HomePod Mini Review
So I got a HomePod. I did not previously own any of the other dedicated Voice assistant devices. I could talk to my phone, and my watch, and my TV. But, the power of a dedicated, always listening assistant is just more useful. I have used the Amazon device in other environments and thought it was pretty cool. But, I'm all in on the Apple eco-system.
My short review is it's great. I think it will get significantly better in the near future.
Sound Quality
This small speaker sounds great. It does not sound better than my huge Stereo. I won't be using it when I watch movies, but it is ideal for casual music in the kitchen or in the bedroom. When cooking or preparing to start or end the day is when it shines.
Siri
Say things like:
- "Hey Siri play some music."
- "Hey Siri shuffle Steely Dan."
- "Hey Siri start a timer for 10 minutes."
- "Hey Siri whats the weather for tomorrow."
- "Hey Siri turn all the lights off."
- "Hey Siri set the thermostat to 68."
- etc....
Siri will most of the time hear you correctly and do what you want. But, you need to know how to ask for what you want. Trial and error will eventually train you. All the same issues you have with Siri on the phone are here. Contextual conversation often fails. Siri can't do some things that other devices can. You can only have one timer at a time. You can set alarms and reminders.
Siri needs more 3rd party APIs. Continue to develop and extend the limited apis already added to Siri. Add new apis. Let Spotify decide whether to develop an integration. Let Overcast develop an integration, etc... I'm sure this will happen. I wish it would happen faster than Apple typically moves.
Siri needs to be consistent everywhere Siri can be used. The phone should be no different than the desktop, which should be no different than the HomePod.
Siri also needs to support multiple users on the HomePod. I'm sure Apple wants this to be based on the person speaking. Not asking for a new profile to be active. However, profile switching would be good enough for now.
Conclusion
If you use Apple Music. Don't mind talking to Siri occasionally on your phone. Have a place in your home where a good speaker would be nice. Then sure give it a try. Don't buy it based on the possibility of future features. It does more than enough to justify the purchase. If you already have Echo and are happy with it, maybe skip the HomePod.
I liked it so much that I already bought a second one.
8 Bit Madness
Electronics and old-school computing is one of the many hobbies I find myself returning to over and over. Of course I'm old enough to have been right in the middle of everything that you might call "old-school computing". I had a great deal of experience with the Tandy Model 1, and the Commodore 64. I went to my friends house and drooled on his Apple II. I spent way to much time typing programs into these machines. These early experiences are what inspired me to become a Software Developer.
I recently stumbled on a, new to me, YouTube channel "The 8-Bit Guy", the videos here are all about these old computers and their restoration. He also has a channel about synthesizers called "8-Bit Keys" thats pretty cool. Watching these videos has re-kindled my desire to work with electronics again. Check them out!
I have to admit I've thought about trying to buy a working Apple IIe or maybe even an Amiga. I don't need these - I have plenty of other projects to keep me busy.
Apple Watch Series 3 and Watch OS 4
History
L and I have been wearing the Apple Watch "Series 0" (The original version) since it was released. They have become a welcome part of our daily wardrobe. We use them for notifications, workouts, controlling the lights, using Apple Pay, and even telling the time. They are a second more intimate screen for our phones.
Every OS release for the watch has added new features and fixed issues and annoyances with the older versions. Every release has also left the original watch feeling a little slower and little less responsive.
Series 3
We chose the non-LTE Aluminum Series 3 this time around. The same sizes as before, but without the space-grey finish. I got the 42mm and L again got the 38mm. We can use all of the watch bands from the older watch.
Why no LTE? The extra upfront price for LTE combined with the $10 monthly fee per watch just weren't worth it to us. We don't find ourselves wishing we could use the watch to make calls or play music in situations where we do not have our phone with us more than a few times a year. I think we can disconnect for a few hours without missing this feature. I'm sure this will be a great feature in the future.
