Author Archives: Ewdison Then

When smartphones started to sport metal unibody designs or, more recently, glass-metal-glass sandwiches, they also become more difficult to open up for repairs. Even authorized service centers would need specialized tools and training which were, naturally, unavailable to third-parties or DIYers. It seems that Google is using that same design philosophy on its Stadia controller, making it almost impossible to open up, at least for untrained hands, all for the sake of having a nearly seamless and blemish-free appearance.

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The AirPods may have been initially derided for their design but, just like any Apple products, they have become the new normal as far as True Wireless Stereo earbuds go. Despite their status, even AirPods fans still have a few complaints, including how easy it is to lose or forget the oh so essential charging case. If only there was a way to keep the AirPods case always with you as much as your iPhone. That's exactly what PopSockets' PopGrip AirPods Holder does by actually sticking the case to your iPhone's back.

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Just last month, the audio experts over at RODE launched the NTG5, its most advanced shotgun mic to date. But while such large and powerful audio recording equipment always has a place in someone's arsenal, some users may need something lighter and more compact but won't skimp on quality in exchange. That's where the new VideoMic NTG comes in, continuing a 15-year line of on-camera microphones, this time with some of the perks of the NTG5 shotgun.

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Stadia is supposed to represent the future of gaming, or at least one possible future that revolves around streaming. You buy, not rent, a game to play, run it on Google's massive data centers, and have it streamed to almost any device, with some AI and machine learning magic to help cut back on natural latency from this back and forth process. In reality, however, the launch of Google first formal foray into the gaming market under its own name is turning out to be quite the mess and the harshest words are coming from the platform's earliest believers who now feel they have been deceived by the company's sugary words and promises.

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Since Windows 10 first launched, Microsoft has adopted a release schedule that saw two major Windows updates per year along with rolling fixes and patches as they come. That proved to be rather problematic in terms of software quality and Microsoft stepped on the breaks just a bit to deliver more fixes and fewer features in this year's second and last Windows 10 release. That update has started to roll out to users and, given Microsoft's past history, it might also be a good time to backup your PC and make sure drivers are updated first.

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TCL may be trying to revive its name in the smartphone market but its brand is perhaps better known for display panels, especially those used on its own TVs. The company might be trying to raise its profile and merge those two worlds together with a new display that's clearly aimed at a mobile gaming market. Strangely enough, it has one feature that could irk some gamers instead.

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Wireless audio equipment have gotten a surge of popularity and innovation, in no small part thanks to the demise of the venerable headphone jack on smartphones. A variety of wireless headsets have popped up, ranging from gigantic over ear cups to not so tiny earbuds. The Sony SRS-WS1 Immersive Wireless Speaker may, at a quick glance, look like one of those neck brace earphones like the LG Tone series. The difference, however, is that this pillow like contraption that hangs around your neck is no headphones. It is a full blown speaker.

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Apple's mythical 16-inch MacBook Pro almost remained just that, late and elusive. But when it did finally debut, it checked almost every item on the rumor list, including the new-old scissor switch "Magic Keyboard". But we all know that looks can be deceiving and what lies beneath is just as important, especially when it comes to repairs. That's why iFixit experts dug deeper beyond the new MacBook Pro's keyboard to see what makes it tick and, most importantly, how to put it back together again.

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When you're no longer able to keep up with the fast-paced cutthroat smartphone market, it seems that the next big bet would be to try to remind the world of the legacy you created. Nostalgia, after all, is a very strong emotion and has recently proven to be quite profitable, too. That may be the appeal that HTC will try to make if it does come around to reviving a classic phone, perhaps inspired by the media frenzy around the new foldable Motorola Razr.

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With rumors of Sony silently winding down its mobile business despite PR statements from executives, it's probably not much of a surprise that the company is hardly able to keep up with the latest in Android updates. That makes it an almost pleasant surprise when it does make a public commitment to upgrade its most recent phones to the most recent Android version. At least starting sometimes next month at the earliest, that is.

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Game controllers are a dime a dozen these days and most of them practically function similarly. That's mostly thanks to the fact that consoles haven't changed that much in the past decade. With a new kind of gaming experience coming in just a few days, the Google Stadia Controller may have a few unique things to offer. Fortunately, Google has now published the peripheral's support page to give users a heads up on what to expect.

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Google may have Google Translate but, especially on mobile, it requires installing a separate app or navigating to the Translate website. In this Google-centric world, the go-to solution is for people to type in a query on their phones or browsers That's fine when trying to find out how a word is pronounced but what if you wanted to try saying it yourself? Thanks to speech recognition and machine learning, you can now do that too right within Google Search.

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