Tuesday, July 5, 2016

New Toys

I'm trying out my new bluetooth keyboard for my Kindle today.  First, I forgot my password for this blog.  I know, I know, dementia already.  I had my password saved for my desktop computer, my phone, and my netbook so I rarely had to type it.  Then my netbook started to get slower and slower until it quit working.  I made do by typing blog posts on my lunch break and emailing them to my phone where I would upload photos and the text at night.  And my posts got rarer and rarer because remembering to write a post at work was hard.  Tonight, I decided to try the Kindle for posts and I was stymied for an hour trying to remember my password.  I eventually did though (obviously) and this little keyboard is working great.

Now, for the rest of the story.  After we got back from our trip to Washington state and all of the components arrived for my mother's new computer, I put it all together at her house.  It went together easily.  I went with a Chromebit (which I had never heard of until I started looking for a cheap computer).  It was only $85 and plugs in to either a HDMI port on a TV or a monitor.  I spent $99 on the fancy monitor.  It is used through Amazon and much larger than she needs but it was the cheapest I could find with HDMI.  The keyboard, mouse, and USB hub were $10-$12 each.  


The reason I picked a Chromebit was because my mother only browses the internet, uses email, and watches an occasional news video.  The Chromebit runs Google Chrome and any app that we want.  If any piece breaks it is cheaper to replace than a whole computer tower or laptop.  It has it's own virus protection too so no downloading software or updating or running scans.  The speaker that I bought was not compatible because there is nowhere to plug in audio cords.  I bought a bluetooth speaker and it works ok but there was a big lag when trying to play Netflix or Amazon movies.  I don't know what the problem is, maybe it's her internet speed, but she watches movies on the TV in her living room so that isn't a big problem.  I also gave her my printer which was fancy and brand new last year.  I bought it for my nephew to use at the mobile home but it never got out of the box.  It is perfect for my mother's set up because it is a wifi printer and, after some frustration, I got it hooked up to print from the Google Cloud.

Since my mother has a large computer to play with, she gave the Kindle back to me which I had purchased for $40 for the trip.  After some research, I stumbled on a trick to load the Google Play Store on to the Kindle which basically gives it the same functionality as my netbook.  With the bluetooth keyboard, I have a very inexpensive blogging machine.  Now I have no excuse not to post, except laziness.


And I should mention my other new toy.  My Fitbit Zip.  I saw some Fitbits at Kohl's and asked my nephew if he wanted on for his birthday.  I didn't know much about them and the display was difficult to understand.  I went home and looked them up on the website and then looked for the cheapest one available.  I found the Zip on Ebay for around $35, shipping included.  I bid on one but thought that I had lost it for sure so I moved on to a Buy it Now auction and got that one for my nephew.  It arrived and I went back to Ebay to leave feedback.  I noticed 4 messages that seemed urgent.  Turns out I had won the first auction and the person wanted their money.  I apologized, paid, and they shipped it to me.  


So, that's how I got my very own Zip.  I've been having fun with it, counting steps and logging food.  I've lost 3 pounds already and fit back in a pair of jeans that were too tight. 

When I wasn't researching computer components and buying a million things from Amazon, I was cleaning and organizing.  The pile of cardboard boxes in the living room went to the recycle bin.


This was one of those chores that I couldn't hide from as it grew bigger and bigger every day.


I gave away one bag of clothes and a vacuum today.  It is so convenient to have curbside pickup for donations once a month.  I will miss that when I move out to my property.  I cleaned out my dresser and entry closet.  I have so much more to do but so little time before my nephew comes back next week and school starts again.  I hope to continue the progress.  Maybe I'll have more free time this year since my nephew should be able to drive himself around soon.  Next year I won't have any excuses.  My nephew will go off to college and I will be in home sale mode.  I'll have to get rid of stuff or make it fit in the already full mobile home.

It's after 10pm now and I am tired.  This keyboard and Kindle together are awesome.  I'm so glad I thought of this instead of spending another $150 on a netbook. 



4 comments:

Laxmi Rai said...

I like your blog. Thanks for sharing.

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Anonymous said...

Let us know when the fitbit battery runs out, and whether you are able to jerry rig the replacement. My battery from Best Buy lasted, I think about 10 weeks, and they gave me a replacement, which lasted about 6 weeks. Just wondering if the problems still persist or whether they have addressed them other than - put some tin foil in there with the battery, lol

Daizy said...

I was wondering how long the battery would last. I hope longer than 6 weeks!

Daizy said...

I was wondering how long the battery would last. I hope longer than 6 weeks!