ARTICLE – So what’s in my EDC? I usually commute to the office every day by car, but I do take the train to downtown Philadelphia a couple of times a month for meetings. Here’s how I gear up for a typical workday.
The Bag
The Bellroy Classic Plus Backpack has made it into my daily rotation, and I’m a huge fan. Just the right size for day trips, with a streamlined profile that makes it easy to maneuver in crowds. I love the organization of this bag, and the fact that it’s got enough style that I can dress it up with a jacket if need be.
Not Shown: As a frequent bag reviewer, I’m also switching out my primary carry from time to time. I love the Saddleback Leather Front Pocket Gear Bag when I want a big ol’ bag to throw stuff in. The Topo Designs Commuter Briefcase is also a favorite for its simple design, business-ready look, and the ability to convert to a backpack in a pinch. I’m still hunting for the perfect daily messenger bag, however, and will keep you up-to-speed as the hunt continues!
The Electronics
I just got a shiny new MacBook Pro 13″. It’s the basic model without the touch bar. I love the speed and portability of this little guy, and the screen is perfectly fine for working all day. The Thunderbolt-only ports are kind of a love/hate thing… I also carry a Belkin Adaptor that includes an HDMI and USB port for plugging in accessories (not shown).
I use an iPad Air 2 for the daily commute that’s connected to my work systems. I also have an iPad Pro 12.9″ (not shown) and Apple Pencil (also not shown) for personal use when I do my digital illustration work.
The Carry Accessories
Organizer pouches complete me. There’s no better way to wrangle your extra bits and doodads. I carry a Topo Designs Large Accessory Pouch for all those things that I don’t need to get to as often like medicines, screen cleaners, contact lens stuff, and spare charger cables. The Tom Bihn Cubelet is my favorite pouch for Apple device chargers and cables. It’s perfectly sized for a couple of power bricks and chords. I have a whole bunch of different Tom Bihn Organizer Pouches in smaller sizes (not shown) that I swap out as needed.
My iPad cover is a new one. It’s the new Saddleback Leather iPad Case, and it’s lean & mean beauty that doesn’t have the bulk of the original design (which I also own). Review coming soon!
My charger is the RavPower 16750 MaH Phone Charger, and it’s my favorite charger to date. Two USB ports for dual-charging, and a battery life that goes on for days and days. I never leave home without it.
My iPhone 6S case is one of the first items I reviewed for The Gadgeteer: a product that uses actual stone (slate, I believe) in the case backing. I love the look and slim design, so I keep using it. The manufacturer seems to have gone out of business. I’ll be upgrading to a new phone soon, so I am looking forward to testing some new options!
My wallet is the Flowfold Limited Edition Bifold Wallet. It’s made from super-high-tech sailcloth with X-ply technology. It’s slim, super-lightweight, and water-resistant. I love minimalist wallets.
Assorted Extras
The Yeti Insulated Travel Mugs are the greatest thing on Earth. The insulation is amazingly effective, and they retain a water-tight seal so they don’t leak if they get tossed around. My favorite bit about these is a little-known secret: the slider on the top is magnetic, which means you can completely remove it for deep cleaning. Plus, it’s just about as bomb-proof as you can get.
I happily admit that I am a coffee addict, and I recently started roasting my own beans (yeah, I’m that guy). I grind up what I need for the day, and use simple Ball Jars for transport. The thick glass is durable, and the sealed lids keep the beans (and grind) fresh. You can get high-tech options, but sometimes the classics just do the job right.
I am never without a pocket knife. Whether I’m opening packages or cutting an apple, I always find it handy to keep around. I have two that I switch between. One is a collaboration between Opinel and Topo Designs that comes in its own case (not shown), but it can be a bit bulky for day-to-day office running. For that purpose, I use the Higo No Kami fold out knife shown here. It’s elegant, small, simple, and has a legacy that dates back to the Samurai sword makers. It’s kind of cool as a piece of history in your pocket.
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San Francisco is notorious for sudden weather changes.
