He, Who Dies With the Most Toys, Wins!

It used to be so easy to spend money on electronics. Nowadays, I have to work much harder to do so. 

I remember needing to regularly upgrade a single computer system for thousands of strikingly more valuable dollars. Thankfully, my expenditures have fallen during the last four decades. I simply have more devices. 

We have the large all-in-one I'm typing on right now. We have a traveling Windows laptop for vacations. We each have an Android phone plus one Android tablet. Also, there's an Nvidia streaming box and a half dozen Google Home speakers and hubs scattered around the apartment. 

So surely, I don't require another computer. However, rather than spending thousands, I ordered a tiny Windows 11 PC that should arrive by Amazon tomorrow. I could use it as a media server and connect the networked movie drive to it. Or I could keep it updated as a backup home PC. Maybe I'll pop it in a backpack when we travel. Any flatscreen TV could attach to one if its two HDMI ports. 

Whatever its ultimate use, I couldn't resist the urge to play with a new device boasting a one-TB SSD, 16 GB of RAM, and an Intel Alder Lake-N95 for a total of just a few hundred of today's much-less-valuable dollars.

Android via a Keyboard

In the spring, I replaced an annoying Amazon Fire tablet with one from Lenovo. I have come to appreciate the smart TAB M10 FDH PLUS a lot. It is not flashy but it's dependable. I have used it all summer as it usually sits on the coffee table. I originally thought it'd be on my bedside table as it has Google Assistant built-in but I got another small Nest Hub as an alarm clock / picture frame. 

The other day, after I opened the box of a new Bluetooth mouse for the travel PC, I paired it with the Lenovo just for fun. It was a totally different experience using the tablet with a mouse!

   

As the Lenovo didn't have a cover for travel, I wondered what I could find in the way of one with a built-in keyboard. I ordered a cheap ProCase on Amazon and it arrived today.  It's an interesting set up, but it doubled the weight of my tablet.  At least the tablet and the keyboard pop in and out of the case with ease.  I'm not sure how often it'll be set up in this mode.

Good Riddance, Amazon Fire!

Phew, that was a long one. I'm too used to Amazon second-day deliveries, I guess. I ordered this tablet from the Lenovo Canada website at the end of last month. I didn't realize this specific product was just being released from manufacturing at that point.

   

So, I had to wait more than a week for the 10.3" tablet to ship via UPS.  Then, I got the opportunity to follow its progress from Greensboro, NC into Ontario, Canada and finally here.  That took another six days.

The smart TAB M10 FDH PLUS took much longer to get to our apartment than to set up!

My Fire is Being Extinguished

A bit over a year ago, I ordered a 10" Amazon Fire tablet. I remember the date as we were outside the gate on an airplane but I was still connected to Toronto airport's wifi. The purchase was a bit spur-of-the-moment and I'd not really done my homework. I wanted a larger device for Snapseed photo editing and the Amazon hardware had a 1920x1080 display.

The Amazon was pretty cheap but I've found it a very uninspiring piece of hardware. I was expecting a cleaner version of the Android operating system; I had to jump through a lot of hoops to load the tablet with the software I require. Although I'm a Prime member, I don't need much of the bloatware that Amazon designed inhouse. It has been a very disappointing purchase.



When waiting for the new MS Edge to load earlier today, I thought, "Enough." I have been checking to see what was now available in Android tablets and it's a pretty grim picture. Most have crappy displays and Samsung products cost much more than they should. By chance, I somehow ended up at the Lenovo Canada site.

I now have a Lenovo Tab M10 FDH (2nd gen) being processed for shipping. I like that it has a free charging stand and will work as an ambient display for my Google Home. I expect it to charge on my bedside table displaying one of my Flickr albums during the day and the dimmed time at night.

Fighting Fire with Google Play Services

The other day when we were sitting in the plane waiting to push off from the gate, I ordered an Amazon HD 10.1 tablet. I was prompted by the fact I'd turned my sister on to a photo editing app called Snapseed. I do love how easy it makes doing quick edits. However, I was unable to do much on my Asus 7-inch tablet because of the poor screen resolution.

