I’ve been using my iPad setup full-time for over three months, so I figure now’s about time to review it. The newness and novelty have worn off and there’s been enough time to find its weaknesses. Is the base iPad (from 2025 with the A16 chip) good enough? I will channel Dieter Bohn from past iPad reviews at The Verge:
It is an iPad.
It is good.
It is often on sale for $299.
Bloggers type. A lot. Now you know. A good keyboard is vital. The Typecase Edge is a great keyboard case for iPad that’s much like Apple’s Magic Keyboard. But here’s the kicker: it has a magically low price. For real.
I'm currently trying to make a change. It's one that I've been feeling in the background for a while now, and it makes objective sense: use a third-party password manager. For years, I enjoyed the convenience of the default, the native platform solution. That was iCloud Keychain before and, more recently, Google Passwords. And, yes, it's also been just my current browser's password tool, like in Firefox. But I'm trying to make a permanent switch.
Digital hi-tech is kind of my playground. Yet I've been exploring more analog and lo-tech lately. It's part of my ongoing desire to keep things simple. It's also my aim to avoid smartphone addiction — like endless scrolling, checking, and YouTube rabbit holes. Most important is fleeing from tech idolatry too.
Recently, I was reviewing the main productivity apps I use. I noticed which ones created discreet (local) files and which ones didn't. That sparked renewed interest in Obsidian - it was kind of a "light-bulb" moment. Like, why am I not using this great tool? Now I'm going down the rabbit hole with it...for maybe the third time?
Most folks probably aren't aware or concerned that the Big Tech companies have seen something like a reckoning lately. Most of it is related to regulation and trials about antitrust and monopoly. Google and Apple are especially in the hot seat. Might we see a world where Google no longer has the Chrome browser? What if Apple loses control of its App Store? Has Big Tech peaked?
In January 2024, I had a quasi-resolution: No New Tech. And I mostly kept it, sort of. But then not at all. My iPhone gave way to a new Android phone that year. And at the very end of last December, I ordered a Windows gaming computer to replace my MacBook. Yeah, instead of no new tech, I, uh, totally switched my entire tech platforms. Why though? Good question.
I'm happy to share newfound facts. First, my 2024 Moto Razr can shoot RAW pictures natively; I didn't know that before! It makes .dng files. Second, those pictures automatically open in the RAW developer part of Affinity Photo 2, where edits are made easily. And the icing on the cake: I was wide-eyed when I first saw how good Affinity's noise reduction and detail enhancement are. Sure, these are tiny-sensor, tiny-lens phone snaps. Yet being able to shoot RAW provides a little more leverage to make the most of pictures.
Going steadily since 1999, Blogger is not only used by random prolific writers, it’s also relied on to this day by at least one for-profit company. Case in point: modern PC game developer, SCS Software.
Since refocusing on Adobe Bridge to manage photos on my laptop, I've been trying to choose a good image processor to go with it. At first, I thought Photoshop Elements was best, but now I'm favoring Affinity Photo. I noticed two things: it could use a digital asset manager of its own, and the Affinity company (Serif) was bought last year by Canva. So now I wonder (worry?) about the quality of Affinity's future.
A few months ago, I was deciding between traditional photo apps and settled on Adobe Bridge. But then I reverted to Google Photos because I had started to lean back into a Chromebook. Yet moving my photo collection from my local PC into Google's cloud over time pressed me: I would soon need to subscribe to a paid cloud storage plan, and I would need to further cull and organize my picture files on my laptop. Then I snapped out of Google Photos. Bridge is the way to go.
A few years ago, when I started making my own role-playing video game via RPG Maker MZ, I discovered map-making software. These are like purpose-built "photoshop" apps for creating fantasy maps. How cool! I was interested but never ended up diving into them. Fast-forward to this month — the creative bug bit me again. Two cartography tools I found are Inkarnate and Wonderdraft. I must choose...wisely.
Well, I mulled it over. After my eyes were opened to Kobo, I decided that despite some greener grass there, I’m gonna stay comfy in Amazon’s pasture. The reasons are simple.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've been using my almost six-years-old Chromebook for blogging and web-surfing at times. Despite having half the memory of my phone, it's performing well for what it is, I'm glad to say. Who knew that after so many years and other computers, I’d be enjoying my old Chromebook again?
Since switching over to an Android phone last Fall, I've continued to carry and sometimes use my iPhone 12 Pro for a few Apple exclusives. That lock-in is hard to fully escape; I was resigned to it. But months later, I've realized some things. Now it's time to make my journey to the non-Apple side complete.
A few days ago, I read John Gruber’s long post about something rotten at Apple. It kind of floored me. I think it’s the most critical thing he’s ever written about the Cupertino company. It took me a while to process it; I also read many follow-up comments around the web. Most folks, including me, generally agree with Gruber on this one.
Buying refurbished devices can often save you much money and extend the life of “good enough” tech. My oldest son and my wife both did so this past week. This also caps off the recent rare bad refurbs on a high note.
There's been chatter, if not mild uproar, on the interwebz lately about Amazon pulling the plug on downloading your "purchased" Kindle books. At first, I dismissed it because I have only ever read on my Kindles, buying books from the Kindle Store; nothing would change for me. Nevertheless, this news may lead to the Biggest Change Ever. It has caused me to seriously consider switching eReaders from Kindle to Kobo.
Apple has announced its newest smartphone, the iPhone 16e, which replaces the old iPhone SE 3rd Gen. in its lineup. At $399 and finally $429, the SE was the “budget” iPhone that let you into Apple’s walled-garden without breaking the bank. But at $599, the 16e kicks your budget in the groin and says, “Get an Android.”
True wireless earbuds are a modern marvel of audio freedom. But they come at a monetary and usability cost. My blue JBL Tune 230NC buds are overall great, and they only set me back $50 on sale when I bought them. About a year later, though, they started glitching — ugh. It has worn me down over time. And recently, I was turned onto good ol' fashioned wired earbuds. So I decided to give'em a go. To sweeten the new wired setup, they come in vivid orange — yes! Do low-tech earphones sound like a smart upgrade?