Using Linux Created Documents in Android

We are now living in a digital age where more people are consuming content on mobile devices because it's convenient, for one. I remember the days when I worked as a Field Engineer traveling all over the U.S. I had to carry a heavy laptop and printer to major airports and get through the hassle of security before the days of 9-11. Being petite, it was a struggle to have to deal with carrying those two heavy items, my suitcase and purse. Then once I got to a company office, I had to hook up my laptop and printer with cables to crunch numbers on an Excel spreadsheet with massive amounts of data.  These Excel spreadsheets were used to determine staffing levels or how to rearrange freight at specific doors at a break-bulk dock.

Due to huge improvements in technology, my job executing those studies would be so much easier today. If I were using Canonical's Android phone concept, I could just plug in my phone to the hotel television and use LibreOffice's Calc to change formulas on spreadsheets equivalent to Excel. I could even view these spreadsheets on an airplane, whether I was using Canonical's phone or an Android tablet downloading them from either Dropbox or Google Drive.

Today, I'm going to show you that you can take documents created in LibreOffice on a Linux desktop, store them on a cloud drive, retrieve and edit them using apps on my Android phone, upload them to the cloud drive and review the Android edited documents on a Linux desktop again. What you will be witnessing is the magic of inter-Linux collaboration. Now, it is possible to collaborate with a MAC or a Windows device using the documents stored in the cloud, assuming they share the same common format like .doc, .ppt, pdf, .xls, etc. Remember, LibreOffice is capable of opening, editing and saving Windows documents. Yes, there are some exceptional cases where complex formatting may experience issues in LibreOffice. However, there should be no problem, whatsoever, viewing in PDF format. That's about as universal as the language of "English" spoken to conduct business all over the world.

Here is a summary of the collaboration scenario I executed:

Devices used for collaboration - Ubuntu 12.04 Toshiba laptop, Moto X smartphone with Android KitKat and Linux Mint 17 HP Pavilion laptop.

Cloud Storage Provider - Dropbox



Wordprocessor - LibreOffice Writer on Linux: OpenDocument Reader on Android



Presentations - LibreOffice Impress on Linux: QuickOffice and Impress Remote on Android



Spreadsheets - LibreOffice Calc on Linux: QuickOffice on Android



What I was able to do successfully is take each type of document above, whether it was a wordprocessor, presentation or spreadsheet, create it on Ubuntu 12.04 and upload it to Dropbox. Then I was able to retrieve the document on my Moto X, edit the document on Moto X and save the revised document to Dropbox. Finally, I downloaded the document from Dropbox to Linux Mint 17 and viewed or edited it.

Please note that the Android app "OpenDocument Reader" can read and edit .odt and .ods format pretty easily. However, the .odp format does not completely work. I get the headings of each slide but not the details on each slide. A potential workaround is to save the presentation in .pptx format and use the Android App "QuickOffice" to modify the presentation file. Then save the presentation file onto your smartphone and upload it to Dropbox. Once in Dropbox, you can rename the presentation file to the original filename.

If you plan to review a presentation on your Android device, you can use the Android App "Impress Remote". You have to be using LibreOffice Impress 4.3 on a Linux desktop with the presentation file opened. The app "Impress Remote" will display the name of the PC on the same WiFi network as your Android device. Before you click on the name of the PC, it will prompt you to enter the PIN number displayed within LibreOffice Impress on your Linux desktop. Then it will display the presentation file slide by slide on your Android device. You will be able to swipe through each slide on Android, which will be "mirrored" on the Linux desktop, you're viewing it from. That's a pretty cool way to train an employee or present to a customer while you're doing the controlling from your Android device.

First Impressions of My New Moto X Phone

Last Friday I received my new smartphone from Verizon just one day after I ordered it.  It's the new Moto X with KitKat Android version.  After only a few days of using it, I'm very impressed with the lightening quick speed of this phone as well as the Touchless Control function that integrates with Google Now.  "What's so special about that?"  You're probably wondering.  Without touching or unlocking the phone, I can make calls, check my next appointment on my calendar, execute a Google Search or open any app on the phone.  What's really got me sold on this phone is the resolution quality of pictures and video.  It's crystal clear.  The screen size is slightly larger than my previous phone, an entry level Samsung Stellar.  It's just enough size for enjoying videos or games for me although some of you may prefer the larger size of a Samsung Galaxy.

If you want to see it in action, take a look at my video below:

 

Transitioning from Windows Vista/XP/7 to Ubuntu

Here's a list of common tasks you routinely perform in Windows, followed by a detailed description of the how to perform each task in Linux, if applicable.  (This is based on Ubuntu 12.04.)