The Bag it all goes in
Mission Workshop R6 Field Pack
This is a great modular pack with interchangeable pouches and pockets. The Commuter is closest to what I’m running here. It’s crazy comfortable even when overloaded. The Arkiv hardware is metal which is awesome but compounds the empty weight when you keep adding pouches. @MissionWorkshop – Please make some glass-filled nylon hardware!
Other items that find themselves in/on the bag frequently…
Bern bike helmet, Various bike locks, Patagonia hooded puffy, Dainese moto gloves, Ten-One Mountie Plus, Assorted carabiners, A’s ballcap (Go A’s!)
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ARTICLE – My EDC hasn’t changed much from last year. I no longer carry around my iPod Touch 6G and I have added a couple of things. Here is a list of my current EDC. The links for each item will lead you to the review of that item (if there is one) within which you can then click on the link at the end of the review to purchase the item if you are interested.
I’ve been using the Colonel Littleton No. 18 Leather Hunt Bag for about 1.5 years and it has held up well. It is very well made using full grain leather, is durable, and holds all that I need it to. It also saves me from having to go shopping for a new purse every year which I loathe having to do.
2. Small trash bag
Just in case I need one, which happens every now and then.
This portable charger has saved my phone a few times while running around town. It has built-in micro-USB and Lightning cables which frees me from having to carry around additional cables.
This leather pencil pouch (7.75″ L x 4″ W) carries all my makeup as well as tweezers and fingernail clippers. It’s not made from the best leather, but I haven’t been able to find a full grain leather pencil/makeup case in this particular size.
5. Lotion/hand sanitizer/pill bottle
I periodically need hand lotion especially in the wintertime, hand sanitizer especially during flu season, and a small pharmacy packed inside my pill bottle for various needs.
This is a new item that I carry around with me. I use these to help dampen the sound level of our church service music each week which helps immensely with my hearing issues.
I use this tape measure all the time. It’s so handy that even my husband uses it while we’re out and about.
8. Microfiber cloth
I use this to clean the various screens/lenses that I carry with me (my phone’s screen and camera lens and my clip-on microscope lens). Underneath the cloth is a wallet-sized card that summarizes the Gospel which lifts my spirits on bad days and reminds me how much I’m loved and that I’m never alone.
This is another new item. I carry this small clip-on microscope around just in case some interesting insects cross my path (I’m an entomologist – I like bugs!). I place the microscope’s lens over my phone’s camera lens to magnify the object. I can then take photos of the object too. Awesome.
Although the Jaybird X3 earbuds are my primary use headphones while at home, I use the MPOW Swift headphones when I’m away from home just in case I want to pass the time while in line at oh, say, the DMV or something (I might as well learn on YouTube how to build a house while I’m waiting). These headphones are really comfortable, inexpensive and sound great.
Since I upgraded my phone to the Google Pixel 2 XL, I needed an adapter to use with my OLALA portable battery which has the built-in micro-USB cable. I like the adapter and it works well. I also keep a SIM card tool with me just in case I might need a small pointy object.
I’ve had this watch for years now. It works with my Polar H7 heart rate monitor chest strap and calculates the stats that I’m interested in when I exercise. I also use it to alert me to texts messages and other notifications on my phone. It doesn’t have any other smart features, but it provides enough to keep me happy.
I love my Pixel 2 XL phone. It receives OS updates almost immediately which is of utmost importance to me. In addition, the camera is AWESOME – I use it to photograph all my review items. Furthermore, the screen is large enough to watch videos and the fingerprint sensor works really well.
I use the Caseology Legion case on my Pixel 2 XL phone (shown above) to protect it from drops (it’s a military-grade drop tested case). I’d rather not have any case on this beautiful phone, but since I paid $850 for it and I tend to be clumsy, better safe than sorry.
This is my primary use wallet. It is a leather wallet which carries all my necessary cards (6 plastic cards and 5 paper cards) and dollar bills. I’ve used it for almost two years and it looks virtually new. I love it!
