The recent sale of Evernote to Bending Spoon reminded me that I interviewed (then) Evernote CEO Phil Libin in January 2009. Evernote was an amazing service/app that I used everyday for many years. I have no idea what Evernote’s future is under its new owner, however, Phil had some very interesting thoughts on the then relatively new ability to have your notes everywhere on many different platforms/surfaces.
Blog
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MobileViews Podcast 430: Guest Sven Johannsen; holiday tech gift ideas
Beelink Mini-S Mini PC
Frequent guest panelist Sven Johannsen joins Jon Westfall and me for this podcast. We discuss holiday tech gift ideas based on products we have bought and used. We also discussed tolerable (or even welcome) vs. annoying digital advertisements.- Fitbit Charge 5. Thanks again to Fitbit for giving me a significant discount to replace my out of warranty Fitbit Charge 4 with a non-functioning display. As one might expect, the 5 has a number of enhancements compared to the 4 including a color display instead of grayscale. Surprisingly, it actually lost a feature that is on the 4 and other previous Fitbit devices I’ve used: It does NOT count floors climbed.
- The USB-C tester/multimeter that I mentioned in podcast 429 broke after just a few days of use. Sigh
- Still impressed with the Anker 727 Charging Station ( GaNPrime 100W ), Compact Power Strip for Travel and Work, 5ft Detachable Extension Cord
- Pleased with the $160 Beelink mini-PC with Windows 11 Pro so far. I wish it had a USB-C port and could be powered via USB-C PD. Hard to complain for $160.
- Also pleased with the $80 Acer 21-inch thin display. I kind of wish I had looked for a low-cost monitor with speakers. I ended up pairing the PC with a spare Bluetooth speaker.
- Amazon Early Black Friday deals
- Linus Tech Tips Backpack Must mean something that I haven’t switched away from it since receiving in mid September.
- Advertising LED Sign
- Tunai Button Bluetooth Remote Control
- INNOPAW Hand Warmers
- Belkin Magsafe Continuity camera Mount
- Mac iPhone Continuity Camera Mount. Only fits on a MacBook. Not an iPad
- Fire Tablet 8” HD PLUS 2022
- Fire Tablet Wireless Charging Dock
- USB C cable with meter
Jon’s Picks
Sven
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
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MobileViews Podcast 429: The need for Certified Minimally Viable End-users
In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss:- USB-C tester/multimeter
- M2 iPad Pro battery life is horrible. Significant battery loss when in Airplane Mode
- Discovery: Apple Watch Chargers can get dirty, and when they do, they don’t charge properly and can actually cause discharge.
- Waiting for iPadOS 16.2: External extended display for M1/M2 iPads and Freeform. Mid-December?
- Horrible idea:
Bloomberg-Apple’s Next Change for Siri: Dropping ‘Hey’ From ‘Hey Siri’ Trigger - Todd’s Rant (in a caring way): People should not be allowed to use a computer for business purposes unless:
They have a professional IT support team and a defined set of processes and practices that they are required to follow
Lacking an IT support team, they go through a process to certify them as a minimally viable end-user
Why?
Cyber-security
Disaster Recovery & Business ContinuityWhat IT support doesn’t fix:
Fully-justified text with no understanding of typography: Kerning, tracking, leading
Documents formatting that looks more like a ransom note than a document
Center justified columns of numbers in spreadsheets
Spreadsheets formatted as a report when it needs to organized for analysis
Slides packed with text far exceeding the 7×7 ruleJon’s corollary: I can add into this the advice I tell my students: You can be the most articulate and well-educated person, but if the product you’re putting out looks like crap, you will be judged by it. And never let me hear you say “But people don’t notice that…” They notice, consciously or unconsciously.