1. How do I log off/shut down?  You will find the last selection "Log Out" within the Menu on the lower left hand corner of your desktop.


2. 
   

   Where is the Start menu?  In Linux Mint, the Start menu is simply called "Menu" on the lower left hand corner of the desktop.

   
   


3. 
   

   Where is My Computer?  In Windows, you normally go to My Computer to view your different directories like A:/ or C:/ drive.  In Linux Mint, the equivalent is called File System.  In Linux, there is no drive A:/ to view CD's, DVD's or attachable hard drives.  Instead you will see the icon with the name of the CD, DVD or attachable hard drive.  There is a folder called "media" at the top (or root) level of the Linux filesystem where you will find the removable media mounted.  There is no C:/ drive in Linux either.  The root level of the Linux filesystem is almost equivalent to the C:/ drive in Windows but not the same because the "media" file is a subset file of the root level and not a separate root file system.  For example, in Windows media is viewed in the A:/ drive which is completely separate from the C:/ drive where all the main program files are stored.

   
   


4. 
   

   Where is the Control Panel?  In Linux Mint, think of the Control Panel as 2 categories.  There's "System" to perform typical System Administration tasks.  Then there's "Settings" to configure the appearance of the desktop.  Both of these categories can be found in the "Menu" at the lower left hand corner of the desktop.

   
   


5. 
   

   Where is All Programs?  By going into the "Menu" you have the ability to view all loaded programs by category except if you executed a custom install of special programs in your /home directory.

   
   


6. 
   

   Where is Device and Printers?  To configure Devices, click on "Menu".  Then click on "Settings" and select "Removable Drives and Media".  To configure Printers, click on "Menu".  Then click on "System" and select "Printers".

   
   


7. 
   

   Where is My Documents?  The Linux equivalent is called "Documents" and can usually be found by clicking on the File System icon, which will bring you to the top level directory of the Linux file system, which is also called the root.  You will find folders which store program files and configuration data similar to Windows program files or system folders.  However, to find the location of the "Documents" folder, you would have to find the Home folder.  The Home folder stores all the data and programs related to particular user accounts.  In it, you will find folders for each username.  Within each username are standard folders Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos.  Depending on your distro, you can click on shortcut icons on the desktop to get to the "Documents" folder.  To find "Documents" in Linux Mint, click on File System/home/(your username)/Documents OR Home/(your username)/Documents OR at the bottom left icon called "Places" in the picture below.  Hovering over the grey square icon will display the name of the icon "Places".

   
   


8. 
   

   Where is Pictures?  See explanation in #7.  Usually, you can find this folder as an icon on the desktop.  If it's not on the desktop, you easily create a shortcut icon for it on the desktop.

   
   


9. 
   

   Where is Music?  See explanation in #7.  Usually, you can find this folder as an icon on the desktop.  If it's not on the desktop, you easily create a shortcut icon for it on the desktop.

   
   


10. 
    

    Where is Games?  "Games" will be a folder located as a category for programs within your Linux distro menu.

    
    


11. 
    

    How do I Add/Remove Programs?  There are 3 methods to adding and removing programs within Linux. Chances are if you have a distro which is tailored for non-geeks, there will be an easy-to-use tool where you just use your mouse to point and click.  In Linux Mint, the name of this tool is Software Manager, which can be found as the fifth item from the top in the Menu.The second method is to use Synaptic Package Manager, which allows you to use your mouse to point and click your selections.  However, the programs are at a package level which can be too technical for a non-geek to deal with.  The third way is like executing DOS commands to run programs in Windows without the GUI.  It's called Command Line Interface (CLI) or Terminal Emulator prompt.  You simply type commands specific to your distro.  If your distro is Debian based, you will be using apt-get commands.  Since Linux Mint is a derivative of the Ubuntu distro, which is based on Debian, you will be using apt-get commands to install packages from the Terminal Emulator prompt.

    
    


12. 
    

    How do I add Shortcut Icons?  Depending on the distro, you can usually right click your mouse and find the menu item that allows you to add a shortcut icon to the desktop.  In Linux Mint, right click your mouse on the desktop and select Create Launcher.  You can then select which program to launch in the drop-down menu displayed after you type into the "Name" field.

    
    


13. 
    

    How do I check disk usage?  To find out where in Linux Mint, click Menu|System|Disk Usage Analyzer.

    
    


14. 
    

