haswell processor from Intel. Ports include USB 3.0, Ethernet, Wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, Displayport and card reader. The Hard drive is a 16Gb Solid state disk which is ample for the Lightweight Chrome Operating System. Personal files are held in the cloud or External USB drives. Both HP and LG are also promising Chromeboxes in the next couple of months.

Libreoffice 4.2 released

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This release is a major release with many speed and function enhancements. Docx file editing has better compatibility with Microsoft office files. Publisher and Visio files can now be used in this edition. Most of the updates are geared towards business usage as many Governments are now requiring open source solutions. This fully featured package is available free for Windows, Mac and linux.

XP last update is in April

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For those worried about Microsoft withdrawing XP support in April there are several options.

1) Windows 8.1 RT or Microsoft surface. Cheapest Windows 8 but does not run XP / Win 7 programs.

2) Windows 8.1 or surface Pro. Runs XP / Win 7 programs but may not have drivers for older peripherals. Requires Virus checking and is expensive.

3) Chromebooks. Cheap with limitations. Only real issues for general use are no Skype or iTunes. These are now being manufactured by every major PC company except ASUS. These have been heavily advertised against by Microsoft which means they are worried about their impact. All their adverse reasoning also pertains to Windows 8 RT which is their favoured system.

4) Android Desktops. Several manufacturers are selling their monitors with Android and come complete with keyboard and mouse. Open office is now available for Android.

5) Tablets. The latest tablets do most things a PC does and is particularly useful with a keyboard and mouse attached.

6) Linux Mint 16. User experience is similar to a XP interface. The only general use program that there is no real equivalent is iTunes.  

7) XP. Keep using it and rely on third party Updates.

8) Dual boot XP and Linux. Leave XP on computer to run legacy programs but disconnect from the Internet. Use a Linux variant for Internet applications and other general use programs. Use a third partition for personal files that both operating systems can use. Total time to reboot to other system should be less than one minute.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

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Clipart from Corel Draw and Page setup in LibreOffice

Desktop PC's coming back as 'Androids'.

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Ricomagic is one of hundreds of companies in China that make small runs of computers (10,000 per week). Most of these manufacturers have noted the desktop PC has disappeared from the retail sector, and realise the time is right for a small inexpensive computer to fill the place. The model shown is priced at US $143 (NZ $170) and is a 1.6G quad core with 2G of ram and a 5MP built in camera for Skype. This unit runs Android and is capable of everything that a normal PC does. Its primary input is keyboard and mouse, with HDMI (modern monitors) or AV (old TV's) output. I have  personally been using an Android system for everyday use for the last month and I have found there is an application for everything I have needed from word processing to electronic circuit design. Best of all there is no updating and virus checking required. Unfortunately these systems will have to be bought online as they compete with the more expensive 'Windows' computers and retailers prefer upselling products, especially ones that slow down with time or catch a virus making the subsequent sale sooner.

Desktop Monitors

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As  the Desktop PC has virtually disappeared from the retail stores several manufacturers are putting an Android Computer inside a conventional monitor. If a computer is not connected to the monitor an internal Android system will immediately start up and can be used as a Desktop computer when a keyboard and mouse are connected, either by wireless or USB. Android has a large number of online and offline applications to choose from including browsers, e-mail clients, office suites, media players, games etc. Printing and scanning is achieved through wireless printers or cloud printing. Files can be stored on an external hard or flash drive. Virus checking and updates are not required. The monitor in the picture is a Viewsonic 24" with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and should be around NZ $500. Sound is built in to the monitor.