Living (Room) in Harmony

A few years ago, I remember asking to get a Logitech Harmony remote to keep things in my living room a little more tidy, and ended up with the Logitech Harmony 900.  It was a pretty cool device for it's time, with it's little touch screen and programmable buttons and all.  With a press of a button, I could have my TV, receiver, and set top box all start up at once.  I even tried to expand on its capabilities by purchasing the PS3 Bluetooth adapter so it could also boot that up with another command.  Now that those few years have past, the remote itself is still in a decent working order, though it can act up from time to time, like not quite responding to key inputs right away.  I still wanted to keep things nice and tidy, but didn't want to drop so much coin for another Harmony remote (because the really nice ones are a few hundred dollars).

I think within the last year or so, when IoT (Internet of Things) was really making headway into the consumer market, Harmony did the "smart" decision (pun intended) to create the Harmony Hub.  Not only is this a device for your entertainment unit, but it could also integrate into your IoT devices too.  How it integrated wth IoT wasn't really much of my concern.  I was happy to find out that I could just purchase the hub on its own (without any versions of the other Harmony remotes packaged with it), and it came in at a reasonable price.  Even better, all you need is an Android or iOS device, and download the companion app, and essentially just turn your phone/tablet/etc into a universal remote too.

I've had the Hub for a few months now, and it's been pretty cool so far.  I think one of the things that made me decide on purchasing it was the fact it also included Bluetooth.  Considering the PS3 adapter for my previous remote hasn't worked in awhile, I was able to get rid of that and just soley rely on the Hub to also control the PS3 instead.  Perhaps even cooler is the fact that there's Google Assistant compatibility.  Seeing as I've also got a Google Home Mini, I feel like I've given real purpose for it by pairing the speaker with Harmony.  Creating shortcuts with the Google Home app has allowed me to give shortened voice commands to, say, turn my TV on or off.

The only downsides that I've seen, or that I can think of at the moment, are as follows:

1. Would be nice if there was a litte more flexibility in arranging the pages for each function in the remote app.  Not so much arranging the buttons on each page, but rather arranging the order of the pages.
2. Should there be any issues with your local network, then you've basically rendered the Hub useless in controlling your entertainment system (which I should have considered prior to purchase).  My old Harmony 900 isn't compatible with the Hub.  Otherwise, I'm falling back on the individual remotes in a worse case scenario
3. It actually would have been interesting to have an app to control the devices through your PC as well.

With that being said, I think purchasing the Harmony Hub on its own would benefit a user with an existing Harmony remote that's compatible with it, and is looking into making their home connected thru IoT devices.  However, if you're only interested in controlling your home entertainment area, and willing to chip in a few extra bones, then grabbing the Hub with the basic companion remote may do you well.  Otherwise, you can always just take the risk like me and just stick with the Hub on its own.

Still Cubin' After All These Years

I'd recently received a Gigaminx puzzle from my brother for Christmas, which I'm still in the process of learning to solve.  Maybe I'm a little geeky, but I do find some entertainment trying to solve puzzles, and my brother knew exactly what to get for me.  It's only now that I realize that I've been solving your standard Rubik's Cube for the last 20 years or so.

You know that hair-tearing puzzle that "everyone" just can't seem to solve.  It was such a craze back in the 80s, and I guess my family wasn't immune to its allure.  Much like everyone else, as a kid I was just happy if I'd be able to complete one side of the cube, and then just stare at it and wonder, how the hell do I fix the rest of the sides?

Fast forward to the late 90s.  One fateful summer day, during my college break, I happened to stumble across a book my family bought from a local department store (that's long since been shut down), that happened to show off a solution on how to solve the cube.  Lucky for me, I'd also remembered where we kept the cube in the house.  I fondly remembered that one afternoon, following the algorithms present in the book, and to my surprise I'd actually solve Rubik's for the very first time.  I'd since called this basic method of solving the cube "The Hamburger Method", because it involved solving for the top and bottom layers of the cube, and then using a basic algorithm to solve for the edge pieces in the middle layer of the cube.

For a few years, I'd kept on solving the cube in this manner, realizing at some point how tedious it was to solve the cube this way.  Too many moves were spent, but I will say one thing:  It gave a better understanding on how to navigate pieces around the cube itself.  It came to a point where I wanted to be quicker, so eventually I did my searches online in the early 00s.  I'd searched for speedcubing methods and stumbled across the Lars Petrus method.  It's a pretty intuitive method of solving a cube, on the foundation of building from a 2x2x2 cube and expanding from there.  In a nutshell:

• You start at one corner of the cube, creating a 2x2x2 cube
• Expand that cube along one edge to then to create a 3x2x2 rectangle
• Using the free-moving layers, solve for the first 2 layers (F2L), leaving just one layer to fix
• Solve the final layer of the cube

I know, it seems a lot easier than it sounds.  I think it took me a good month until I felt completely comfortable in memorizing all the algorithms for solving the last layer.

After my interest in the standard 3x3 waned, I had to expand my horizons.  Now, I'm sure there are some people out there that have quite an expansive collection of cubes.  Compared to those people, I consider my collection modest:

• a couple of 2x2 cubes, one of which uses tiles instead of stickers
• a number of 3x3 cubes: tiled, a Tic-Tac-Toe variant, a 25th and 30th Anniversary to name a few
• a 4x4
• a 5x5
• Mirror Cube: a 3x3 variant that is not equally split
• Square 1: Not an official Rubik's, but another cube puzzle with an odd cuts that also put the cube out of shape when mixed
• Void Cube: another 3x3 variant that's missing all the centers

To this day, I still try to play around with the standard 3x3 just so I'm not out of practice and I don't forget those algorithms.  I should post up an updated video of me demonstrating the solve, but I guess for now, you can settle for an older, low quality video taken from my brother's phone easily a decade ago:

Google Pixel 2 XL - impressions (One Month)

Well, as per my previous blog, I went all in and opted to get the Pixel 2 XL  Now, I'd be resigned to call this a review of any sort.  It's merely the initial impression and opinion of the device so far.  Further to this, it's also going to be interesting in comparing my experience and "growth" (both software and hardware-wise) when upgrading from the ol' trusty Nexus 5 to this.