    Do I need to install an Anti-Virus program?  You don't really need one because there aren't that many viruses that execute on Linux and in order for a downloaded program to execute on Linux, you would have to specifically grant it permission as the Systems Administrator of your Linux OS.  However, if it makes you feel more secure having one, install Clam AV.

    
    


15. 
    

    Do I need to defrag Linux?  No.  The Linux filesystem does not store data non-sequentially like Windows does, which causes fragmentation.

    
    


16. 
    

    What if my screen is frozen?  You will need to execute commands to close the Windows manager specific to your Linux distro.  To find out where in Linux Mint, click here.

    
    


17. 
    

    How do I install operating system updates?  Click on Menu|System|Update Manager.  Or click the Blue Badge icon at the bottom right hand corner of your desktop.

    
    


18. 
    

    Where is Outlook?  Mozilla's Thunderbird comes pre-installed on some popular distros while Novell's Evolution is a worthy equivalent.

    
    


19. 
    

    Where is MS Office?  You can pay for Cross-over or use Wine emulator for free to run MS Office programs.  Or you can use LibreOffice, which I found very capable of doing a lot things I used to use MS Office for.  LibreOffice comes pre-installed with Linux Mint.

    
    


20. 
    

    Where is MS Word?  LibreOffice Writer is what I use in place of MS Word.  You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Writer.

    
    


21. 
    

    Where is MS Excel?  LibreOffice Calc is what I use in place of MS Excel.  You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Calc.

    
    


22. 
    

    Where is MS PowerPoint?  LibreOffice Impress is what I use in place of MS PowerPoint.  You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Impress.

    
    


23. 
    

    Where is MS Access?  LibreOffice Base is a bit too basic to fully replace MS Access.  (You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Base.)  However, since most businesses are becoming more web-based, your best bet is to use a database built for the web like PostgresSQL, MariaDb or MySQL.  If you plan on using any of the web-based databases, you can develop custom front-ends based on Python, PHP and RubyonRails languages.

    
    


24. 
    

    Where is Paint?  LibreOffice Draw can perform functions similar to Paint.  (You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Draw.)  It can also be supplemented by Gimp and Inkscape for more advanced functions.  Gimp is like Adobe Photoshop while Inkscape is like Adobe Illustrator, handling 2 dimensional drawings.

    
    


25. 
    

    Where is Accessories?  Linux does have an Accessories category for programs.  You can find it by clicking Menu and then Accessories.

    
    


26. 
    

    Where is NotePad?  I've been successfully using Gedit in place of NotePad for several years now and I haven't missed a beat as far as functionality.  You can find it by clicking on Menu|Accessories|gedit.

    
    


27. 
    

    Where is the Command Prompt?  To find it in Linux Mint, click on Menu and Terminal Emulator at the top of the menu.

    
    


28. 
    

    Where is the Calculator?  It will be located in the Accessories folder of your Linux distro like Windows.

    
    


29. 
    

    Where is the WebCam?  For the most part, Cheese has been able to do the job adequately.  If it's not installed on your PC, find it in the Software Manager and install it.  Once it's installed, click on Menu|Multimedia|Cheese.

    
    


30. 
    

    Where is Windows Media Player?  Banshee Media Player or Rhythmbox can be used as a replacement for Windows Media Player.  To find it, click on Menu|Multimedia|Banshee.

    
    


31. 
    

    Where is Windows DVD Maker?  Brasero can be used to make DVD's.  To find it, click on Menu|Multimedia|Brasero.

    
    


32. 
    

    Where is Windows Fax and Scan?  Linux Mint comes pre-installed with Simple Scan for scanning capabilities.  You may need to download drivers and execute some commands using the Terminal prompt to configure your Scanner, depending upon the Manufacturer.  To find it, click on Menu|Graphics|Simple Scan.

    
    


33. 
    

    Where is Windows Live Movie Maker?  I've been using OpenShot Video Editor for creating and editing simple personal videos.  OpenShot is not pre-installed with Linux Mint.  Therefore, you must find it from the Software Manager and install it.  Once it's installed, you can find it by clicking on Menu|Multimedia|OpenShot Video Editor.

    
    


34. 
    

    Where is Windows Live Photo Gallery?  In Linux Mint, Ristretto Image Viewer displays images stored on your PC.  Shotwell can be used manage your photos.  You can download it from the Software Manager and install it.

    
    


35. 
    

    How do I transfer Android files to my desktop?  If you're lucky, some distros enable you to do this with their File Manager without installing extra software and performing additional configuration.  Some distros, especially older versions of their OS, will require additional software and configuration.  See ADB File Manager.

