Whats The Cheapest Amount You Can Spend For A Good Phone
Cheap phone used to be a dirty word as it meant youd get a device that was smart in name only. But Motorola changed that many moons ago when it released its Moto G line. Since then a number of great phones have emerged that wont break the bank.
If youre on the strictest budget possible, but dont want to have to buy yet another handset in a years time, wed recommend looking to spend around £150-£200 on your next blower.
Deal: Honor 10 Lite now only £134.99
This is a sweet spot in the market with a variety of solid performers that offer surprisingly developed specs and feature sets, just dont expect them to come from Apple or Samsung. Highlights at the moment include things like the Honor 10 Lite and the Trusted Reviews Recommended Xiaomi Mi A2. You can see a full breakdown of all the best value smartphones weve reviewed in our best cheap phone guide.
The only downside to these phones is that many dont currently have 5G connectivity, NFC, wireless charging or IP water resistance ratings. 5G is a particular concern given that the new networking tech is rapidly rolling out across the UK and offers radically faster data speeds than 4G.
How Much Ram Do I Need
The answer to the question of how much RAM you need always will come back to what you want to do with it. While opting for more RAM is always good advice, it doesnt answer the more specific questions of how much RAM is needed for specific uses, or what you can reasonably expect to do with the RAM your laptop already has. To answer these questions we performed some testing, looking at specific use cases, identifying the basic memory requirements for each and providing some hard numbers to back our advice.
To help you find the best answer for you, we tested for five specific use cases, each common but distinct in its memory demands:
Each of these uses is common, but has distinctly different hardware requirements and memory demands. We broke down each of our five use cases, finding the memory demands for both basic and heavy use, and matched that to common allotments of RAM. Want to edit photos, but youre not much of a gamer? Want to do some document work and web browsing but still want the option to do more? Whatever your mix of uses, we can give you a very good idea of how much memory will be enough to meet the demands of the task.
Chromebook Vs Laptop: Price
Chromebooks offer the best value right now. The operating systems not compatible with most power-hungry software, which means Chromebook components can lean into more affordable territory. This is why a $300 Chromebook can often run faster and smoother than a traditional laptop costing twice the price. Chromebooks will boot, open apps, load pages, and even turn off faster. Looking for a deal? We also regularly look around for new Chromebook deals and gather them up into a Chromebook deal guide.
Windows and macOS devices cost more, but that extra cash may be worth it, depending on your needs.
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Best Chromebook With A 15
Folks may understandably balk at the Chromebook Flip CX5s price, but it really is that good. Its sturdy enough to withstand all kinds of jolts and jostles in a backpack or briefcase, and has a unique velvety texture thats very pleasant to hold. Add a wide port selection, a smooth and comfortable keyboard, and a vivid display, and youve got a chassis that can hold its own against plenty of midrange Windows laptops.
The CX5s performance is equally impressive. We never once heard its fan in our testing, even when pushing a workload that slows most devices down. Battery life is quite satisfactory and easily lasted us all day. And the CX5 delivered some of the loudest audio weve ever heard from a Chromebook. While the CX5 isnt a perfect device, its a solid performer all around.
Your Computer Is Slow: Is Google Drive The Reason

Heres the scenario: Your computer is running slow. Your mouse feels like its dragging itself through molasses. That program you clicked 10 minutes ago still hasnt launched, and shows no sign of launching within the next hour. Your RAM usage is scraping its skull across the top of 100%. Why?!?! you ask yourself as you contemplate sliding your entire desk and everything on it out the closest window. If youre using Google Drive, you might have found your culprit.
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Hp Chromebook X360 14c
If you’d rather have a wider screen instead of a taller one like the Spin 713’s, this HP Chromebook is the way to go. It’s roughly 0.75 inches wider than a premium 13.3-inch model, but that extra width makes it easier to work in two side-by-side windows. The two-in-one design means you can use the HP Chromebook x360 as a tablet . You can also tent it, connect an external keyboard and mouse and use it as a small all-in-one computer.
The Core i3 processor and 8GB of memory in the model we tested kept this HP Chromebook running smoothly even with a couple dozen tabs open and streaming video in the background. And this Chromebook laptop has a long battery life to boot, lasting 10 hours, 40 minutes in CNET’s tests. This is a higher-end configuration, though, and its regular price is $699. It regularly goes on sale for less than $500 but if you like the design and don’t need its more powerful components, the Pentium Silver version is a bargain at closer to $300.
Chromebooks Are Much Less Vulnerable To Viruses
Because of the emphasis on cloud-based working, using a Chromebook doesnt tend to involve much installation of software. This means that its pretty difficult for users to get a virus on one.
