Growing Weary of Wearables

When the Moto 360 was first announced in March 2014, I was almost immediately smitten. After all, it was the first Smart Watch of it’s kind at the time – all of the other offerings
were essentially square or rectangle, and seemed to lack the classy band offerings that Motorola had. I was, like many others, completely sold on the idea of wearable tech, even though Google Glass had proven to be an elitist-type disappointment.

I have loved my 360 for some time now. I’ve loved having my phone on vibrate, and receiving notifications that I could check on my wrist. I’ve loved having my Google Fit data pop up on my watch as well. From calendar reminders, to email, to text messages – it’s been awesome to look at my watch as opposed to my phone all of the time for notifications.

But it would be dishonest of me not to admit that over time, the wow factor has worn off.  When it’s all said and done, the fact of the matter is Smart Watches are nothing more than somewhat expensive fashion accessories. In years past, I had loved wearing nice watches. But over time, my desire to wear a watch had faded. Especially once Smart Phones became my all-in-one devices. Basically, I no longer had a relevant reason to wear a watch, so my Moto 360 was really more of a “gadget want” – not a need by any stretch of the imagination.

The final blow came with the release of Android Wear 2.0 in early February. The problem being that my 1st gen Moto 360 is not a supported device for the upgrade, and I truly have no desire to purchase another Smart Watch. Not to mention, I have been in a season of shedding unnecessary tech: I have sold my Pixel C tablet and replaced it with a Samsung Chromebook Plus, as the appeal of tablets has also faded for me.

And so, as my Moto 360 finally lost it last bit of battery – requiring a charge – I decided to store it and its charging cradle away. Maybe I’ll try to sell it. Maybe I’ll hang on to it to wear it from time to time on nights out. But for the most part, my love affair with wearable tech has reached its dawn. The exception being my occasional use of my VR Viewer.

Fare the well, Moto. It was fun while it lasted…

As for you – are you a fan of Smart Watches? Do you plan to continue with Android or Apple offerings?

The Thrill Is Gone

A little over 2 years ago, I was still enthusiastic about tablets, while some grumblings began to surface about them. The most common being that tablets were becoming unnecessary baggage, being nothing more than oversized (and often underpowered) cell phones that can’t make phone calls. Ironically enough, when the first iPad launched, I had made the same observation.

But over time, I became smitten with Android tablets – specifically the “pure Android” experience from Google’s offerings. For me, it has always primarily been about screen size. Gaming is much more enjoyable for me on a larger screen than on my phone screen. And I seem to be more productive when using productivity tools on larger screens as well – specifically when working with spreadsheets.

And then along came Chromebook….

I was immediately hooked, using an Acer Chromebook. But Chromebook lacked Android app capability, which I like many others thought was a huge initial misstep on Google’s part. It’s been amazing watching so many schools adapting Chromebooks, and my daughter’s school soon followed suit. Thus, my trusty Acer became hers.

Then Google dropped a bombshell – Android apps were finally coming to Chromebook. “Not bad”, I thought, noting that the apps were very limited. All the while I had fallen in love with the Pixel C that I had purchased.

But I can’t lie to myself anymore. The truth is, even with its quality build, the Pixel C has come to feel like any other tablet to me. Moreover, like many other people, I can no longer see the point of even owning a tablet anymore. Even though I have been a supporter of the Windows Surface Pro, and honestly think it’s a great device, I’ve now arrived to the “meh” level when it comes to tablets. I’ve heard time and time again reports that tablet sales all around have nose-dived.

As such, with the anticipation of delivery of my ore-ordered Samsung Chromebook Plus, I believe that it’s finally time that I too bid a fond farewell to tablets. It’s been fun, but the thrill is gone .. 

How about you? Do you still heavily use a tablet, and/or intend to purchase a new one? Or have you moved as well?

Remember When?

 The cell phone has certainly evolved by literal leaps and bounds over the years. It’s interesting to remember that only a few years ago a phone was judged by its call quality, whereas nowadays even the slightest pixelation in a picture can land a phone in the “meh” column at best.

Often I like to browse the Google Play Store for no particular reason – simply just to see if anything interesting catches my eye. It’s always surprising to me that there are still many MP3 -to-ringtone apps out there. Which brings me to my Remember When? question of the day –

Remember when having a song as one’s ringtone was  a HUGE  fad? I certainly was swept up in the moment myself, changing my ringtone song to whatever my favorite hit of the week was!

But as a follow-up question, considering there are so many apps out there that still accomplish this, do you still use a song as your ringtone? Or do you still hear them during your day-to-day? I personally haven’t heard one in many years.

Google Home and Roku TV – Together in Harmony…

If you’re a Cord Cutter like myelf and happen to own a Roku TV, you’re probably wonder how you can control it with Google Home. 

No worries! In this quick demonstration, I show you how I used Logitech Harmony Hub along with a few applets from IFTTT for some basic controls. Up next, I’ll detail the steps I took to tie them all together.

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