2021 – Hardware

December 31, 2021
4 min read

This year was filled with great hardware. Some of it came out in 2021, some before, but I was able to get it only this year. Nevertheless, here are some of my favourite things this year.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 mini

As I mentioned in my review – good became even better. The best thing about iPhone 13 Pro, in a day-to-day use it’s unnoticeable, which is always a good sign. My wife got an iPhone 13 mini, and it is a beast. Small, yet powerful, and improved battery life compared to the last year model is noticeable.

Apple Watch Series 7

When bigger is indeed better. The battery on my Series 5 wasn’t good at all, and by the end of year 2 it was close to unusable. So, Series 7 was a welcome improvement. Bigger screen, brighter always–on display and better battery makes this an outstanding upgrade from whatever generation you are on.

Honda e

This is a big one. We had a need for a second car and going electric was quite a choice. Many habits had to change, as well as thinking about range. But after three months with the car, I’m still in love. It is small, fun, and a bit eccentric – just perfect for a city car.

LG C1

I’ve had C9 for almost two years and loved it, but as we’ve moved to a much bigger space, 55” TV wasn’t big enough anymore. From the distance of our couch, it looked like a postage stamp. I knew I wanted an LG OLED and the bigger, the better, but 77” was drastically over our limit, so we’ve had to settle for a 65” one. It is noticeably bigger and paired with Vogel mount, you can bring it closer. The LG C1 is great from the picture standpoint, but the software is a massive step back. It tries to be smarter, but it is not. It’s slow, buggy, inconsistent. And why, for the love of god, they removed play/pause button. I had to plug my Apple TV, which is now the only interface I use. On the bright side, it is completely ready for the next–gen gaming, which is a big deal.

Sony PlayStation 5

Speaking of which, I’ve waited long enough for a PS5 from the official Sony dealer. But I don’t think it will happen in the nearest future. So one day I decided to pay a bit more and buy from scalpers on eBay. It now seems like a smart move, since I overpaid less than 20% and prices since went up. The best thing about this generation of PlayStation is DualSense controller. In games that have support it feels outstanding. The games themselves are not yet there, unfortunately. It feels like 2022 will be the year we’ll finally see at least something for the next generation.

Dyson v15

Surprisingly, in a list of phones, cars, and gaming consoles, this is one of the best purchases made this year. It is small yet powerful. Simple yet technological. It makes vacuuming fun.

MacBook Air with M1

This is the best laptop I’ve used in years. It’s actually the best computer I’ve used in years. It is fast, powerful, has a great battery. Not only that, but it is almost the perfect laptop, especially considering the price. If you need to buy a laptop right now, seriously consider this one.

Honorable Mentions

There are two devices I like, but not used long enough to form a full opinion, but still, they are worth mentioning.

Oura Ring 3

My wife gave me it as a gift. I wanted to track sleep for a long time, but wearing an Apple Watch was a no–go. It is big, heavy and has a massive screen. Oura Ring is perfect for that. Although most of the things I already knew – you shouldn’t drink alcohol before bed and should have a sleep schedule, there were still a couple of surprises from the data.

I have to mention one thing – their support is probably the worst I ever encountered.

Keychron K2

I’ve long wanted to try a mechanical keyboard and finally pulled a plug during the Black Friday sale. I love typing on it, but it needs some adjustment. The change in travel is massive compared to MacBook Air or iPad Pro keyboard.

Apple Watch Series 7 Review – Bigger is Better

December 31, 2021
5 min read

Since the Apple Watch updates are very iterative, I’m very comfortable in updating every other year. This was such a year. I’ve had Series 5 and by the end of the second year the battery was bad. Taking it of the charger at around 7 AM, it would go to Power Reserve mode at around 10-11 PM. Even without workouts. But I waited for a new one, since Series 6 didn’t add anything major. And although some reviewers would tell you that Series 7 is not much different, I believe this is a substantial update.

