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1. Removed a scratch on my Apple Watch glass using toothpaste and a soft paper towel. Try this at your own risk. But, it worked for me.
2. Fitbit Inspire HR one week later
3. Goodbye Google Daydream VR. Ref: The Verge
4. Google announcements
   Pixel 4

   Pixelbook Go – too expensive despite a price lower than earlier models

   New Pixel Buds Rumors of new AirPods with noise cancellation.

5. Jamovi free and open statistical software
6. Jon got his Apple Smart Keyboard replaced – died after 10 months of use. I, like Todd, am starting to think these things just aren’t made for daily use

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

Jon Westfall and I are back after a three week hiatus due to schedule conflicts.

1. Did Jon upgrade to MacOS Catalina?
   Yes… but not much difference other than no 32-bit apps. A few older games now live on my 2009 Macbook Pro that hasn’t gotten an upgrade since El Capitan. Seem to be a bit more bugs in iOS / MacOS this year though, just glitchy things which didn’t seem to show up in iOS until the past week or two.
2. Todd:My Fitbit One (nearly 6 years old) is fading away. Its button no longer functions as of two days ago. So, I can’t activate the display (minor) or start sleep tracking (moderately annoying). I tweeted with Fitbit and learned their newish Inspire models can be used without its band. So, I bought one this weekend. It doesn’t have a floor climbing feature. But, it has a number of new interesting features.
3. Bought Rogue Amoeba Fission audio editor for my Mac hoping it could replace both Audacity (Open Source audio editor) and the freeware Levelator. But, it looks like it will only be able to replace Levelator. It doesn’t seem to have all the Audacity features I need to process a podcast.
4. Bought a Brother P-Touch Bluetooth label printer. It doesn’t have a keyboard and requires a smartphone or tablet to create labels.
5. A $350 3D printer? Prusa Mini
6. What to expect at Google’s October 15 Pixel launch event

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

Jon Westfall and I discuss the most interesting items (to us) from Apple’s Fall 2019 announcements on Sept. 10.

1. First: Happy 20th birthday to WiFi
   History of WiFi
2. iPhone 11 Pro
   Still has Lightning connector. Not USB-C
   Three lenses – 3rd for ultra-wide – 120 degree view
   2x optical zoom “out” as well as in
   Night Mode (like Android Night Sight)
   Video: What is “audio zoom”?
   Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
3. iOS 13
   High-Key Mono photos
   Portrait lighting control
   Nearly every tool and effect you use on your photos can be used on videos, including rotate, crop, and auto enhance.
   Maps has new features (catch up to Google Maps?)
   Silence unknown callers
   Carrier‑verified Calls
4. Apple Watch Series 5
   No sleep tracking!
   Always on display
   Noise app w/alerts
   Watch app store
   Dexcom G6 glucose monitor – requires additional hardware
   Built-in compass
5. 10.2-inch iPad (not Air, not Pro)
   Starts at $329
   Lightning connector (still)
6. Jon’s running ios 13.1 on iPhone, iPadOS on his iPad, and Watch OS 6 on his watch. All are pretty stable thus far!
7. What to do with an old Macbook that you can’t upgrade to modern software – Load vintage operating systems.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

1. Free lifetime subscription for Enlight Pixaloop for owners of “selected” Chromebooks
2. Android 10 update hit my Pixel 3a
3. 40th anniversary Sony Walkman – Android-based
4. OpenSource PowerToys are back for Windows 10
   Available from GitHub
5. Sept. 10 Apple event
6. Jon’s Quick Rant; Come on Google – I just logged into Yahoo and it pushed a 2FA prompt to my watch! Yours still requires you open the GMail app on my phone. You’re being shown up BY YAHOO!

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

In this podcast Jon Westfall and I discuss:

Android 10 release on Sept. 3?

