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- It is great to be able to charge them via USB-C, but we are talking about two unites that must be charged. That is not a problem at my office, where I have a charging station for all of my filming equipment. However, if I am working from home or traveling, I must remember that I will need additional charges and cables. Once, I forgot about that, and it was a waste of time since I was able to only charge one at a time.
- More often than not, I forget to turn them off or to plug them in to be charged. Please refer to item one above.
- I’m not sure if this is a design problem or if I got a defective unit, but since day one, I have had to press the buttons hard on both to turn them off. That was a big problem when I started using them, as I wouldn’t notice that they were still on. Please refer to item one above.
- Although they were considered small when released, the microphone part was always heavy enough to make it difficult to wear on t-shirts. In some cases, I end up holding it in my hand, like in this video. I’m aware that there is an option to connect a lapel microphone, but that would defeat the purpose of using a wireless device.
- Apple ID
- iPhone and iPod touch models with iOS 14.5 or later
- iPad models with iPadOS 14.5 or later
I had an incredible conversation with Jijo Sunny, co-founder of Voicenotes.
Early today, I had an incredible conversation with Jijo Sunny, co-founder of Buy Me a Coffee and Voicenotes. He talked about his story and background, how both products came to be, and some ideas and features for the future. And naturally, I had to use the opportunity to try and convince him to make both products compatible with ActivityPub.
The video and the podcast episode will be released in a few days. So, if you enjoy this type of content, please ensure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel or podcast.
Must-Have Feature still MISSING (#Obsidian 1.6)
Obsidian 1.6 has many great new features, but there’s one I’ve been waiting for a while, and it’s not here yet.
I have been brewing this idea for over 10 years!
Everything clicked when I looked at a scrap piece of acrylic board from one of my maker projects.
I want to start by saying that this is not for task management. The goal is to have a clearer view of all of my current and upcoming activities by giving me a bird’s-eye view. Apps like Evernote, Obsidian, and others can handle all the details much better. However, there are still some adjustments I would like to make to the system before I share the specifics of how it works.
For now, let’s talk about the form factor.
I used different colored rubber bands just to make the picture more interesting. The real ones are black, as you can see in the picture of the prototype below. In other words, the colors have no special meaning at all. As for the material and size, there is a reason for that.
Given that it will be on my desk most of the time, I would like to always be able to see what is underneath it. That’s why it is transparent. It is the same size as an A4 sheet of paper, which gives me plenty of room to run my system and safely transport it without losing sticky notes. It’s as easy as slipping it into any folio available on the market. Or, like I’m currently doing, just repurpose the paper ones companies give us with proposals or contracts inside.
I wanted something that could be hackable by anyone, and that’s why I used standard measurements. Nevertheless, I am confident that the equivalent of a letter paper size would be a more suitable option for users in the United States.
As things progressed, being hackable became a must-have aspect. For example, at first, the dividers were created with masking tape, but later, rubber bands were used to make the board easier to adapt to new situations or different uses. In the end, they also proved to be useful in preventing sticky notes from falling off.
Vertical lines create stages that work almost like a Kanban board. Almost! Regarding the horizontal divider, it creates what one of my clients nicknamed Driving Lane (top) and Parking Lane (bottom).
I’ll tell you more about the system soon, but don’t expect anything advanced or complicated. On the contrary, it is something simple that covers all of my needs.
I think the hardware is what freed my mind because until now, I couldn’t make my system work 100% with available software. Ironically, following the construction and testing of the board, it opened my eyes to the possibility of implementing my system on some apps. But now, I’m not certain if I want to go that route. Anyway, I’ll also share more about that soon.
All note-taking apps should implement this new #Android feature.
Even before the DMA came into effect, Android users could choose and set their preferred browser, SMS app, and more. This can be done by going to Settings > Apps > Default app. Now, Google has announced that note-taking applications will also be included in the list.
There will be a shortcut on the lock screen to open the note-taking app without having to unlock the device. It looks similar to the Apple Notes feature on the iPad. But unlike Apple’s walled garden, users will be able to choose their preferred note-taking app.
There are some adjustments to the app that must be made, which are explained in this I/O 2024 video. What I didn’t get is whether this is an Android feature or just meant for tablets running Android.
Even if it’s only for tablets, I think all companies that make note-taking apps should implement the changes needed to use this new feature. We, the users, will appreciate it.
Auto Template Trigger plugin (how-to)
What if I told you there’s a way to set Obsidian to always know what template to add to each of your notes?
Is it time to let GO?
I really love how these guys sound, but they have some design problems that have become annoying over time.
The DJI Mic 2 addresses several of the issues above, as it is smaller and features a charging case that requires only one USB-C cable. However…
When I came across the Hollyland Lark M2, I was blown away. In addition to the charging case, they are minimal and can be attached to a shirt with a magnet. And who doesn’t love magnets?
How about that combo with a USB-C phone receiver?
The only question I still have about it is: Can something as tiny as that sound as good as the Rode Wireless GO?
Evernote 10.91.1. What's new?
Evernote 10.91.1 has only two new features, but stay turned. There are many others coming soon. 🤫 Some of them I’m already testing.
3 mindful options to send #Supernote notes to #Obsidian.