Design and Screen

I am a fan of big watches. Not bulky, but with a larger watch dial. So, a bigger display was a welcome change. And considering that it didn’t much change the size of the watch itself, I would say it is a big win.

By the end of year two with my previous watch, I started thinking how big the bezel was around the screen. It feels much more like an all–screen face now, especially if you go for a Contour watch face.

Series 7 is noticeably larger
Series 7 is noticeably larger

The screen is also much brighter in the always–on mode. This was improved in the Series 6, but lucky me – I get two years of improvements instead of one.

On the other hand, colours this year for aluminium model are just bad. Not that blue, green, or red don’t look good. They do. But they are very opinionated. If you are ready to rock the red watch the whole year (or two), more power to you. I just think those watches won’t go with many clothes and watch bands. Recently, I realised that it’s too boring having every technology in black (just look at my car, laptop, or a phone). Moreover, Midnight Aluminium is not black, it is almost very dark blue. So, I was excited to buy a silver aluminium model, but they didn’t make it in this colour this year. Instead, there is Starlight. Which, honestly, looks like … nothing. When I saw it in the store, it is so dull.

That left me with a choice between Titanium and Stainless Steel. I went for the Stainless Steel, as it was a bit shinier. I couldn’t choose between Gold and Silver for a long time (believe me, I got the looks from the Apple Store employee). But in the end settled for the Silver one with the Milanese Loop (finally, had an opportunity to get this band, always wanted one).

I love how it looks. Surprisingly, it goes with every watch band I own, even colourful ones.

It is noticeably heavier. But in an enjoyable way. It feels more substantial. Just a bit closer to a real watch. I already have a couple of scratches after a month of use, and I am careful with my watches. The good news is – you can polish stainless steel, and it will look almost like a new one.

Battery and Charging

As I mentioned before, my Series 5 got terrible battery life by the end of the year two. It actually was never great, barely good enough. Series 7 is much better. I have always–on display turned on at all times and without workout will have around 50% by the end of the day. Not comfortable for a 2–day use, but more than enough for one.

But the main improvement is fast charging. You have to use the new charger for this, but it is spectacular when you need it. Recently, someone messed with my wall charger, I didn’t notice it in the evening. When I woke up, my watch and phone weren’t charged at all. For a phone I have chargers everywhere, so it wasn’t much of a problem, but what do you do with a watch? I’ve got the new cable from the box and in about 30 minutes it was almost full. This is the must–have feature if you track sleep with your watch (I don’t, it’s just too big).

Software Features

There are just two features that are exclusive to the Series 7 Apple Watch – two watch faces and a keyboard.

The faces are Contour one, I already mentioned, which shows how small the bezel is. It has many colours, I like the light grey with the Milanese Loop band and pride with everything else. The second one is Modular Duo, which had so much potential when Apple presented it, but it is bad. It tries to flex the bigger screen, but there is just not enough information. I could try to forgive it, if there was at least a date above the time, like in an old Modular, but alas.

Not even a date
Not even a date
Looks amazing
Looks amazing

Another software feature is a full–size keyboard. Yes, you can type on a watch now. It is surprisingly good. Mostly not to type, but to swipe. As always with Apple, there is a catch. The feature works only with English keyboard. Yes, in the year 2021. And, why, for the love of God, is it not available on older devices? If that’s because of the size – it is available on the smaller size of the current generation, which is smaller than the larger Series 6.

A whole keyboard on a watch
A whole keyboard on a watch

Again, I’m not the one to give the advice whether to upgrade, but don’t let anyone fool you – Series 7 is a very noticeable upgrade even from the previous model. The screen is bigger, and it shows in the day–to–day use. If you wish to skip a year – you also won’t go wrong. Just don’t let anyone dictate what should be your decision.