I knew I needed something with at least 1080P and so many Android tablets come with pretty crappy screens. I noticed the Amazon Fire sported a standard HD screen and a bit more space for viewing the image. The new device arrived yesterday. I'm pretty familiar with Android devices but Amazon has really tied down this Fire. Of course, they sell cheaply in order to promote their series of services.

Getting to plain old stock Android is hard. In fact, after an update last night I lost the functionality of my replacement launcher. I guess I can get used to the Amazon setup. I did manage to add enough Google to the little devil to be able to stream music to my Minis and Chromecast. The Netflix app, however, refuses to cooperate by providing the Chromecast icon. There's been something in the news about the standoff between Amazon and Google soon ending. They are burying the hatchet and allowing each other's devices to cooperate. It'll be a while before that software makes it onto my tablet. Still, the Fire provides a lot of bang for a few bucks.

There's Always Something Better

I wasn't intending to buy a new electronic device. Yet, that is exactly what I'm about to do. Today's blog post is just self-justification.



It's been ages since I bought a computer or a tablet. Well, perhaps not. I did have to get rid of my trusty, aging Nexus 7 tablet a year ago after I dropped it on the floor and cracked the screen. The Asus Zenpad 8 has been a perfect, sturdy replacement. Prior to this, I'd have to check to find when we purchased a Windows machine.

Firstly, my frustration with an underpowered Acer One V5 is a major reason I'm prompted to make a new purchase. It was perfect for my final year teaching as I needed something light to plug into LED screens in BCIT classrooms. It has just an 11" screen and travels well. I've been retired three years this month, so it is getting long in the tooth. The old netbook came with Win8 installed. It now runs Win10 abet slowly; in fact, too slowly to constructively get much work done. The Acer is not especially light for such a small device either.

Secondly, our current laptop has a big 17.3" screen and generally sits on the dining table. In fact, I'm writing this entry on the Toshiba Satellite now. It's much more productive than trying to use a tablet or phone. This computer, bought in 2013, travelled to both Mexico and Egypt for our winters away. It is nice to have a large screen, but it is like trying to carry around a small boat anchor. I just can't picture lugging it to Malaysia and Cambodia during the next four and a half months.

For these two reasons, I have decided to get an Asus 13.3" Zenbook Flip. As a new UX370 has been released, the older UX360 model is coming on sale. I think it may work for me, although there are cheaper, options. It would be nice to have a little SSD HD rather than a larger, more fragile hard disk. (The only one I ever had to replace in the last thirty years was on the laptop I'm using now. It got banged when going to and coming from Mexico.) Also, I'm willing to pay a bit of a premium to get its touchscreen functionality. The keyboard can be flipped and the screen used like a tablet. Even though I am perfectly happy with Android screens, I may get more use out of a combo device.

So it's time to visit BestBuy. I haven't been in one in years, but writing this message has convinced me ... I might as well.

Streaming Showbox to the Living Room TV

Back in 2014 I wanted a good-quality Android streaming box. At the time that sort of meant buying a Minix. I had to wait a bit for an X8-H to come from Hong Kong. It was supposedly a powerful beast. I was never terribly impressed, although it did have 2/16 GB ram and did some things exceedingly well. I waited and waited for the company to come up with some system updates, but Minix never did. It wasn't long before new models became the focus of their attention.

My box travelled with us to Luxor, Egypt last winter where it was attached to an old tube TV. We ended up streaming more on the big laptop but it did work. We depend on several apps for keeping up on current TV shows and movies. Yet last night, it didn't make it past the beginning splash screen. When I tried this morning, I couldn't get any result out of the HDMI port.



