Let's Talk Tech
The Pixel 6 Pro is finally in my hands!
I’m literally MINUTES into setting it up, and getting the phone out of the box. I have some thoughts to share about this phone already. There’s a TON of pressure on Google to deliver. Let’s chat quick about what we should expect from a new phone launch… Continue reading “Pixel 6 Pro: So much is riding on this one phone…”
Here’s the deal. I WANT people to like the gadgets they buy. I think it’s the saddest feeling in the world to put time and money towards a gadget which later turns out to be a poor fit for your needs. That’s why I think it’s so critical that reviewers get the details right, and why we need more nuance in tech conversations.
That said, we still need to balance our commentary and reviewing against the largest corporations, with the biggest marketing budgets, making the boldest claims.
My criticisms of a TRILLION dollar corporation have little to do with the people who enjoy that company’s products. If I criticize Apple, I’m criticizing APPLE. My frustrations with Apple run high because Apple business moves effect Apple consumers.
YOU are not Apple (unless somehow Tim Cook found his way to reading this, then Hello Mr. Cook!)
Now, that said, it is nice Apple finally figured out that we want larger batteries in our phones. Continue reading “120Hz iPhone ProMotion AND Better Battery! Praising Apple for the bare minimum…”
A quick test to show some of the differences in playback when we talk about different earbuds and different amps. Not all headphone jacks are created equal! Better DACs and amps improve our listening experience. Let’s see how that works!
SomeGadgetGuy DAC buying guide! https://somegadgetguy.com/2021/08/10/apple-music-lossless-amazon-music-hd-spotify-premium-tidal-masters-but-your-phone-doesnt-have-a-headphone-jack-dac-buying-guide/ Continue reading “What I mean when I talk about “weak” headphone amps on phones…”
A camera isn’t the same thing for every consumer.
Even though standalone cameras have become less popular for consumer point and shoot use, we still see an incredible variety of hardware and form-factors. There is no universal agreement on what a camera “is”. People still have entirely unique needs where those differences matter to the individual.
This isn’t just some oblique idea of specialty or “pro” use. At a basic level, someone’s specific needs will be better fulfilled by a tool designed for those needs.
Yet in the world of smartphone camera reviewing, we crouch a significant portion of the conversation behind some idea of “The Avuraj CunZoomer™”. We build phone camera conversations around a fallacy that there is some common or objective agreement on what a camera SHOULD be.
It’s only at the most regressively basic level that we might find some agreement.
You should be able to push a button that results in an image being captured.
Beyond that, cameras should specialize. We should see different pros and cons. That’s what makes cameras exciting. Continue reading “How techies get phone camera reviews wrong…”
Camera conversations love to focus on new features and listing all the hardware specs, but trying to describe WHY one camera might be better than another requires a LOT more nuance. It’s not as simple as which camera has “the gooder colors”, we gotta dig deeper than that.
Let’s chat about how a camera FEELS in the hand. 👍
Continue reading “WHY is the Pixel 5A camera SO good? It’s not what you think!”
While some of the most expensive phones of the year are shipping out to people who pre-ordered, I thought it would be kinda fun to chat about the LEAST expensive phone I could get my hands on this year!
Question for you. When is a cheap phone TOO cheap? I’m spending some time with the Nuu X6 Plus, and it’s interesting taking an inexpensive phone for a spin.
Let’s chat. Continue reading “Budget phones: When is Cheap, TOO Cheap? (Feat. Nuu X6 Plus)”
We love phone showdowns. People cheer their “team”. We get emotionally invested in the products we buy and use.
It’s surprisingly difficult to properly divide up phones into categories where those comparisons are fair. It’s casually easy to look at a landscape of phones under $500 and pick a few for a fight. If you’ve followed my videos and reviews, you know I really like to get more specific about what KIND of device a phone might be.
I don’t think price is the decider as much as functionality or the target consumer demographic.
We should compare “communicator” phones against other communicator phones. Content creation phones should be compared against other creator phones. Gaming phones should be compared against gaming phones (and the Nintendo Switch).
With all that said, allow me to be a hypocrite as I purposely select two phones to fight based on price! Continue reading “Google Pixel 5A vs iPhone SE: What real competition looks like!”
Pixel 5A First impressions!
And boy howdy is THIS PHONE BORING! But seriously tho, maybe that’s OK? Maybe it’s ok to just give us better battery life and the promise of solid long term support. Maybe “exciting” isn’t what a lot of consumers need right now?
Let’s chat… Continue reading “The Pixel 5A is BORING!”