2018 iPad Pro

Apple iPad’s are curious devices; they started out as novelties, became marginal productivity tools for content consumption and have been trying (unsuccessfully) as content creation devices.

 

The first generation iPad Pro’s attempted to do that with the Apple Pencil and keyboard folio, but it really felt like a hack / first gen product. The device was basically a bigger, more powerful iPad.

 

That can’t be said for the 2018 iPad Pro. Available in two sizes, the current generation iPad Pro’s are actually really useful devices, smashing content consumption requirements, and meeting most (but not all) content creation requirements.

 

The device is extremely powerful, seems to have enough memory/storage and seems to handle almost anything you throw at it without slowing down. Probably the most fundamental change to the device is the switch from lightning to USB-C. Not only does this bring the iPad Pro line in step with the MacBook Pro line (notebook and iPad), but it also sets the scene for an iPhone Pro. Whatever that may be.

 

Its a great device; highly recommended. And if you’re going to buy it, don’t bother with the smaller one. The bigger one has a significantly bigger screen than the standard iPad, but is only marginally bigger in carrying it around.

 

PS. The pencil is a gimmick. Don’t bother.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless

I have an admitted headphone fetish.

 

I did end up selling the very good B&W PX headphones; they were good from an audio quality perspective, but just too heavy for their primary use, long-haul flights.

 

I decided to stick with the slightly dated Bose QC35’s; while the Sony WH-1000XM3’s seem to be the new king of the hill, the difference doesn’t seem to justify the price tag.

 

But I did end up buying a pair of Beyerdynamic Aventho (wireless). While the software app is a bit buggy, the audio quality out of these headphones is simply sublime. I really enjoyed the sound out of the T51i’s that I have, and the Aventho’s don’t disappoint.

 

They’re definitely a good pair of cans!

 

Gigsky eSIM

I have used Gigsky’s eSIM product on an iPhone Max XS, and can truly say it works exactly as advertised.

 

This is truly a no-brainer if you travel and/or are time/convenience-conscious when travelling. This product isn’t for the “is this the absolute cheapest way to get cellular data overseas” crowd, or the “I’m overseas for weeks on end” crowd either; those crowds would be put of the roughly 50% premium on local rates that you’re paying, and the inability to make/receive calls on a local number.

 

But if neither of those things are important to you, its a winner!

 

iPhone XS Max

Another year, another iPhone. This time, the XS (Max). The biggest, best, yada yada iPhone Apple has ever made.

 

With the obligatory cheesy movie from Johnny Ive describing the amazing build process.

 

Except this one has one massive technical feature that does, indeed, make it different from the other iPhones. It supports eSIM, and amazingly, in China is available as a physical dual-SIM version.

 

While I did think about trying to get hold of the China physical dual-SIM version, I decided against it because I wasn’t sure what bloatware / backdoor was on the device thanks to the large Chinese market that Apple would be desperate to tap into.

 

So I got the local eSIM version from my carrier, and other than being bigger, I didn’t really notice much difference. Except when I travelled.

 

I managed to test the eSIM functionality using a company called Gigsky, in San Francisco, Thailand and Hong Kong. And other than paying a premium for the service from Gigsky, it worked perfectly and better than advertised! Buy the second data-only eSIM for the country you wish to use it, “download” it, and hey presto, 2nd SIM!

 

Coverage was adequate (not brilliant), and speeds were average to ok. But better than roaming rates, better than hunting for a local SIM and a device to carry it and infinitely more convenient to literally do nothing but switch your phone on! Awesome.

 

Punchline : if you travel, get an iPhone XS / XR. Otherwise, don’t waste your time and skip this version.

OnePlus 6

I’m a big fan of Android phones. I am currently the proud owner of a Samsung S9 and a Google Pixel XL2. Those have their pro’s and con’s;

 

S9

 

• High-end specifications
• Good camera
• Dual SIM (the version I ordered)
• Fiddly Touchwiz overlay
• Awkward form-factor (long but not wide)
• Great screen

 

Pixel XL2

 

• Always first with updates
• Super fast
• No bloat ware
• Pure Google Experience
• Large form factor (big, nice form factor)
• Iffy screen
• No dual-SIM

 

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about OnePlus, as the flagship-killer quality and build. Having played with the OnePlus 6 now for two weeks, I can honestly say I’ve now found a non-OEM Android phone that I really like.

 

• Great build quality
• Super-fast!
• Awesome screen
• I love the mechanical mute / change ringer state slider button
• Dual-SIM!
• Pure Android experience
• Almost anaemic in the lack of apps and software pre-installed on it

So far, loving it! Great device.

Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones

I have a headphone fetish. I know. Its a problem.

 

• AKG K550 - simply the best pair of wired headphones for sitting down, listening. Painful because they’re so damn big, but pure sonic bliss. Absolutely the best pair of “permanently connected to your amp” headphones for all kinds of music. Probably the nicest to my hearing.
• beyerdynamic T51i - simply the best pair of wired headphones for portable use. Awesome to use, awesome to travel with, but so damn expensive I’m scared to. Probably equal to the AKG’s in terms of sound reproduction, but the cable just gets in the way so it doesn’t get used as much as it should.
• Bose QC35 - simply the best pair of wireless headphones I’ve used. And the noise cancellation ? Sublime! My go-to for sustained listening while being portable to use, and nothing else will be used while actually wanting to listen to something while on a plane.
• Apple AirPods - my go-to portable headphones. No wires, sound isn’t totally rubbish, and the pairing is really easy and works well. Exceeded my expectations by a country mile.
• Klipsch X12i - I had a pair of X10i’s, and they just were overused. Amazing wired in-ear headphones, small and discrete.These used to be my go-to for portable use, but today are only used to provide background when on a plane to let me sleep.
• Bose Soundlink on-ear - not bad headphones, but nothing superlative either.
• Sennheinser RS180 - old faithful, used for those heavy TV / movie watching nights when I don’t want to disturb anyone else.

 

 

The newest addition is a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones. They’re well priced, and incredibly well presented and made. They just ooze quality, and look like they’ll outlast me.

 

I’ve only used them for two days, but some initial impressions;

• I like that I can adjust the level of noise cancellation (default options are Office, City and Plane) and the amount of vocal to let in (it can apparently tell if someone is speaking)
• I love the build quality and fancy schmancy case it comes with (although I would prefer a hard case)
• Bose has better noise reduction
• They’re very heavy
• USB-C charging is a plus!
• Battery life seems good
• Bass seems heavy and unrealistic (grr, catering to the Beats crowd)
• They do go louder than the Bose, but your ears feel more fatigued

 

I’m doing some travelling, so will put them through their paces to have a point of comparison; right now, the Bose QC35 look like they’re a better pair of headphones in terms of comfort and audio quality.

Samsung S9

So I was told to get a Samsung S9, because it is the latest and greatest from Samsung. I bought the dual-SIM version, to have some flexibility in the number and type of mobile connectivity (the idea being to use one for calling, and the other for mobile data).

 

Like my previous experiences with Samsung, its incredibly well built, and would work well if I didn’t have the privilege of having run stock Android. But, I have run stock Android, and the clumsy Google / Samsung app confusion, Samsung’s insistence on messing with the stock Android experience makes for a clumsy and frankly unnecessary irritation when trying to get things done.

 

And most of the gee whiz features, like the AREmoji, awesome camera, super-slow motion and the edge display are features I don’t use.

If you have access to a Pixel XL2, get that rather. I am also very intrigued by the Oneplus 6. Now that looks pretty interesting, and much better value for money.

 

If its your own money, better value to be had elsewhere.

VAST Networks

I am incredibly proud of the work my company, VAST Networks, has done. As the CTO, I am responsible for

1. Continuously rearchitecting the network to deliver robust and varied services
2. Deploying new hotspots
3. Exploring and finding more efficient, cheaper and/or more scalable ways of deploying new hotspots
4. Supporting and maintaining the hotspot locations
5. Developing and keeping current products and overall network health

 

Our work over 2.5 years has resulted in us winning the Best Wi-Fi Service Provider in the World 2017, and Most Affordable Service Provider in the World 2017 as recognised by Wi-Fi Now. We were also shortlisted for Best Wireless Infrastructure in the World by the WBA, which we lost to Cisco. Not bad company to keep if you’re going to lose.

 

However, what I am most amazed by is the lack of interest in our local market in our products and/or services, when we seem to be smashing the lights in almost every metric that counts;

• Page impressions
• Unique visitors
• Concurrent visitors
• Session lengths / durations and repeat custom
• Network throughput
• Captive portal load times
• Redundancy and resiliency of the network
• Different on-boarding methods

 

Why is it that South African media and mobile companies haven’t woken up and exploited the network that is already there ? I am also convinced that local media/press only advertise companies or recognise innovation in success from people who advertise with them. Pathetic behaviour and so much for the “impartial tech press”.

