Linux Mint 22.1 Xia: a solid point release.

It has been about a week since I upgraded to the Linux Mint 22.1 Xia,  and it has been one of the best point releases Linux Mint has had in a while.

The change that has proven to have the most impact on me, as an user, is the ability to change the power setting on my laptop. I've seen a mayor battery life improvement when I set the power setting to power saving when not plugged in, and one of several hour. It has gone up from about 4 hours, to about 8 from a full battery charge.

Other than that, it has been a great point release so far for my daily use. Now, I'm looking forward for Wayland to supersede X11.

And that's why I like Linux Mint, it give a modern OS that only changes things when necessary and it just works. It isn't at the bleeding edge of Linux, but I don't need to be at the bleeding edge. I just need at the system that just work.

Linux Mint 22.1 Xia upgrade upcoming.

Linux Mint 22.1 Xia around the corner, I'd be looking to upgrade from Linux 22 Wilma. Even though is a point release, and it focuses more on stability, I'm looking forward to it.

The main reason being the upgrade to Cinnamon 6.4, is that it brings upgrades to the user experience. While user interface is quite good, the upgrades coming up seem to make the user interface better. Which is not a big deal as a whole, but quite welcomed for someone like me that apprentices a both form and function on the the things I use on daily basis.

Also the improved system stability promised, is a great thing. To be honest, Linux Mint has proven to be quite stable for my use, but there is always room for improvement. Personally, I'd like to see a better printer experience with non HP printers. Though is not bad, for time to time the print jobs get stuck, take ages to get sent, or it doesn't play nice with all printers.

Other than that, there isn't much on my wish list for Linux Mint 22.1 Xia. I just hope for another great release by the Linux Mint team.

Google confirms 5 OS updates for Pixel 6 and 7 series.

Google just announced that it would extend the guaranteed OS updates for Pixel 6 and 7 series, from the original 3 to 5. That are great news, since means that those Pixel devices will have a longer life span, and could mean other smartphone manufactures that use Android could consider to follow suit.

To be honest, it is also great news for me. I decided to go with a Pixel 7a, and knowing that I'm guaranteed to get Android 18 makes it that much better prospect for the next 3 years. If the next 3 OS updates go as well as the update from Android 14 to 15 did, I'm looking forward to keep my Pixel 7a for at least 2 years.

While I'd like to see some big updates with each of new update, I rather have each to bring small updates that actually make my smartphone user experience better. For me, the big updates are just the cherry on the cake.

Android 15: a nicer upgrade than expected.

After upgrading my Pixel 7a to Android 15 almost a month ago, the biggest improvement I've seen in the user experience side has been a longer battery life.

Normally on Android 14 by about 8:00 PM, I had about 30% of the battery left. Now, it normally has about 50% with a normal use on workday, on weekends it could be around 40% with heavy use of WhatsApp, social media, and Spotify. Not to mentions between 3 or 4 hours of Bluetooth while I stream music or podcasts on Spotify.

I also feel the Bluetooth connection with my earphones a lot more stable, and the connection feels faster. In general, the user experience feels better with no major downsides so far.

The upgrades from Android 12 to 13, on a Motorola phone, and from 13 to 14, on a Nothing Phone 1, were really good. Yet, they didn't feel as good as the upgrade on the Pixel 7a. Though the one on the Nothing Phone 1 comes close but not enough.

To be honest, unless something changes in a big way, the only two phones brands I'd consider in two years time to upgrade my phone are Nothing and Pixel. Specially because mid-range smartphones offer me the best value of my money for what I want, and need.

Not to mentions that I much prefer Android over iOS. Not that iOS, or iPhone, are bad in themselves, is more than Android works better for me. More far more willing to jump between different brand within the Android ecosystem, that to make the jump to iPhone.

Even more than I'm firmly on the Linux camp with my laptops, specifically with Linux Mint. As such, I rather not move into Apple's ecosystem at all.

When I moved from Symbian to Android, I didn't expect much. But, about a decade later I must admit that I have not looked back. Though, I still would have liked to see Symbian succeed and become a third player on the smartphone OS arena.

Mechanical keyboards have won me over.

After a couple of weeks giving mechanical keyboards a try, I must admit why people who use them recommend them so much. Typing on them really feels nicer, and the sound they make is quite something.

