Let's Talk Tech
When should a kid get their first smartphone? There’s NO right answer! A conversation from my weekly podcast about parenting and tech, and the decisions we’ve made in my family for our daughter. Continue reading “What is the right age to give a kid their first smartphone? (#SGGQA Podcast Q&A Clip)”
Pixel 8 Pro Impressions!
Early days still for Google’s newest phone, but for a premium tier option, it’s an interesting solution. Where Google is battling with AI, is the Pixel able to keep up with other expensive phones? Continue reading “Pixel 8 Pro: Two Weeks In!”
HAPPY MONDAY!
I’m wrapping up some travel, and unfortunately can’t livestream today. I DID finish this video essay though, and it seemed a fitting addition to the topics we cover on this weekly show.
Tech journalists have been promising an Apple AR revolution for over a decade now, but very little commentary has come from Apple directly. This has had an enormous chilling effect on AR and VR markets.
Rumors. Leaks. FUD.
After a decade of reporting on a future mythical “Apple Glasses” product, what do we actually have?
Let’s get our tech week started right!
Continue reading “#SGGQA 320: Apple, Tech Journalism, and a Decade of Out of Control Hype…”
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?”
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.
Continue reading “Folding Phone Durability: Educating Consumers and Setting Expectations?”
AR glasses manufacturers are taking matters into their own hands.
I’ve spent some time using the XREAL Air and the Rokid Max glasses, and both companies have recently started shipping “brain” computers to help people use these glasses more easily.
I have separate videos on the XREAL and Rokid “brains”, and I collaborated with TK Bay to do a combo of comparison videos for the glasses and the “brains”.
I expect I’ll be talking about these glasses a lot over the next year, as we wait for the really expensive Mixed Reality headsets to arrive. Consumers might be interested in trying a more “price accessible” portable face display.
But who are these “brain” computers even for?!?!? Why not just use your phone?!?!? UGGGGGHHHH!!! Continue reading “Why Buy an XREAL Beam or Rokid Station for Your AR Glasses (When You Can Just Buy a REALLY Expensive phone)???”
Dear Samsung and Google,
This is a bad idea.
Trying to make a copycat Mixed Reality headset to compete against the Vision Pro is a bad idea.
Augmented reality could be so much more, but we need to cover the basics first.
Be the Anti-Apple.
Love,
Juan
Continue reading “Dear Google and Samsung: Copying Apple Vision Pro is a DUMB Move…”
Apple needs to be held to the standard they advertise for themselves. When they slip, they should be criticized harder than any other consumer tech brand operating today. When they make mistakes, they deliver those mistakes at a scale no other brand can approach.
The potential for consumer harm from an Apple mistake is an order of magnitude higher than any other competitor, and Apple has a clear track record of trying to break standards to sell proprietary solutions for their own benefit.
AirTags are a really cool idea. Continue reading “We ALL Suffer When Apple Products DON’T “Just Work””