Water resistance is a great feature that we are happy to have. Not worrying about a rainstorm or a trip to the pool will be nice.
The speed and responsiveness of the Series 3 is night and day compared to the original watch. Everything is faster. This is all the justification needed to update.
The battery life of the Series 3 is amazing. I can easily got 2 days between charging now. With Watch OS 4 I was just making it through a day with the Series 0.
Watch OS 4
Watch OS 4 brings a number of refinements that remove confusion and simplify the watch. There are welcome improvements to the heart rate monitoring, workouts, and list view for the awful application grid. The new Siri watch face has promise, but it needs 3rd party app integration. The Toy Story watch faces are cute, but not something I'm likely to use.
The new Now-Playing screen now lets you change the volume with the crown. Finally! Much easier way to the adjust the volume. I use this every time I cut the grass and I have no idea why it was not this way from the start.
Wants and Desires
Watch OS 4 does a better job of showing the watch face when I turn my wrist. But, I still wish there was a subdued always on time. You can find this feature on competitors devices. Apple just needs to find a way to do this with the Apple Watch that maintains the great battery life.
Custom Watch Faces. I expected Apple to release a Watch Face API by now. There could be a whole section of the Watch App Store dedicated to this. I know there are issues with managing intellectual property theft here. But, it just makes so much sense to allow people to design and sell their own watch faces.
Conclusion
L and I both very happy with this upgrade. It was worth the wait and we have very few complaints. Time will tell if we will regret not getting the LTE version of the watch.
The Element
Since I switched to the Fostex T50RP headphones, I have been having an issue with my "at work" DAC / AMP the Aune X1S. The Aune is just not powerful enough for the T50s. These are seriously power hungry headphones and maxing an AMP out is never a good idea. The Aune is great amp/DAC combo, but not for this usage.
So, I switched to JDS Labs The Element. More than capable of powering any pair of headphones you throw at it. There is something addicting about the large volume knob on top of The Element. It's a good feel interface that is superbly made. I also love that the DAC remains active with the power switch off. So my externally powered speakers can make use of it when I'm not using the headphones, and I do not have to unplug them.
Here is a review of The Element by user ZeosPantera. This should cover what I have not.
I'm starting to agree
I have been doing more JavaScript programming over the last few years that I would ever have imagined. Node JS and React have really changed the way I think about programming. I can honestly say I would prefer to create a web application with NodeJS, SailsJS, EJS, and React over Java, Spring, and JSP. Know there are other options and variations on these. But, the JavaScript based stacks is just more enjoyable, and more importantly quicker for me. Realizing and acclimating to this new reality is an on going process.
I was just sent these two articles today. I should have already been aware of. If you haven't read them yet, give them some attention, there are some interesting ideas to mull over.
More Chromebook talk
I decided to get another Chromebook to "play" with. The first one I had was impressive, but I gave that one away. When I heard that google was bringing Android apps to the Chromebook platform I decided to give it another go.
I got the Acer Convertible Chromebook R11. It's plastic, small, cheap, and more importantly it feels fast and responsive. I'm not sure I'll use it in tablet mode much, but having the touch screen will be nice when the Google Play Store is added.
For many people a Chromebook would be all the computer they need. Email, browsing, social apps, messaging, and basic productivity tools are all available. With increased security and the ability to reset the device at anytime and you have a nearly perfect machine for most normal computer users.
If you are a developer who needs more out of a machine then you still have options on the Chromebook. You can put it in "Developer mode" get to a shell and install linux via crouton. It can really be fun to embrace the limitations of this platform and try to get work done with different tools and in different ways. Limited memory and storage are probably the biggest problems you will have to deal with.
Overall, I'm really happy with this device. I'll keep it to goof around with and to take on trips when I don't want to risk taking my macbook. I would also highly recommend this or another version of Chromebook to anyone looking for a new computer for normal daily use. they are simple, fast, and easy.
