Featured Tech Guru Blog Articles
Latest new in Tablets, Smartphones, and other Tech Gadgets
6

Welcome to the Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– January 29, 2012Posted in: News, techgurublog

My name is Quentin Moore and I’m a bit of a tech guru.  I’ve been using computers since I was 11 years old.  I’ve had a love affair with technology ever since.

Being the tech guru that I am, I often get asked tech related questions by family, friends, and co-workers.  I get asked questions like, “which smartphone or tablet to buy?” or “how can I fix my computer?” or “how do I set up a new website”?  I get asked techie questions so often that I decided to create a site so that I can share my thoughts, opinions, and expertise with the masses.  This lead to the development of TechGuruBlog.com.

In this blog I will discuss many areas of technology that interest me.  This includes news, reviews, and tips related to Tech Gadgets such as Smartphones, Tablets, and Phablets.  I will occasionally discuss topics related to PCs, Laptops, and Chromebooks.  My day job is in data integration so you will also see topics related to data architecture, extract-transformation-and-load (ETL), business intelligence, and data warehousing.  I will also discuss topics related to web design, web hosting, and search engine optimization (SEO).  You might be asking, “How will one blog cover all of that”?  My answer is simple.  These are all of the things that interest me so I will talk about each of them from time to time.

I hope you find this blog useful.  If you have comments or suggestions, please share them.  Check out my contact form for ways to get in touch with me.

Cheers,

Quentin Moore, Tech Guru Blog

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2

Amazon Kindle Fire: Pros and Cons | Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– October 7, 2011Posted in: Featured, Tablet Reviews, Tablets, techgurublog

Kindle Fire

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is the latest device to enter the ever growing list of available tablets PCs.  While the Kindle Fire offers a lot of features at a super low price, you may still be asking yourself if this tablet is right for you.  In this article, we examine the pros and cons of the Kindle Fire.

Read the rest of this entry »

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1

Chromebook File Manager: A better file manager for Chrome OS? | Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– July 19, 2011Posted in: Chrome OS, Extensions, techgurublog

One of the complaints about Chrome OS is the severely limited Chromebook file manager.  It seems like Google is encouraging (read: forcing) users of Chrome OS to keep their data in the cloud by not providing an elegant, or even adequate solution for managing files locally.  Luckily, Michael Connick just came up with a brilliant work-around. It makes use of the built-in browser functionality to navigate and manage files and directories via a web page interface.  Check out the details on Michael’s blog, Staying Connected.

After you try out the “new file manager”, consider checking out the Chrome OS extension, Panelize.  ChromebookUser.com contributor Seldon D. has this to say about the extension,

“Panelize is one of my favorite extensions, and makes this work even better. Just save file:///home/chronos/user/Downloads/ to a bookmark in the Panels folder. Then you can open a new “file manager” window in Panelize. Right click on any file, then choose “Save as…” I find this approach way easier than the native Chrome OS file manager for managing local content.”

Thanks to Seldon for sharing the file manager work-around and the extension!

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8

Chrome OS versus Linux: Which should you choose? | Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– July 19, 2011Posted in: Editorial, Featured, techgurublog

Chrome OS vs Linux.  Linux vs Chrome OS.  Many folks are asking these days which platform is the best alternative to running Windows or Mac OS.  Currently I use the Lubuntu Linux distribution, which is a lighter version of the popular Ubuntu.  I have it installed on an early edition Lenovo S10 netbook.  I also have Google CR-48 Chrome Laptop from the Google Test Pilot program.  In my experience, each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages.  In this article, I will discuss the pros and cons of using each platform. Read the rest of this entry »

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4

Acer Chromebook First Impressions, Video Review, Photo Gallery

By
Tech Guru
– July 13, 2011Posted in: Featured, News, techgurublog, Videos

I was excited to be one of the first to receive the Acer Chromebook.  I’ve been playing around with the device for two days and I am happy to report that the device looks solid!  Highlights so far include:

  • The Acer Chromebook battery is removable!
  • Removable bottom cover reveals a user replaceable ram module and possibly a user replaceable SSD drive!
  • The keyboard and touch pad seem pretty solid.  In fact, I believe the Acer’s touch pad is a tad better than the Samsung touch pad.

The only thing I wasn’t happy about is the glossy screen.  I’ll try out the Acer in direct sunlight and let you know what I find.

I uploaded a few pictures of the Acer.  I also uploaded a mini video review of the Acer Chromebook.  Check them out!

Acer Chromebook Video Review

Acer Chromebook Photo Gallery

Acer Chromebook video with the back cover removed

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1

Acer Chromebook now shipping from Amazon.com

By
Tech Guru
– July 10, 2011Posted in: Price - Shipping - Availability, techgurublog


A quick check of our order status shows that the Acer Chromebook has started shipping from Amazon!  We previously reported that they would start shipping tomorrow but we’re ecstatic that they shipped a day earlier.  As seen in the image above, we expect to receive the Acer AC700 tomorrow.  We will certainly posts pictures and videos as soon as possible.

The Acer Chromebook costs only $349.99, making it the least expensive model Chromebook currently released.  One of the early criticisms of Chromebooks has been the price.  With the Acer finally shipping, maybe we’ll see less talk about Chromebooks being too expensive.