    
    


36. How do I backup my data or entire OS?  Linux Mint has APTonCD to backup just the packages installed on your OS.  Click on Menu|System|APTonCD to find it.  For data, click on click on Menu|System|Backup Tool.  If you want to reliably back up the entire OS, including the data, I recommend downloading and installing Clonezilla on a USB stick.  To use Clonezilla, you would insert the Clonezilla USB stick into your PC and insert a hard drive that's large enough to store the backup into your PC as well.

 

Workaround Syncing Android with Banshee Media Player

In the Linux world, it's great to have the Windows equivalent of "Windows Media Player" to organize, sync and maintain your music, movies, videos, audiobooks and podcasts across your mobile and desktop devices. On Ubuntu and Linux Mint, the default media program that comes pre-installed with these two distros is "Banshee Media Player".

Using it is about as intuitive as using "Windows Media Player" so it works pretty well. However, you may run into situations where it may not work with some mobile devices as I found out recently with my Samsung Stellar smartphone. So to relieve the frustration of some users using Android devices, I came up with a workaround which will allow you to sync your Android device with Banshee Media Player.

1.  Install Android ADB File Manager. The instructions are here.

2.  Plug your Android smartphone into the USB slot of your PC.

3.  Create a new folder called "Android Music" on your Linux PC.

4.  Drag and drop the music files stored in your Android sdcard directory labeled "Music" to the "Android Music" folder on your Linux PC.  (To drag and drop more than one file simultaneously, select your first file and hold down the <CTRL> button.  Then select every file with your mouse that you want to move and let go of the <CTRL> button.  Drag one of the files to your new folder "Android Music".  All the other files you selected should transfer to "Android Music".)

5.  Open Banshee Media Player on your Linux PC.

6.  Select the "Music" section of the Banshee Library.

7.  Right click on "Music" and then select "Import Media" from the drop down menu that pops up.

8.  Click on the "Choose Folders..." button.

9.  Navigate to the "Android Music" folder you created.

10.  Click on the "Import" button.

You can then repeat the above steps for your other media folders such as Movies, Playlists, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Sound, etc.

Here's the video I made which accompanies the above instructions:

Scan and Crop Old Photos from Albums using Linux Tools

We now live in this world of instant socializing by sharing our photos and tweets on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  Sometimes, you want to relive your past memories from long ago (before the age of smartphones) and share these treasured photos on Facebook, Instagram or Flickr.  I've got great news if you're Linux user.  It's possible.  Just follow my instructions and you'll be on your way to digitizing photos from your old albums back when Kodak was the main player in capturing and processing photos.

1.  Hook up your scanner to your Linux PC.  (I'm using Linux Mint 14.)

2.  Scan the photos with Simple Scan.



3.  Save and rename the scanned image.





4.  Open Gimp Editor.



5.  Open the scanned image.



6.  Go to Tools and choose Select | Rectangular Select.



7.  Move the mouse pointer to upper left corner of scanned image and hold down left mouse button



and drag the pointer to the lower right hand corner of scanned image until it is completely outlined.  Release left mouse button.



8.  Go to Edit | Cut.



9.  Go to File | Close.  (Closes new Gimp session.)







10.  Go to Edit | Paste.  (Saves scanned image over first Gimp session.)



11.  Go to File | Export.



12.  Type name of file



13.  Select PNG format.



14.  Click on Export.





15.  After you close out of Gimp, the finished product looks like this!



Here's a video tutorial I did on this topic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Transfer Files Between Android and a Linux Mint PC

1.  For USB connections, use Android ADB File Manager.  In order to use this method, you will have to clone a developer repository, download the Android SDK and set up a bash script that will be called by the Removable Devices on the Menu.  The detailed instructions can be found here.  Once you've finished installing and configuring the necessary programs for this method, you simply plug in your Android device to your Linux PC USB and Android ADB File Manager will display on the screen like it does below.  The window is split in half, with the left side displaying your PC files/directories and the right side displaying your Android device files/directories.  You can now drag and drop files between directories.



2.  For wireless transfers, use Cloud Storage Providers.  I've had direct experience using Google Drive and UbuntuOne to back up the files on my Android smartphone.  Any time you take a new picture from your Android phone, both providers will store those new photos on their remote servers.  Then when you log into your Linux PC, you will be able to access them by logging into either Google Drive or UbuntuOne.  All you need to do is find UbuntuOne in the GooglePlay store and download the app on your Android smartphone.  Then follow the instructions within the UbuntuOne app to choose which directories to back up on your Android smartphone.  When you're on your Linux PC, click on this link to download UbuntuOne to your PC.  If you have an Android phone, you automatically have Google Drive installed so all you have to do is set it up to select which directories within your phone to back up.