And, on top of that, Chromebooks are viewed as one of the more robust options available from a virus protection point of view the automatic updates, sandboxing and verified boots of Chrome OS help prevent infection .
All this means that if you are using a Chromebook, you can generally forget the costs associated with virus and malware protection software or paying IT professionals to clear up the mess you made on the network after you opened that dodgy attachment.
The bottom line on security is this: its still important to take general cyber security precautions when using a Chromebook but youre definitely talking about one of the safer computing options available.
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Chromebook Vs Laptop: Which One Should You Get
Those in the market for a new laptop have probably stumbled upon a few Chromebooks at local stores or online. They look like any other laptop but usually have a much lower price tag. That doesnt mean you get less value, though.
Chromebooks may be better than their Windows or macOS counterparts, depending on your needs. Regardless, its essential to do your research before buying a Chromebook you might not want one at all if youve got particular needs. Choosing between a Chromebook vs laptop can be hard, so lets get into what makes them different.
How To Turn A Laptop Into A Chromebook
Intriguingly, you dont necessarily to buy a Chromebook to get one!
If you have an old laptop that is really struggling to run the latest version of Windows or Mac OS, you might find that repurposing it as a Chromebook gives it a new lease of life and turns it back into a useful machine.
This can be done by downloading Chromium OS an open-source product which is related to and extremely similar to Chrome OS and installing it on your old machine.
Chromium OS makes much lighter demands on your computer than traditional desktop operating systems, and accordingly can turn a sluggish computer into one that boots up quickly and works perfectly fine as a tool for web browsing, consuming content or working in the cloud.
If this sounds of interest, you should check out Android Centrals guide on how to install Chromium OS on a Windows computer, or 9 to 5 Macs guide to bringing an old Mac back to life by installing Chrome OS on it.
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How To Start A Video Call On Google Chat
Google Chat, as we have seen so far, is a pretty capable application in its own right. And most importantly, it plays exceptionally well with other Google applications to make your experience better. The option to start a video call is another fine example of Google Chat playing well with another Google service. Since Google Chat does not have a camera interface of its own, it uses Google Meets video calling to get the job done. All you have to do is click on the link and you will be connected right away.
How Much Is A Chromebook
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Option : The Ole Have
Turn Google Drive off, and then turn Google Drive back on again. Sometimes the simplest solution to Google Drives consuming your precious RAM is to simply stop it from running. Heres how to do it:
To Stop Google Drive from Running in Windows:
- Open your task manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc
- Find and select googledrivesync.exe
- Reopen Google Drive and you should be back up and running smoothly.
To Stop Google Drive from Running on a Mac:
- Open the Force Quit Applications Window by pressing Command + Option + Escape
- Select Google Drive
- Reopen Google Drive and you should be back up and running smoothly.
We Take Apart An Old Desktop Computer To Show What Is Valuable

EScrap such as whole computers or individual components from computers contain gold, palladium and other precious materials. Computer circuit boards have gold and other precious metal traces in densities comparable to mined ore. There is enough valuable material to make refinement profitable on even a moderate scale.
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Has Google Chat Replaced Hangouts
Google has long been planning to replace Hangouts with Google Chat, and, now, it has sneakily rolled it out to the public. Your Hangouts tab in Gmail should have already been replaced with Google Chat quick-access. If it has not been yet, it will be, sooner than later.
The Hangouts app is still in circulation, but Google is not working on any new features for the app and will roll them out directly to the Google Chat application.
Also, if you go to , you will see a prompt saying that Hangouts is being replaced by Google Chat, which pretty much cements the fate of the service.
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How To Hide A Conversation On Google Chat
In the previous section, we learned all about deleting a conversation in Google Chat. Hiding a conversation is not too different from deleting, but it is certainly a lot less permanent. Since deleting a conversation practically removes it from your Google Chat account, you could simply hide a conversation you do not want to encounter and let it stay out of your sight. The conversation will only pop up when the person on the other end of the screen pushes a new message. Unfortunately, there is no way to read from hidden conversations without them being triggered by a new message from the other party, which seems to be an oversight on Googles part. Here is how to hide a conversation on Google Chat, both from PC and mobile.
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How Much Is A Decent Camera Phone
Getting a decent camera phone isnt as expensive as youd expect. Thanks to stellar work from Google with its line of Pixel a-series phones it is possible to pick up a solid camera phone for less than £500.
The Pixel 4a is currently our pick of the best affordable camera phone. Whats more, the phones about to get an upgrade, with Google having announced a new Pixel 4a 5G variant alongside the Pixel 5 earlier this month.