Ever wanted to send your Supernote notes to Obsidian? Well, there are some ways to do that. Some examples include converting a note to PDF, opening Supernote notes in Obsidian, and even screenshotting notes directly into Obsidian. Check out my video below to learn how.
Android's Answer to AirTags is here. Time to switch!
Wait, there’s another competitor. Who would have believed that Tile would pull such a card from its sleeve?
If you go to the AirTag page on Apple’s website, and check the ‘System Requirements and Compatibility’ information, you’ll see this:
As you are already aware, I am a Pixel user, so it was the third item in the list above which convinced me to become an early adopter of AirTags. And even though Apple says the company designed the AirTag to track items, not people or pets, my plan was to do exactly that: attach it to my dog’s collar.
When I asked Drance about parents using AirTags to track their small children (such as during an outing at an amusement park) or pets (we know you’re up to something shady, Fluffy) she was quick to stress that the company designed the AirTag to track items, not people or pets. If parents would like to safely track their young children, she suggests an Apple Watch with Family Setup might be a better choice. (source)
My dog’s AirTag.
When the AirTag arrived, I linked it to my iPad and immediately started testing it. Every time my wife would go on a longer walk with our dog, I would track them simultaneously on Google Maps and Apple ‘Find My’ app. To accomplish that, my wife would leave her iPhone behind and bring an Android that was sharing its GPS location with me.
If she were to take the iPhone with her, it would be too easy for the tracker. My goal was to learn how the AirTag would perform when having to rely on other people’s iPhones to do its thing. And to my surprise, the first tests went very well. The ‘Find My’ app would show our dog about a block behind the Android GPS, which was expected and quite accurate if you ask me.
However, on walks very early in the morning, I would completely lose track of my dog on the map. The same would happen in large and spacious parks. All of that was also expected, but sometimes it was not working, even when she had people around her. Android users, for sure. But that’s not all the problems I experienced.
I don’t know why, but the AirTag alarm would go off every other day even when my dog and the iPad were close to each other. Extremely close to each other. I would be sitting on the couch reading something on the iPad, with my dog lying down by my side.
That I could never fix, even after unpairing, resetting and parring again several times. It was so frustrating that I ended up destroying the AirTag. Relax, it’s not what you are thinking.
We had a trip coming up, and our dog would stay with a pet sitter, which meant she would inevitably face the ‘away from owner’ alarm. As for the ‘AirTag traveling with you’ alert, that’s okay, as I definitely would tell her about the tracker.
Long story short, I decided to disable the speaker altogether. This would also solve the issue of the alarm going off when it wasn’t supposed to. Taking great care, as always, I went about the delicate process. Unfortunately, after the surgery, the AirTag refused to pair.
That was the perfect timing to try the Chipolo Spot, which is compatible with Apple’s network. I bought a 4-pack, and guess what? One of them also had the alarm going off almost every day. Maybe it’s an issue with the iPad parring, since it never happened to the ones paired with my wife’s iPhone.
Google’s Answer to AirTags
A few days ago, I received an email from Google with the news I was expecting for a while and decided to buy new takers.
Find My Device network is coming soon.
You’ll get a notification on your Android devices when this feature is turned on in 3 days. Until then, you can opt out of the network through Find My Device on the web. After the feature is on, you can manage device participation anytime through Find My Device settings on the device.
How it works.
Devices in the network use Bluetooth to scan for nearby items. If other devices detect your items, they’ll securely send the locations where the items were detected to Find My Device. Your Android devices will do the same to help others find their offline items when detected nearby.
Of course, there are plenty of people using iPhones here in Europe, but Apple’s phone is only more popular than Androids in the United States. Android has a much larger market share worldwide, which translates to a potentially wider network for Google’s ‘Find My Device’ service when compared to Apple’s ‘Find My’. And that’s something I’m excited to test.
I purchased another 4-pack, but this time it was a Chipolo Point. Point? What about the Spot? Okay, time to decode Chipolo product line.
Be careful
Similar to Tile, Chipolo already had its own network and was selling distinct tracker models, namely ONE, which resembles a circle, and Card, which resembles, well, a card.
When Apple introduced the AirTags, Chipolo released compatible trackers, which they branded as Chipolo Spot. And now there’s the Chipolo Point, compatible with Google’s ‘Find My Device’ service. The appearance and form factor of the models are the same, no matter the network. So, always pay attention to what you are buying.
The Future
Life360, the parent company of Tile, which has never mentioned trackers compatible with Apple’s or Google’s networks, recently announced a GPS-Bluetooth network in partnership with Hubble Network. What‽
I’ve never heard of this network or the technology before, and am interested to see how a satellite can pick up a Bluetooth signal from Earth. But besides the brief post and hyperbolic video published on Life360 website, there is not much said about anything else. And I have so many questions. For example, will there be a subscription? Will current Tiles work on this network? Does the satellite constellation currently exist?
In any case, I’ll be taking good care of the Tile trackers I still have in my drawer. Except for that one. Yes, the one you might remember, mysteriously disappeared.
A modern note-taking app that gets to the point | #Voicenotes
What if you could take all your notes using only your voice? What if AI could transcribe your voice notes, find any information, and even help you create lists, to-dos, blog posts, and more? For someone like me, Voicenotes reliance on AI is concerning. But maybe that’s precisely what you’ve been looking for.