Ubuntu Phone To Be Released in 2015 But Maybe Earlier

Just when you thought the Smartphone market was essentially reduced to a duopoly dominated by Samsung and Apple, along comes Canonical to give us, consumers, more choices.  What Canonical is attempting to do is differentiate itself from the other smartphones with its concept of "convergence".  Convergence is the notion of using the same operating system across multiple devices such as the desktop, tablet, smartphone and even the TV.  To some degree, we've seen how this occurs when we can use a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to operate a Samsung TV.  Or Microsoft launching Windows 8 to work on its tablets and PC's.  However, none of those products have brought "convergence" into a solution as elegant as Canonical's user interface as demonstrated in the video below.



With the development of the Ubuntu Touch operating system, the ability to use your smartphone as a PC is appealing, particularly if you are an enterprise mobile user.  I used to work as an Industrial Engineer for a major Transportation company which required me to travel across the United States to work on Engineering projects at majors hubs.  I can tell you how cumbersome it was for me, being petite in stature, to have to lug around my suitcase, my portable printer and heavy laptop.  My arms would be screaming at my body for mercy especially having to take mile long treks within the Dallas-Fortworth airport hub to reach my outgoing flight gate.  If I had had an Ubuntu Phone which turned into a desktop or a lightweight Chromebook which could VPN to a corporate network, my arms would have been thanking me during that period of my life.

In the Detroit area, the Northamerican International Auto show displays the "concept" cars of the future just as the CES show in Las Vegas displays new "concept" electronics and computers.  Ubuntu came out with their "concept" product in the form of the Ubuntu Edge which they tried to bring to market through crowdfunding last July.  Here is what it was supposed to look like.



Although the crowdfunding efforts failed to bring Ubuntu Edge to market, it was more of a "high end" concept of their convergence philosophy anyway.  Rest assured, Ubuntu Phone will eventually be produced for consumers like me who are awaiting such a device.  The Ubuntu Phone will based on the Ubuntu Touch operating system which has been in "unstable" release for developers and tech enthusiasts to play with on the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 phones since October 17, 2013,  The first full release is scheduled for release April 17, 2014, which should work on both tablets and phones certified by Canonical.

The Community Manager for Ubuntu has reportedly said he doesn't expect to see an Ubuntu Phone to be shipped by major OEMs and Handset Carriers before 2015.  However, there is the possibility that smaller OEM's who serve smaller markets will bring Ubuntu Phone to market sooner.  One rumored OEM is Chinese Manufacturer Meizu, displaying photos of Ubuntu Touch running on their MX3 model.  Here is what it looks like so far.  Wish this preview showed a more in depth look of the features highlighted by Mark Shuttleworth in the previous videos above.



For those of you who are Android lovers, keep in mind that Ubuntu also has the Ubuntu for Android operating system in development.  One of the future possibilities of convergence, is using your existing Android phone when you are operating in phone mode and later dual booting it into Ubuntu to use as a PC when connected to a monitor, mouse and keyboard.  Just thinking of the possibilities as demonstrated by Ubuntu, gives us, consumers, a lot to look forward to in the Ubuntu world.

Considering Buying A Chromebook?

What a lot of people don't know about a Chromebook is it appears to be the first mainstream device heavily marketed to consumers as a "thin client" to the "Cloud".  Face it.  Most people are used to using their PC's as a "fat client", that is, a computer storing programs run directly by the user from the computer itself.  In fact, your tablets and smartphones are still considered a "fat client" because you have to download apps on your devices to use them directly.  However, the one thing that all these devices have in common, whether they be PC's, tablets, smartphones or even Chromebooks, is that they all can run as a "thin client" off the Internet via your Internet browser.  It's Google's Chromebook that just takes this computing philosophy one step further than everyone else.

What is a "Cloud"?  Well, in computing terms, it's nothing more than a server that is not on your device which runs programs that can be connected directly to your device via the Internet.  There's more detailed explanations of the technicalities of "Cloud computing" which I will leave to Wikipedia.  But that's basically, what you need to know as an end user of the "Cloud".  What do people use the "Cloud" for these days?  Most people use it to store their personal files and to run programs like games or to consume content such as viewing Youtube videos.