So, I was easily convinced to order something new on amazon.ca today. I figure a new Leelbox M9S Pro will fun to learn and play with. In actuality, my very old Chromecast is probably enough to make my TV smart. This is especially true since I figured out this afternoon how to use allcast to stream showbox to it. Either my Android tablet or phone could have sufficed. I do so like un-boxing little electronic gadgets though.

Early Spring Cleaning

The guy at the phone shop thinks mine needs a new speaker. I was thinking the problem stemmed from a problem with its headphone jack. Whenever I have headphones plugged in, the sound on my aging Nexus 5 is fine; however, when I unplug them I hear nothing. Either way it is going to be a $35 fix.

The kid working today said I'd have to leave my phone for an hour. Jay asked if I wanted to leave it unaccompanied. We've been watching a TV series where US/Canadian border security personnel regularly review people's devices to learn more about them. That seems pretty extreme considering how much private information we carry around on them. I surely didn't want my Google or Facebook accounts compromised by a repair guy.

It got me thinking about different ways to use Android. I created a different account for the main logon to the phone. Then, I was able to add my regular Google Account to the phone. I had to reevaluate exactly what I needed on my phone. I used to keep my cell and tablet pretty similar, but they each have different strengths. I found that I had dozens of apps no longer being used on the Nexus. It ended up being time to reload each app on a need-only basis.

I'm a nerd at heart. I really loved playing with this self-tasked chore for the most of the afternoon. At least with Android, one can dress up or 'plain-ify' the screens as one sees fit.

It Feels a Bit LIke Cheating

It used to be that in order to make interesting images one needed to have the requisite equipment and possess specific skills. I guess those requirements really haven't changed.

However, Mt. Baker in the image above does not exist on canvas anywhere. Moments ago, I stepped out onto our balcony and zoomed on the mountain top on the southern horizon with my Nikon P900. Then, I simply copied the image to my Asus tablet and altered the image in Snapseed.



There is not a shot in existence which cannot be improved with a little photo editing. However, if one takes the time to play with the tools, creativity can run rampant. I probably should try to be less of a documenter and more of an artist.

Dropping Off the Recycling

Oh my, it is 12:55 in the afternoon and so dark and misty I can hardly see past the balcony railing.

Earlier we went out to do the vegetable shopping at Langley Farm Market on Kingsway. It is a little sad seeing the diminished amount of produce available during the winter. We've been spoiled by the cheap and copious variety found in both Puerto Vallarta and Luxor during our last two winters. Now we are back to basic hothouse vegetables from BC and imported produce from far corners of the globe.


While out, we stopped at our usual Return-It depot. We keep a box in the back of the truck into which we throw recyclable bottles and cans. When the box gets full, we stop.

These places are seemingly everywhere and now collect other recyclable materials as well. In British Columbia, we pay a small fee when purchasing new appliances and electronics items. This helps to fund a system for free waste recycling. So as well as the bottles on which we received our deposit back, we left an old toaster, a bag of old compact-florescent bulbs, and my dead Nexus 7.

Farewell, Nexus 7 / Greetings, ZenPad 8

Continuing with my knack of throwing devices on the floor, I dropped my Google Nexus 7 tablet. The screen cracked.

I'd owned my Nexus 7 for three years and three months and absolutely loved it. It upgraded to all the newest Android OSs through Marshmallow. All Google-branded devices run the stock operating system free from all the stupid tweaking that vendors do to differentiate their products. I found the form factor perfect for reading. 'Damn Google to hell' for not replacing it after 2013! After the demise of mine last night, I could hardly imagine being able to replace it. Yet I knew I couldn't exist for long without a tablet on my lap near constantly. I started looking online for something.

All the Samsung tablets seem horrible with WizBang or whatever the name of their skin is. And why in the hell are manufacturers, in 2016, creating 4x3 orientation screens on devices; televisions went wide ten years ago! I was so frustrated because finding out something as simple as actual screen resolution often remains hidden beneath layers of slick product propaganda. That, plus there's a problem of numerous SKUs with the same name, but differing specs! Lastly, I don't know why a screen on any Android tablet is still offered in 1024x768 resolution. It is no wonder they aren't selling any; they're making crap. The industry has gone nowhere but backwards in the last four years.