Stainless Steel looks great. Sorry for tha hairy hand
Stainless Steel looks great. Sorry for tha hairy hand

MacBook Air with M1 – A Love Letter

December 25, 2021
7 min read

It’s hard to write nice things. If I had to write a TLDR version of the review, it would have been – it just works, except for speakers. This laptop is so good, you don’t even notice. It is powerful, it has a great battery life and what’s even more surprising, this machine doesn’t have a fan. I’m not entirely sure this laptop is even legal.

It’s so good I have two of them at home. I finally exchanged my Lenovo Thinkpad at work for a MacBook Air.

What it replaced

The one and only MacBook I owned was my Early 2015 MacBook Pro with Intel Core i3, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD. I bought it 6 years ago as a reward, for finishing my master’s thesis. At the time, the only upgrade was SSD, but that was only because they didn’t have 128 GB available. I also wanted a MacBook Pro instead of Air, because of the Retina screen.

Over the years, this Mac got slow. It got so bad, I tried to reinstall the OS and delete everything because I thought something must have gone horribly wrong for it to be so slow. But it’s just time. Retina display, entry-level processor and 8 GB of RAM are too basic even for a casual browsing now.

That is why for the last two years I considered my iPad Pro 12.9” to be my primary computer. When M1 Macs came out, I was tempted, but wasn’t sure if I ever need another Mac, or will I become iPad only? It sure felt like it. But the more I read and watch about the new Macs, the more I wanted one, maybe even to replace my iPad.

So half a bottle of whiskey later, I order a M1 MacBook Air with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD.

Design

Lately, I have a tendency to choose unusual colours, so the model I bought was Gold. I was intrigued, but not sure about my choice. After getting it out of the packaging, I immediately fell in love. It’s just beautiful. The colour plays nicely in different lightning. It changes from gold, to rose gold, to pink and to just light, almost silver. Now as I type it looks more like a copper. I also like how thin and light it is.

For work, I chose dark grey and … I don’t like it. It is too boring. Too computery. I’m hoping rumours are true and Apple will introduce a colourful MacBook Air.

I would like for a screen bezel to be smaller, which would make a whole device smaller. Not only that, but I also don’t like that there is “MacBook Air” written under the display. I know what I bought and use, and it feels very Samsung-y to stick the name wherever you can. It seems that the early 2015 MacBook Pro was an odd one, as it didn’t have the name written.

Dongletown

For the last 5 years I’ve read, watched and listened to everyone whining about MacBooks having only USB-C and some of them only 1 or 2 ports. I thought everybody is just nuts and tries to find a problem where there is none. That is, of course, until I bought such a laptop myself. MacBook Air has 2 USB-C ports and a headphone jack. Typically, that is more than enough for me. And this is when it got to me – most of the time, that is what everyone is talking about. I need to connect a display through HDMI and Logitech keyboard using their USB type-A dongle. Something I didn’t even think about before, gave me pause.

After some consideration, I bought an Apple dongle for HDMI, USB type-A and USB type-C. It’s a small, light dongle which should be enough for me. I also use microSD cards from my camera, but I transfer photos to the iPad Pro, so I already have a USB-C card reader from Apple.

That’s not the end of the world, but it is added cost and an inconvenience. But I’m more than 100% sure, many MacBook Air buyers won’t have such problem. They’ll use it without anything connected to it and charge with the brick and cable that comes with it.

Touch ID

Using biometric authentication in modern computers is genius. All joking aside, I like having Touch ID on a Mac. Unlock with Apple Watch never worked for me on my previous MacBook, so having fingerprint sensor built-in is much faster and easier to use.

It’s just a little convince for logging in, but a massive quality of life improvement for using 1Password.

There is not much more to add, but it’s just so good, to warrant its section.

Keyboard and Trackpad

There is little to say about the trackpad. I thought that the one I had on my MacBook Pro was big, but this one is just massive, and I like it. If there is space – put the biggest one you can. Since it’s not mechanical, and you can press wherever, I don’t see any problem. Moreover, the size doesn’t add the issue of accidentally touching it while typing, so thumbs-up from me.

