Tag: product review

I got pixel in 29th October 2023 primarily because I liked the built-in Emoji Kitchen™, allowing me to mix emojis and create a whole set of new ones. You can try it out here. The decision was also influenced by the iPhone 13 Mini constantly bothering me with system updates, as I don’t have Wi-Fi at home and it always requires Wi-Fi, but I don’t want to use public Wi-Fi. Frustrated with the iPhone’s issues(became a brick at some point), I impulsively bought the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Surprisingly, my iPhone started working perfectly again after I signed the contract. Additionally, I grew tired of Tim Cook’s repetitive iPhone releases without any real innovation, missing the days of Steve and the Apple cult. I also criticized iPhone users(around me) as lazy conformists because I see many upgrading their iPhones every year without much thought, simply because they can. I didn’t want to be someone who says, “I like to be a blue bubble when I text someone”—it’s just silly Apple pride. Over two decades, I’ve used various Apple products, including iMacs, MacBooks, iPads, Mac Mini, Airport, and even the Apple Pencil, destroyed by my dog along with my AirPods.

I did cheat on Steve a few times with Blackberries but never considered switching to Android until I discovered Emoji Kitchen, and I can’t stand the Samsung phone please, gosh so ugly.

After only three months of using the Google Pixel 8 Pro, I’m contemplating returning to being Apple’s loyal hoe for several reasons:

Alarm Malfunction

The alarm not going off twice has become a perplexing part of my routine, and to be fair, it might be because I couldn’t hear it due to its 14% volume.

This has never happened to me with an iPhone.

Lately, my sleep patterns have been unusual, with an average of 12 hours per day. In comparison, I used to sleep a more typical 8 hours daily. I find myself wondering why I’ve been sleeping like a hibernating Winnie the Pooh. Eliminating the possibility of pregnancy (as I recently finished my menstrual cycle) and dismissing jet lag(after sleeping excessively last week, seemingly compensating for any sleep debt), I explore alternative explanations. Drawing a parallel with rodents like rabbits and chinchillas that don’t sleep deeply due to the constant need for vigilance against predators, I contemplate the idea that a lifetime of anxiety about an uncertain future might have conditioned me to sleep with one eye open. However, I now find myself in a relatively comfortable situation, which perhaps explains my recent deep, prolonged slumbers—feeling like the king of the jungle or a top-level predator.

If this hypothesis doesn’t hold, I point fingers at Django, my dog, who sleeps like a log all day and emits some kind of sleep-inducing gas, maybe even transmittable—I jest, but who knows?

Alternatively, I blame the time zone difference caused by L being in New York this week. I just got used to an 11-hour time difference, and now it’s 16 hours. That might mess with my sleep.

Despite these speculations, L suggests that my recent lifestyle changes, particularly cutting out refined sugars and processed foods, might be causing my body to detox. He believes that the stress on my body from this drastic change, coupled with overall stress levels, could be overwhelming. I think it makes sense, leading to a forceful shutdown similar to an iOS update that turns off and on multiple times? The quest to unravel the mystery behind my extended and unusual sleep continues, fueled by these intriguing possibilities.

Phone Size

The size is too big, requiring two hands and hindering multitasking. I prefer a smaller phone that I can use with one hand.

Issues with iCloud

I pay $15 a month for iCloud, but there’s no dedicated Android app; it can only be accessed via web browsers, limiting its functionality.

Google Play Store Being Tight Ass

Refund Rejections and Subscription Woes. Unlike the Apple App Store, I faced rejection when attempting refunds for unwanted auto-subscriptions. Trying to trim down my unnecessary luxuries, like YouTube PREMIUM, I can’t fathom why canceling the subscription is such a challenge, especially when Google owns YouTube. Is it really that difficult?

Video Zooming is Way Too Laggy

The ‘Google Play Store Being Tight Ass‘ is just me being plainly stupid, in NOT canceling the plan before the monthly subscription ended. This(video zoom being laggy) is mechanical or software faulty whatnot and Non-negotiable frustration. Despite trying various methods, I can’t find a way to achieve the smooth zoom-in and out experience that the iPhone offers.

Airdrop

My usual documentation process involves searching for the right photo or video in the “photo” app and Airdropping it to my laptop or desktop. However, none of these seamless transfers work with Android. As a workaround, I now manually select the pictures and videos I want to use, send them through WhatsApp-web, and download them from there. iMac and MacBook fail to recognize Google Pixel 8 Pro as a portable storage or a removable disk too, leading to more confusion! FRUSTRATION!!!!

Pixel watch LTE not working

Because it is so big(that’s what she said), I bought the Pixel Watch LTE so i don’t have to bring the big ass phone everywhere. However it doesn’t work with Vodafone yet. Had to refund it at JB Hi-Fi Macquarie Centre. Kudos to the staff there who was confident about availability across all telecom companies in Australia, but unfortunately, he was very wrong. It’s currently only available with Telstra in Australia.