This is a “full grain English tan Dublin Horween leather (4.5 oz or 1.8 mm)” wallet. This wallet is an awesome durable minimalist leather wallet. It’s gorgeous to look at and incredibly well made. I use it to carry around my restaurant cards, coupons, bandaids, and alcohol wipes.
17. Writing Utensils (in order from left to right in the top photo)
Pentel Twist-Erase Qe405 0.5mm Automatic Pencil with Jumbo Eraser
I keep things like the Sharpie highlighter and Twin-Tip permanent marker on hand for highlighting reading materials and for mailing packages.
The Big Idea Ti pens are my favorite pens. The Ti Arto pen (the silver pen) accommodates over 200+ refills and is a nice length pen that also has a great weight and feel to it but requires you to unscrew the cap and post it on the end of the pen. The Ti Pocket Pro (the black pen) automatically adjusts to the length of 80+ different refills and twists open when you need a pen in a hurry.
The Pentel Twist-Erase pencil (the black pencil) is my favorite mechanical pencil because of its simple design and the fact that it contains a replaceable twist eraser. My husband and I have used this pencil since our college days and that was in the last century. You might say it’s vintage.
As you can see, I love leather. I love this leather pencil case. It is simple and very well made using full grain leather. It keeps all my writing utensils upright in my purse and easily accessible. It is rather tall (6.5″ H x 3” W), but it fits well in my Colonel Littleton No. 18 Leather Hunt Bag.
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ARTICLE – Each fall, Apple introduces their newest iPhone that I will drool over, order, and then a few weeks later I return to Apple for a full refund. At least that’s been the way things have gone for me the past few years, unlike my good buddy Dave Rees who told Android to see ya later back in 2016 and hasn’t looked back since.
Dave: “…few years…”??? Julie & I sometimes joke about one of the definitions of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I wouldn’t say I never look back, I regularly check out the latest and greatest Android devices, on occasion severely tempted. But the reality is, I truly love Apple’s hardware and for the most part, fully embrace the iOS/macOS ecosystem.
Julie: Dave and I regularly talk about Apple’s new tech and he’s always giving me a hard time about my inability to what he calls “fully embracing the iPhone”. We’ve both had our shiny new iPhone Xs Max 256GB Space Gray phones for almost a week now, so we thought we’d do another tag team post.
First of all, we should let everyone know that our iPhones actually traveled together on what was most certainly the same flight from China to Alaska and then to our respective states last week. We kept texting each other with our UPS status updates because we.are.geeks.
Dave: Don’t forget about Korea and Kentucky. It was pretty funny when it became very clear our iPhones were sharing an international cab ride. Due to Apple’s just-in-time shipping this year, I was a little worried we wouldn’t see our fancy new tech-toys until the following week. The expected delivery date kept waffling between Friday the 21st and Monday the 24th. Thankfully both arrived safe and on time (and OMG would Julie have had to listen to me whine if she received hers 3 days before me).
Dave: The build and material quality of the iPhone X series of smartphones is impressive, to say the least. The stainless steel casing sandwiched between sheets of glass give the Xs devices an excellent high-quality heft.
Julie: I agree that the look and feel of the Xs Max are impressive. However, I’m unsure about having a glass backed phone because I feel like it’s tempting fate not to use a case with this phone. If you’re like me and don’t like cases either, you’re going to want to pony up for the Apple Care insurance which will provide some peace of mind while scraping even more money out of your wallet. That is if you have any money left after buying the Xs Max because Xs really does mean excess with a price tag of $1249 for the 256GB version of the Max. What the what?! Crazy stupid spendy. But we still spent it didn’t we?