Apple iPhone X - revolutionary ?

I don’t think Apple makes a great phone. I don’t think Apple makes a great smartphone. Apple does make a reasonable phone, and a reasonably good smartphone. The combination is good enough for most people, and easy enough that they’re willing to live within the constraints in order to get something that “mostly works”.

Today, Android users fall into three categories;

1. They can’t afford an iPhone
2. They have a philosophical hatred of Apple, a philosophical love of absolute customisability, have some specific technical requirement that dictates Android or some gradient in between
3. They simply don’t know or care enough to make a decision of one platform over another

And for the most part, app developers have worked out that 1 and 2 exist, and so have solved the problem by building for 3. There isn’t an app that I use more than once a month that doesn’t exist in some shape or form on both platforms, with equal utility. I do occasionally (and hate the experience almost immediately) fire up Windows phone to see what that is doing, and on that platform you realise how close Android and iOS are in reality in terms of usable applications.

The iPhone X is a rather revolutionary take (as far as Apple goes) on design and UI; none of the reasons people don’t like Apple are eradicated. Those users who had decided / chosen Android actively over Apple won’t buy an X. But those users who simply don’t care, and can afford it, might and probably will. Is it revolutionary ? For Apple, yes. For the industry, not really.

Its physically well sized, sitting comfortably between what we today consider compact and large. This is the "large phone" from 5 years ago. The FaceID system actually works very well, and you get used to the gesture-based system replacing the missing home button.

I am really enjoying mine.

Apple AirPods - amazing!

I didn’t want to like the Apple AirPods. I thought they looked stupid, and overpriced.

But I succumbed, and bought a pair last week. Man, the pairing is magical, and the simplicity of switching from two buds, to a single bud, back to two buds, is amazing.

There are some snags; it doesn’t as magically pair to my MacBook Pro, but between iOS devices its absolutely seamless. Very neat!

On to sound quality; I’m afraid its not all roses in this department. Muddy, too much mid-bass, not enough treble. Audiophile ? Nope. You can see someone in the Beats department was doing QA.

But still a good investment; they’re pretty, pair easily, don't sound bad and are compact.

 

Update: about a month later, still LOVING them and they’re in use daily. Sublime!

Update2: the pairing with computers is crummy / inelegant, and the pairing with iPad’s also leaves much to be desired. But streets ahead what else is out there.

Update3: My wife thinks they look crap, but agrees that paying double for the B&O’s is extravagant.

Google Pixel XL2 - evolutionary

I really liked the very natural shift from the Nexus line to the Google Pixel range. I really liked the Google Pixel XL, and thought it would be a hard act to follow up.

But Google had to as the annual relentless march of the device treadmill continues, and the Google Pixel XL2, despite the almost non-existent lack of changes in the physical appearance, have managed to do something that feels evolutionary and natural as a successor. The screen seems more natural to the eye, although that seems to have been rather controversial.

Its faster, the screen is better, the battery life seems longer, and there are just overall some nice software changes. The always-on nature of the screen is pretty awesome. The squeeze-to-summon Google Assistant is gimmicky, good for a single-show party trick. I admittedly haven’t used the camera much, being one of the highlights of the phone. Overall, a good device. Good enough to change from a Pixel XL ? Nope.

2017 Tech updates

Its been a while since I posted updates. I'm going to post in short form what changed / what I played with as an update.

• I was debating changing my MacBook 12" for a 13" Pro with Touch bar. I did. It was not transformative. The Touch Bar, while cool, is a gimmick. You don't actually use it that much. About the only thing that is useful is the TouchID fingerprint scanner, which I do use often. The is useful. Other than that, the notebook resolved my main gripes with the 12", namely speed/grunt, and ports. The new Pro has plenty of both.

• I upgraded my Bose QC3's to QC35's. If the QC3's were good, the QC35's are simply sublime. And I don't experience the bass issues that seem to be widely discussed. Good battery life, extremely comfortable; my absolute go-to on flights and when I want uninterrupted listening. I did contemplate the Sony equivalents, but the Bose just seemed to have better build quality and class sound. Boo to the disparagers!
  
• I ended up buying a single discreet Bluetooth headset, for ad-hoc listening. The Rowkin Mini Plus headphone is absolutely discreet, well built and a good purchase for the price. Solves a gap for that "something to do while my kids/wife are busy and I have 5 minutes to kill"
  
• A massive win in terms of WiFi gear that I've been playing with is GL-Inet. Its like a Swiss-army knife of AP's. It can be a bridge, repeater, router, AP, OpenVPN client-termination device, can use a phone as a modem and solves the hotel "captive portal" / multiple device problem. A definite winner!
  