When you get your Acer Chromebook, be sure to let us know what you think about it.  Leave a comment below or join the discussion in the Chromebook Forum.

Order Now!

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2

Is the Google Chromebook right for your Business? | Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– July 9, 2011Posted in: Chromebooks for Business, techgurublog

Google is targeting the enterprise with its Chrome OS based laptop, the Google Chromebook.  Google is now offering a Chromebook for Business subscription program starting at $28 a month, per user. Including with the subscription is the Chromebook hardware, the operating system, a suite of free productivity applications, and 24×7 support.  This is a very interesting proposition considering that companies currently pay thousands of dollars per PC per year in costs related to leases, licenses, maintenance, upgrades, and downtime.  Google proposes to drastically reduce this cost by being the sole provider for all services and support related to these low maintenance laptops.

But before you head over to the Chromebooks for Business and Education site to order a fleet of Chromebooks, you should take a moment to think about whether the Chromebook is right for your organization.  Below are a few important points to consider when trying deciding if the Chromebook is right for your business. Read the rest of this entry »

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0

What’s in your disaster preparedness kit for your Google Chromebook?

By
Tech Guru
– July 8, 2011Posted in: Editorial, Featured, techgurublog

Chromebook Disaster Recovery Plan

One of Google’s goals with the Chromebook program was to deliver a nearly zero-maintenance computer. Software updates are downloaded in the background and applied automatically. You don’t have to install and configure programs. You don’t have to install malware protection. But, it’s still a computer, and therefore, problems can develop. And, if problems can develop, they will develop.

Recently, my Cr-48 had issues with a Chrome OS update, and I couldn’t login afterward. Ultimately, I had to restore Chrome OS from a recovery USB. Alas, despite the promise of everything being securely stored in the cloud, not everything is, and there is a surprisingly large amount of local information that you may have to restore by hand. This came as a surprise to me, but it needn’t surprise you. When (not if) disaster strikes, a little advance preparation can make recovery easier. Read the rest of this entry »

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1

Virgin America giving passengers Google Chromebooks during flights

By
Tech Guru
– July 3, 2011Posted in: Featured, News, techgurublog

Flying on Virgin America this summer? You may be in luck. From July 1st through September 30th, some Virgin America passengers will have free access to Google Chromebooks during their flights. Chromebooks will be available on flights between Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Francisco. Free access to WiFi will be provided by Google.

“Our goal has always been to use the best in technology to reinvent the travel experience… and help bring some fun back to flying. We’re delighted to team up with Google yet again in a way that keeps our guests entertained and connected — in both the physical and virtual clouds,” said Porter Gale, vice president of marketing for Virgin America.

Google and Virgin are also developing an app for Chrome OS to help travelers plan and prepare for trips. It’s great to see companies already embracing the Chromebook. Hopefully this is the first of many stories like this!

Source: Market Daily

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2

Acer Chromebook July 11th Release Date | Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– July 1, 2011Posted in: Price - Shipping - Availability, techgurublog

Acer Chromebook Release Date July 11, 2011

According to the updated product page at Amazon.com, the Acer AC700 Chromebook will start shipping on July 11th!  You can pre-order the Acer Chromebook right now for $349.99. Note that only WiFi-only model will ship on July 11th.  The 3G Acer Chromebook is expected to ship later this summer.  Did you already order the Acer AC700 Chromebook Wifi model? Or are you waiting for the 3G Acer Chromebook to be released later this summer? Chat about it in the Acer Chromebook Forum.

Update: The Acer Chromebook is now shipping!

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0

Chromebook User News Archive | Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– July 1, 2011Posted in: Site News, techgurublog

Looking for the old news articles? Our previous news articles have been moved to the Chromebook User News Archive section of our site.  We made some system changes to the site so that we could provide visitors with additional functionality and performance.  What do you think of our new look?  Leave us a comment below or post feedback in the Tech Guru Blog forum.

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0

ZeroPC Gives your Google Chromebook a Fully-Featured, Windows-like Web Desktop User Interface

By
Tech Guru
– June 26, 2011Posted in: Chromebook Apps, Featured, News, techgurublog

zeropc-for-chromebook

ZeroPC for Chromebook enhances your favorite Chrome OS Laptop, providing Chromebook Users with a single site for accessing and managing applications and content, all without having to manage multiple browser tabs. This is an exciting piece of software! I plan to test it out of the next few days and post a review. The app can already be found at the Chrome Web Store.

See the full ZeroPC press release after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

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0

Google pleased with Chromebook sales so far? | Tech Guru Blog

By
Tech Guru
– June 25, 2011Posted in: News, techgurublog

Information Week reported that Google is pleased with Chromebook sales so far. Google has yet to publish official sales numbers, but according to Information Week, Google says that “sales look good and there’s corporate interest.” A Google spokesperson said the following:

“We’ve been very pleased with the response to the Chromebooks subscription model since we launched… We officially opened for business two days ago (i.e., June 15th) and there are businesses and schools signing order forms as we speak.”

With only one of the four Samsung models available at launch and none of the Acer Chromebooks available, we were thinking that initial sales numbers would be disappointing. What do you think?   Join the discussion in the Chromebook Forum.

Source: Information Week

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