When Apple introduced all USB-C MacBooks with its infamous Touch Bar keyboard, it was not well received to put it lightly. USB-C chargers, in its infancy, were still one big brick with one port — one 100w brick to charge one device. It is only when USB-C and USB-PD became more prevalent, GaN chargers became…
Some of you may have noticed there is a new category called “App-to”. I wanted to use the phrase “there is an app for that”, but that’s trademarked. Instead, I decided to roll with ‘app to [do something]’. I’ve been recommending some apps not for the sake of reviews, but the apps that can do…
iOS App Store has problems. I’m not talking about new EU regulations, or the lawsuits against Epic, or even 30% Apple tax on all apps. I’m talking about ChatGPT. With all the media attention to the new AI tech, both major app stores, Apple’s and Google’s, are plagued with unofficial ChatGPT apps. Have you checked…
I had an iPad Pro from 2018. It was a 12.9 inch model running on A12X chip, so supposedly my iPad’s days were numbered. Except I never felt it. Until the day I sold it, I didn’t see an app that took advantage of iPad’s unique hardware; most apps were either upsized iOS apps from…
I was trying to watch Wandering Earth on Netflix the other day. I was trying to watch a sci-fi movie where majority of the dialogues are in Chinese. Which Chinese, I have no clue —and yes, your favorite martial arts film may not be in Mandarin. So the subtitles were needed. This is where it…
I was asked recently if I would be willing to update my old piece, Are Foldable Smartphones the Future? with the news foldable smartphone is still around. Indeed, Samsung and Xiaomi, the two largest Android makers, have been pushing both folds and flips since its initial launch. Well received it may be, but so was…
Refunds on any platform comes with its own bags of issues, but Apple App Store was something else. Last week, after two requests for refunds didn’t go through, I contacted Apple customer support to see if there is a way to get a real person involved to get a refund on an app. I wouldn’t…
All three major console platforms offer some sort of subscription at this point, and PlayStation, if I recall correctly, was the earliest to adopt the subscription requirements for multiplayer experience. What this means for anyone living abroad is they need to make a decision that will stick unlike no other. Currently Sony has a yearly…
I didn’t think to see the remains of the wild west of App Store in 2024. I had bought an app that is working rather well with a minor glitch, and the developers’ response to the glitch was that the feature is actually part of the “pro” version. The pro version of the same app…
Few years ago, when I was looking for a replacement USB hub in South Korea, I quickly realized I was in the world of trouble. The listings for a powered USB hub with at least USB 3 rating were swarmed with Chinese knock-offs, and a lot of them didn’t ship with the power adapter when…
There was a letter addressed to the resident of my family condo unit, asking if we would be willing to hear them out. There is a plan drawn, and possibly already under way, to build a data center near my family home. The condo is in a small village with measly 40k population, —that’s considered…
What is the aspect ratio of your display? Was it ever the core concern behind a purchasing decision? I am aware of this rave behind the ultrawide displays, canonically “21:9”, but mathematically “64:27”, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It only became a concern not because I was in the shop for new…
Apple Intelligence is in beta still. Some articles I’ve read unfortunately did not understand Apple Intelligence is to be deployed gradually, and while I would argue Apple’s ‘sell now, build later’ tactic to be disingenuous, I would simply disagree current Apple Intelligence is what will be for the remainder of fiscal year. But let us…
Subscription is the new bane of the internet. It’s been the bane of the modern technology as many users would wail. We are living in a world where some products and services are inherently subscription-based, where it is simply not possible to acquire the said products or services without subscription, say Netflix. But this isn’t…
Microsoft announced that the company will provide a subscription-based security updates, $30/year for “legacy” PCs. It is truly a diabolical plan considering Windows 11 has the infamous TPM requirements, thereby the older PCs simply became obsolete. On Bootcamp side of the business, we are yet to hear from neither of the companies on whether or…