I nearly ended up with a Samsung that I would have hated out of the odd 14 or so on offer. Luckily, further along on the shelf, I saw an ASUS ZenPad 8.0. I hadn't considered one but it is as close a replacement as I could've hoped for. In fact, my old Nexus was manufactured by them. No dumb Samsung home button. Its screen is a smidgen larger than the old tablet but not noticeably more inconvenient. Best yet, it is widescreen!

I was worried as I saw ASUS software on the one running at the store. I hoped I could get back to something resembling stock Android. Happily, as I was setting up the device it allowed me to copy absolutely everything from my defunct tablet. Then, magic! It asked if I wanted to use my Google Home settings. Voila. I am looking at a near clone of my beloved.

Phew! This ain't perfect, but it looks like I'll be able to continue along without too much interruption.

Staying Informed is a Choice

I can learn more in twenty minutes with an e-copy of The Economist magazine than I could by watching any TV news channel for a solid week.

A big thank you goes to the New Westminster Public Library for providing me access via the library version of Zinio for my tablet.

What's a Canfor?

I must admit that I loved playing with photographic negatives as a kid. I had an old darkroom enlarger when in high school although I don't have a single print as evidence of those days. I thought that saying I dodged and burned made me sound really cool.

Employing exotic techniques seems so simple today on my tablet. A few swipes can alter an image nearly beyond the limits of one's imagination. Initially I didn't like how this colour shot turned out. It was easy to turn off the distracting hues and subsequently blur everything except the foreground.


This is just a few steps from our apartment. The tracks run through downtown New Westminster along side the Fraser River. This is a working system with kilometer-long trains. Today, the whole length of cars on this particular load was filled with cut, Canfor lumber. How very representative of British Columbia! I'd much rather transport this natural product through town than coal or petroleum products destined for export.

Where's the Nexus 7 2016?

My ancient Nexus 7 tablet won't charge. I think the problem is in the port itself. YouTube surely has a lot of foolish videos on how to fix everything, right? Everybody seems to think they're a star.

This is the most-used device I've ever owned. It is years old but still meets my everyday demands extremely well. As a Nexus device it always gets software upgrades before other Android devices. I've been running Marshmallow for a really long time.


This tablet has been treated roughly and proudly displays chipped corners. I know that its days are numbered but Google hasn't sold a similarly-sized Nexus device since 2013. It has a bit of a cool reputation and there's always ongoing talk of a possible refresh. All I can say is, "Please!"

Until then, rather than prying it apart to get inside, I think I'll buy a $12 inductive QI charger. Okay Amazon, what have you got for me?

A Perfect 7 Inches - Day 127

Could there be rain on Sunday? My weather widget shows that as a possibility. Initially, I wanted to boast that we left Vancouver and totally escaped its usual winter weather. For you see, often there is not a drop of annual precipitation in Luxor, Egypt. Yet now, I'm at the point where I think having a rain shower might be interesting. There's only a 30% chance at this point, my app cautions.


Just a short positive note for my trusty old Nexus 7. It is the 2013 version and the Google tablet, made by Asus, has been absolutely the best gadget I ever bought. I've dropped in in a parking lot and on the floor a number of times. It keeps on ticking. I've gone through numerous major releases of Android and always among the first. I'm currently on Marshmallow. It has never sputtered. My tablet sits within grasp most every moment that I'm at home, where ever that might be at the particular moment.

I hear tales of the death of the tablet format, and even iPads are witnessing decreasing sales. However, I think a widescreen 7" format is near perfection for my requirements. I read rumours of a possible Nexus 7 replacement for 2016. If it comes to pass and sports a reasonable price, I'll get a new one this year.

