2016 iPad Pro 12.9" 256GB GOLD Unlocked Wifi + 4G Tablet

iPad Pro 12.9" - Can it replace a laptop and should you get it?

iPad Pro 12.9" Gold 256GB Wifi + 4G Unlocked + White Smart Cover.

Hi guys, I recently purchased the new 2016 iPad Pro 12.9" with 256GB storage, 4G + Wifi capabilities with a white smart cover.

My mission was to find the best available laptops out there that could satisfy the "It's good in build, maximum functionality and it'll last!" and the iPad Pro 12.9" cannot replace a laptop.

Colour options available for the iPad Pro 9.6" (left) and 12.9" (right).

The iPad Pro satisfied the criteria of having a huge display. If you ever get a chance to play with one of these in the apple store, please give it a go, it's awesome. Being able to see everything in that one screen is excellent. Because it's a tablet, you will have the ability to hold the screen closer to you than you would with a laptop, which allows a significantly clearer view on everything you're working with. 

The battery life on this is great. Up to 10 hours on basic use. I tried to max out a non-stop use and managed to get about 7 hours with full brightness on just wifi.

Build quality: you can't really go wrong with Apple products, they are always aluminium unibodies and they are durable. 

Functionality: That's a no from me. This is still a tablet. I can do a lot more with a laptop hands down. Whatever you can do on a tablet i can do with my laptop, whatever you can do with a laptop, you can't do it on a tablet.

Oh, and if you don't get the keyboard and apple pencil along with the iPad Pro, it's basically an over glorified iPad only, so that being said, the cost comes into play.

Overall conclusion, the iPad Pro 12.9" is a bad investment as there aren't a lot of second hand buyers as well. I would recommend aiming for a laptop, either a MacBook Air or the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon. The Dell XPS 13 is also a good option.

Cheers

Apple 12” MacBook: An overview on living with the 12” MacBook

There are better options out there!

Alternatives

• Apple OS X

• MacBook Air

• Windows (Ranked)

1. Dell XPS 13
2. ASUS UX306
3. Razor Blade Stealth
4. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
5. HP Envy 13
6. Lenovo Yoga 460
7. Acer Aspire S7
8. HP Spectre
9. ASUS Zenbook 3
10. Samsung Notebook 9

Summary 

The 12” MacBook is not a practical tool to possess. It’s not made with productivity in mind. It is solely made to fill a market gap for people who need a slightly better functioning iPad with a keyboard and a trackpad attached to it, oh and to look good and sophisticated as well.

It’s good for simple emailing, browsing and document writing taking into account that you have the criteria of a good portable laptop to fulfill. Should you do any more, I would advice you consider the alternative options mentioned above.

Cons

• Overall size (for use on your lap) is not ergonomic. It's too short in length. You still need a desk for it to be comfortable.
• Keystroke travel are too shallow, you’ll feel the strain on your fingers over time due to the lack of keystroke feedback.
• Smooth but slower performance when compared to the MacBook Air. There is no lag in terms of opening apps however I find that swapping back whilst browsing, the MacBook is less responsive as it has a longer time delay in registering your swipes.
• 1 port only. Apple does not include any adapters in the box and they are not easily available. 
• Holy crap its expensive, the base model is AU$1,999.00.
• Wifi is slow, even though Apple says it has AC.

Pros

• It can be charged by a battery pack for your phone :D
• Force touch trackpad. Apple is always #1.
• Retina display. Display is awesome and sharp.
• Damn! It’s light.
• It feels awesome to touch and very durable.
• PORTABLE!!! 8 hours battery life.
• There is no fan noise. Completely fan-less. Definitely good for a library.

The Long Story

The first thing I noticed when I got the new MacBook was that I could not sync my iPhone to it. As all lightning cables are USB Type A, there was just no way to connect them to the Mac without having to cough out another AU$100 or so to get an adapter.

I really wish apple would just enable a way for us to connect all our Mac devices wirelessly straight out of the box. I mean they are all tied to the same Apple ID and IP address in the same household, it shouldn’t really be too much of a security issue to enable that. 

Next up is the keyboard. Apple Senior Vice President, Philip W. Schiller emphasised the new butterfly mechanism that that allows the thin form factor of the MacBook by reducing the keystroke height. I found that after a week of using the new MacBook, I find myself typing a lot harder on the MacBook in order to get a better keystroke feedback.

As many reviewers mentioned, the MacBook is a little ahead of its time. We do often get plagued with useless hardware that comes with our laptops, so the idea of a universal port is great, leaving the adapter choice to the user.

Battery life, the MacBook could easily beat the MacBook Air in terms of battery life should they have kept the MacBook Air's display instead of a Retina. This would help Apple achieve a better vision of a truly wireless world rather than the air-pods. None the less, with the world all moving towards the world of USB-C ports, we now have the ability to charge the laptop with a battery pack rather than having to look for a wall plug when we are in dire need of a charge. As the idea is still ahead of its time, there aren't a lot of battery packs out there that are made for this.

