Some of you may have noticed there is a new category called “App-to”. I wanted to use the phrase “there is an app for that”, but that’s trademarked. Instead, I decided to roll with ‘app to [do something]’. I’ve been recommending some apps not for the sake of reviews, but the apps that can do the jobs are just uncommon and weird. Some of them have already gone to mainstream enough to call the post a “review”, while the others were still stuck as “how-to”. This gave me some headache for sometime, because I do need to worry about SEO.
From Op-ed
ChatGPT, App Spamming, and App Store
iOS App Store has problems. I’m not talking about new EU regulations, or the lawsuits against Epic, or even 30% Apple tax on all apps. I’m talking about ChatGPT. With all the media attention to the new AI tech, both major app stores, Apple’s and Google’s, are plagued with unofficial ChatGPT apps. Have you checked the App Store recently? There is no way of telling which supposed ChatGPT app is from OpenAI.
iPad, Stylus, and Keyboard
I had an iPad Pro from 2018. It was a 12.9 inch model running on A12X chip, so supposedly my iPad’s days were numbered. Except I never felt it. Until the day I sold it, I didn’t see an app that took advantage of iPad’s unique hardware; most apps were either upsized iOS apps from iPhones or downsized macOS apps from Macs. The only exception I could think of were the apps that needed a stylus or a keyboard.
Streaming, Non-Latin Alphabets, and Subtitles
I was trying to watch Wandering Earth on Netflix the other day. I was trying to watch a sci-fi movie where majority of the dialogues are in Chinese. Which Chinese, I have no clue —and yes, your favorite martial arts film may not be in Mandarin. So the subtitles were needed. This is where it gets all hazy and confusing. Korean Subtitles on Netflix app, either on Apple TV or LG Smart TV were largely illegible.
Are Foldable Smartphones the Future? Pt. 2
I was asked recently if I would be willing to update my old piece, Are Foldable Smartphones the Future? with the news foldable smartphone is still around. Indeed, Samsung and Xiaomi, the two largest Android makers, have been pushing both folds and flips since its initial launch. Well received it may be, but so was 3D TV, hence why I am writing part 2 of foldable smartphone op-ed, not an update to the old one. In fact, Mark Gurman has recently written a piece that Apple may be working on a foldable iPad set to release by 2028 —my golly,…
App Store, Refund, and “Pro” Apps
Refunds on any platform comes with its own bags of issues, but Apple App Store was something else. Last week, after two requests for refunds didn’t go through, I contacted Apple customer support to see if there is a way to get a real person involved to get a refund on an app. I wouldn’t name the app. It’s otherwise a well known app, except for its dubious product lineups. So for this story, we will call the app Foo.
PlayStation Plus, Subscription, and Region Lock
All three major console platforms offer some sort of subscription at this point, and PlayStation, if I recall correctly, was the earliest to adopt the subscription requirements for multiplayer experience. What this means for anyone living abroad is they need to make a decision that will stick unlike no other. Currently Sony has a yearly plan for Essential tier of PlayStation Plus, which is $79.99 per year. “PlayStation Plus” is the name of the subscription, and the Essential is the name of the cheapest one available. Don’t worry, it gets even more confusing.
App Store, Refund, and DLCs
I didn’t think to see the remains of the wild west of App Store in 2024. I had bought an app that is working rather well with a minor glitch, and the developers’ response to the glitch was that the feature is actually part of the “pro” version. The pro version of the same app was sold at $9.99. I went ahead and bought it, and surprisingly I saw the same glitch again. After some googling, I found out they are actually identical apps only that the free version of the app has $9.99 in-app purchase to unlock the pro…
HDMI Nightmares, Switches, and Dongles
Few years ago, when I was looking for a replacement USB hub in South Korea, I quickly realized I was in the world of trouble. The listings for a powered USB hub with at least USB 3 rating were swarmed with Chinese knock-offs, and a lot of them didn’t ship with the power adapter when it clearly needed one to be “powered”. USB-C hub didn’t help either; majority of the hubs were meant to be a dock, not a hub for laptops with USB-C.
Data Center, NIMBY, and Due Diligence
There was a letter addressed to the resident of my family condo unit, asking if we would be willing to hear them out. There is a plan drawn, and possibly already under way, to build a data center near my family home. The condo is in a small village with measly 40k population, —that’s considered small in South Korea— and the village happens to be near Seoul, the capital of South Korea with 9.4 million population. The condo association and neighborhood association are already up in arms, protesting against the construction of the data center.
CE Ultrawide, Aspect Ratios and Photography
What is the aspect ratio of your display? Was it ever the core concern behind a purchasing decision? I am aware of this rave behind the ultrawide displays, canonically “21:9”, but mathematically “64:27”, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It only became a concern not because I was in the shop for new TVs or monitors, but because I was updating featured images on the website. (side note: all featured images on Mad Tea Party are now adjusted to either 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio.)
Apple Intelligence, PCC, and M4 Macs
Apple Intelligence is in beta still. Some articles I’ve read unfortunately did not understand Apple Intelligence is to be deployed gradually, and while I would argue Apple’s ‘sell now, build later’ tactic to be disingenuous, I would simply disagree current Apple Intelligence is what will be for the remainder of fiscal year. But let us not dwell on the features that are promised or still in beta; let us discuss the hardwares that are supposedly powering Apple Intelligence.
Microsoft Office, Windows, and Subscriptions
Subscription is the new bane of the internet. It’s been the bane of the modern technology as many users would wail. We are living in a world where some products and services are inherently subscription-based, where it is simply not possible to acquire the said products or services without subscription, say Netflix. But this isn’t about some shows exclusively on Netflix. No, this is about products that were originally sold as one-time-purchase, now in the process of rough transition to subscription model.
Windows 10, Subscription, and Security Update
Microsoft announced that the company will provide a subscription-based security updates, $30/year for “legacy” PCs. It is truly a diabolical plan considering Windows 11 has the infamous TPM requirements, thereby the older PCs simply became obsolete. On Bootcamp side of the business, we are yet to hear from neither of the companies on whether or not Windows 11 will finally be supported on Mac machines. (reminder: although it is possible, officially Bootcamp does not support Windows 11)
Silent Hill 2, Innocence, and Fog World
This post contains a major spoiler of Silent Hill 2, albeit it is about 20 years late and all the other installments do share the same principle behind the world of Silent Hill or Silent Hill phenomenon in The Short Message. If you are unfamiliar with the world of Silent Hill, I will try my best to cover basis from what I understand the lore of it, however please do be mindful that I don’t claim to be expert on the subject.