However, if you want a truly top end camera phone with all the trimmings, youre looking at a pretty hefty price tag. The cameras with the top features generally cost in-excess of £800 at the moment. Current highlights include the Huawei P40 Pro, Galaxy S20 Plus and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
You can get a more detailed breakdown of the latest and greatest handsets for budding photographers in our best camera phone guide.
Chromebooks Are Not Best Suited To Gaming
If youre into gaming or at least playing the very latest computer games then a Chromebook probably wont be the best option for you, because Chromebooks generally arent powerful enough to cope with the graphical and computational demands of modern games.
That said, because some Chromebooks allow you to run Android apps, you do have some options when it comes to Android games. Laptop Mag has a good rundown of some good Android gaming options here.
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How To Create A Collaborative Document On Google Chat
Google Chat is an upgraded version of Google Hangouts and it proves to be quite a handy tool for professional users. And as we have noted already, Google Chat is at its best when being used from a paid Google Workspace account. If you have access to a paid Workspace account, you can very easily create collaborative documents that you can share with your Room. This is an excellent feature in terms of impromptu collaboration.
Go to or and log in with a premium Google Workspace account. Now, on the left of your screen, you will see the Rooms banner, with all the Rooms you are currently a part of listed underneath. Click on any of the Rooms.
Now, on the right of the standard text field , you will find a Create new document button.
A confirmation dialogue will show up, telling you that all members of the Room will be editors of the document by default. Finally, pick a name for your document and hit Share.
The file will be shared immediately with other participants in your Room.
How To Add Bots In Google Chat
Google Chat has introduced a new option that allows you to add little personal minions to conversations and Rooms. Dubbed as Bots, these little applets connect your Google Chat inbox to select third-party and first-party tools. From scheduling appointments to assigning certain tasks, bots can effectively make your life easier in Google Chat. Bots are at their best in paid accounts, but free accounts users, too, can use the Bots in Rooms.
We have talked about bots in length in a dedicated article of ours. Be sure to check it out by clicking on the link attached below.
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What Makes A Good Chromebook Price
The cheapest Chromebooks can sometimes be guilty of skimping on their specs. To find the best Chromebook price, therefore, it’s important to keep your needs in mind when it comes to processor quality and storage solutions. There are definitely deals that take both power and cost efficiency into account, so it’s important to keep an eye out for anything with an SSD capable of storing and managing updates and RAM above the 2GB baseline that often appears in searches.
Chromebook Vs Laptop: Battery Life

Other laptops are also catching up in this department, thanks to low-power processors and other enhancements. That is the keyword, though: catching up. Its tough to beat Chrome OS devices in battery life.
Chromebooks usually get at least eight hours of juice. Those numbers are very rare in the Windows or macOS realm unless you pay up.
Of course, you can always get yourself a battery pack thats capable of keeping your laptop or Chromebook alive for longer.
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Where Is The Google Chromecast Extension
I spent way too much time looking for a Chromecast extension, but you don’t need to download anything new to get Chrome to work with Chromecast.
If you don’t see a Chromecast button in the menu bar, just click the three dots button in the top corner, and select Cast. Then, you can see the available devices to send video to your TV.
To keep the button there, right click on the Cast logo and select Always show icon.
Why Are There Precious Metals In Escrap
Gold is the 2nd best conductor of electricity, it is the most malleable metal, it can be made into micron-thin leaf and it is highly resistant to tarnish. These characteristics made gold well suited for circuit boards. Gold is frequently used as connectors , and sometimes used as the PBC traces and components pins .
Many circuit boards have small amounts of Silver and Palladium in their solder and components
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Who Are Chromebooks For
Overall, the best way to tell if someone will enjoy owning a Chromebook is if you know they already spend most of their time in the Chrome browser. Those users will take to the notebook naturally.
If you’re buying this Chromebook for someone else, you should take a few moments to consider how they’re going to use the device. Chromebooks are especially good for younger students, as they are ease to use and are fairly secure. It’s also quite easy to update your Chromebook, and even better, these laptops often do that themselves.
Children who are still learning how to use computers may be more receptive to learning how a new operating system works, and while there’s no official Minecraft title for Chrome OS, the Android-based Minecraft: Pocket Edition will become available on certain Chromebooks later this year.
Some elder relatives may have never truly understood Windows enough to use their PC frequently, but others who have learned just enough to make do may become frustrated that they need to relearn where downloads go, or that their favorite app is not available for Chrome.
But if your office will support Chrome OS, you might want to look into getting your company to spring for the Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook, a proper business laptop with great battery life and strong performance.