How the Pixelbook Go became our Family Computer

My favorite “unnecessary” Star Trek tech is in the Holodeck.

A Starfleet officer calls out “Arch”, and an archway with a touchscreen appears in the holographic simulation. It’s an utterly silly 1990’s idea of how we’d interact with computers hundreds of years in the future. When you think about Trek Tech, there’s really no need for such an elaborate mechanism to appear. A free-standing touch panel is all you need, but you’re also standing in a holographic environment, so why not make any kind of control surface you’d want out of the same “hard light” hologram magic?

That mini-nerd rant aside, the Pixelbook Go has become our family’s “Arch”. And we love it. Continue reading “How the Pixelbook Go became our Family Computer”

LG Velvet vs OnePlus 8: The fight for “Affordable” 5G!

Velvet vs OP8!

Looking at power, this is an easy win for the OP, but looking at the WHOLE spec sheet, LG is making a different argument for a feature packed phone. Two companies with very different solutions for bringing 5G down to more reasonable prices.

How much phone do you want? How much phone do you need? Continue reading “LG Velvet vs OnePlus 8: The fight for “Affordable” 5G!”

ZeroLemon Battery Case for the Pixel 4: Because we KNOW the Pixel could use a little help…

The Pixel 4 was not one of the more popular phones of 2019, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t get some good accessories!

ZeroLemon offers up a solution to help with one of the phone’s most glaring issues. Need to power your Pixel out in the field? Minimize down time? This might be the solution for you! Continue reading “ZeroLemon Battery Case for the Pixel 4: Because we KNOW the Pixel could use a little help…”

LG V60 vs V50: Worth a One-Year Upgrade?

LG V60 vs LG V50! Showdown time!

The toughest recommendation for ANY manufacturer, is a new phone improved enough to recommend flipping a one-year-old gadget? The V60 is a BEAST, but are there enough improvements here to out-muscle one of the most brutally powerful phones of 2019?

Continue reading “LG V60 vs V50: Worth a One-Year Upgrade?”

UAG Monarch Case for the Pixel 4 XL: When your fabric case gets gross…

Phone design is irrelevant. There. I said it.

When factoring in minute differences between glass on glass sandwich gadgets, a fraction of a millimeter of bezel, or an edge of a sidewall taper, manufacturers have largely agreed on what a modern smartphone should resemble.

That aesthetic is incomplete.

We want a daily driver phone, able to survive lifestyle abuse. To make our phone functionally usable in the real world, without having to baby it, you have to “finish” the phone hardware on your own dime.

You gotta slap a case on it. Continue reading “UAG Monarch Case for the Pixel 4 XL: When your fabric case gets gross…”

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.”

LG V50 on Android 10: New OS, New UX, AND A DESKTOP MODE!

LG released a major update for their workhorse phone. Not only Android 10, this brings a whole new user interface, and LG polished up Google’s desktop mode!

There’s a LOT going on here. With so much custom software and a heavy skin, was performance impacted?

Let’s take a look! Continue reading “LG V50 on Android 10: New OS, New UX, AND A DESKTOP MODE!”

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”