Category: Ask Juan

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Apple: Premium e-Waste and Normalizing Disposability

Let’s be frank. If I hadn’t put “Apple” in the post title, would you have clicked on it?

The reason this article is going to focus on Apple, they are the highest profile company pushing these kinds of manufacturing decisions. If you’re a fan of Apple hardware, I’m sure there will be an inclination towards defending your brand.

“Other companies are doing things like this too.”

Other companies should be criticized too.

Though, we should acknowledge that many of these companies wouldn’t be following this path without Apple. AirPods show how profitable it is to make expensive headphones as disposable as possible. Apple stands to take the lion share of the profits with this tactic. It’s my belief we should start with the largest companies, and THEN work down to smaller players copying Apple.

We should “punch up” with our criticisms. Apple is currently the king of this e-waste hill. We’ll start with them. Continue reading “Apple: Premium e-Waste and Normalizing Disposability”

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We CAN test SOME Network Performance: Where I respectfully disagree with GaryExplains!

I love GaryExplains. Easily one of my favorite tech channels on YouTube. He’s one of the only TechTubers I feel actually explains things worth explaining.

Gary recently put out a video (embedded at the top of this article) where he explains why he doesn’t test network performance in his smartphone commentary. His reasoning is absolutely sound.

If you use a network speedtest app, there are way too many variables to consider for that test to have a scientific consistency.

But, just because network speedtest apps can’t be counted on for consistency, doesn’t mean we can’t control for SOME variables on our own. Continue reading “We CAN test SOME Network Performance: Where I respectfully disagree with GaryExplains!”

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Smartphone design “improvements” are not progress: Prettier is less practical

And the immediate reaction by consumers will likely be a shrug.

“What can you do?”

The problem is, that apathy shouldn’t be a surprise. We don’t have much room to “vote with our wallets” these days. The reality of the tech market, these supposed “upgrades” happen way too quickly for consumers to react. Gadgets sales paced out over years from individual consumers don’t guide manufacturing decisions.

This week Samsung stumbled into a bit of a security issue on the Galaxy S10.

The in-display fingerprint sensor can apparently be unlocked by ANY finger. I discussed this on the #SGGQA podcast while the story was fresh, and the general sentiment from Samsung fans was that this had to be a case of user error. We’re getting confirmation now that this is a flaw in the current software from Samsung. Users are starting to test this flaw, and it has nothing to do with improper setup or using Non-Samsung approved accessories. BBC confirms Samsung will release a software patch for the problem.

 

Here’s a video of a Galaxy S10 owner on Twitter demonstrating the problem, freshly training a thumbprint, and then bypassing the fingerprint lock with a different finger. Continue reading “Smartphone design “improvements” are not progress: Prettier is less practical”

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Can you REALLY use your phone to do EVERYTHING? SomeGadgetGuy on Relatecasts Podcast!

Here’s the thing.

I actually don’t have a problem with the IDEA of a premium/expensive phone, but what I want to see is the phone start to disrupt OTHER computers. Many manufacturers are looking to mobile processors (ARM chips) for future laptops and computers. If those new portable machines use the same processor as your phone, why can’t we just use the phone?

I had a blast joining the crew at RelateCasts on the ‘Tech Down Over’ podcast to talk about expectations on phone performance, and finding the right phone for you. Give it a listen! Give it a share!

Check out more Relate Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/user/RELATECasts/videos

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Stop Software Stabilization from BLURRING Your Video!

Don’t let EIS BLUR your video! Software stabilization and “super steady” modes can look AMAZING in great light, but as soon as you shoot in slightly dimmer or darker conditions, video gets foggy and shifty. Shooting indoors or at night, here’s a quick tip for producing the smoothest and clearest video you can. Continue reading “Stop Software Stabilization from BLURRING Your Video!”

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Sorry Apple, iPhones aren’t for pro video! -OR- What I learned arguing with people on Twitter!

The main takeaway, which became resoundingly clear over the last 48 hours?

Marketing works.

Tuesday we all sat through a round up of new product announcements from Apple, with the stock boiler plates of innovation and improvement. The most amazing products yet created. The most powerful products on the market. We were shown this year’s collection of bar graphs touting the huge lead Apple hardware enjoys over the competition.

Revealing “pro” versions of the iPhone, Apple leaned heavily into video creation to showcase the new cameras and the new A13 chipset.

The iPhone 11 Pro is so powerful you can make movies on it! Just don’t pay attention to the multi-million-dollar sound-stage, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on equipment, lighting, and the talented team of filmmakers behind the phone, but I digress…

It’s those bar graphs though. Since the PowerMac days, Apple has had a love affair with simplistic, unlabeled bar graphs. We’ve seen them through so many keynotes over the last decade, that we just take them for granted. It’s just common knowledge that iPhones are more powerful than Androids.

But what happens when we test Apple’s performance claims against their video production claims?

iOS fans on Twitter get REAL flustered… Continue reading “Sorry Apple, iPhones aren’t for pro video! -OR- What I learned arguing with people on Twitter!”

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Edit 4K Video on Android! Five tips to get you started!

Don’t underestimate how ridiculously powerful your phone is.

Even a mid-range phone from 3 years ago is MORE than capable of high quality, multi-track video editing. There’s nothing stopping you from getting more out of your phone purchase. If you’ve been wanting to get started, here are five tips for using an Android phone (with PowerDirector). If you want to vlog, produce news and reviews, or just want to spruce up your family vids, there’s no better time to start than today! Continue reading “Edit 4K Video on Android! Five tips to get you started!”

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Pixel 3a doesn’t just cover the basics: Your tech elitism costs you cash

Before we get into this, I’d like you to check something on your phone. Look through your app drawer. Look up your battery stats. If you use any kind of Digital Wellbeing tracking, look at the list of services used. I’d like you to look up what apps and services really get used on your phone. I’ll come back to this, but you probably already know where I’m going after reading the title of this editorial.

Quick flashback.

In 2016 I was in Germany covering IFA with Jaime for Pocketnow. We had just finished a Huawei presser, the company showing off a new pair of premium mid-range phones. This was a bit confusing between all the various lines of Huawei and Honor gear, but they sent us away with a Nova and a Nova Plus to demo and review.

I was extremely skeptical. This phone was going to be expensive for its internals, starting at €400. Pricing it above my precious Honor 8 felt “wrong”. I am a professional though, so I popped the smaller Nova out of its box, gave Jaime the larger phone, and we shot a first impressions video from our hotel.

Reading the specs, being concerned about price, and then using the phone, those concerns slowly evaporated. Continue reading “Pixel 3a doesn’t just cover the basics: Your tech elitism costs you cash”

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