Tsikbal: from my perspective

Since I got some Otium Beats Bluetooth headphones about a mouth ago, they have become one of my favorite headphones. The sound rather good, and they are comfortable to wear. Yet, I still find myself going back to my wired headphones from time to time. Those are Miniso berry edition, which I got because they are hands free which is a nice thing to have when on the move. I fall back on them when I want to extend battery life, specially when going out for a walk. Yet, the best thing both have in common is that both are in-ear headphones. I find this to be the go to solution when I'm picking headphones to pair with my mobile device. I find them more comfortable to wear on the move, and more practical to store on my bag. All this while packing quite a nice sound, which is a nice thing to have. Still I continue to feel strongly about the 3.5 mm jack on smartphones. Personally, its a must have on my device as an option to be able to continue to listen to music if ...

With the advent of the Internet, and the proliferation of smartphones, we got access to a wealth of knowledge and knowhow like it has never been seen. Almost any tidbit of information we might need to know, or be interested in, is at the tip of our fingers. Yet, this ease of access has also allowed misinformation to be as easily distributed. Sometimes, its hard to know if the information we are accessing is reliable or not. It used to be that how information was distributed, was heavily controlled a few interests. Today, while some of those gatekeepers still hold a strong influence on how information is distributed, its a lot easier to access more sources to be able to get a wider view on whatever issues you are interested in. The main problem now, is how to make sure that the content you are accessing is reliable and the sources where they got the information from. This is why critical thinking is becoming ever a more important tool to understand the content you're in...

I've wanting some Bluetooth headphones for a while, and recently I got a pair of Otium Wireless Sports that a family member gave me. I'm rather pleased with them, since I've found them to be rather comfortable to wear and the sound quality is quite good. The best thing for me, is that they are the form factor I prefer when I'm out. Being in-ear, I find them a lot more comfortable to carry when going out. Not to mention that they are far easier to store on the bar I usually carry, and are that much lighter. Pairing them to my Android device was as painless as it can be, just took me a couple of minutes to do so. Another feature I like, is that it clearly announces when I turn them on or off, and when the connection is made. This not made by some tone, but its announced with a voice recording making it hard not to know what action just happened. Until now, I've always relied on in-ear headsets with the traditional 3.5 mm jack. They did the job for me, bu...

I really enjoy the experience that Android gives me as an user, which has been getting better with time. When I first made the jump to Android about 4 years ago, from Blackberry, I was somewhat weary about the whole thing. I've been a Nokia fan for quite some time, and only moved to Blackberry Bold because it was the only device available when the battery died on my Nokia E63 . While the Bold was quite good, I preferred by far Nokia's experience as a whole. To be honest, I was planning to move to a Nokia C3 or a Nokia N8 . From the Nokia C3 I liked that it had a physical QWERTY keyboard, at the time something really important for me. From the N8, it was a way to tryout a smartphone with a touchscreen from a company I trusted using and Symbian , my favorite mobile OS at the time. But time, and money, conspired against that.  So when the time came, I decided to give Android a chance. It was a Mobo MB405, and it cemented Android as my go to mobile OS. It ran Androi...

As time has gone by, smartphones have become both a fashion statement and a way to stay connected with what matters to us. In more than one way, it has filled the niche that many said would been filled by tablets. And is easy to see why, the form factor of the smartphone is better suited to be carried around a lot easier, while giving us a quick way to access information or share with others with ease. Smartphones allow not only share existent content, but to create content to be shared in real time without having to be physically at the same place with those we want to share it with. Just as important, it allows to do it in an asynchronous way if we choose. There is no need to be connected at the same time to be able to share the experience, since we can access the content later on. Why I consider smartphones fashion statements as well? Because, we choose what model of smartphone we'll buy considering its design. So much so, that in from the entry levels models to the...

Browsing though YouTube , I ran across KaiOS . Its a new OS for feature phones , that allows Internet connectivity. KaiOS can be be seen like somewhat of a successor to Firefox OS , which is now discontinued by Mozilla. The main difference between them, is that KaiOS is squarely designed for feature phones, while Firefox OS was designed for low end smartphones . Personally, I really hope the project is successful. It brings a solid option for those who don't want, or can't afford, a smartphone; while it allows them to remain connected. And being 4G capable, the devices that run it will be supported by carries since it runs on the same networks that smartphones do. Several things give me some hope KaiOS will become an option. To begin with, it already was the support of at least manufactures, including Alcatel and Nokia . Also that Google invested $22 millions on KaiOS . I know that we'll have to wait and see how all it plays out, but this gives me a bit mor...

As a long time Linux user, this article on Forbes by Jason Evangelho about his experience using Ubuntu after ditching Windows is a great example that the Linux desktop is more than good enough for most users. Personally, I would rather go for Linux Mint, but his overall experience comes to show how much the Linux desktop experience has come usability wise. Nowadays, the main reason to use Windows or Mac is mainly specific apps that don't exist, or have a replacement on Linux. Which, is less common thing to happen nowadays. Ever since I moved to Linux, I haven't missed Windows. Skype, Firefox, Spotify, and Dropbox have native support on both Linux Mint and Ubuntu. As such, I still can use them as I did on Windows. The only two apps that didn't have direct replacement where Songbird mainly because it was discontinued, and the Microsoft Office suite . The former was replaced by Rhythmbox , which has become a favorite of mine, and the later with LibreOffice , whi...