After returning to Safari from Arc, I realized how pathetic the experience with this default browser is. It looks dated, is slow, and has terrible interface choices (tabs bar, bookmarks, home page and on & on). I tried Chrome, too, and it is ridden with bugs. So I’m back to Arc.
Tech
I’m done with my Arc browser experiment. I don’t use any of the unique features. Plus I miss the ability to use the bookmaklets (I had no idea I would need them this regularly). By being back to the regular browsers, I would know if and how much I miss the Arc’s newness.
Since I downloaded and started using the Arc browser, I haven’t gone back to the other browsers. It has allowed me to stay on a website for longer and not get distracted by the bookmarks. Or shortcuts. And I don’t even use the marque features of the browser.
I liked this article from Monica Chin at The Verge, where she talks about what makes a good laptop. Though the answer to that question usually is “well, it depends why you need it”, I agree with all of the must-meet criteria that she lists down – good RAM, good display, good keyboard (with backlight), good connectivity and good battery life.
In addition, portability and form factor matter to me. Too thick, large or heavy, and it no longer is a laptop in my eyes.
I don’t get Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup. Let me be upfront and say I have no intention of being an asshole. Or to troll Apple. I am genuinely curious if Apple has improved iPhone 14 (non-Pro) in any significant way over the last year’s model. Even S models from yesteryears had more significant upgrades. If I am wrong, I must have missed reading something between the line.
If there ever was a generation of iPhones that the previous year’s model could be recommended over, this lineup has to be the prime candidate.
I didn’t follow the Apple event live – I was sleeping peacefully, unaware of what Apple was announcing. I’d also skipped the WWDC and Google I/O keynotes. Knowing that the improvements will only be incremental, my excitement for these tech events has dwindled in recent years.
I have been using a MacBook with Touch Bar for the past couple of weeks. I used this panel regularly for the first time. I can see why Apple wanted this to stick – when it works, it works well. For example, Zoom puts the buttons for full screen, mute, and video on/off front and centre. It, no doubt, speeds up the flow. But searching for the escape button is an absolute pain!
Apple screwed up the execution. Instead of replacing the row of function keys, this should have been an additional panel above the keyboard. It was ok even if this was available on the larger MacBooks only. But, alas. Apple knows better.
At a time, visiting Techmeme homepage was a respite from the typical downer news on the front page of mainstream news portals. They debated the political & legal mess we are in and advertised false promises. Instead, I would be excited by all the updates from the tech space – new hardware devices, new software updates.
Sigh! That time is no more. When I visited the Techmeme homepage, it was full of just what I was running from earlier – legal and political mess. And advertisements for stuff that isn’t available yet, something we call rumours.
While I was writing the post yesterday about my dependence on smartphones, I realized how misunderstood the term “dependence” has become in the context of this device. Most articles I read about this assume it is the indulgence or addiction one talks about. I was talking about neither of these – I depend on this device to carry out many of the tasks I regularly do. Unfortunately, this factor gets lost in all the hullabaloo about the addictive nature of smartphones.
It was 10 years ago today that I began a seven-day challenge not to log in to Facebook. I haven’t seen that timeline since then. It was a good, eye-opening challenge in that sense. Nice!