I'm an Industrial Engineer by trade and one of the things I've had to do for work is do time studies.  Time studies capture the time spent at various activities of a worker's shift.  Well, if I had to apply time studies to how consumers use computers, this is what I would find:

 

Activity	Smartphone	PC	Tablet
Entertainment	24%	24%	50%
Communication	47%	36%	26%
Production	18%	30%	15%
Research	9%	11%	9%
	98%	101%	100%

 

I took research conducted by Gartner and GfK’s “Multimedia Mentor” study and compiled the results above.  Notice which device is dominant for a particular category.  For Entertainment, it's the Tablet (50%) which is dominant compared to a PC or Smartphone.  For Communication, it's not surprisingly the Smartphone (47%) which is dominant compared to a PC or Tablet.  For Production, it makes sense that the PC (30%) would beat out the Smartphone or Tablet for usage with the advantage of a larger screen size and processing power.  As for Research, you will notice the percentage is almost the same across each type of device.

How does this relate to a Chromebook?  Well, it depends on what you primarily use a computer for.  If you are mostly using the computer for Entertainment, Communication (Social Networking), Research and light Production work, the Chromebook seems like a good fit for your needs.

Here are the Hardware Manufacturers who either sell or will be selling Chromebooks:

Mfgr	Retailers	Model	Price	Weight (lbs)	Screen Size (in)	Res	Battery	Proc (GHz)	RAM (GB)	Stor(GB)
Acer	site lists online and offline retailers	C720-2103	249.99	2.76	11	1366 x 768	8.5	1.4	2	16
Asus	To be released Q1 2014		249.99
Dell	To be released Jan 2014	Chromebook 11		2.9	11.6	1366 x 768	10	1.4	2-4	16 or more
HP	site lists online and offline retailers	11-1101	279	2.26	11.6	1366 x 768	6	1.7	2-4	16
Lenovo	site lists online and offline retailers	ThinkPad X131e	429	3.9	11.6	1366 x 768	7.5			16
Samsung	site lists online and offline retailers	XE303C12-H01US	329.99	2.43	11.6	1366 x 768	6.3	1.7	2	16
Toshiba	To be released Feb 2014		280	3.3	13	1366 x 768	9		2	16

The whole idea of using a Chromebook is to run most of your daily computing tasks off the Chrome broswer, which enables you access to Google's ecosystem of apps using their web store.  It looks very similar to Google Play from a Smartphone or Tablet.



Once you've chosen apps to install, they display on your Chrome browser like this.



I've been doing quite a bit of research on Chromebooks lately and have found for the average user, it can viably serve as a PC replacement.  Why?  Because, if most of your tasks are conducted using the Internet anyway, why do you need a beefier PC?  I would say if you are heavily into Gaming, Video Editing, Graphic Design or Computer Programming, then a low end PC like the Chromebook is not suitable for the type of tasks you do.  It's not that it's impossible to do them.  It's just that the screen size and processing may present some problems if you want to get your work done quickly.  For those kinds of tasks my Linux Mint or Ubuntu PC does just fine.

One of the concerns people have with this new mode of computing is that if they have no reliable Internet access, what are they do?  Well, Google, provides users with the ability to work offline with Gmail, Calendar and other apps.  Heck, I can even read my Kindle Content without Internet access.  As long as I downloaded my content for offline use, I can easily access it on Chrome.  The same principle holds true with Google apps.  For example, there's an app called "Gmail Offline" that you can install from the Chrome Web Store to download your Gmail when you are offline.  It allows you to sync your Gmail once you have Internet access again.

You also have the ability to access apps from other Cloud providers.  For example, I created this tutorial using LibreOffice Calc from the website www.rollapp.com.

Finally, for more advanced users, yes, the 16GB storage is a limitation but you do have the ability to use Crouton to install a light Linux distribution (i.e. Ubuntu derivative) on the Chromebook.  Crouton allows you toggle back and forth between the Chrome OS and your installed Linux distro.  The advantage of doing this is using the Linux distro for the heavier processing say using Open Shot Editor for Video Editing or LibreOffice for offline document processing.  I cover this in my blog.

So, if you are considering buying a Chromebook, consider what you are using your computing devices primarily for and it will enable you to determine whether it is a suitable PC replacement or an additional portable device supplement to your collection of computing devices for personal use.

 

Use Playonlinux to Run Windows Programs

A few days ago, I received a request to fill out an on-line survey which required me to possess either a PC or MAC.  As some of you may be able to tell from past posts, I currently use Linux Mint 14 and Ubuntu 12.04 in a dual boot situation on my 2008 Toshiba Satellite laptop.  I used to have Windows 7 on my 2009 HP Pavillion netbook but I wiped it out completely with a Linux distro and was unable to re-install Windows 7 with my startup disks.

