Simple Living

I'm standardizing my portable power bank solutions and settled on 3 models from Anker: PowerCore 10400 / A1214 - 10k - USB PowerBank 334 / A1642 - 10k - Type C, MagSafe PowerBank 622 - A1611 - 5k - Type C, MagSafe Weight vs Capacity - 10k is optimum After debating this for a while I chose 10k as a good balance between weight vs capacity.  5k is ideal for a short term 1 up charge and the 10k can give me 2 re-ups for longer trips. 20k or more while nice is not needed for my current travel plans as I’m typically near a hotel or power outlet.  As none of my needs require 'off-grid' living 10k is perfect. Wireless vs Wired While more expensive and slower charging speeds the convenience of wireless charging by MagSafe is more appealing than wired.  But having the option to charge faster over a wired cable is also nice.

Over the years I've had a chance to own and try several different models of Android devices and while I'm primarily an Apple user, I'm continually impressed by how far Android has come and even surpasses iphones in screen quality, cameras, battery life and UI. Performance however is where it still lags and requires ever increasing specs on chipsets and memory to keep pace with the iPhone.  After 3 years the typical Android is considered slow...iPhone that's not even middle age and can go another 3 years to at least 6 years when it's comparatively slow. When Android bridges that performance gap it'll be the decline of iPhone to becoming a niche brand.  Even though I'm an Apple fan, I remain agnostic.  It's unlikely to happen as the problem is not the specs, but the Android OS.  Which is weird as Linux is fast on old computers and Android is based on Linux, yet somehow it cannot duplicate the same performance experience on a more powerful device like a fl

I picked up a Samsung A15 5G.  It’s a decent budget phone and is about the same as my older A32 5G, but with a better 90hz OLED screen, nice 5,000 mah battery and 128gb memory.  It’s also a plus to have 3.5mm headphone jack. Initial Review.   The screen is awesome and resolution beats the A32 hands down and is actually better marginally than my iPhone 14 Pro.  What sucks is performance after sleep mode.  UI and apps are functional and decent, where you may encounter problems is when you let apps go into sleep mode.  But I got it to watch streaming shows and it’s awesome. Overall it’s a budget phone but nicely done to make it feel comparable to an iPhone 15 Pro Max, but obviously not the same performance. This is great for streaming videos and for single applications, heavier lift apps and any multitasking will be limited.  It's almost like a phablet and I plan to use it as such for travel.   Specs: Release - Dec 16, 2023 Android 14 | One UNI 6 Screen 6.5" screen (1080 x 2340 p

Took the plunge and bought an Apple iMac M3.  Opted for the larger 16GB / 512GB HHD configuration.  So far it’s been pretty good and once I learn more of the OS and keyboard shortcuts the easier it’s going.  This orange version cost me about $2.1k (California Tax Rates). Why an iMac? I’ve been Windows and Linux for many years and for a few years in college did own an older MacBook.  For most of this time I’ve managed with cheap laptops.  Although I debated a MacBook, the price was too much and I figured why not a desktop computer again?

Another year, another review of my personal collections.  My last review was in 2021.  I've dropped the Whisky collection as I'll treat it as consumables. Headphones -- 10 Tech -- 9 Watches -- 6 Swiss Army Knives -- 34 Sneakers -- 6 Fountain Pens -- 4 I. Total Value ~ $10,700 The value of my collections is actually modest as only a few items make up the bulk of the monetary value primarly my Rolex, Omega and iPhone 14 Pro.  Remove those and its about ~$2,400 value of rest of my 'stuff'.   This may change as I'm contemplating a major purchase in 2025 and finally acquire either a Rolex Submariner 14060 or an Omega Speedmaster Professional budgeting ~$4,000 to $8,000 for such a major acquisition.  This would double the value of my collections.   II. Full Collection 1. Headphones -- 10 Decreased by -1 as I chucked the AKG’s and can’t find a 3rd pair of old Apple earbuds, while same time adding several wireless options as well as a Lightning Apple Earbuds. I also cleared

