Tag Archives: iPhone

A Clever Hack?

29 Mar

Nowadays, we see people staying connected with their devices all the time, regardless of location. It’s so bad being so attached and dependent on our devices 24/7. If it wasn’t for staying updated with news or social media, it is for games, music, or movies. It is as if a minute of not being connected, one will be so out of touch. Isn’t this terrible?

I confess I am just as guilty, but only at home, with my attachment to my devices. The iPad Mini is mostly for games and movies, and the old iPhone 5S or iPhone XR is for my Spotify music on loop. I leave my iPhone 14Plus for communication and occasional news updates. Separately, I have a Kobo eReader for reading my novels, sparing my eyes from the glare of the iPad.

However, when I travel, I abide by the airline rules and don’t fuss with my devices, keeping them in the bag and turning on the flight mode. After all, the airline does offer some entertainment as an alternative, especially the long hauls. And anything less than a three-hour flight, I have learned and can live without my devices for that few hours being airborne.

On my recent return journey from Hanoi, the passenger in front did not put away his iPhone as he was deeply engrossed in watching the sitcom “Friends.” I couldn’t help but admire his clever hack of using the Air Sickness Bag to feed his sitcom fixation.

The tray table had to be closed, so he used the bag to hold his phone in place to watch hands-free! So clever. But clever as it seems, you won’t catch me doing this for my trips on a flight and leaving the bag intact for its actual usage.

Hand-free using the Air Sickness Bag

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A New Tracker, Part 2

19 Aug

I have been using a fitness tracker for many years and currently using the wearable Xiaomi Mi Band2. I started off with the simple Tanita pedometer that tracks steps, distance and calories. It was perfect until I misplaced it.

So when we were in Paris back in 2013, I used an app on my iPhone to track my steps. But that didn’t work out too well. I remember I lost count on several thousand steps when I was walking from one museum to another. Upset, I bought another tracker from Decathlon, a sports store in Paris to use.

But the Geonaute OnStep 100 pedometer was big and clunky and I was stuck with it until out of the blue, I found my first pedometer. I ended up alternating each to use. And it was a hassle because of battery replacement issues.

Soon after, the Xiaomi Mi Band 1S came about and I was on to it, casting the two pedometers aside. Now, with the latest Mi Band2, missed counts, dead batteries and clunkiness are no longer an issue to stress over and the Mi Band 1S joins the other two in retirement despite having new replacement strap.

 

You served me well, thanks

 

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Times Have Changed

9 Jun

I look at M2 now having her school holidays and can’t help but reminisce what I did during my school holidays when I was 15 dinosaur years ago. 

Frankly, I don’t recall doing what she is doing now – sleeping in every morning (Mom would have my hide!), having late brunches, staying indoors as much as possible and surrounded by all the Apple devices: the iPhone to talk to friends on WhatsApp, the iPad for some playtime in between the studying at the dining table in the afternoon, the iPod and MacBook Air for goodness knows what else.

I do remember watching a fair bit of TV, playing with my dog in the garden, climbing my favorite tree, whacking a few tennis balls against the wall of the car porch, talking to imaginary friends and occasionally talking to a real friend on the house telephone. Half the time I was outdoors and never once I sat at the dining table to study!

Yep, times have changed. Gone are the days when one simply enjoys the outdoors, breathe in the fresh air and not worry about keeping up. It was always a happy-go-lucky situation. Nowadays, it’s a constant worry to keep up, staying connected and being indoors!

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Michael 2.0

1 Apr

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It’s been raining again lately and this has caused a lot of woes in the garden. For starters, snails are crawling everywhere and this is detrimental to the plants. Hubby has declared war on them and the last two nights, he’s gone out to catch them.

Armed with the torchlight from the iPod and iPhone, the girls and him have had quite a catch. M2 decided to keep one and named it Michael, as if it’s a new pet. Don’t ask.

Last night, more were caught and Michael 2.0 became the latest addition. Let’s see if there will be Michael the III the next day…

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Decisions! Decisions!

7 Oct

I wrote this prior to achieving the unimaginable. I thought I would be stuck at level 425 for my Candy Crush for awhile but I finally conquered the level on Saturday night. Now comes the predicament (again). To move forth by playing on the laptop or wait for the update on the iPad. Hmm… Decisions, decisions. I chose to move forth and fellow candy crushers have sent me tickets to see me through. Thank you!

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Thanks to my fellow Candy Crushers, I have moved on, on the laptop. Bye folks!

My second predicament is my other game, Zookeeper Battle. It now has an update to be in line with iOS7!!! Oh dear. Just last week, I decided to prolong the update of my iPad to the new OS for as long as I can. And now, my second favorite game has an update. Hmm… Decisions, decisions (again). For this, I’d say status quo for now.

