Category: Articles

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Suing Apple is a necessary step in challenging our perception of Big Tech…

It’s 2003, and I’m working for a small firm that manages tech sales and support for one of the labs in New Mexico. My main job is literally manually translating purchase orders and product requests from an ancient order system at the firm to communicate with an ancient UNIX system at the lab. When I’m not transferring data and approving requests though, I work with the sales teams, support teams, and I spend a lot of time in their warehouse taking systems apart. It’s a great job.

We ran two main contracts that would completely change the entire course of my life. We sold and supported HP systems and Apple systems. Continue reading “Suing Apple is a necessary step in challenging our perception of Big Tech…”

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It’s time for Qualcomm to clear the air on X Elite…

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t fantastically anxious about the launch of Qualcomm’s new PC chip. While there’s always been a fun (if ruthless) rivalry between Intel and AMD, the computer scene gets a lot more interesting when an outside player can come in and disrupt.

I’ve been preaching the benefits of ARM based PCs for a while now, and I genuinely believe a lot of folks out there would have preferred having better battery life away from a charger over the more traditionally powerful laptops and convertibles offered over the last several years, even for some issues with software compatibility.

I felt validated in this when Apple switched all of their laptops and desktops over to ARM System on Chips (SOCs).

Qualcomm has offered solutions in this market in the past, but their new chip could springboard Windows users into a much more competitive tier opposite MacBooks and Mac desktops.

While we wait for manufacturers like Dell, HP, Samsung, Lenovo, and Microsoft to ship new Windows on ARM devices, I feel it’s time Qualcomm helped us understand the X Elite a little better.

Specifically, how much power does X Elite consume? Continue reading “It’s time for Qualcomm to clear the air on X Elite…”

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Is Samsung Betting AGAINST Generative AI?

Whenever you put a question in your article title, you’re trying to lead someone to a conclusion before they even read the article.

We just got the scheduled video link, the press releases, and all the affiliate links from creators are swarming. Samsung Unpacked is coming! The Galaxy S24 is coming! A NEW era for Mobile AI is coming!!!

But is it though? Really? Continue reading “Is Samsung Betting AGAINST Generative AI?”

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WHOA! The Qualcomm DESTROYS the Apple M3 in a BLOODY Fight of BRUTALITY! SMASHED! WRECKED! BOOM!!! 🔥🔥🔥

I hate synthetic benchmarks and hype-beast clickbait.

You really get a sense that the tech hobbyist scene is dying generation-ally. The commentary on products is niche-ing down to cater to a smaller and smaller group of “tech dudes”.

More people than ever are USING tech, but fewer really seem entertained BY the tech. I digress.

I’ve read through three different hot takes now about Qualcomm’s new X Elite chip, comparing a couple of Geekbench scores against other chips from AMD, Intel, and Apple. They look at a couple number scores, and then draw a conclusion before any of these components have actually shipped in products to consumers. It’s kinda the worst flavor of arm chair tech reviewing.

(Get it? ARM chair? It’s a silicon pun.) Continue reading “WHOA! The Qualcomm DESTROYS the Apple M3 in a BLOODY Fight of BRUTALITY! SMASHED! WRECKED! BOOM!!! 🔥🔥🔥”

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Google Pixel Fold Three Months Later: A Long Term Review, Android 14, and a Road Trip

I’ve been pretty vocal on folding tablets. I’m conflicted on the segment, and I believe that (even with a few years in the market) we’re still looking at a public BETA test for this concept.

I was (and still am) a big fan of the Surface Duo, but folks seem to forget that I gave a “niche of a niche” verdict for the Duo 2. I prefer Dual Display, but there was a SMALL segment of consumers who I believed would be a good fit for that device.

There’s a specific philosophy that needs to be addressed comparing something like a Pixel Fold with a Duo. They both have a hinge that folds the device in half, but they represent VERY different solutions.

The Pixel Fold is a traditional tablet, offering a larger unbroken canvas to work with. The Duo is a multi-tasking monster, delivering a more direct path to using two apps at once.

Getting my bias out of the way, after three months, two flights, and a road trip, how has the Fold treated me?

Pretty well. There’s a lot of potential here. Continue reading “Google Pixel Fold Three Months Later: A Long Term Review, Android 14, and a Road Trip”

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New Pixel Day Reactions! Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2, and What Should Google Do Next?

Google officially revealed new phones, a second gen watch, and a whole slew of chatter about AI!

Numerous outlets are pushing out the press releases, and listing all the new specs. I won’t bore you with all those numbers here. It’s a great time to share some reactions to the keynote from my notes, and my posts on social media during the event. We can speculate on the direction Google might be treading with this announcement.

You can catch the replay of the Made By Google event here:

Now, in order of appearance… Continue reading “New Pixel Day Reactions! Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2, and What Should Google Do Next?”

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Folding Phone Durability: Educating Consumers and Setting Expectations?

There’s a WORLD of difference between showing how a phone SHOULD work out in the field and actively trying to break that phone. If you try to break a phone, you will eventually succeed.

Torture tests are dramatic and fun to watch, but they don’t deliver much practical information to consumers. We should try to help inform consumers on what the expected “range of durability” might be for a product, not just show a dramatic failure clip.

Nowhere is this more precious right now than on folding phones.

Looking at the view counts on the videos and articles from top reviewers, we can be pretty sure those discussions are only reaching a tiny fraction of the overall smartphone buying population. Consumers are not turning to techies like they used to for education on current tech trends.

It seems more people are “taught” what to think about consumer electronics by the ads they consume from the marketing departments of the manufacturers making these products.

As companies work to make hinged phones more exciting, we should be concerned about how those phones are portrayed in advertisements. We need a “sweet spot” of lifestyle footage to help prime the correct expectations for customers. Showcasing the products in appropriate situations helps inform how those products should be used.

Manufacturer ads are a necessary resource for consumer education.

Almost every folding phone manufacturer is “doing this wrong”.

Continue reading “Folding Phone Durability: Educating Consumers and Setting Expectations?”

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Monoprice 20,000mAh Power Bank with Wireless Charging – Less than a pound of power (goes a long way)

It’s a surprisingly sleek brick and it has a lot of ports to play with.

The folks at Monoprice sent their 20,000 mAh power bank for me to test and review.

Monoprice has a new trio of power banks featuring Power Delivery Quick Charge 3.0 and an LCD read out for remaining battery capacity.

Available in three configurations, a wired only 10,000 mAh battery, a wired only 20,000 mAh battery, and the version I’m reviewing, which takes the 20,000 mAh battery and adds wireless charging to the mix.

This version of the battery is capable of charging up to five devices at the same time. Continue reading “Monoprice 20,000mAh Power Bank with Wireless Charging – Less than a pound of power (goes a long way)”

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