So for the new Mac users, I would advice that you explore the alternative such as the MacBook Air. It’s the practical choice. MacBook Air is portable, gives you a much better performance, you have a better keystroke, comfortable, cheaper, i mean it just beats the MacBook hands down in all things.

For the Mac veterans, I believe I need not mention more. There’s the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13” available. As this article is about the MacBook 12”, I’m writing with the mind set that you are looking for something portable, long battery life, comfortable and well looks good to boot. 

For those that are concerned about the price, windows based alternatives will happily fulfill your needs. I would recommend the Lenovo if cost is an issue. 

Charging MacBook 12" with a battery pack

Charging MacBook

Battery Pack charging via USB C 

The new MacBook 12” comes with a USB-C port that handles all processes of data transfer and charging.

I experimented with the XiaoMi 5200 mAH battery pack with a DC 5.1V/1.5A output. 

In order to charge the laptop with the above mentioned battery pack output, I found that the MacBook battery level has to be under 24%. Once the battery level hits 24% the battery will stop charging. 

This is due to the MacBook’s wattage. It will overpower that of the battery pack, causing a reverse charge instead. 

Should the battery pack remain connected to the MacBook at a battery level of above 25% I can confirm that a reverse charge will initiate and drain the MacBook's battery instead.

So battery packs are good to sustain the MacBook's battery life while in use but not enough to actually charge it completely unless you turn the MacBook off.

This method will only come into handy in the event that a wall plug is not within reach and you need to get more work done on the laptop. 

Technically speaking any work you can get done on the MacBook can be achieved on an iPhone as well as the MacBook is not really good or powerful enough to handle anything else, so I would actually save the battery pack's power to keep the iPhone charged up rather than charge the MacBook. This will give you a much better value in overall time to be online.

Google Chrome Error after BootCamp

Google Chrome 

Unable to open Google Chrome App in OS X Yosemite after boot camp assist installation

After I installed Boot Camp Assist on my MacBook Pro Retina with Windows 8, there was a glitch in my Mac OS X Yosemite system that prevents the Google Chrome App from opening.

Image 1: Google Chrome app will not open and constantly closes the moment its selected.

I double checked the logs and apparently there was some form of glitch and to save the original signed in profile's data from being corrupted Google Chrome will automatically close to preserve the data. 

Unfortunately I’m unfamiliar with a way to save all the data in the browser and the only option I could work out was to reset the glitch by reinstalling Google Chrome.

Mac OS X never just deletes a program and allow a clean install, so in order to do that you’ll need to access the application support. 

Below are the instructions on how to do a clean install without having to download and reinstall the googlechrome.dmg.

Firstly we’ll need to get into your hidden Library Folder. There are apparently a few library folders in the system. The Library Folder that we’re trying to access is the one with all the support data. 

image 2: Finder > Go > hold down on ‘option’ key > Library.

As the folder is hidden, you’ll need a simple trick to access the library folder. Just open Finder, select the ‘Go’ tab up top, hold down on the ‘option’ key on your keyboard and voila, the hidden Library folder magically appears as shown in image 2.   

Once inside, go to Application Support > Google > Chrome and DELETE the ‘Chrome’ folder.

image 3: Pathway to Chrome Folder.

Once deleted, open the Google Chrome app and you’ll be prompted to re-enter all your login details and hey presto, the app works again.

Duct Tape iPhone 5S Case

For those that in need of an iPhone 5S case just to prevent it from being scratched however do not wish to wait for the option of purchasing an overpriced case nor do you mind the look of it perhaps you would like to try using Duct Tapes as a protective adhesive.

Just like putting over a protective layer for a book, this can also be applied for your phone.

So for all you that are curious of how it would turn out here's what I did to my iPhone 5S.

The experience of using the duct tape is without a doubt not as nice as to having a case as I can't seem to be able to smooth out the corners. The duct tape on the corners still protrude out and cause an uncomfortable feel to it.

However this was rather practical.

I used duct tape as I needed a thin protective layer to prevent it from being scratched also so that I can use it with my charging dock. Cases become a nuisance and prevents me from using the phone with the dock.

Downsides dealing on Gumtree

When you're dealing a lot on Gumtree you get a taste of what retailers go through just about everyday and they are not good.

Firstly there are people who cannot comprehend the idea that there are people whom are trying to get the most out of their used items, in monetary value terms. The posted price could even be above retail prices. This is of course based on the supply and demmand if you have any concept of it, for example when iPhone 5S first came out and was basically sold out, there's a low supply and high demmand so people do get to sell it at a higher price.

