Byte Gremlin

iPhone X to 13 Pro Max Review

November 5, 2021 by Charlie

Max VS X

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I know. There’s already two billion iPhone 13 Pro Max reviews out there.

But in researching for my own upgrade, I couldn’t find anything in-depth on the experience of transitioning from the (very popular) iPhone X to the much larger and heavier Pro Max. It seems like the bulk of the respectable nerd reviewers out there see the existence of the Max iPhone as a kind of evolutionary joke (“how big ARE your thumbs?”) and their reviews tend to focus on the smaller Pro size. Finally, reviewers these days seem to have assumed that everyone has already settled on what size device they prefer, but I sure hadn’t.

The state of the iPhone lineup has changed quite a bit since I last decided between the big phone and the really big phone, and so I’m sharing my experience shifting to the iPhone Maximus.

In fact, I was so ambivalent about which size iPhone to get, that I went a little nuts and made myself a true to size/weight prototype to carry around in my pocket for a few days before pulling the trigger.

My Brilliant (or crazy?) iPhone Pro Max Mockup

The state of the iPhone lineup has changed quite a bit since I last decided between the big phone and the really big phone, and so I’m sharing my experience shifting to the iPhone Maximus.

Thoughts on Oculus Quest 2 (from a PCVR Die-Hard)

February 9, 2021February 9, 2021 by Charlie

Quest 2, hope you like white

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I want to hate Oculus’s latest headset, Quest 2. See, I’m part of the contingent of VR early adopters. We’re a stoic bunch, who have eagerly braved the waters of expensive, buggy, content-sparse, difficult to setup VR headsets while the rest of the world scratched their heads. Why? Because for us, these early years of VR have given us transformational experiences that have left flatscreen games feeling dull and uninviting, like leaving The Avengers in IMAX for a black & white movie—with subtitles.

I’ve written previously about my downright distaste for the approach taken by the original Quest.

Unfortunately, most of the world has disagreed, either because they’ve neglected to try VR, or are simply frustrated by its inherent clunkiness and price. I’ve spent the last few years arguing passionately in favor of that initial vision for VR, complete with a bulky headset, cables, and an expensive attached gaming PC. Quest 2 is almost the polar opposite of that approach. Comparatively light, inexpensive, and lacking the hyper-precision of external tracking or the raw power of an external PC, it’s the antithesis of the Valve Index headset I’ve put on a pedestal. I’ve written previously about my downright distaste for the approach taken by the original Quest.

So naturally, I want to hate Quest 2. Unfortunately, Oculus has made that very difficult indeed.

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Apple Watch Series 5: The Watch Exits Beta

October 5, 2020October 25, 2019 by Charlie

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Having worn Apple Watch Series 5 every day for the last month, I’m ready to give it a thorough evaluation. Every tech review is dependent on the perspective and priorities of the reviewer, so I’ll start by giving you mine.

I’ve been an Apple Watch wearer since the original released in 2015. I wear my watch every day from the moment I get out of the shower around 7:30am, till I hit the hay around 11PM. While I do make use of the fitness tracking features, I’m about as far from a “fitness guy” as can be imagined, and so my interests in wearable tech lie more in its ability to provide critical information at a glance.

Here’s my personal priorities for the Apple Watch, ranked from most to least relevant to me.

Functioning as a quality time piece
Providing useful interactive data such as to-do lists, weather reports, and notifications for messages, calendar events and phone calls
Consistent access to Siri for quick queries, setting timers etc.
Health and safety monitoring (I.E. EKG measurements, fall detection and 911/SOS functionality)
Battery Life
Fitness tracking
Wrist access to Apple Pay

I provide some of my rational for buying any smartwatch here, but if you’re looking to know why you’d buy a smart watch in the first place, check out my overview of Apple Watch.

On to the review!

As a Sci-Fi writer, I’m always more interested in the alternative viewpoint: how close is this product to its ideal iteration, regardless of what technology allows for right now?