I’ve owned various iPhones starting with the iPhone 5 in 2012 and now in my 12th year enjoying my current model the iPhone 14 Pro. 2012 - iPhone 5 2016 - iPhone 6s 2020 - iPhone 11 2022 - iPhone 14 Pro 2027 - ? I was upgrading every 4 years until the iPhone 14 Pro was released and picked it up only 2 years after buying the 11.  I decided to do so as I was previously buying older models  2 years past their original release date so I figured buy the latest and greatest so I can enjoy it for 4-5 years. I will likely save money in the long run by changing my iPhone less often if I upgrade to the latest model available.  So on that theory I won’t upgrade until 2026-2027.  But I may buy iPhone's every 2 years if there are good deals, so who knows. My hunch is to wait 5 years til 2027 as that’ll be the 20th anniversary iPhone. Favorite iPhone?  iPhone 5 In terms of favorite?  I really loved my iPhone 5.  It was the perfect size and design wise was why I wanted the 14 Pro as it looks so m

I hit my weight goal of 170 and decided to splurge on a pair of Airpod 2nd Gen.  They were on sale and got them for $60.  I also scored a free pair of PowerBeats 2 from a friend so I wanted to compare them after several weeks of use. In short, they are very different form factors so hard to really compare them as they serve different purposes.  The PowerBeats are more rugged and designed for outdoors and exercise, while the Airpods are more for casual and indoor use.  Airpods are packaged nicely in their carrying case making them easy to slip into a pocket or backpack. The Power Beats are more substantial in size, but that is the benefit of having it on a wired cable that you can hang around your neck and also manual inline controls.  Perfect for outdoor exercise, especially my daily morning walking sessions. 1. Battery Life - Power Beats wins I only use the Power Beats for 30-60 minutes at a time, but don't charge them for several days and know they outlast the Airpods that requir

As I plan for the future it's time to think what types of computers I'll want or need.  I don't want to have a large collection and am considering the following: Windows 11 Linux - Touchscreen Thoughts on Current State of Collection & Plan for Next 2 Years My current HP i7 6th Gen is not eligible for Windows 11 meaning it'll no longer be supported by Oct 14, 2025 and I'll need to find something else to run Windows 11.  The Dell 7530 should be able to run it.  Seems Windows 11 only support 8th gen processors or higher. So my plan is: Dell i5-8400H - setup as Windows 11 PC. HP i7-6th Gen - run on Windows 10 until 2025, then switch to Linux. HP i3-4010u - Linux - Touchscreen until 2025, then retire . I'm on the fence of actually retiring the HP i3-4010u, but same time its getting old and in terms of 'retirement' I'll just put it into cold storage.  I won't actually throw it away.  This will however streamline me to 2 machines, and I always pref

I scored on EBay a laptop for ~$250.  Picked up a Dell Precision 7530 Workstation running an 8th Gen Intel i5-8400H processor. Single word to describe the 7530 --> customizable.  This is a business model designed for easy configuration changes and replacement of components by professional IT staff. Overall, impressive machine.  Many go for more at least $350-500 depending on configuration and components.  I opted for mid-tier P2000 (higher end versions use the P3200 6GB GPU).  I also opted for the mid-tier i5 instead of i7.  So $250 is an acceptable price.  If you got a similar configuration with Windows OS then $275-300 would be reasonable. Update 7/24/23 - Selling the Dell It's too over-powered for what I need.  My older 4th and 6th Gen HP's are bottom spec machines but still serve me fine.  It was premature of me to buy a 3rd laptop and I'll wait a few more years before buying a new machine...but then again my old 4th gen HP might last me 11 more years! The 6th gen th

For $5 you can buy a pair of wireless Bluetooth earbuds from Target Stores. Vivitar brand is known for basic headphones and you shouldn’t expect more than something that just works in the model WE-ES62-WT headphone earbuds. It’s shaped and designed to look like a pair of Apple AirPods and from a distance can be mistaken for a pair of AirPods. Pairing Process — follow instructions These are not AirPods, so don’t expect Apple experience in pairing.  This is one of the few times you must read the instructions to avoid frustration. A lot of negative reviews are because people don’t bother to read.  For cheap tech, it’s cost of buying cheap. Design & Form Factor — Good Vivitar wins.  They look and feel decent and actually amazing for the low price of $5.  Makes you wonder how much Apple marked up their earbuds? Sound Quality - Poor, but Ok for $5 How did they sound?  Tinny.  Harsh at times for treble heavy music.  Bass is almost nonexistent. Honestly, they sound awful.  But remind yours