Headphone Wishlist
Not saying I'm going to buy these anytime soon, but if money were no object these would be on the top of my list.
- Sennheiser HD 800 S: I have always loved the clean Sennheiser sound, and these are some of their best.
- Mr Speakers Ether C: Closed Planar Magnetic. These would be a replacement for the Alpha Dogs. They would also probably be the only headphones I would need.
- Stax SR-009: Electro Static headphones often called "The Best Headphones". You could also say the most expensive. They even require a special amp to play them.
- Sennheiser Orpheus: I would just like to hear these. I'm not sure I would ever buy them, even if money were no object.
Headphones - cont.
Well, I was dead wrong about the Fostex T50RP not needing more power. They will play to an ok volume without a better amp, but they sound much better when given more power. At work I'm using the Aune X1S and I have to crank it pretty high. At home I'm using the Schiit Modi 2 Uber, and the Schiit Magni 2 Uber. The Magni 2 Uber has a gain switch, and the high setting is more than equal to the task.
Now I need to re-rip most of my CD collection. Too many ripped at too low a bit rate.
Headphone Obsessed
I've been obsessed with Headphones lately. I'm a huge fan of Sennheiser. I like the clean sound their headphones reproduce. I recently discovered a few new sources of information, which have reignited my interest in trying different brands and types of headphones.
You can spend any amount of money on audio equipment $20, $100, $200, $500, $1500, $10000, $50000. Generally speaking the more you spend the better things sound, but you have to go higher and higher in price to get smaller and smaller improvements in quality. And, don't even get me started on tube amps, and Hi res music. I'm not sure my ears can tell the differences between 44 khz and 192 khz audio. I've taken the audio tests, and unless a track is encoded poorly, it is very difficult for me to tell the difference. You have to listen for very specific cues to tell the differences between low and high quality mp3s even. My ears are old and abused.
While consuming all this new information I kept seeing buzz about Planar Magnetic headphones, basically the cheaper cousins of Electrostatic headphones. Planar headphones provide a clean crisp wall of sound, they don't require special amplifiers to drive them, though they often require more power than your smartphone may be able to provide. They are better suited to home / work listening.
One of the many companies making Planar Magnetic headphones is Fostex, a Japanese company that has been around for years. They make a line of headphones that have been long loved by the modding community.
- T20RP Mk3 Open
- T40RP Mk3 Closed
- T50RP Mk3 Semi-Open
I purchased the T50RP Mk3 from Amazon. I also ordered a closed pair of modded Fostex from Mr Speakers. I love my Alpha Dogs, they are the most comfortable headphones I have every worn. But, the cheaper un-modded headphones sound better to me. I have not received the replacement ear pads I have ordered for them yet, which should make them more comfortable for extended listening. I also replaced the cable they came with. This review by Zeos provides a better description of these than mine.
Watch on YouTube
However, I don't agree these are as difficult to power as he implies. They do take more power than normal cheap headphones. But, at home I use an Aune XS1 with no trouble, and at work I use the USB powered SMSL M2. My phone can power them to an ok listening level, but not really enough to make them loud.
Other than comfort, which you can modify, the T50RP MK3 are nearly perfect headphones. If you need fully closed headphones, the T40RP should be great. If money were no object I would seriously consider getting a pair of Fostex TH900. Hopefully I'll be able to listen to these some day.
Oh and if you want to see something completely insane check out Sennheiser's Project Orpheus. $55,000 for Electrostatic Headphones and Amp. Welcome to crazy town.
NodeJS, SailsJS, ReactJS, EJS - JS all the way down
Started a new GitHub project with a generic random name.
Say hello to creepy-squeegee.
There really isn't much to see there yet, and what is there will be changing dramatically. I needed a place to put some training material and thought it would be good to share it.
The purpose of this app is to consolidate several code samples related to Client and Server web technologies. Focusing mainly on Node.js, Sails.js, and React.
Feedback welcome.