Android Q – aka 10 – features

Apple Watch sleep tracking

Screen Replacement Program for Aluminum Models of Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3 (see image on the left)

Tariffs on electronics starts on Dec. 15. Should I buy a new laptop now?

Jon’s gone back to three old favorites: Drafts, Fantastical 2, and 2Do. 2Do is just prettier than outlook tasks and more customizable. Drafts is a little annoying now that it’s subscription based, but it also has some very nice customization capabilities. In the end, they both do what I need – FAST data entry for to-dos and appointments.

Todd’s swamp cooler. AKA Mini Negative Ion Air Conditioning Fan.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

Jon Westfall and I are joined by guest panelists Frank McPherson, Steven Hughes, Sven Johannsen, and Jack Cook for this podcast. We discuss the best tech that we’ve bought over the past year.

Todd:
Good year for hardware upgrades: Pixel 3a, iPad mini 5, & Acer Chromebook Spin 13.
Doodling using an Acer Chromebook Spin 13 and Infinite Painter

Frank:

iPad mini 5
Google Titan security key

Jack
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Power Juice

Steve:
Hardware:
Kokoon Headphones

Kokoon – The Best Noise Cancelling Headphones for Sleep and Relaxation

Yubico Security Key NFC – have 3 – one on me, one in my Firesafe and another in a secure location.

Security Key Series

Software:
1.1.1.1 / Cloudflare Warp Free DNS VPN makes your internet faster.
Warp + VPN and Speed boost coming soon..or any other paid VPN service is now a must have-recommend Nord and Express VPN- Jon uses Private Internet Access make sure there is third party auditing done

Another must have is Password minder I use LastPass works with Yubico.

Brave browser – https://brave.com/ free secure alternative supports content via Brave rewards
Next:
New iPhone 11 -XR (whatever they call it) if technology is worth the squeeze OR
New Sony Axxxx small mirrorless camera – rumored announcement coming 8/29.
New MacBook Air/Pro – don’t need it yet because there is no “need” kinda done with PCs and Chromebooks and Apple surprisingly supports their hardware for
quite a long time you can get a “used” MacBook Air / Pro for $200-$300.

Sven:
Not much new big tech. Happy with 2015 MacBook, Surface 5, iPhone X, Pixel 3. Not helping the tech companies all that much.
Have picked up new AirPods in Qi case, PowerBeats3, Uni USB-C hub (dock/port replicator)(https://uniaccessories.io/collections/latest-innovation/products/usb-c_8in1_hub)
Signed up for Remote PC (https://www.remotepc.com/index.html) $6.95 first year for 10 PCs [code Leo]
Nice accessories
Hard Cider Slice, two phones plus Apple watch
SliceCharge 2 Wireless Charging Mat (with 30W USB-C Power Adapter)
Native Union Smart Hub Bridge (Power) 8′ cord, 2 AC, 3 USB-A, 1 USB-C
https://www.nativeunion.com/smart-hub-bridge/
Peak Designs Tech Pouch
Tech Pouch
Color Laser printers are dirt cheap…toner cartridges are not 😉
(https://www.bestbuy.com/site/brother-hl-l3270cdw-wireless-color-printer-white/6265819.p?skuId=6265819)
Google pissed me off. Credit card hold for replacement Pixel 3…$899. New one is $599 and they were sending a refurbished unit. Really? Seems evil.

Jon:
iPad Pro 11 inch amazes me how indispensable it is.
Purchased a Sony DSC-HX99
Slowly slipped back into the Apple Ecosystem after being split Windows/Mac for a few years. Why? Integration.
2FA is done effectively through Apple Watch pushed challenges (Duo and MS Authenticator).
However, in the MS ecosystem for office / most email / productivity. And it’s integration with iOS (And Android for that matter) is really much tighter than I think we ever would have expected years ago.
Little things taken for granted: QNAP Nas home server with multiple VMs running and internal networking (has 4 NIC ports, supports link aggregation). Fun setup to play with and work through.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.