I have come to like mechanical keyboards so much, that I decided to get three of them. A 60% one for the laptop I use mainly for media consumption, and a couple of 80% percent ones for work at my home office and for work.

I decided to get these particular keyboards, because my laptop is from the same brand, and so far it has been quite a great value for my money. So much so, that if all goes as it gone so far when I've to replace it, I'm most likely to choose another one of the Machenike laptops. Specially since they play nice with Linux Mint, which is my go to Linux distro.

And so far, the keyboards have given my no problem at all with Linux Mint, actually they have worked like a charm. Though I could try to dive even deeper, I don't feel like I need to because they cover all my needs out of the box.

As a laptop user, I didn't expect mechanical keyboards to actually win me over. But, they did and now they are a must have for my office.

Sci-fi: trying to see future tech and its impact on society.

Growing up in the 90s consuming a lot of sci-fi media, it feels rather strange that some of the tech described on sci-fi has become a reality. Things like smartphones, wireless headphones, video telephony, are some of the technologies that sci-fi predicted for example.

While smartphones, and tablets, don't really work as they were envision, are now devices that are commonplace. For example, tablets were envision as capable to do one thing while the tablets we got can be used for multiple things. The same goes for smartphones, so much so that they have replaced digital cameras, telephones, and media players.

Also computers have become smaller, rather than larger as some people believed when the first computers came to be. It was predicted that people would have computer terminal that would only be capable of sending the inputs to a central computer to be processed and displaying the results. Computers ended becoming smaller, and capable to process much more information faster than expected.

Though, to be honest, we have more of hybrid model. While our computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, are capable of impressive levels of computing powers locally, we supplement that with the Internet.

Yet the Internet not only supplements the computing power of our personal devices, it allows to access information remotely and to communicating with others at the same time. As such, the predictions weren't completely wrong, just missed how computers would be developed over time.

It can be said that sci-fi has inspired people to create our modern societies, and in a way our current tech inspire people to predict how future tech will look like through sci-fi. It is also a warning how badly managed tech can be our downfall, while inspiring people to create the tech that makes our lives better. It shows that there is hope, but only if we use and create new tech responsibly.

While sci-fi can only guess what tech will be, and how it shape our future, it still important because it allows to explore not how our future will be, but how tech is impacting our world now. Sci-fi is much more than entertainment, predicting the future of tech and its impact on people.

It is about our hopes and fears, it is about how tech can make our change our lives for better or for worse. Some will take it, and make tech that greatly improves an aspect of human life, others will do the opposite. Hope for a better future is not lost, but we have been warned that tech is not what will dictate our future. What will dictate our future, is how create and use tech.

Giving mechanical keyboards a try.

After a couple of months, I decided to get a mechanical keyboard for my home office. The laptop I use at home for media consumption, and some light Internet browsing, has given me some trouble with keys getting stuck since new, so I got an entry level wireless mechanical keyboard to see if all the hype I've heard about them is something I could get into.

So, I decided to go with a Machenike K500-B51W with brown switches. It is a 60% keyboard, and although for a keyboard for a more professional use I'd rather use bigger one with a number pad, for the intended use I've of it has been proven to be quite a nice fit.

The main reasons I choose the K500-B51W are its size, that Machenike has proven to me that it makes good products with the L16A laptop I use as my daily driver, that is relatively cheap, and that it is a wireless keyboard. My first impressions of it, are pretty good. I still need to get used on to it, but so far it has been quite a great experience.

To be honest, I had my reservations about mechanical keyboards. But after listening good thing about them, and now having some first hand experience on one, I must admit that mechanical keyboards have won me over for use on my home and work offices. They are not something that I would bring with me when I'm on the go, but I use them when are the office.

I'd still go for a 90% keyboard with a numpad as my main keyboard for use with my main laptop. I just prefer my keyboards that way, since my user case just works better that way.

I've tried to use smaller keyboards, but I simple dislike them. I can just use them for short times, or in specific use cases. Like using the when browsing YouTube, or other streaming sites, where I don't have much use for the numpad, and the smaller size is a benefit.

Time will tell if I choose to get a bigger keyboard to use with my main laptop at work, so far it seems that there are some high chances I will do just that.