Scored a deal and got the JBL 510BT Bluetooth Headphones for half off and paid $30.  They are decent and so far suit my needs as a cheap pair of wireless headphones. AirPods are awesome, but the charging case is an additional thing you need to carry and I sometimes have to move quickly that causes earbuds to fall out. For $30.  I’m not worried about knocking about the JBL. I’ll need to use them for a few days to give them a proper review. One Week Review - Buy this headphones for $30. Buy them for $30.  The JBL 510’s are worth it at that price, I wouldn’t get them at full retail as there are many other choices in the $60 range. What makes it good at $30?  Sound quality is decent and pleasant; remind me of wired Sony ZX310s. Battery Life - Good Battery life is excellent.  I haven’t tested its claim of 40 hours but have been able to use it for a week without recharging.  Typically, I use them 30-60 minutes music listening or several hours when streaming movies and shows.  Probably racked

Another year has gone by and I’ve accumulated quite a bit of new stuff from clothes to tech.  2022 was a banner year for me. 2023 is a time to improve the quality of my wardrobe and invest in a new computer. My planned purchases: Tech - $106 Dell Precision 7530 - $250 - Sold JBL 510BT Headphones - $30 - Done Vuolao V8 Headphones - $16 - Done Apple Airpods 2nd Gen - $60 - Done Shoes - $311 Jordan 1 Mids 9.5 - $110 - Done Jordan 1 Lows 10.5 - $130 -Done Air Force 1’s 10 - $71 - Done Clothes - $323 Uniqlo - Clothing Haul - $150 - Done Northface - Winter Jacket - $173 - Done Hobbies - $0 Swiss Army Knives - $0* - Done Total expenditures $ 740 Keeping it simple.  For the Jordan 1's...I'm considering the Black & White Panda colorway or Green/Black/White.  I want something a bit more subdued than my current pair. Added a pair of cheap Bluetooth headphones.  While I love the Airpod Pros.  I’m finding it easier to have headphones. Update - 5/13/23 - Dell Laptop Wanted a project and

My old wireless keyboard died and was using a wired USB one for interim.  Saw this Apple style set on Amazon for $25. Overall, it’s ok.  I’ll see how it fares long term. Update - 11/17/23 - 11 months This thing still works great!  Use it daily and still on the original battery.  I’m impressed and for the price it beats the previous crap I bought from Beat Buy. Mouse is a slimline design, but you get used to it.

It shouldn’t be this hard to close all 3 activity rings for my Apple Watch, but this is only my second time ever and the first time was almost 4 years ago! My goal for rest of 2022 is to make this happen 12 more times in the final 12 weeks! Then keep it up in 2023 and onward. Update - 5/14/23 This is hard!  I only got my 4th consecutive just now this week in May 2023.  Last time I got this was October 2022. I’ll keep trying and will hopefully get it a few more times this year.

This is probably not a fair comparison as the 11 is the entry level model for the 11 series and the 14 Pro is one of the premium ones for its series, but I own both and very familiar with the 11 having owned one for two years and just started using a 14 Pro. Initial Impressions? Since the 5.8 inch iPhone X, most modern iPhones since have looked and behaved roughly the same.  They seem to have standardized around the 6.1 inch form factor that was introduced with the XR and then the 11; the only real difference between the XR and the 11 were the single vs dual back cameras. So the 14 Pro being the exact same 6.1 inch screen as the 11…it basically feels like a similar iPhone in function. Yes, triple cameras that are huge and 48MP vs 12MP.  OLED screen, better processor, memory, and so on…but a lot of these features feel like they are incremental…nothing significantly different. There was a big leap change when the iPhone X launched and sadly the 14 does not feel anything like that. Next y