- Jon’s funny story about his Withings Blood Pressure Cuff
- Jon has a Popupiano to join his Populele
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
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MobileViews Podcast 428: Guest panelist-Don Sorcinelli; Fitbit customer support; M2 iPad Pro impressions; macOS 16 thoughts;holiday tech buying
Don Sorcinelli, Jon Westfall, & Todd Ogasawara Frequent guest panelist Don Sorcinelli joins Jon Westfall and me for this podcast. In it, we discuss
- Fitbit customer service
Out of warranty, Charge 4 display dimmed and then stopped working. It functions as a tracker. Contacted CS via Twitter. They went through my diagnostic steps, noted I was out of warranty, and offered a 35% discount for a replacement. I ordered a Charge 5. - new Google widgets to your iPhone
- Received M2 iPad Pro 11-inch running iPadOS 16.1
What’s missing?
– Freeform app
– Extended external display
– Opt-in web notifications supportComing to terms with Stage Manager
Apple Pencil
Hover???
Procreate compatibility? - macOS 16 Ventura
Stage Manager shows Windows 1.0 tiling was the best way to go???
iPad -ization of Macs - Retiree digital workspace
Thoughts on Windows 11 UI/UX (ugh). Different <> better - Jon’s life on an iPad for a few days at work thoughts
- Early holiday tech buying
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
- Fitbit customer service
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MobileViews Podcast 427: More on low-cost retiree digital workspace; new iPad models; macOS on M2 iPad rumor; Jon’s MacBook Pro woes
In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss
- Retiree digital work area: Lessons learned so far
$160 mini-PC
Only has
USB Type A port
One HDMI & one VGA
Bought an $18 3-way HDMI switcher (shipped, not delivered)
Could this have been solved by spending more than $80 for the LCD monitor? Probably yes. However, it would probably cost more than $80+$18. And, it might not have 3 HDMI ports
USB-C hub to HDMI
Macbook works without power to the USB-C hub
Chromebook needs to have powered USB-C hub (same hub used for both tests)
Mini-trackball built into a wired keyboard is not a good user experience - New iPad models released
Always amused/annoyed by tech reviews who only see incremental changes from year to year
Many of us do NOT upgrade every year/model. I’m moving from a ARM Bionic processor to an M2, bypassing the M1. This is a huge jump for me.
IPad Pro M2 features no-show
Qi/wireless charging on screen for Apple Watch, AirPods Pro
MagSafe charging
Apple Pencil 3 – me: thank goodness
However, there is a new Pencil Hover feature only on M2 based iPad Pros. Detect Pencil up to 12mm above the display surface
Giant iPad – 14 or 15 inch display - Just a rumor. But…
MacWorld: MacOS14 may run on the M2 iPad Pro
“Simplified” MacOS with, presumably, touchscreen support
Do you really want MacOS on an iPad?
Would be nice if I could run the MacOS apps I use to record and process podcasts
Is Stage Manager in iPadOS16 “good enough”?
Is the USB-C external display support in iPadOS16 good enough?
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
- Retiree digital work area: Lessons learned so far
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MobileViews Podcast 426: Preparing a low-cost retiree digital workspace
In this podcast Jon Westfall and I discuss my senior citizen/retiree low cost digital workspace. You can see the dusty/cobwebbed Kensington lock that I obviously haven’t looked at or cleaned in the 15 years since I setup the then new 2007 Apple iMac.- Senior citizen digital workspace
Making space on a small table by retiring my 2007 iMac 21-inch
Preparing for
Reduced mobility
Reduced income
Amazon Prime Preview sale
$160 mini-PC. Intel Celeron N5095. 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD. Windows 11 Pro
No USB-C ports. No USB-C power option
BYO keyboard/mouse/display
$80 21-inch thin-light LCD display
$70 100-watt GaN (Gallium Nitride) flat power strip. 2 AC pop-up outlets. 2 USB-A. 2 USB-C. GaN == more efficient, less heat
$30 (Sams Club) monitor stand with 4 USB-A ports
$50 One by Wacom USB drawing tablet - Pew Research: Share of those 65 and older who are tech users has grown in the past decade
- Bloomberg/Mark Gurman October Apple product announcement speculation
M2 iPad Pro
Lower price iPad w/USB-C port
2023 release of Google Pixel-like docking stand-hub with speakers/charger
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
- Senior citizen digital workspace