I must say as days pass, fiddling with my updated iPhone4, certain features of the new OS are nice. I particularly like the torchlight and I listen to my music more. But I still do not like the green and blue colors of the bubble text messages. And the biggest unlike is the passcode to key in every time I want to use the phone. While this may be an added security feature, I think it’s an extra step and effort.

So my iPad remains as is, and my Zookeeper as well. For how long, we shall see. And if you must know, I zipped through the new chapter in the candy saga and am now at Level 433.

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This is Not a Review of iOS7

26 Sep

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I reach for is my iPhone to look at the time, then the iPad to play Zookeeper Battle, followed by Candy Crush. This morning is no different from always but I groaned when I saw a prompt on the iPad to update the OS to iOS7!

Oh no! Do I have to?

Two days ago, I gave in to update my iPhone4. Initially I was skeptical to do so, knowing there will be limited features that my phone is capable of; so I wanted to wait it out and hear a little more feedback from friends to be sure before taking the plunge. I am also a creature of habit and don’t like my comfort zone disrupted; my phone being what it is now is a comfort and I am in my zone. But when I did hear nothing but positive raves, I went ahead and updated.

Right after I did the update, I felt so let down. My phone is now so ugly, flat and devoid of depth. I kept comparing it with my iPad to see the difference and without hesitation, decided to not update my iPad for as long as I can.

iOS7-iPhone

See how flat and unappealing it looks.

iOS7-iPad

So pretty, no?

It didn’t help that on the homefront prior to the update, M2 kept pestering me when will I buy the new phone so that she could inherit the current model. She even dispensed with manners and just came right to the point asking when will I change my phone? When I stared daggers at her, she changed tactic and nagged me at when will I update the OS instead? Hrmph.

That night, I lamented about the flatness of the phone, M2 quickly pounced on it and pointed out that since it’s now ugly, and I don’t like it (and she does) she will just take my phone! Eeesh… The child is just notorious.

But ugly as it is, I have to learn to like it. After all, there’s no turning back to iOS6 (and silly to pay or hack to downgrade) or heaven forbid, consider migrating to an Android phone! So learn I did.

Despite its lack of depth and being so flat in looks, it is nice in terms of operating system, definitely an upgrade. There’s a range of new ring tones besides the many features already reviewed by techies and all out there, so I will not delve in this. It’s the look that I am not used to, it’s so flat. I was horrified to see the message bubble coming out so green, Granny Smith would be envious of the green being more green than their apples. When highlights and depths are taken away, what you end up with is a flat horrid shade that totally lacks character. Having said that, the iMessage blue is no better.

Also, I miss the green felt in GameCenter. I feel so lost in the new layout.

So will I update my iPad? I think I will wait a while longer.

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Chat

Day at the Museum

22 Jul

It’s another hot day and a very long queue to see Mona Lisa!

The hubby and the brother went off for their business meeting, so I am left to discover Paris on my own. Donning my super comfy Blundstone walking boots instead of sandals, I took the train from Gare de L’est to Musee du Louvre.

I am determined to visit the Louvre this time as I missed it on my last trip here, back in 2008. And being a single person tourist today, things are moving quite fast. Good.

The buzz inside is so reverberating. Didn’t realize that the lure of art is so strong for people from all over the world.

Sculptors amazes me. They get so right into the details of the anatomy right down to the butt crack! Lovely cheeks, no? This was just a small detour before the big attraction.

Ceiling art are also amazing pieces of work. How do these artists endure the neck cramp painstakingly getting the details for us to appreciate? I get a neck cramp by just looking at all these!

Like every other ardent tourist, I made my way to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa.

Alas! Being a short person I can’t even get close. This is the closest! I think it is overrated. At least cameras are allowed unlike the Sistine Chapel where everyone has to be hushed while being ushered in.

Mona looks green, probably from all the attention and nausea from the noise and smell. Hahaha….

Why is she such a fascination? I think it is more of the ‘been there, seen it, done that’ syndrome that people are thronging Room 6.

The crowd is just too much and I am getting a headache from it all. So am plugged into my music to drown out all the museum excitement which I don’t really need as I explore and jot my observations along the way.

I attempted again, sucker for the ‘been there, done that’! And succeeded to get a closer picture.

I find this picture comical. How does one go to war without any loincloth or something to cover that part of the anatomy?! Aren’t they putting themselves at risk for such exposure? Tsk! Tsk!

It is interesting to note also that while sculptures are crafted with so much details on the body muscles and hair on the head and crotch, all sculptures do not have armpit hair! Maybe this is deemed ugly that can mar the beauty of the body?

I have been wandering through the many halls housing many themes and era of art pieces. Three hours into my exploration, I have walked 2.78km and took 7948 steps and burnt 164.1 calories. Yes, I am one of those who likes to record my physical efforts. I lost my pedometer awhile back but thank goodness for the iPhone, I have an app on it to do the job!

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