Dave: Yes, yes we did…at midnight within the first few minutes after the Apple store coming back online. Once again texting each other the status of our ordering, cause, we.are.geeks . The Max plus tax and AppleCare Plus lightened my tech-slushfund nearly $1600. As I told Julie, twice as much as my first car. Crazy indeed.
iPhone Xs Max (left), iPhone X (right)
Dave: I purchased the original iPhone X a year ago and enjoyed using it the entire time. In addition to build and material quality, its near bezel-less OLED screen and form factor was extremely nice as well. It was great having a Plus sized screen in a regular iPhone body. I got pretty used to the X’s size and do admit I was a bit worried about the Max’s larger size. Now that I have used the Xs Max for about a week, it doesn’t feel all that huge. The added volume and weight are well worth the Max’s gorgeous 6.5″ OLED screen.
Pixel 2 XL (left), iPhone Xs Max (right)
Julie: I didn’t have any qualms about ordering the larger Xs Max because a quick scan of the specs told me that it was almost exactly the same size as my Pixel 2 XL which I’ve been using close to a year now. Upon receipt of the iPhone, I wasn’t surprised by the size and had no issues adjusting to it. But what I did notice right away was how much heavier the Max is compared to the Pixel 2 XL. Dave says that means it’s got more quality. I just think it’s heavier, but I do agree that that the iPhone is very well made and wow, that display is so pretty. It is noticeably nicer looking than my Pixel 2 XL’s display.
Dave: The larger screen was truly the selling point for me. I could have easily muddled thru with the original iPhone X. But my hope was to use the Max as not only my smartphone but as an iPad replacement as well. I travel a good deal for my day job and with each trip, I would have to debate what tech to take based on time on the plane, length of the trip, and what I needed to get accomplished while away. The iPhone Xs Max’s screen is not only beautiful but immersive too. Even the Gadgeteer Kid didn’t complain when we watch videos together while killing a bit of time. While I haven’t had to travel during the first week of ownership, I do plan on taking just it on my next cross-country travel for my media consumption needs. Reducing my load to just my work laptop & iPhone.
Julie: Having enjoyed a Pixel 2 XL for so long, adjusting to a display without an always-on feature has been tough. I rely on that feature all the time because my phone is also my clock and I use my phone as my alarm clock on my nightstand. Being able to glance over in the middle of the night to see the time is very convenient. It’s also convenient to see notification icons without having to pick up the phone or press a button. And another screen feature that I miss that the iPhone doesn’t have is the song title display when music is playing. I use that feature ALL the time.
Julie: I was also bummed that the rumor that Apple was ditching the lightning connector in favor of a USB-C connector turned out to be false.
Dave: I was a bit disappointed as well. With the rumored 2018 iPad Pros due within weeks, it would have been the perfect time for Apple to go all-in with USB-C. That said, we have MANY lightning cables laying around our home. So for us at least, we’ll be able to hold out until Apple sees the light.
Dave: The new speaker design is a definite improvement over past generation iPhones. The stereo sound is clear, loud, and detailed. They can easily fill a decent sized room with sound and watching a movie is easily as nice as on an iPad.
Julie: I rarely listen to music through the speakers or watch video without using headphones. But yes, I agree that if you want to, the speakers do a good job.
Julie: You know the biggest feature of the iPhone to impress me is the FaceID scanner. I’ve been so used to using a fingerprint scanner all these months that I hated the idea of not having a fingerprint scanner. I thought the face scanner would be similar to the scanner that I remembered on Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and remembered that it wouldn’t work in the dark or with my glasses off. But I’ve been super happy with how fast and accurate the facial scanner on the iPhone Xs Max performs. It’s fantastic whether I have my glasses on, in the dark, or even holding the phone at weird angles. I haven’t missed the fingerprint scanner at all.
Dave: I completely agree, FaceID works very well. I’ve been without a home button for nearly a year and don’t miss it at all. The added screen real estate gained from giving it up is definitely worth the trade. I rarely have an issue with FaceID but I can’t say I never have to type in my passcode.
Julie: I haven’t used a physical home button for the past year either. But that brings up another topic – gestures. Do you like them? I’m not a huge fan of having to swipe up to get back to the home screen. I prefer the virtual home button and back button that Android uses over the swipe up or swipe left to right gestures of iOS. Mainly it’s because I have some issues with my right hand/thumb, so it’s tough for me to do the swipe gestures while holding the phone in my right hand without employing my other hand to perform the gesture.