Let's start screen size.  Now, there's something to be said when going from a smaller screen to a larger screen.  I remember that feeling when going from the 4" Nexus S to the 5" Nexus 5, and it's a lot more of the same when jumping onto the 6" Pixel 2 XL.  I'm sure if I'd stuck with the 5" Pixel 2, I'd be just as happy, but there's something to be said when you're given more screen real estate to work with and view content.

The ol' Nexus 5 (left) with the Pixel 2 XL (right).  The tinting you see on the 2 XL is from the Night Light screen settings.

I'd always been tepid when it came to the larger screens, especially during the phablet boom that Samsung started with its Note line of devices.  One of the great worries was whether it would fit in the pocket comfortably.  However, with the introduction of the S8 and S8+, and its 2:1 screen ratio (c'mon, it's basic math, though I'm sure 18:9 gets the point across for screen size), it's suddenly made larger devices easier to pocket.  The Pixel has also adopted this resolution, and I'm quite happy how things fit, even with the casing I bought with it (the Spigen Tough Armor).  It truly is hard to go back to a smaller screen at 16:9... it would almost feel like a downgrade.  Couple this with both resolution and font size adjustments baked into Oreo, and the amount of information displayed on screen at once is downright incredible, especially for this screen ratio.

Keeping things minimalist with Nova Launcher, and loving those Live Wallpapers.

On the subject of screen, there's also the debate (race?) for bezel-free design.  I have my own opinions about this (which I'll likely put into another blog), but for what it's worth, there's an understated elegance to the design of the Pixel 2 XL's smaller bezels.  Yes, they're not exactly edge-to-edge like the the Samsungs, and nowhere close to the ambitions of the iPhone X or Essential PH-1, but I'm OK with this.  I don't want to say it's because of those front-facing speakers, because then the debate will come abouts regarding its 5" sibling, and why they couldn't follow suit.

Speaking of speakers, I'm actually glad they've put in the stereo speakers for their 2nd gen devices.  Only a handful of manufacturers have ever opted for these for their devices (the ZTE Axom 7 comes to mind, because of how ridiculously loud they tested, from what I understand).  To be able to watch videos and play games without worrying about the audio is something I think all manufacturers should consider including.  The 2 XL is loud enough, and that's all I ask for.  If I want clarity, I'll use headphones.

Watching videos is so much better with stereo speakers.  And the built-in stand on this Spigen Tough Armour case keeps the views hands-free too :)

Oh yes... headphones.  I'd like to think I'm in the majority of missing the 3.5 jack, but it's more than what many are complaining about (which is the convenience).  To be honest, for as long as I'd been using the Nexus 5 with a case (also a Spigen), there was much to be desired when trying to plug in a set of cans into an opening on the case that couldn't accommodate for my headphones' jack (my go-to set is kind of an entry level from Audio-Technica).  As compensation for this, I'd been using a $20 Bluetooth adapter (with mic) with my headphones, long before there was even an idea of removing this port at all.  They do provide you the USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, so I've primarily kept this connected to my AUX cable in my car..  The underlying debate behind the lack of headphone jack is with regards to DRM (shoutout to my buddy, Ajay, for bringing this to my attention).

A couple of other things that do irk me about the device are likely part of the growing pains of working with Oreo, and both are in relation to battery readings:

1. Not being able to access the battery usage directly from the Notification bar, like in Marshmallow
2. I kinda miss the graphical representation of how certain services/apps are using up battery

They're minor gripes that I can work around.  #2 in particular, from what I can surmise, is likely due to how battery usage, and service/app management, is now being handled by Oreo.

Otherwise, it's an outstanding device so far:

- Battery life so far as been solid.  I can get through a day on a single charge (between social media, gaming, and video viewing), and still be left with over 40% before I sleep.  I'm sure that 3250mAh battery has something to do with it

- It's quite responsive.  Doubling up the RAM from 2GB (Nexus 5) to 4GB, and having the latest O/S can also contribute to this as well

- Loving the camera so far.  Portrait Mode has been exceptional (for both front and rear cameras).  A couple of low light shots that I've tested have been brighter and clearer than expected.  There's also something to be said about having OIS to ensure shots stay clear

A random shot taken one evening while at the airport, dropping off family.  Standard HDR+ settings enabled.

- In relation to the camera and photos, it's interesting to play around with Google Lens.  It's amazing to see the information extracted from, say, a business card that I took a photo of.  It's still a new thing where it's still learning (it's more hit than miss on some of the photos I've had it analyze), but of the photos it was able to recognize and identify, it's pretty cool to get relevant information based on those subjects in the photos.

The question I suppose at this point is whether or not it's worth the $1000CA (for the 64GB).  I guess, for me, it definitely is.  Having lived the mid-range life for years, I was finally looking to see if having something of a no-compromise device would be what I'm looking for.  Much like their keynote introducing this device back in October, hardware is always going to be given, so the focus was more about how the software can drive this hardware.  The AI/machine learning, the OIS, guaranteed updates, and unlimited full quality cloud backup until 2020, not to mention the 24/7 support contact directly from the device I think may justify the price as much.

Oh, the whole burn-in/retention situation that's been reported since its release?  I guess considering I bought the device after the update was applied, I haven't experienced anything of the sort so far.