The DIY Path to Better Acoustics

October 5, 2020September 20, 2019 by Charlie

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I’ve recently completed my first pass at transforming the acoustics of my theater, and let me start by saying, the difference was mind-blowing. Roughly $300 later, movie dialogue is easier to understand, the operatic tones of John Williams are richer, and action sequences are more enveloping.

In short, I feel like I have a whole new theater for less than I spent on a single speaker.

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Valve Index: A Comprehensive Review

October 5, 2020July 31, 2019 by Charlie

The Beast

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Since the dawn of modern VR in 2016, two companies, Oculus and Valve, have dominated the development and consumer releases of VR headsets. Now, after three years of quietly spearheading the underlying tracking technology and design for the HTC Vive, Valve has gone hands-on, in the form of the Valve Index.

Valve has been characteristically blunt about their goal with this headset. This is not the “bang for your buck” option. Rather, this is their play at dominating the premium, minimal compromise market for Virtual Reality HMDs (Head Mounted Displays).

As always, the Gremlin stands ready to put it through its paces.

Kill, Marry, F… : VR Headset Edition

October 15, 2019May 17, 2019 by Charlie

VR is at a weird, uncomfortable phase of its evolution. It’s not quite the next big thing, nor is it a dead parrot. And yet, the leaders in the industry have announced a new generation of headsets, each of which pushes the medium in a very different direction. The situation has left both would-be adopters and die-hard fans scratching their heads as to where they should spend their well-earned (or dubiously earned) scratch.

So I might as well pay off that click-baitish headline. You’ve got three options: The Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest, or the surprise HMD: Valve Index. As with the childhood game, these choices are a bit subjective, so bear in mind that this is all firmly IMHO.

Let’s break it down.

Nest: The One Google Product I Can’t Abandon

October 5, 2020February 12, 2019 by Charlie

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I’ve never been Google’s biggest fan. Ask Mrs. Gremlin, and you’ll learn that my anti-Google tirades are frequent and annoying. I don’t use Google Maps, Gmail, or even Google Search when I can avoid it. Yet somehow, I’ve been using two thermostats by Nest (a Google/Alphabet subsidiary) for over five years. That’s how much I love this product.

Recommended PC Builds (2019 Edition)

October 5, 2020January 10, 2019 by Charlie

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For those considering building your own PC (which I highly recommend), I’ve created these recommended builds with various uses and goals in mind.

These part sets have been devised to maximize performance per dollar, compatability, and minimal bottlenecking (where a cheap part restricts performance of more expensive components).

If you’d like to know more about how to compile a list of compatible parts yourself, check out my other guide here.

Apple Watch: What Is It Good For?

October 5, 2020December 19, 2018 by Charlie

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The Apple Watch is a weird product. It’s expensive, almost all of its features mimic functionality of smartphones, and at its core, it’s reinventing a personal accessory widely viewed by (most) technophiles as an anachronism.

It’s also my favorite tech gadget ever. Here’s why:

Life with a Roomba 960 (A Review)

October 5, 2020November 13, 2018 by Charlie

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For the last few years, the Gremlin has followed the development of robotic vacuums with some interest. Any piece of technology that removes or mitigates a daily life annoyance is something I enthusiastically embrace, but until three months ago, I had avoided the Roomba.

Why? Because every Roomba owner I knew seemed distinctly “meh” about them. On paper, they seemed to be the perfect solution to minimizing time spent cleaning the house, but friends unfurled rumblings of navigation problems, poor performance over time, and a general sense that their robotic companions created as much hassle as they removed. In addition, we live in a two story house with a step-down family room on the lower level, meaning that a single automated vacuum could only clean part of the house. They’re also expensive, and even the most ardent fans admit that they don’t completely remove the need for a good old fashioned human controlled hoovering.

Today, the Gremlin is here to give you an honest assessment of how valid these concerns turned out to be, using my experience with the Roomba 960 over our initial months together.