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In recent years, I've used all Microsoft-oriented products: a Windows 10 desktop and laptop, a Windows phone (Lumia 950) and a Surface 2 tablet (Windows RT). One advantage is that they all connect to a single Windows account with an Outlook email address. I use Outlook (from Office 365) to manage my emails, my contacts and my calendar.
Due to the low support for Phone 2 and Surface 2 apps, I'm wondering how to replace an iPhone and Chromebook. . My laptop needs are likely to decrease after the end of my Ph.D., and this will mostly be emails, word processing and presentations.
I'm afraid this will not leave me a bunch of email addresses and accounts – an iCloud's phone address, a Gmail address for the Chromebook and the current Windows account. Paul
When this column started, in the last century, most users had only one PC. Home users did not have broadband, so the emails were collected via a modem. Some people had portable "organizers" of Palm, Psion and other providers, but they were synchronized with PCs. Life was simple.
Since then, things have changed dramatically with the arrival of smartphones, consumer tablets, ultra-portable laptops, broadband always available, and widely available Internet connections via wireless hotspots and 3G cellular services. / 4G. Most homes now have a plethora of connected devices, ranging from media servers to light bulbs. Instead of synchronizing with a local PC, things synchronize via cloud-based services that make your data accessible from almost any smart device almost anywhere.
But which cloud will you use? For many purposes, there are three major ecosystems, managed by Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Each company offers its own devices, browsers, operating systems, messaging service, online applications and cloud storage. The devices often push people to adopt one ecosystem rather than another, which is the heart of your problem. However, you can use all your devices with your current Outlook account.
The wars of the ecosystems
The three main ecosystems are very similar, but some differences reflect the way each company earns money.
selling devices, mainly iPhones, iPads and Macs. His cloud services are designed to make his devices more attractive, in part by helping them work well together. It especially avoids making software for non-Apple devices, with iTunes for Windows and the Apple Music app for Android being notable exceptions.
Google derives most of its money from targeted advertising based on the analysis of your data and your behavior. It does not matter what devices you use, but he wants you to use his Chrome browser to access his online properties, such as Gmail and YouTube. Basically, he wants everything to be done online.
Microsoft derives most of its money from the sale of software and services. It does not usually care about the devices you use, although it has a relatively small activity of hardware selling Xbox gaming consoles and surface computers. Like Google, Microsoft wants you to use its online services, such as Outlook and Office 365, but it still supports offline use. Companies that need to control their data can run Microsoft server software and even Azure clouds on their own premises.
Microsoft thus offers the most comprehensive ecosystem for the support of different devices and use online and offline. Indeed, as a Windows Phone user, you may already know that Microsoft better supports iPhone and Android phone users than you.
Google ID and email addresses
If you buy an Android phone, tablet or Chromebook, you will inevitably end up with a Google account, but you do not need to use it the associated Gmail address. If you do not send email messages from Gmail, they will not even know your address.
You can configure Gmail to forward all incoming email to your Outlook account and set a rule for the file in a Gmail folder. However, accessing Gmail in a browser makes it easy to access Google Drive, which provides 15GB of free online storage. Go to Drive and you can create documents in Google's online applications, including Docs, Sheets and Slides.
You already have Office 365 with 1TB of storage space, so they are not very interesting, but they can sometimes By the way, the Google Drive application potentially problematic for Windows PC and Mac was destroyed in March. It has been replaced by Backup and Sync for Google Photos and Google Drive.
My advice: use Google Takeout to make backups.
Apple IDs and Email Addresses
You will need an Apple ID to use an iPhone, and the setup procedure will prompt you to set up an Apple email address. However, millions of people have Apple IDs with non-Apple email addresses, thanks to Apple's widespread use of iTunes on Windows PCs. In fact, you can sign up for an Apple ID on the web, using any e-mail address that you like. Apple will send an email to the address you specified and you will need to enter the code to validate your account.
If you buy an iPhone, you can also access your Apple ID account from your PC's web browser. This allows you to use online applications such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote, and provides 5GB of free iCloud storage. You can also download an iCloud application on your Windows PC.
The Files application in iOS also allows you to use different online storage services such as Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Amazon Drive and Dropbox. Just tap Locations on the top left and activate the ones you need
Microsoft apps
Microsoft provides dozens of apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. At present, there are 86 for the iPhone and 93 for Android. The most useful ones include Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, Office Office, Cortana and Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Install the Outlook application on your iPhone (or your Android phone or tablet) and you should have no problem using your current Outlook email address.
Microsoft Office applications also work on new Chromebooks that host a full copy of the Android operating system, and they are free if the Chromebook has a 10.1-inch screen or less. You can also use free online Office applications in the Chrome browser. These include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photos, OneNote and OneDrive.
If you buy a Chromebook with a larger screen, you can only use the apps if you have an Office 365 account, but you will still not have access to the full programs. They only work on Windows PCs and Macs.
A Chromebook?
I recommend trying a recent touch screen Chromebook before you buy one. You will need a 360 degree hinge for it to work like a tablet, or a removable keyboard like the new (coming soon!) HP Chromebook X2.
I think Chromebooks are still too limited to provide a real substitute for convertible Windows 10 or a tablet. They are great for e-mail and navigation, but many models do not handle touch well, or at all. In addition, most Android apps have been designed for smartphones. Relatively few have been adapted for larger screens, or for Chromebooks.
The Android tablet market is in trouble, and Google might consider replacing Android with Chrome OS. The Acer Chromebook Tablet Tab 10 is an example. One advantage is that you will not have to rely on a tablet manufacturer to update the Android operating system.
Google is still developing Chrome OS to play a dual role, but for now, Windows 10 convertibles are probably more useful. Just make sure you have at least 64GB of storage to handle Windows 10 updates.
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