Max Bleich Dot Com

What is it? This is the latest update to Acer's line of Google Chromebooks, running Google's own Chrome OS- a super light, super fast, and very focused operating environment that brings web apps and the best browser available to the forefront to be the ONLY application available on the system. Despite this "limitation," the device allows users to do the same things (pretty much) that you can do on a full-fledged desktop. Web, email, word processing, spreadsheets, music management, photo management, social networking, news, movies, tv shows... it's all here, and it works well. Who is it for? This isn't for everybody. Let me repeat myself. THIS ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY. In fact, if anything, this is only for those who can handle the reality that you will ONLY be able to use the device with web apps. This isn't the same as a Mac or a PC. It's very different. But if you're pretty much or completely living your computing life in the cloud (like

If you've been reading my stuff for a while, you'd know that I was one of the thousands of early Chromebook adopters, being sent one of Google's Cr-48 laptops back in December of 2010. I've also used many of these devices since the unveiling of the official first model about two years ago at Google I/O. Since then, I've tried, tested, and used four different Chromebooks. It has taken me sometime to formulate a concrete opinion about the units, but I have since decided that these aren't just toys anymore: they're real, usable, and affordable for what they are capable of.  Needless to say, Google has hit a home-run with the latest rendition of Chrome OS, and the current line up of Chromebooks satisfies almost every sector of the laptop buying market. For the past three months I have been rocking Samsung's Model 3 Chromebook. It is perhaps the fastest, cheapest, and most versatile Chromebook I have ever used. As Chris Zeigler of The Verge put it a

Review Background Ever since I can remember I've been hunting for an inexpensive way to carry out my typical computational needs and desires. Five or so years ago, I thought that was only possible through older machines. So I bought an old iBook Clamshell. It worked... but it wasn't fast, it didn't support some modern software, and the battery life sucked (even after I bought a new one!). Because of this, the next device I purchased was a snow iBook. Same problem. Next! I bought a Netbook. Finally I realized that I wasn't going to get away with buy all these sub-200 dollar devices and having them work very well, so I buckled down and bought a MacBook. It lasted me more than three years before the hardware just wasn't good enough anymore, and the trackpad broke. Now, I have my Dell Vostro 3450- the best laptop I have ever owned. I ran Windows 7 on it for about a month or two before I decided that Ubuntu would work best on it. But I have never been satisfied with a la

Apple's flagship operating system, Mac OS X, has been around for a decade, with major releases rolling out once every two to three years- unlike it's competitor, Microsoft Windows. Interestingly enough, with each new software update comes not just visual and usability improvements, but also performance and noticeable OS speed changes that always seem to benefit the end user. With the seventh major revision to Mac OS X, a lot is expected from an OS that dares to call itself a lion. But, as it turns out, this name is the best way to define Apple's robust computing platform. Let us begin! User Interface Apple is perhaps one of the best companies when it comes to delivering a solid, speedy UI that appeals to both consumer and professional users. On the consumer end of the spectrum, simplicity is a key factor that dictates how fast simple tasks are accomplished. The same goes for experienced users who wish not to toggle with an OS to make it work, but to jump in and jump out wit

This week, instead of reviewing something new or going too far back in the past to review an old favorite, I’d like to take everybody back to a simpler time. Back to when the internet was still blossoming, when Clinton was still president and there wasn’t a war on terror yet. Seinfeld was making an exit, and blah blah blah… you’ve heard this before. Today, I’m going to talk about the Half-Life series. “Max, why would you EVER want to do that? There hasn’t been an update to the game since 2007, and even so, most people are aware of the series.” Well, my imaginary critic, that’s simply not the case. Over the past month, I’ve been talking to my close friends and relatives who have played games like Doom, Quake, Halo and Call of Duty. Some of them were even familiar with Wolfenstein 3D or Marathon. Oddly enough though, none of them have ever HEARD of Half-Life besides in biology or chemistry class. So, to answer your not yet existing question, there is a good reason why I decided to do thi