Let's Talk Tech
We get lost in new releases and having the biggest specs. It’s important to keep track of how we use these gadgets. Looking at my own behavior using the 7 Pro and the 7T, a few things surprised me. I didn’t PLAN it this way, but what might it say about my personal bias?
Continue reading “OnePlus 7 Pro vs 7T Long Term Comparison: When has a phone surprised you?”
How DO cameras work?
As I’ve been talking about the Galaxy S20 and LG V60, people seem surprised by some of the performance I’ve been describing.
We might complain about compromises on one phone, but how do those changes compare to the competition?
How closely should we examine marketing claims? Should popular manufacturers be graded on a curve JUST because they’re popular? Let’s take a look at the Galaxy S20’s spec sheet here…
Continue reading “Does the Galaxy S20 use a FAKE Zoom?”
More parents than ever are having to adjust to the realities of homeschooling, and my family is no exception. To keep kids intellectually engaged while traditional schools are closed, there are a variety of video resources, apps, games, and tech tools you can use.
In this video, lets rounds up some of my favorites and share some thoughts about the best way to keep our children learning during this challenging time.
We’re all in this together! Let’s share some good family tech!
Continue reading “Great Tech Resources for Homeschooling! Videos, Apps, and Websites!”
Shortly before the strictest messaging came out on “social distancing”, we took a little field trip.
Amazon is opening more physical stores beyond buying Whole Foods. In our neck of the woods, an Amazon branded grocery store is being built, and recently a “4-Star” opened up in the local mall.
It’s a cute concept, trending products, with reviews above four stars on Amazon, are stocked in a physical retail location. Continue reading “A Field Trip to Amazon 4-Star: Is the future of retail more physical stores?”
Working from home? Has there been a sudden change in your work/life balance? Here’s a quick and dirty vlog with five fast tips to get you started.
My first five common sense tips for getting your work done AND staying sane during a lifestyle change.
Continue reading “5 Tips for Working from Home (in Under Five Minutes)”
Rian Johnson is one of my favorite current filmmakers. If his style could be summed up in a sentence, Johnson excels at deconstructing popular genres.
Want a Film Noir? He’ll set the heightened drama of a noir in high school, where kids are naturally more dramatic.
The Brothers Bloom is a fresh twist on a caper film. Looper tweaks the standard tropes of Time Cop-style time travel movies.
He’s at his best when he can take a format we’re familiar with, maybe even tired of, and he’s able to throw a tiny wrench into the machine we understand.
Even his Star Wars entry is less a good Star Wars film, and more a commentary on the most popular tropes of Star Wars films. It’s a fascinating examination of a beloved franchise, even if it doesn’t quite work as an episode of the series.
Recently we saw a handful of stories relating Rian Johnson’s experiences in using Apple branded products in his films, specifically how it impacts the story for his “whodunnit” mystery comedy Knives Out.
Microsoft has been busy.
Office recently got an update where it combined multiple apps into one Office platform. It’s a handy upgrade, not having to swap apps to look through documents or reference spreadsheets.
On top of that, we know Microsoft is working aggressively on future hardware form factors, with a particular focus on dual screen devices.
The platform which runs the service seems less important to Microsoft than whether people are using their services. When a dual screen Surface phone arrives, it’ll run Android.
Microsoft’s services need to be ready to go at launch though. If an expensive gadget sporting the Surface brand stumbles on core Microsoft services, it’ll be an embarrassing misstep for a company which has struggled with their mobile strategy since the rise of the iPhone.
Thankfully, folks don’t need to wait for the Surface Duo launch to get a taste of Microsoft’s dual screen strategy. Current dual screen devices are ready to go. Continue reading “Microsoft Office and the Future of Dual Screen Phones”
There’s a minor controversy brewing around the Galaxy S20. I’ve been asked to comment on the issue, and my feelings on this topic are a little messy.
Samsung’s newest phones are apparently plagued with a few issues. While no one would argue against the new S20 series as powerful options in the Android ecosystem, camera gremlins are souring the experience for early reviewers. Some encountering an experience struggling to live up to inflating price tags.
Techies online are debating how seriously these camera gremlins should be factored into the conclusions of their reviews. It’s very likely many of these issues can be fixed with some software patches, and there’s a decently high probability a day one patch could be pushed to consumers.
Should a reviewer review the phone as it was sent to them under embargo? Should a reviewer anticipate what the phone MIGHT be after some polish? Should a reviewer hold a review to see if Samsung delivers the promised improvements?
How do I feel about this issue?
The short answer, I think reviewers should stop playing Samsung’s media circus game.
The long answer is, well, longer… Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy S20: What is a reviewer’s responsibility?”