That being said, there seems to be a huge amount of people whom have the uncanny desire to share their ridiculous thoughts on Gumtree. This usually comes combined with insults and possibly some swearing just to mess around with you.

As to why they feel the need to insult on a ridiculous notion and not be able to keep it to themselves, it's because you're leading a very unfulfilled life and need some form of affirmation that people give a damn on what you think.

Write a blog and leave creating negative impacts to the politicians. If you want to pick a fight please do it face to face rather than hiding behind encrypted emails

After you insult someone, you actually expect people to respond kindly and only to be shocked by a "F*** You" reply. I mean come on, what the hell are you hoping to get HOT HEAD?

And Gumtree apparently won't do anything about it. So just take note when dealing in Gumtree, prepare yourself for some significant verbal abuse.

Why oh Why Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung Galaxy S5 G-S900I Smartphone.

Figure 1: Samsung Galaxy S5 Gold (Notebooks.com Inc, 2014). 

RECOMMENDATION: Not for everyone

ALTERNATIVES: HTC ONE M8

In a word “CHEAP”. Not the price tag but the feel of it. Cheap is what I would describe the Brand New Samsung Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone and it’s a phone you would prefer not to be seen with.

For those that understand the value of $894 let alone $894 for a mobile phone, you’ll soon understand the phrase “NOT value for money”.

Firstly I am a big Android fan and somehow Samsung seems to do it for me better than the other brands such as HTC, Nexus, Sony and LG. The Samsung Galaxy S3 was one of the greatest android smartphones I’ve ever used. I eventually upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and has stuck with it ever since.

Samsung worked for me primarily due to the ease of the User Interface (UI); yes it’s easier to use than Pure Google Nexus, the physical home button that other android smartphones lack, the long battery life and the incorporation of numpads on top of the keyboard. Samsung’s camera was also somewhat better or as good as the other top flagships like the HTC ONE and Sony Xperia Z1.

Figure 2: Harvey Norman selling the Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB for $894 (Harvey Norman, 2014).

Samsung tried to spruce up the value of its flagship smartphone with useless gimmicks for the S4 like the smart scroll that doesn’t work for nuts. The air view/air gestures are useless in low light conditions and the addition of a TV infrared remote control in a smartphone though was impressive at first for showing off but soon became obvious that its just something for kids and impractical but none the less, the S4 was still the one that worked better for me than the rest of the android smartphones.

Figure 3: The Samsung Galaxy S series from left to right, Samsung Galaxy S5, S4, S3, S2 (Redmond Pie, 2014). 

Now with the new S5, Samsung has repeated its mistakes and possibly made the phone somewhat even worse. Holding a Samsung S5 doesn’t make it feel special in any way, in fact it makes you wonder at the back of your head if it’s a fake phone. Samsung is claiming that despite its physical appearance its operating system combined with the new software’s included makes it something to be marvelled at.

Figure 4: Samsung Galaxy S5 User Interface (UI) (Cyberzone, 2014).

 

Samsung also claims that it is better than other smartphones including that of iPhones because it is water resistant (because they can’t make it waterproof like SONY), it has a heart rate monitor (for which “EVERYONE” has a use for and other companies was incapable of putting it in their flagships) and added security with a fingerprint scanner (for which iPhone has already marketed).

Samsung then further made “impressive progress” with its UI by putting in so many more icons for each function of the phone that it no longer takes a short time to access the settings but longer.

At this point the only competition the S5 has is the HTC ONE M8. I would have to say if I’m going to spend $894 on a phone, I would look at the HTC ONE M8 first. It’s not without flaws either but it’s a much better option to the S5.

In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is somewhat a disappointment. I’m not sure if this was one of the main reasons that led to the firing of Samsung S5’s chief designer. I would highly advice you to check out the HTC ONE M8 or just stick with the S4.

Works Cited

1.     Cyberzone. (2014, May 25). Samsung Galaxy S5 Review. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from Samsung Galaxy S5 Review: http://www.smcyberzone.com/reviews/4850

2.     Harvey Norman. (2014, May 25). Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB Smartphone - Black . Retrieved May 25, 2014, from Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB Smartphone - Black : http://www.harveynorman.com.au/samsung-galaxy-s5-smartphone.html

3.     Notebooks.com Inc. (2014, May 25). Gotta Be Mobile. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from ANDROID GALAXY S5 MOBILE SAMSUNG New Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Planned: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/05/07/verizon-samsung-galaxy-s5-release/

4.     Redmond Pie. (2014, May 25). Samsung Galaxy S5 vs S4 vs S3 vs S2 vs S [Size Comparison]. Retrieved May 25, 2015, from Samsung Galaxy S5 vs S4 vs S3 vs S2 vs S [Size Comparison]: http://www.redmondpie.com/samsung-galaxy-s5-vs-s4-vs-s3-vs-s2-vs-s-size-comparison/