Caution: Heavy Editing Ahead - Day 131

My morning walk had a purpose today. All winter, I've enjoyed walking around the streets of Puerto Vallarta's Old Town. Surely, getting to know the town has had physical benfits as well. Today, I wanted to return to the apartment with at least 20 images in order to practice working in the Aviary image-editing app on my tablet. I only have my phone as a camera on this trip and I really didn't think I could do much street photography with its mere 8 megapixels and no zoom.

I have come to conclude that good images can have a lot to do with the post-capture processing. I'm really learning that one can make the best of any image file. The old darkroom tricks of highlighting areas of the print, work on screen as well. Here are four with vertical orientation which I substantially improved in just a few minutes.

Beam Me Aboard, Scotty - Day 122

No, I'm not talking about THAT type of beaming.

I read that the 'travel zoom' Nikon camera, which I'm contemplating, has NFC. Near Field Communication is the technology that allows two devices to communicate after physical contact is made. The beauty of this, with my future camera, will be transferring images without handling any memory cards or cables.

Wait, I thought, I have two NFC devices in my two Nexus devices! I'd never tried sharing between my phone and tablet. Hearing the chime when touched back to back was a delight. Let's be honest, Bluetooth is a major hassle and the devices need to be paired. Most apps on Android can share data when two devices are bumped via Android Beam which is baked right into the operating system.


I needed a file with which to play. This is the scene looking up the hill from our balcony in Puerto Vallarta.
There's not a single photograph that cannot be improved with a little editing. This may involve slight cropping or something more drastic such as a filter. As I've been using my phone as my only camera for some time, I have become used to modifying my photos and uploading directly to Flickr. That is my big photo storage location. Of course, I can also share in a multitude of different ways; for example, by uploading to Facebook or sending directly by email.

I've been managing all my editing on the little 5" screen. Now that I can bump my images to my tablet, it makes more sense to install a more robust editor on the larger screen. The same methods of sharing will exist. I'm going to see if Aviary meets my needs. If it does then even when shooting on my Nikon, I can make use of the same software. First, I'll NFC directly from the Nikon COOLPIX S9900 to my Nexus 7. From there, the images will escape out into the world.

Somewhere Else Right Now

The sun is shining and the sky is blue in many places right now. Unfortunately, those two things are not occurring here.


This image was captured from my tablet. These were live views at the time of this posting. Although my personal selction only includes spots out west, there is a slight difference between the top and the bottom rows. Sigh! I am really not sure if someone who suffers from 'seasonal affective disorder' should actually be here in November (through May).

Lots of folks hated last year's Expedia Canada campaign with screeching violins reminiscent of the Hitchcock thriller. Wonder what is coming up for this winter?

A Non-Poetic Ode

It's funny how a piece of technology can creep up and quickly become indispensable.


Not that long ago the idea of carrying around a computer screen was the stuff of pure science fiction. Now, I utterly cannot imagine sitting around the house without having my tablet within reach. The world seems accessible via its pixels and audio. It constantly does so many varied yet crucial things for me.

(It will even display this entry, a sure sign of infinite utility.)

OK, Google!

I don't talk to my phone near as much as I could. I got my Nexus 5 at the beginning of the year. I quickly learned how convenient it was to search by saying, "OK, Google." I do have to admit that I often find doing so a bit awkward. If there's someone in the room, he or she may think I'm trying to communicate. When out in public, I'm just not used to asking questions or giving commands to my phone. I've never even tried most of the available commands.


As long as the GPS is on, the phone starts to learn more and more about one's schedule. It'll prompt one with commute data automatically if one follows any sort of routine. It prompts with weather conditions, and it's beginning to give info on recent searches. Although it might be considered creepy, I like the idea of personalized information. I liked it so much I hacked my Nexus 7 tablet so it'd have the same home screen.


This morning, the home screen when swiped to the left looked like the image above. I was happy to see our hotel information automatically displayed. Jay had copied all of our travel email confirmations to me. As Gmail had this data, it reminded me. Honestly, I didn't need the prompting for this event, but I am getting older ...