I’ve played with a lot of gear, devices and software. Nothing so impressive as to merit a review.

Apple MacBook 12"

I have had a few Apple notebooks; I've tried using Dell and HP's during the same time period, but I always revert back to the Apple machines. Its more to do with UNIX than with the hardware.

• I started out with a 15" Apple MacBook Pro in 2006. This was a great machine; stable, beautiful and one click access to the CLI
• I then changed to a 11" MacBook Air in 2011. A bit small, and underpowered - a mistake
• A 13" MacBook Air later in 2011 was a good compromise, esp when paired with a 27" iMac. This was the beginning of my current computing paradigm, which is a current daily driver / travel machine paired with a slightly older (and MUCH bigger screen) desktop
• The 13" MacBook Air was replaced with a Retina 13" Pro and the iMac got upgraded in 2013

I frankly didn't see the need to change from my 2013 Retina 13" Pro, until I started traveling frequently last year. Carrying around the 13" Pro seemed too much, so I bought a 12" MacBook. 

It has massive pro's, and only two con's;

• Pro - the chiclet keyboard has been derided, but new Apple notebooks are coming with it so better get used to it
• Pro - the big touchpad is pretty awesome to use
• Pro - its light and small
• Pro - the retina display is beautiful
• Con - single USB-C port
• Con - performance is spotty and a smidgen too slow

While this has been derided as an iPad with a keyboard, its actually quite useful. But having a single USB-C port is simply damn stupid. So, I'm considering the new 13" Pro's with the touch bar.

Its a significant cash investment, and I'm considering waiting for the upgraded version of it, esp with Kaby Lake processors. Decisions :-(

Apple iPhone 7+

I've been using an Apple iOS device as my daily driver phone for quite a while now. Initially, I felt quite limited doing so because Apple seemed to be so far behind on the customization and flexibility, but the app developers make it compelling because initially they tend to release first on Apple, if not exclusively.

In my last related post, I had a iPhone 6+. Like a lemming, I upgraded to the 6S+. The touted difference was the ability to push harder or softer on the screen to achieve a myriad of different actions based on how hard you pushed; not features I really use frankly, and I didn't really notice much of a difference other than the thing now being a lot heavier.

Like a faithful lemming, I've upgraded to the 7+. It does have a bunch of differences (color, faster, etc), but the two key ones for me (and the reasons its worth getting frankly) are;

• Its waterproof - I'm not a surfer, but knowing that I can get the thing wet and not stress / lose data is a big deal
• The second camera being used to create portraits with good bokeh and/or being able to zoom in quite closely is very useful on a daily basis

If you're debating getting one, don't debate too long. Apple has clearly reached the point where massive steps in innovation are not present. But, the incremental ones are not bad if you skip generations (i.e. buy, skip the next one, buy, skip the next one, buy)

Google Pixel XL

I have always had a soft spot for Android phones. It caters to the inner geek in me, or if I have to be totally honest, the geek I used to be. Massively customizable, almost every aspect tweakable, and you can get to a command line prompt within a few seconds.

I always preferred Google's own interpretation of Android, through their Nexus line. The last Nexus device, the 6P made by Huawei, alongside the excellent 5X made by LG, were great devices.

But, their hardware was clearly from a 3rd party, and while Google had influence in the software, they only had heavy influence and not absolute control of what you held in your hands. With the Pixel range, Google clearly aims to change that. I am currently using an XL, which as it claims, is the bigger of two devices.

The hardware manufacturer is not highlighted, and this is first and foremost a Google device. What are the key differentiators from Nexus devices ? Frankly, little to nothing other than 24/7 support directly (ostensibly) from Google. No self-respecting Android user would go for Android support to anything other than xda forums. It is also the first phone to ship with the Google Assistant, which is theoretically a context-aware AI that is meant to be a personal assistant in your pocket.

My experience is that Google Assistant is good as a product for techies; I think its got a year or three before usage becomes even remotely mainstream. What is clear is that by adding it into a phone, and making it available in Google Home (which I have ordered and funnily enough is the first device that has my wife's attention i.e. she wants it), we should see the AI engine improving exponentially.

Its a good device; is it good enough to replace your Nexus ? No. Is it better than a Samsung ? Much harder question. I'd say the S7/S7 Edge only have the advantage due to waterproofing and SD card. But, because I don't store much on phones and am generally always well connected (and have lived without a water proof phone this long), its not a big swing for me. Getting software updates and releases first, is.

