geek-on-record

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Boox Color Go 7 tips and tricks

You just got a Boox Color Go 7, one of the most versatile e-readers on the market, and you would like to know how to configure it to optimize your experience. If that’s you, keep on reading to find the best tips and tricks to personalize your new e-ink tablet. Boox Color Go 7 (Gen II) This post will cover how to configure it with its out-of-the-box software, installing as few apps as possible.…

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AI gadgets of 2025: Black Mirror meets reality

When I recently wrote about the most noteworthy AI gadgets of 2024, I couldn’t help but wonder if the tech industry was nearing the limit of what’s possible with AI. But just a few weeks into 2025, the answer is already a resounding “no”—there is no limit in sight.  Indeed, what we can achieve with AI seems unbounded, as the recent CES 2025 event in Las Vegas proved. New AI products were…

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2024, a year of AI breakthroughs and backlash

2024 is drawing to a close, marking itself as one of the most influential and significant years in Artificial Intelligence (AI) history. Let’s take a moment to recap the changes that have defined this year, when AI transcended from a buzzword to become a product in itself. We’ve dealt with failed gadgets, like the Humane Ai Pin. This wearable integrated a camera, a projector and a speaker into a…

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Unlock Pixel's best AI features on your iPhone

With the recent launch of the iPhone 16 I thought it would be great to try and find workarounds to the AI feature gaps that iOS has, especially for people switching from an Android device. Here’s how to set up an iPhone and get some of the most popular smarts from a Pixel phone: Circle to Search, Google Lens, Gemini and even Work profiles. Circle to Search on any screen Pixel devices come with…

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AI: the good, bad, ugly and everything in between

ChatGPT gained mainstream popularity in 2023 and changed how Big Tech companies approached artificial intelligence (AI). This marked a major turning point in the AI Wars, a race between leading tech companies to develop the most advanced AI technology. While AI has been studied and developed for decades, Large Language Models (LLMs) have managed to capture the consumer market’s imagination.…

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3 features iPhone needs to steal back the show

Now that we are only 3 years away from the iPhone’s 20th anniversary, it’s easier to imagine what it will look like for its big birthday. The past few years have helped discard a few features that seemed more plausible just a few years ago. A futuristic iPhone. Image credit: ZONEofTECH At this point, it’s safe to assume that foldables won’t replace slab phones. That form factor will remain a…

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Pixelbook: the ultimate Chromebook revival for 2024

I fell in love with the Pixelbook about two months ago. I saw a coworker at Google using one, and I was immediately impressed by its extreme thinness. The Pixelbook is as thin as two USB-C ports stacked. Why hadn’t I paid any attention to such a beautiful device until now? The forgotten Chromebook Chromebooks were first announced in 2011, and I admit I ignorantly dismissed them as cheap laptops…

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Microsoft and ARM, a rocky romance

Microsoft announces new Surface devices! Their light form factor blends the experience from a traditional laptop with a tablet. A new Windows version, especially built for low-power ARM processors, promises security and performance improvements. It gives users access to their favorite Windows apps with an all-day battery life. Microsoft believes these 2-in-1 gadgets can finally become their…

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The future of tech: a symphony of devices

Close your eyes and imagine it’s the year 2035. You’re working on a new and exciting project. You gathered information and conducted interviews with experts in your topic. You start a draft with some informal notes. You play some music to set the mood, and get to write your first paragraph. But what device did you picture using in this creative process? Continue reading The future of tech: a…

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The rise of Threads: can Meta's new app challenge Twitter?

Threads is finally a reality. An app from the Instagram team that is designed to become the new Twitter. And it’s being launched at a perfect moment. The timing is genius because it comes at a time when Twitter is facing a lot of challenges. Releasing this app just a year ago would likely have been engineering suicide. But today? Twitter’s product reputation (and its technical infrastructure)…

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Apple Vision Pro: the next big thing in tech?

Apple’s new Vision Pro headset is a major step forward for augmented reality, but it’s full of limitations. It allows users to interact with apps in the real world, but it’s bulky, and it uses a tethered connection to a battery pack. As I was watching the presentation, I couldn’t stop thinking that Apple is being held hostage by its own five-year-old business plan. Apple Vision Pro as shown in…

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I give up on foldable phones

Six months. That’s the time I have enjoyed (and disliked) my first foldable smartphone. I’m going back to the slab form factor. I feel disappointed and even defeated; I truly tried to make it work, but the issues I detected one month after buying the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 eventually became a dealbreaker for me. In my initial post, I talked about how fragile the inner screen seemed. I mentioned…

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Debunking diversity and inclusion myths in Big Tech

Debunking diversity and inclusion myths in Big Tech

I recently stumbled upon a rather controversial post written by a former manager who worked at Microsoft’s AI Platform division from 2021 to 2022. The post defended the thesis that merit is undermined by diversity and inclusion efforts at Big Tech companies. The writer used factual information and sadly twisted it until it matched his false narrative. So today I’m going to dissect his article and…

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Why foldable phones are not the next big thing

Why foldable phones are not the next big thing

When I started using the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 —my first foldable device—, I was convinced that folding phones were going to be the next big thing. I thought that over the next few years most people would end up with a foldable smartphone. Now, a bit over a month into using one myself, I’m not so sure anymore. But before I explain why, let’s recap what types of foldable phones are…

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The afterlife of an electric vehicle's battery

The afterlife of an electric vehicle’s battery

The electrification of the car industry is still in its baby years, and yet we should already be thinking of what will happen in a few years, when millions of electric vehicles (EVs) start getting retired. In 2021, EV sales more than doubled to 6.6 million, representing close to 9% of the global car market and more than tripling their market share from two years earlier [1]. Assuming that the…

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Unboxing the metaverse

Facebook is now Meta and the Facebook app is now part of the metaverse. Mark Zuckerberg introduced a rebranding of the parent company that owns properties like Instagram, WhatsApp or Oculus, and at the same time introduced the world to their vision of the future, the metaverse. Regardless of whether or not you saw Meta’s presentation video, you might be wondering what the metaverse actually is.…

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I locked myself in Apple’s ecosystem, now I want out

I locked myself in Apple’s ecosystem, now I want out

As an iPhone owner since 2013, the announcement of the next iPhone is usually an exciting moment for me. To be more precise, the anticipation leading to the announcement is what’s stimulating; the actual moment of truth tends to be disappointing since 2017. About a year ago, I wrote about how there has not been any dramatic change since the introduction of the iPhone X. The 2021 iPhone, rumored…