To resolve my survey dilemma, I installed Playonlinux on Ubuntu 12.04.  What that enabled me to do was create a Windows virtual directory on my Ubuntu partition, which then enabled me to install a browser *.EXE file to run on that partition emulating Windows XP.  I chose the latest Firefox browser version 26.0.  Firefox was compatible with the requirements for the on-line survey so I was able to complete the survey successfully.  Please don't get confused between the words Playonlinux and WINE. Understand that Playonlinux is the front-end user interface which sits on top of the WINE software, which actually emulates Windows.  Here's a tutorial I created which explains how to install Playonlinux and Firefox on the new Windows virtual directory.

Nvidia Shield Android Gaming Controller

If you are considering some gaming devices to get your family for Christmas, you might want to try the new Nvidia Shield.  It's a gaming controller which uses the Android OS to run games optimized for Nvidia graphics, GooglePlay games and Steam games.  Running Steam games enables PC streaming from your Steam PC to your Nvidia Shield controller.  However, you need to keep in mind that the Steam game you select must have "controller" support, an issue brought up by Lisa Gade in this video below:


Otherwise, I think this device is a suitable platform to compare with other popular gaming devices from Sony and Microsoft.  Make no mistake about it.  This device is meant for gaming.  However, it's great that the Android platform it comes with, enables you to do additional tasks that you normally do on your smartphone or PC like surf the web.

Here's a video demo of the Nvidia Shield with PC streaming:

Use WINE to Play Windows Games on Linux

When it comes to games, most people are playing games on-line via their tablet or smartphone rather than buying a CD or DVD of the latest electronic game.  Yes, I know there are still board games and sports but those type of games are not going to be covered on this site.  However, for those of you who would like to preserve the legacy of your past favorite games on other non-Linux operating systems, there is a potential solution for you using the WINE Emulator program.  This program will enable you to play a Windows game on your Linux PC.  For this post, I will be using a Hoyle Board game as an example.



Before you can install the Windows game, you need to install the WINE Emulator program.  The WINE Emulator program enables you to run Windows applications on a non-Windows PC.  This program creates a virtual Windows directory on your Linux PC using the Windows File system.  This means that if you download (*.EXE) files, you can use the WINE program to emulate Windows by installing and running Windows programs in your new Windows directory.

Although WINE is available in the Software Manager for Linux Mint and the Software Center for Ubuntu, I recommend following the instructions directly from the WINE website to download the package appropriate for your Linux distribution and to install the WINE program correctly.  The reason why I recommend this is I went through the Software Manager on Linux Mint to install PlayonLinux, which automatically installed both PlayonLinux and WINE but I was unable to get it working without additional steps.  Incidentally, PlayonLinux is the front-end UI for WINE.  I detailed this experience on my Blog post.  To make a long story short, I ended up removing PlayonLinux and WINE, then re-installing WINE from Software Manager and executing additional steps to get it working properly.  "Why did this happen?"  You are probably asking.  Well, it's because the version of WINE I had downloaded from Software Manager was obsolete and there were areas specific to my Laptop hardware that needed to be addressed.  So to save you from enduring my situation, just go straight to the source, the WINE website and follow THEIR instructions.

Once you get WINE working properly, installing a Windows game is a piece of cake.  Make sure you configure WINE for the Windows version your game is designed to run on, locate the Window game Executable file (*.EXE), right click on it and select 'WINE Configuration loader'.   The game will execute the installation process as if you were using a Windows PC.  Here's my Blog post with a Youtube tutorial on the process.

Resolving Android Issues

This section will help the end user resolve issues that may occur when using your Android device.  In general, we want our Android devices to run smoothly when we download apps from Google Play or transfer video, music and documents to our PC's.  In this section, errors that come up when interacting with both Google and our PC's will be covered as well as general Android Tips.

FIX DOWNLOAD ERROR: "Error retrieving information from server.[RPC:S-5:AEC-0]"

If you see the error above after attempting a download from the Google Play Store, do the following within your Android device Settings:

1.  Remove your Google Account.

2.  For the following apps or services, FORCE STOP SERVICE and CLEAR DATA within your Android devices' Applications Manager or Manage Applications sections:

•  Downloads or Download Manager


•  Google Play Store


•  Google Service Framework

3.  Shut down and reboot your Android device.

4.  Tap Google Play Store.

5.  Sign in with your existing Google Account.

6.  Download your app once again and it should work.

These instructions will vary depending upon your Android device.  Mine is a Samsung Stellar Smartphone so the process I followed to remove the error will be slightly different than yours if you experienced the error on a different device.  The error is due to an update in the firmware.  Therefore, the corrupt data associated with the 3 apps/services above needs to be cleared from your Google Account.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR ANDROID CALENDAR EVENTS DISPLAY IN GOOGLE CALENDAR:

1.  Create an Event in your Android Calendar.

2.  Before you hit the SAVE button make sure the Event is associated with your Google Account.  There should be an arrow that allows you to select your "yourname@gmail.com" account in the section that displays "my calendar" within your Event.