Dave: After a year of use, I am completely comfortable using gestures to dance around my iPhone. Though I do admit, even with my larger hands, using gestures is easier with the smaller X(s) than it is the Xs Max. I find myself using two hands much more often while using my Max partly cause I do not want to drop the four-figure device but it is just easier/faster/less strain.
Julie: Let’s talk about the camera. You can see some of my sample images below that have not been edited. All in all, I think the Xs Max does a great job in all lighting conditions. The center picture was taken in a really dark restaurant where I needed to use the iPhone’s flashlight to read the menu. It’s got a lot of shadows, but I was surprised that you can see skin tones.
Dave: No matter what smartphone I use, the camera is THE most important feature for me. Not only do I use it for capturing moments of fun, family, and friends but for my review work here @the-Gadgeteer. I abandoned my digital SLR and high-end point-and-shoot cameras long ago, replaced by my iPhone. And have never looked back. That said, best I can tell from limited use this week, the Xs Max is excellent, just as good as the original X…probably/most likely better but time will tell.
Julie: I’m in the same boat as far as no longer using a DSLR. If the phone doesn’t have a great camera, then I won’t consider buying it. That’s why I love my Pixel 2 XL But that said, I have been using the Huawei P20 for 99% my review product shots since I got it.
Julie: I also love the goofy little things that iOS 12 added to the camera that turns me into a giant headed cartoon character!
Dave: OK, the irritating part of Julie’s giant headed cartoon pic…I can’t figure out how to create one of myself (even though Julie tried to explain it to me). Should be intuitive to a longtime iOS user correct??? Now I grant you I haven’t spent all that much time trying nor have I researched how to do it…but still.
Dave: The new addition I like best in iOS 12 is the Screen Time feature that tracks not only how much you use your device but breaks down that time by the type of consumption (social media, gaming, productivity, etc) and/or individual apps. This feature can combine all your devices use (iPhone & iPad) or share data across family members (so parents can better stalk their kids).
Julie: What do you think about battery life on the Xs Max? I have been really happy with it. I’ve been able to go more than a day between charges which is usually not typical with my phone usage patterns.
Dave: I found the battery life on the iPhone X to be good and on the Xs Max to be impressive. I use my smartphone a lot during the average day and I have yet to drop below 50%.
Julie: I’ve also been happy with the phone’s snappy performance too. I haven’t noticed any problems launching or switching between apps. Everything is smooth as butter.
Dave: Yep, zero complaints here. The iPhone X was zippy and I believe the Max is just a hint faster/smoother. But considering how much the Xs Max costs, I would expect nothing less.
Julie: Dave loves his iPhone Xs Max and for me, it’s the same story as last year… I love the hardware, but it’s several little things that keep me from wanting to fully commit to switching back to the iPhone/iOS. Some of those little things are lack of an always-on display for time and notifications, no iMessages app for Windows computers, and the navigation gestures. I thought Dave was going to start crying when he saw my iMessages chat color change from blue to green yesterday. But of course, we’ll be revisiting this saga again next year with the iPhone Y or whatever Apple decides to call it.
Dave: Or better yet the Y Max Plus…alright all kidding aside, I have zero buyers regret. I’m very pleased with the iPhone Xs Max and my purchase. Granted it is excessively expensive but for those folks living in the Apple world who can afford it, you will not be disappointed. Especially for those who own a Plus device where there is little to no size differential, the upgrade will be well worth it. And lastly, Julie sticking with Android enables me to live vicariously thru her as she tries the latest and greatest Android devices. We chat about many of those over the year and I’m often tempted but quickly/eventually come to my senses.
Julie: What about all of you out there? Loving your iPhone Xs Max? Did you switch from Android to a new iPhone? Let us know your thoughts.
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ARTICLE – Rumors abound when people get word of new smartphones, and that consistent truth prevails about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10. Let’s take a look at some of the most likely features of this highly anticipated phone.