Fibrehoods FTTH rocks!

I was a very happy user of Neotel's NeoBroadband fixed-LTE service, but at R2000 for a 10Mbit/s service, thought it was overpriced by at least 50%. Fibrehoods has come into my area, and I now have a 100Mbit/s service for exactly half of what the LTE service.

I cannot express how transformative FTTH is versus any other home connectivity medium. US users can equate to cable; all the characteristics that count are the same - stable service, low latency, little to no downtime, etc.

I am very happy with it!

Amazon Fire TV stick

I've always struggled to find a decent media playing solution while on the move. I think I've cracked the problem, with an Amazon Fire TV stick.

By default, its locked to Amazon's Prime ecosystem of video and pictures. And this ecosystem is fairly decent and I consider it to be good value. But, because it runs Android underneath, and has access to Amazon's App store, you can quite easily and relatively simply dramatically increase its usefulness.

My suggestions on what to install and how to do this ?

1. Plex (from the Amazon App store) - access your home media library
2. AirPin (from the Amazon App store) - turn your device into a cheap AirPlay-compatible device
3. Sideload a bunch of apps - this is the frankly illegal stuff, so you can read up how to do it yourself
• Terrarium
• Put.io
• Popcorn Hour
• MX Player
• Kodi
• 1Channel
• Alluc
• Exodus
• Filmon.TV
• Gobble
• Navi-X
• Phoenix
• Stream all the sources

Once complete, Internet media streaming happiness ensues :-)

Neotel Broadband

I thought after moving back from Cupertino and having Comcast’s 50MBps cable service that bandwidth pricing and availability in South Africa had improved. Pricing - yes. Availability - yes. Speed - no. 

 

I live in Rivonia, no more than 1km from Rivonia Road; a decent neighborhood in Johannesburg, no more than 6km from Sandton. I am covered by Telkom ADSL, who will happy take my money for a 10Mbps service, and deliver 2Mbps. So, I thought I’d try some wireless alternatives. LTE services were not available from MTN, Vodacom or Telkom, in spite of great offers of R650 (~$55) for unlimited LTE-A service.

 

A friend suggested I try Neotel’s Neobroadband service, an LTE consumer service. While expensive (R2000) per month for 10Mbps, I can truthfully say that its a reliable, consistent service that is uncapped and unshaped, and is technically true to its promise. Highly recommended, if not commercially quite steep.

Open-Mesh MR900 & OM5P

I like Open-Mesh’s equipment, and software update cycles (I have written about them before). The hardware is reasonably priced, the solution set keeps moving forward and for a small (relatively) deployment, the management dashboard is flexible, rich and frankly blows most enterprise solutions out the water with ease of management and access to information.

 

The OM5P is a 5GHz-only device, which I won’t discuss because its been deprecated by the OM5P-AN. Thanks for releasing this; I managed to buy 3 in the short window when it was available, and it was a poor performer. Not a good purchase at all.

 

The MR900 on the other hand is a pretty awesome device. 802.11n in 2.4 and 5GHz, in a single device, and fairly priced. Robust, good radio performance, and pretty easy to setup/maintain. It too had been replaced by the MR1750, essentially an ac device in 2.4 and 5GHz. I have a few on back-order, so look forward to testing that.

 

But, Open-Mesh solves a problem and its cloud controller Cloudtrax solve a pretty simple set of problems;

 

1. Relatively cheap AP’s, that work relatively well from a radio/RF perspective
2. AP’s can be wired or meshed, and require no configuration to configure them in either mode
3. A web-based management console, that provides sufficient control but simplistically
4. The ability to run 4 SSID’s, inter-mixing rate limiting, client isolation and ability to not bridge to the LAN solve the networking issues
5. The ability to run mixed authentication modes, external RADIUS and captive portal, PayPal and Facebook integration and flexible deployment modes
6. Pre-built rich protocol-level, client-level and SSID-level traffic graphs that require zero configuration

 

I can highly recommend Open-Mesh.

Beyerdynamic T-51i

I like the industrial look of Beyerdynamic’s products. And the T-51’s solved a particular problem I had. 

 

I bought a pair. And wow, they are impressive in build quality, presentation, audio performance and package contents. Its unusual to not find something wrong with a product, but this is one of those rare products;

• it does what its supposed to do
• its a fair price
• it comes with everything you need
• it looks beautiful
• its comfortable to wear
• it sounds bloody awesome

 

Get a pair!