Despite these issues, I hesitate to return to Apple because:

1. Pixel Buds Pro and Otter Box: I’ve invested in Pixel Buds Pro, which Django hasn’t eaten yet, and a robust Otter Box. Those aren’t cheap.
2. Three-Year Plan: I committed to a three-year plan.
3. Ego Crash: L keeps saying, “I told you,” and I’m reluctant to add another item to the “L told you so” list.

L is bewildered by my chair, which I rarely use and costs more than 2000 AUD. He’s not angry; I guess he’s more shocked. He spends 54657689887534 times more on wine and cigars, so I don’t know what’s so surprising. I still think my Herman Miller is better than his wine and cigars because wine and cigars finish when you pee and exhale, but the chair is forever unless you break it. I have to admit that I didn’t really need to buy it, and it never helped improve my productivity since most of the time I use my laptop lying down. My mechanical keyboard, which costs about 1000 AUD (and every time when I say this, people assume that I’m joking, too), wasn’t very helpful for productivity either. But those stay with me forever. So I have no regret; I just think now that I didn’t have to buy it, but it’s too late now, isn’t it? Think this way: The chair cost $2000 divide by 10 years(because I’m using it at least 10 years or most likely more) = $200/year, 200 divide 52 weeks = 3.84/week, 3.84 divide 7 days = 0.5485/day so it’s not that bad.

Let’s delve into product reviews: things are expensive, but I would not recommend them to someone like me.

Herman Miller Aeron

I wanted to buy an office chair but didn’t want to buy Ikea ones. It’s obviously more comfortable than an Ikea chair with a placebo effect. I was doing research, gathering the receipt, etc., and I realized that the price increased 1000 AUD in two years’ time. So buy as soon as possible, I guess; it’s like Chanel classic.

Now, I use it as The Chair—the chair where you put the clothes clean enough not to go in the laundry but not enough to go back in the wardrobe—unless I have special things to do on my desk sitting down properly (like a Zoom interview).

• Pros: Comfortable with a placebo effect, serves as a multi-purpose chair.
• Cons: Expensive, price increased significantly in a short period.
• Personal Use: Mainly used as “The Chair” for miscellaneous items, occasionally used for special tasks like Zoom interviews.

Rimowa Classic Cabin, Original Check-in:

Firstly, it’s made of aluminum, so it’s heavy. Korean airline allows 23 kg for economy class, and the check-in luggage itself is 6.2 kg already. For the Classic cabin, it’s 4.3 kg already, which is ridiculous, considering the 7 kg carry-on luggage limit. But I never got checked for the carry-on luggage, actually, and I think it makes perfect sense because some people weigh 10 to 20 kg more than me easily, and they don’t pay extra or I don’t get a discount. Secondly, the lock—TSA-approved locks! It changed the password by itself, and it happened twice to me already. I had to study “how to bypass Rimowa random password.” It’s not that I forgot the password I set; it’s their chronic fault. Now I know how it misbehaves and how to fix it, but I was almost crying running to Rimowa aftercare when I couldn’t open it at Sydney Airport. Regardless, I missed the flight to Korea that day. If you ever struggle, look up how to open it with a business card; I use that method. These are cute garbage.

• Pros: Cute
• Cons: Heavy due to aluminum construction, TSA-approved lock issues (password changing on its own).
• Personal Experience: Missed a flight, had to learn how to open it with a business card.

Mechanical Keyboard

I wanted to buy a keyboard, and I don’t like clacky-clack keyboards. I would not recommend it even though I really like the sound, weight, pushing pressure, key-cap surface texture, and hmm actually everything about mine, it’s like tapping a cloud effortlessly with nailless fingers. It’s all customisable: from spring pressure to keycap angle. First of all, the waiting time was crazy. What usually happens in the mech keyboard world is that a group of keyboard enthusiasts gathers like-minded people to create a keyboard, and people invest money first. Then the maker starts to make it with that money, and most of the time, mech keyboard parts are shipped from the US. I think I ordered and waited for 6 months or so, and during that time, I was sad, excited, pissed, nervous, and decided not to buy any more than just one. You not only buy a “main board”; you need to buy keycaps, switches, etc., so the learning curve is steep too. Still, I like the feeling of using it (and that’s all about it when you type something), but the community itself is so weird, and I type one-handed lying down anyway, like right now. Maybe I should’ve bought 100% instead of 60%, for the full experience, or maybe even 40% for more fun.

• Pros: Like the sound, weight, pushing pressure, key-cap surface texture, and overall feel.
• Cons: Long waiting time for delivery (6 months), complex buying process (key caps, switches, etc.), steep learning curve.
• Community Experience: Found the mech keyboard enthusiast community weird.
• Personal Use: Enjoys the feeling of using it, yet types one-handed lying down most of the time.