3.  Hit SAVE.

If you already created Events which display "my calendar", you will need to manually go into each Event and change the "my calendar" display to your "yourname@gmail.com" account.  Sorry.  There is no quick way to do this unless some enterprising Android Developer has created an app that converts all your Android calendar events to your Gmail account.  This is important especially for those of you who want to use the Google calendar as the central repository for calendar events created from multiple sources.  Once you do this, you can now easily use that Google calendar within the Evolution and Thunderbird email clients for Linux.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BATTERY IS CHARGING SLOWLY OR LOSING CHARGE QUICKLY:

1.  Backup your settings, files and contacts on Google or your Carrier's Cloud site.

2.  Reset your phone to Factory Settings.

3.  When setting up your phone or restoring your previously installed apps do not give permission for your location or make app always run when asleep.  If you run the app and it notifies you that it cannot run without your location permission that's when you give it permission.  (It's processes like this which run indefinitely that drain your battery quickly.)

4.  Charge your phone via USB cord to your PC.

5.  If steps 1-4 did not fix your issue, it is most likely an issue with the hardware as opposed to the software.  Either the phone is damaged at the USB port or the USB charger itself is broken.

Resolving Ubuntu Issues

This section will help the end user resolve issues that may occur when using Ubuntu.  The following errors commonly occur when using CPU intensive activities (i.e. using multiple applications at the same time) or graphic intensive applications (i.e. playing a video game or using a a video editor).  To alleviate these problems try to use Ubuntu on a partition with enough memory to handle the application or use a stronger graphics card and make sure the drivers are updated.  There are Linux vendors who can make sure you don't experience these types of problems because they certify and configure their hardware and components to ensure they are optimized to work well with your Linux distribution.  I never purchased a Linux laptop so I have run into these issues as a Linux newbie installing Ubuntu on a Windows laptop.

MENU FROZE:

1.  Press keys <CTRL><ALT><F2> simultaneously to exit to the login prompt at a different workspace.  (Ubuntu has the capability of utilizing more than one workspace, which is like having more than screen session at the same time.  I cover this concept in my Youtube video on "Linux Mint Workspaces".)
2.  At the Login prompt, type in your username and press <ENTER>.

3.  At the Password prompt, type in your password and press <ENTER>.

4.  At ~ prompt, type in "sudo stop lightdm" and press <ENTER>.

5.  At the ~ password prompt, type in your password and press <ENTER>.  (After you press <ENTER>, the status will show "lightdm is stopped/waiting".)

6.  At ~ prompt, type in "sudo start lightdm" and press <ENTER>.  (After you press <ENTER>, the computer will reboot as if you pressed the "Restart" option.  Lightdm is a program that manages the windows within Ubuntu.)

 

 

 

Resolving Linux Mint Issues

This section will help the end user resolve issues that may occur when using Linux Mint.  The following errors commonly occur when using CPU intensive activities (i.e. using multiple applications at the same time) or graphic intensive applications (i.e. playing a video game or using a a video editor).  To alleviate these problems try to use Linux Mint on a partition with enough memory to handle the application or use a stronger graphics card and make sure the drivers are updated.  There are Linux vendors who can make sure you don't experience these types of problems because they certify and configure their hardware and components to ensure they are optimized to work well with your Linux distribution.  I never purchased a Linux laptop so I have run into these issues as a Linux newbie.

MENU FROZE:

1.  Press keys <CTRL><ALT><F2> simultaneously to exit to the login prompt.
2.  Press keys <CTRL><ALT><DEL> simultaneously to reboot the computer.

MINIMIZE(-)/MAXIMIZE(+) BUTTONS DISAPPEARED ON WINDOWS:

1. Click on Menu.
2. Click on Terminal Emulator.
3. Type the following linux command at the prompt:

xfwm4 --replace



4.  Press <ENTER>.

Here's Your Chance to Have a Smartphone and Desktop PC in ONE DEVICE

How to use an Android Device as a PC

Review of the Latest Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Android Tablet

Install ADB (Android Debug Bridge) for Android File Transfer to Linux Mint

Review of the Latest Google Nexus 7 Android Tablet

Windows 8 Alternative OS - Translating Windows to Ubuntu Speak