It may debut in January 2019 at CES
Tech analysts say Samsung’s Galaxy S10 will be available in several models, but the company will manufacture one that supports the 5G network in limited supply.
The brand usually shows off its Galaxy S-series at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress in February and then launches the models a month later. But since competitors will reportedly showcase their 5G-enabled phones to CES in January, Samsung may accelerate bringing the Galaxy S10 to the market, doing so a month earlier than the usual February event.
However, a Samsung representative recently said that the company’s first 5G-compatible phone would be a model other than the Galaxy S10. If that’s true, the company may decide to keep people guessing about the Galaxy S10 a bit longer.
After all, people have been hearing about Samsung’s foldable phone for a while. The brand wants to be the first to offer a bendable phone. Rushing to provide it could be detrimental though, particularly if the company doesn’t work out all the kinks first. The point is that Samsung may realize it’s best not to roll out the S10 until it’s ready for the mainstream.
Samsung’s S9 Galaxy model, a precursor to the S10
There will be three models
Reports indicate that Samsung will follow Apple’s lead and release three models of a phone in the same product family. The smallest of the three will also be the least expensive option, although there are no solid details about prices for the Galaxy S10 yet.
Besides holding off Apple as a likely competitor, Samsung will also contend with Google, which is releasing new Pixel models in October. A substantial difference in prices between Samsung’s three models could help them achieve marketplace dominance, especially if the costs appeal to a wide section of potential consumers.
It’s rumored to include five cameras
It wasn’t long ago that phone manufacturers made headlines by releasing models with both front and back cameras. Now, a phone with only two cameras doesn’t capture as much interest as it once did. Even the latest iPhones, which have dual-camera setups, include innovative features like the ability to adjust the bokeh setting after taking a picture.
Reports suggest that Samsung will generate a buzz around the Galaxy S10 by releasing at least one of its models with five built-in cameras to appeal to people who love taking pictures with their phones. It probably didn’t hurt that Huawei recently launched its P20 Pro with three cameras, suggesting phones with several cameras will soon be the norm.
The model will have an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
Today’s most popular smartphones offer increasingly advanced security features. Although the least expensive Galaxy S10 model — thought to be called the S10 Mini — will likely have an optical fingerprint sensor, the highest-end option should have one that’s ultrasound-based.
The advantage of using ultrasound technology mainly concerns accuracy since the sensor takes a three-dimensional model of a fingerprint.
Everyday consumers may not have such advanced security on their list of priorities. However, depending on the reliability of the ultrasound scanner, perhaps Samsung could position the phone as an option for government contractors.
We could potentially see dramatic display changes
Considering that people regularly use their phones for video calls and streaming marathons, the screen characteristics of the gadgets are of increasing importance. Updates about the Galaxy S10 highlight its screen aspect ratio of 19:9, representing a significant difference from other phones that Samsung sells.
Moreover, some people in the know think the smartphone might have an “infinite” display with extended side curves and no bezels. After all, achieving the aspect ratio mentioned above requires making the bezels at least thinner than those on the Galaxy S9 phones.
A less likely possibility about the screen is that it may have a “self-healing” coating, eliminating the need to buy a screen protector for the phone because it repairs cracks after they happen. The news of that development broke after a patent leak.
There’s no indication that Samsung would use that new screen-saving technology on the Galaxy S10. But, if it did, people might be more likely to purchase the potentially expensive phones and not feel so worried about dropping them and dealing with severely broken screens.
Samsung may still have secrets up its sleeve
As the rumor mill continues to churn and stimulate speculation, tech enthusiasts must remember how rare it is for all the major aspects of a gadget to leak before its release date.
Even if people figure out many of the Samsung Galaxy S10’s main features, the brand will likely reveal some previously unknown factors.
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. The Max plus tax and AppleCare Plus lightened my tech-slushfund nearly $1600. As I told Julie, twice as much as my first car. Crazy indeed.