Did it.  Got the Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen 44MM in White.  I have the Cellular+GPS model so curious to see how that compared to my old Series 2 GPS only model. I wanted to wear for a few days then get around to giving my review.  Overall, it’s very similar to my old Series 2. Update - 10/1/22 - 10 day review It’s good.  I’d recommend an SE 2nd Gen for anyone seeking a smartwatch and didn’t want to spend $400 for a Gen 8 or $800 for an Ultra.  The SE covers all the basics and I find it helps me ‘untether’ from my phone. There is something liberating not having to always have my phone with me. It takes time to configure the watch faces and I’ll likely continue to experiment until I find the right set of Watch faces. Another benefit, the activity rings help motivate me to exercise more and I’ve pushed my daily walking average to about 8k steps; before that I was closer to 4-5k steps. Update - 7/23/23 - 10 month review The SE 2 has been a good watch.  It does what its supposed to, but I'm

Wow its already 2 years later and time to upgrade my iPhone?  I've owned the iPhone 11 since 2020 and unfortunately feel the tech is dated due to its 4G connectivity and non-OLED screen. Options   I have many options in upgrades between the 12, 13 and upcoming iPhone 14 series about to drop next month September. iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 13 Pro   First Choice - iPhone 14 Pro My sights are set on the latest and greatest iPhone 14 and specifically the Pro model that is rumored to include a faster chip, better quality screen and some other enhancements that made the wait worth it. Form factor its comparable, both the 11 and 14 Pro have a 6.1" size screen, with the 14 Pro opting for a 120 Hz OLED.  And in just about every other spec category from battery, camera, processor and more it's leaps and bounds ahead of the 11; which is expected since it's several generations older. Second Choice - iPhone 14 Pro Max I'm not a fan of the 'phablet' big-scre

Making some room as I find stuff that I seldom use anymore. Victorinox INOX watch - $300 Swatch - $400 Timex - $170 Tiffany Ring - $250 Tiffany Bracelet - $200 iPad 2018 - $150 GoPro 5 - $150 Switch Lite - $125 PS4 - $175 Fire HD8 - $25 Sansa Clip - $40 Anker Speaker - $15 I’m taking a bath on the electronics all selling for less than half their original purchase price…but that’s the reality of tech, they depreciate in value. Overall, not a bad haul and about ~$2,000 in cash.  Although that’s 60% of the original value of all these things. The Switch and PS4 were worth it in terms of how much use I got out of them..the rest I’ll need to reevaluate my spending habits . Update - 12/4/22 Added a few more items for sale this year as I clear out my storage and collections.  Was good timing as I ended up spending over $1,200 on new stuff this year. Update - 12/25/23 It’s actually cheaper and more profitable if I don’t buy stuff that I end up having to resell later at a loss.  While sometimes

I received a free Inland 256GB SSD Hard Drive from a friend and decided to try it out.  I always wanted to upgrade my Linux Rig (HP15 i3-4010u from 2014) even though it runs perfectly fine on a traditional 500GB HDD. Overall, it’s a decent upgrade and even on a cheap SSD (these go for under $30) the performance boost is noticeable. I'm rating level of difficulty from Easy 1 to Difficult 5. Physical Installation - Easy 1 (well if you know your hardware)   Installation was straightforward and I'm familiar with taking apart the HP15 and swapping in the SSD.  Took me about 15 minutes.   Linux Install - Medium 2 (took me 3 attempts)   Installation of Linux however took several trial and errors.  I used several different USB drives and found the best method was to boot up to non-persistent mode in Linux Mint then perform the installation. I tried both Lubuntu and Elementary as I had them loaded on different USB keys.  I love Elementary for its GUI, but its sluggish and Lubuntu used t

I was curious about the entry level Android devices and got a $100 Samsung A32 5G. Initial thoughts , the A32 5G is an impressive phone for the price.  It's on par or exceeds my iPhone 11 in most areas except maybe the screen display, which is a pity considering Samsung usually have amazing screens, but they had to cut corners to make the low price point. In hindsight, while the processor, ram and storage are good...I miss the AMOLED screens of some older models like the Note 4 and S8+. I'm not much out-of-pocket so it's fine as a backup phone and can honestly work as my primary phone as well. Screen quality matters... In hindsight, you want a better screen as these days one of the most valuable feature of a smartphone is the ability to stream high-quality video. 2 year review.   The A32 5G still is an excellent phone and very responsive and snappy.  It's on par with my brand new A15 5G, a testament to buying quality can last.  Had I gone with a cheaper A13 back then I