Keyboard, on the other hand, is a very controversial topic. I was lucky to buy the last laptop with non-butterfly keys and didn’t have any difficulties with it. But I loved how butterfly keyboard felt. The scissor-switch one is a bit wobbly for me. I loved Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Pro much better. But I enjoy the keyboard on this MacBook Air quite a lot. It feels nice. For my taste it could’ve been a bit clickier, but I could see how many would hate it.

Sound

Speakers are the weakest point of this laptop. There is nothing remarkable about the sound. It is quiet. Even in a smaller room it is not comfortable to watch a TV show with sound turned all the way up, it’s just hard to hear things. I would rather play through iPad Pro or use headphones, not even talking about dedicated speakers.

Speed

This is a quality of life improvement. When you open the lid, and it instantly turns on, and you can place your finger on the fingerprint scanner and in a second you’ll see an unlocked computer. This is something you expect from iOS, not macOS laptop. It seems too good to be true.

Of course my comparison is to the entry-level laptop from 2016, but still, the speed blew my mind.

Battery

I started the part about battery life by writing the time I took it off the charger, how I used it during the day, etc. But I quickly realised how pointless it was. It’s just a full-day battery. Even better than an iPad. The feeling I get with this laptop – sometimes I remember to plug it in. This laptop is meant for charging overnight, working all day and charging after you are done, and it works for me this way.

MacBook Air with M1 re–introduced macOS to me. As soon as 2018 iPad Pro 12.9” came out, I fell in love. My first Apple device was iPhone 4, so iOS was always much closer for me. I like that the main interaction with the device are apps. That they open instantly, and you don’t have to manage them. That it is simple.

My MacBook Pro was underpowered for everything. It was entry-level configuration, so video editing, programming, or playing video games was not a fun experience, but also just using it as I was for writing, browsing, lightly editing photos – iPad was much faster and easier for that. So quickly, after buying an iPad, my MacBook Pro started gathering dust at home.

Now the tables are turned. I’m selling my iPad Pro because this MacBook gives me everything I want and even more. One might say, it is almost a perfect laptop.

iPhone 13 Pro – How Great Became Even Better

December 23, 2021
4 min read

As I wrote in the iPhone 12 Pro Max exit interview — it was a great phone. So, imagine that, but a bit better in almost everything. That is how you get iPhone 13 Pro.

This year I decided to go for a smaller one, since everything except for the screen size and battery is identical. Although I sometimes wish for a bigger screen in a day-to-day use, Pro Max is too unwieldy.

You can see how much bigger the Pro Max display really is
You can see how much bigger the Pro Max display really is

As it is not too different from the last year model, here are the things I’ve noticed the most.

Design

Last year, after a lot of consideration, I decided to go with the Gold phone. I still think that was the right choice. It is a fantastic colour, which goes with many accessories. This year I went with an updated colour – Sierra Blue. I preferred not to have the same colour two years in a row, and I don’t care for a silver one. If I was buying a phone now, I would go for a Gold colour again. It is so much better. You are very confined in colours you can pair your phone with. Choosing cases or skins is much harder now.

Although I went for a smaller phone because it is almost impossible to use Pro Max with one hand, it didn’t solve the problem. Whilst 13 Pro is great in terms of the size, it is very heavy. So using it with one hand for a bit longer time is still tricky.

Screen

One day my phone asked me if I wanted to turn on Low-Power mode, since the battery got below 20%, I did. After a couple of minutes, I’ve tried using it and scrolling felt really janky. I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I tried restarting it, since I thought there might be something killing the processor. After the restart — the same thing happened. That is when I realised — Low-Power mode turns off ProMotion. So for me, whatever anyone tells you — 120 Hz screen is legit. I didn’t have such realisation with a iPad Pro because I never put it in Low-Power mode, so the ProMotion works all the time.

The notch is a bit smaller – narrower. It feels like it is actually taller, and for a couple of weeks I was noticing it a lot.

