HardwYred

Ready or not, here comes the new standard for Material Design. Will it be called 2.0 or simply the "New Material Design"? Could it be called something else? Possibly. Maybe we will find out next week. For those who may not be familiar with Material Design or maybe do not even know what it is, Material Design is a design language developed by Google to unify the look, feel, and interaction of products; in the simplest terms possible, it encompasses how things should look and operate. This was Google's answer to the chaos and fragmentation of styles in both their own apps as well as third-party apps. In the first iteration of Material Design, there was the deliberate use of cards, shadows, white space, et cetera. With recent updates to Gmail for the web, Google Feed, and other Google-developed applications, we have started seeing the beginning of the new Material Design. A quick look at any recent Google update such as Gmail or the new Tasks app will show that Google is...

Admittedly, it has been a slower news day in my tech sphere, and I have not had a ton of time to do more research. But I find myself wondering tonight: how many people check in, and do you think it is a good idea to do so? While I understand privacy concerns, I leave my life mainly open for the public. I tend to share my life with the world through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. At any given time, those in my circle on social media know where I am, what I am doing, and who I am doing it with. Why do I do this  you ask? Is it vanity of making others jealous, or is it simply to let others know? Well, honestly, it is a little both. The most important issue others see with this lifestyle is that I am letting the entire world know where I am. I get the hesitation with checking in on social media. For instance, if someone would wish to harm me for some strange reason, they would know where to find me. Also, if someone would desire to rob me, they would know that I am not home. T...

As I read through the comments on various mobile phone articles, I always see the same complaints: "Where is the headphone jack?" "No headphone jack? No thanks" "If it ain't broken, why fix it?" While I originally shared their contempt, I have since come to question where is all of this hate for less wires coming from? I admit that I am definitely not an audiophile, but in my opinion, Bluetooth headphones have come a long way and sound pretty solid to me. More importantly, looking at the bigger picture, haven't we been in love with the idea of losing wires for decades? As I write this blog from a wireless computer with a wireless keyboard navigated with a wireless mouse, I am reminded that we have been removing wires from everything possible for a very long time, and while there may have been resistance at the time, we have adopted this concept in to the norm. As a young kid, I remember growing up with a clear "house phone" (a rarit...

"What just happened?" These were the only words I could think to text Abigayle after Infinity War. In just two and a half hours, Marvel had flipped my entire perspective of their universe around. Having gotten an invitation to an early preview, I got to witness the climax of 10 years worth of cinematic adventure, and I was at a loss for words. The Russo brothers struck the perfect tone with this movie. It was chalked full of vintage Marvel wit with always present one-liners stemming from seemingly every character. The Guardians remain true to who they are, Strange and Stark are a match made in heaven, and Parker is every bit as entertaining; I loved Maguire, but I cannot deny Holland's excellence as Spider-Man. Yet even in the mix of the comedic goodness, this movie hits all the right emotions to keep it personal. There are moments of joy, sadness, empathy, relief, and even a moment of pure heart-wrenching grief. For a movie that is so outlandish and unrealistic, ...

As a kid, I loved Hogwarts and the wizarding world; hell, as an adult, I still do. There is really something magical about that fictional world (pun intended). I have read every book (multiple times, including The Cursed Child), seen every movie (multiple times, including Fantastic Beasts), played every video game, and bought almost every toy from action figures to Lego sets. Because of that love, until Niantic's Wizards Unite allows me to be an AR wizard, I decided I would spend my time at Hogwarts in the mobile game Hogwarts Mystery. Having played fairly steadily for two days, here are my initial reactions. Starting the game was exactly as I imagined. I got to create my character and head to Diagon Alley where I met my first friend (Rowan). I really did enjoy getting my wand, visiting Flourish and Blotts, and seeing those familiar Cobblestone streets. However, it was when I got to the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony that my nostalgia really kicked in. As I have wanted to do...

In my daily ritual of tech news reading, I stumbled upon an article on my favorite site ( The Verge ) by one of my favorite tech personalities ( Dieter Bohn ). I have linked the original article below, but the gist of it is that Wear OS by Google is sinking quickly. With this in mind, he points individuals to other options for Android users such as hybrid watches while detailing the significant edge Apple Watches have over Wear OS watches. While he makes some valid points, my experience makes me respectfully disagree. For compatibility and integration's sake, I have no problem suggesting that some would benefit from avoiding Wear OS currently. For example, if you have an iPhone (and some extra cash), Apple Watch would be the way to go. It integrates seamlessly, and I do think it is a good looking piece of hardware. Also, if you own a Galaxy , a Gear watch running Tizen is great companion. I am sure there are those that cross platforms without a problem, but I am an ecosystem...

Ready or not, artificial intelligence and digital assistants are taking over our lives. Does everyone rely on one? Hell no. Weirdly enough, it is not even a generational thing. For instance, my fiancee absolutely hates digital assistants and quickly disables them as soon as she can. However, for those like me, that love using a digital assistant, how do you deal with all of them? And, more importantly, who do you pick to help you at any given time? Oddly enough, I have tried to lock myself in to one ecosystem and thus, one digital assistant. However, that is just not an option for me. Between my phone, watch, and home speaker, I am pretty happy with my Google Assistant ; she (yes I call it a she) does it all for me. I can get my morning news, agenda, and weather from her as well as have her play me music, add to my shopping list, and set some reminders. She has been a trusty friend and assistant for a few years now. But wait, what about my Xbox and PC? Oh yes, there is my acquainta...

Last night, I had a sudden thought: where does my tablet belong in my tech life? I have always loved the thought of having a need and purpose for every piece of technology I own. For instance, my computer does all of my heavy lifting (photo and video editing) while my phone does all of communicating and daily living tasks. My Chromecast ? That is for tossing music and videos to my TV. Google Home Mini ? What a great little assistant for quick information and getting my day started. I use my Xbox for gaming while my Huawei Watch gives me quick updates and almost-hands-free communication. So, where does my Kindle come in? I originally bought my Kindle Fire to be a consumption device and makeshift pseudo-laptop as mine is not very portable. I thought I would use it for all of Netflix watching as I moved about the house as well as for reading plenty of books; I even intended it to be useful to bang out a quick blog post or article. We probably had a great relationship at first...and ...