Category: Editorials

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‘Knives Out’ and Playing by Apple’s Rules

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.

[SPOILER WARNING: if you haven’t seen the movie yet, there will be discussion which will totally wreck some of the most fun reveals of the movie.] Continue reading “‘Knives Out’ and Playing by Apple’s Rules”

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Microsoft Office and the Future of Dual Screen Phones

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”

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Samsung Galaxy S20: What is a reviewer’s responsibility?

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?”

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Setting a Safe Volume for Your Headphones (Can Be Tricky)

You set the volume to “half” on your phone and it’s WAY too loud. You “cranked” the volume to the max, but it’s still too quiet. There might not be anything wrong with your ears!

Setting a safe volume for your headphones is a really good habit to get into.

There’s just one SMALL issue.

There is no universal agreement on how “loud” headphones get when plugged into different devices. Laptops, Desktops, Phones, Tablets, DAPs, if you “set the volume to half”, you still might be listening too loud.

Here’s a quick break down on what influences the volume on your headphones! Continue reading “Setting a Safe Volume for Your Headphones (Can Be Tricky)”

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Blackberry leaves the smartphone market (again): Some rambling thoughts on how we review gadgets…

Blackberry is ending their partnership with TCL.

No new Blackberry devices will produced or licensed. I took this news harder that I was expecting. My main goal in any tech conversation is to find better competition.

Our gadgets are only fun and exciting when we have good options. The smartphone market got a little smaller today. I felt this was a good time to share some thoughts on tech reviewing and gadget fandom. Continue reading “Blackberry leaves the smartphone market (again): Some rambling thoughts on how we review gadgets…”

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Your phone is faster than a laptop.

Well, your phone is PROBABLY faster than a laptop. I don’t know exactly what phone YOU own. The line between pocket computer, and portable computer is getting really blurry. Chances are pretty good that your phone is powerful enough to meet most (or all) of your computing needs. More than just “covering the basics”, let’s see what a smartphone can REALLY do… Continue reading “Your phone is faster than a laptop.”

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Choosing the Right Headphones for You! #2020Hearing

To begin at the beginning.

Before we tackle more advanced topics, I think it’s important to start with some of the basics. When we talk about different types of audio solutions, it’s handy to have a chat about the strengths and weaknesses of those different solutions.

For headphones, there’s quite a bit of variety, so let’s take a quick stroll through the options you might want to buy! Continue reading “Choosing the Right Headphones for You! #2020Hearing”

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Cheap Phones Won Christmas 2019 -or- Consumer Don’t Listen to Tech Reviewers

We’re looking at an analyst report, so it goes without saying that these numbers should be taken with a fairly large rock of salt. That said, this report reinforces a handful of other sales reports and anecdotal examinations of the mobile market. Manufacturers go to great lengths to hide actual sales data these days. Shareholders don’t seem much interested in facts, as much as they are the perception of the brand, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t dig a little deeper.

Flurry Analytics published a report on device activations in North America over the month of December, focusing on the lead up to Christmas day, and how those activations changed from Christmas to New Years.

Out of all the individual brands sold in this region, it’s not too surprising that Apple topped the charts. Overall, Android outsold iOS, but only one company makes iPhones. Apple significantly outsold every other phone manufacturer this year.

What is surprising is the breakdown on the most popular iPhones activated over the holidays. Continue reading “Cheap Phones Won Christmas 2019 -or- Consumer Don’t Listen to Tech Reviewers”

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