Camera

12 Pro Max had a remarkable camera. So much so, I decided to sell my “real” camera. Here, the ultra-wide got improved, and it is noticeable, so did the main camera, but I’ve started to enjoy 2.5x telephoto a lot, so I was hoping for an improvement in the 13 Pro. Unfortunately, the new telephoto lens is very hit or miss. In a very bright light it is good, but the moment sun goes away the quality is just not there. After getting used to the telephoto on the previous phone, I’m regularly saddened by the results now.

Although, everyone was talking about Macro mode, I still have to make one photo with it. Maybe it’s just not my thing, but I’m forgetting it even exists. I know in the future iOS version they’ll put a dedicated button, possibly that will prompt me to use it more. And whenever I look at the photos made in Macro mode, most of them are low quality.

I also had to read another iPhone 13 review to remember that there is a Cinematic mode. Perhaps it is more of a me problem, but I have yet to shoot a video with it.

It was not necessary to replace the year–old iPhone, but I wanted to get a smaller phone. Only after getting one ProMotion and a better main camera got me. It is a no-brainer update for a 2–year old or older iPhone. If you don’t need to change a phone because of size or weight, I would skip upgrading from the 12 series. Unless you want to. Don’t let people on the internet dictate you what to do.

Dyson v15 — The Whole New Level of Clean

December 22, 2021
3 min read

I never thought I would write a review of a vacuum cleaner, but here we are. I was looking at Dyson vacuums for a long time, but always wanted something more for that price, something special. And boy they delivered. In the newest version, they literally added lasers. Honest to god laser. How cool is that?

It actually has a purpose — it shows you where the dust is. First time you clean the house, it is quite shocking. When you thought the floor was clean, it shows you how wrong you are. After the novelty wears off, it starts to feel like a game. Try to find the most dust in the room.

Here is perfectly clean floor
What happens when you use lasers

I know it sounds weird, but it is so much fun. Imaging accidentally vacuuming the whole house while cooking. I had some time to kill, so decided to vacuum the kitchen and the living room, but it was fun looking for dust, so I’ve done the entire house.

The other thing it does — it shows you the type of dust/particles you are gathering. From the allergens and pollen to dust mites and particles the size of sugar. It shows it on a little screen (which is surprisingly hard to take a photo of, it looks bad, although in real life it’s quite nice).

You’ll have to believe me that it looks much better in person

It is also surprisingly powerful for a cordless vacuum. We usually use it on an Auto-setting, so it lasts around 45 minutes. It is definitely not the most powerful setting, but when it detects a lot of dirt, it turns it up, so you still gather it with one swoop. You almost don’t need to got back and forth at all, it vacuums everything in one go.

I also think it’s not too heavy, although you have to carry the whole vacuum in your hand, I don’t feel any discomfort after cleaning an entire house. As I mentioned, on Auto-setting, the battery will last around 45 minutes (which is more than enough for us). If your house is a bigger one, there is the outsize version with a bigger battery. Alternatively, you can buy an additional battery to this one, they snap on and off easily — with just a click of a button.

There are also numerous brushes. The one with lasers which is mostly for hard floors (but you can use it on carpets also, and we do), the one specifically for carpets, the small motor-driven one for long hair and pet hair and much more. It is so versatile, it is now our only vacuum for everything.

The one downside for me is the charging situation. It comes with a charger that you can plug, but the vacuum doesn’t stand on itself. There is a base in the box, but it is one you attach permanently to the wall. I’m not a fan of such solutions. So, we’ve bought a stand, which is another 150 EUR. I would’ve loved if it was included in the box.

Much better with a stand

We’ve had a Phillips cordless vacuum before and a couple of traditional ones before (both big and small), but this one is the favourite I’ve ever used. It is adequately powerful, has lasers, so it can show you all the dirt, looks interesting and gives you some information and what you’re cleaning. If you can swallow the price, I definitely recommend getting one.