podcast
The BirchTree Podcast #35: Switching to Android
I ordered a Google Pixel 2 this weekend and will be using Android as my main phone for at least a month. We'll see if my results are better than they have been in the past.
* An Android Review for iOS Users
* Apple Watch Series 3 Review: This is the One
review
Apple Watch Series 3 Review: This is the One
Anyone who reads this site knows I’m a long time smart watch lover. I was an early adopter of the original Pebble, and bought an Apple Watch the day it was released. I’m personally a fan, but my reviews have always had to be tempered a bit because of some hardware limitations. Yes,
Are there fewer differences between the Pixel 2 and 2 XL or the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus?
Google made a point at their Google Pixel 2 unveiling this past week that unlike some other phone makers, you don’t have to make sacrifices when choosing the smaller phone in their lineup. They mentioned this most emphatically when they were talking about the cameras i the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
This
Nobody wants to be first (revisiting “courage”)
Google made fun of Apple for removing the headphone jack just 12 short months ago, and now their latest phone, the Pixel 2, does not have a headphone jack either. They explained the change like so:
“The primary reason [for dropping the jack] is establishing a mechanical design path for the future,” Google product chief
iphone
What’s the best way to charge your iPhone 8 Plus?
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus brought more new ways to charge up than any iPhone before them. This year we got real fast charging with high watt power bricks as well as wireless1 charging via Qi-compatible charging pads. And of course all the traditional wired ways of charging still work.
I wanted to
iphone
How much extra space does the iPhone X’s screen get you?
There has been some minor confusion about how much benefit the iPhone X’s 5.8 inch display will actually deliver over the current iPhones on the market. Some have been overjoyed with the extra screen size, saying it will get them a screen like the iPhone 8 Plus, but in a smaller frame. Others
podcast
The BirchTree Podcast #34: Siri, Alexa, and Google
I've been using the 3 major voice assistants constantly for the past year, and took today as a chance to reflect on what I like and don't like about each of these services.
Subscribe to The BirchTree Podcast here.
iphone
4k 60fps and 1080p 240fps video from the iPhone 8 Plus
If you were wondering what footage looks like from the iPhone 8 Plus’s new camera, below are a few examples I took on a walk around town last week. I did do a little color correction on some of these to make the colors pop a little more, but no other edits have been
iphone
Beginning to test iPhone 8 Plus charging speeds
I’m preparing a week of serious testing of the many ways you can charge the iPhone 8 Plus. I have 4 different power bricks and 2 wireless chargers at my disposal, all of which will be used to charge the iPhone. I am only testing speed and nothing else. If you are morally opposed
iphone
Studio Lighting on the iPhone 8 Plus is really something else
One of the coolest new features of the latest iPhone (Plus model only) is that we now have “studio lighting” options in portrait mode. These include 4 different types of lighting you can have simulate over a subject’s face1. Apple touted this as one of their examples of using machine learning to create the
iphone
Slow Sync Shutter on the iPhone 8 Makes the Flash Suck a Little Less
I’m not an expert at this stuff so bear with my simplified explanation, but the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have a new “slow sync” feature when using the flash. This essentially keeps the shutter open for a few moments longer than normal so that it can capture more color from an entire scene,
podcast
The BirchTree Podcast #33: iPhone 8 First Impressions
My thoughts after a couple days with the iPhone 8 Plus.
Subscribe to The BirchTree Podcast here.
iphone
Comparing the iPhone 8 Plus camera to last year’s iPhone 7 Plus
Yesterday I compared the speed of the iPhone 8 Plus compared to last year’s iPhone 7 Plus, and the brand new iPhone 8 wiped the floor with the iPhone 7. Today we’re taking a look at the cameras. I took some photos as well as some short videos while walking around on my
Just how fast is the iPhone 8 Plus?
I got my iPhone 8 Plus yesterday, and as any good techie, I wanted to see how much faster it was than my “old” iPhone 7 Plus. Apple advertised some significant improvements in their new A11 Bionic chip, so I had to see if they were right.
First, I ran 4 of the major browser
Why does the Samsung Galaxy S8 even exist?
I hope it is painfully obvious, but this post is satire. Obviously it makes sense for Samsung to make more than one line of phones per year, just like it makes sense for Apple to make more than just the iPhone X.
In 2017 Samsung has released 2 lines of phones, the Galaxy S8/S8
watch
What happens when you setup an LTE Apple Watch on T-Mobile
Because carriers are weird, and things are easy to screw up, here’s a very quick explanation about what happens when you activate cellular service on your brand new Series 3 Apple Watch with LTE.
Right during the regular watchOS setup process you’ll be asked on your iPhone if you want to activate cellular
watch
The LTE Apple Watch is a glimpse into the not-so-distant future
Almost one year ago I wrote this tweet:
https://twitter.com/mattbirchler/status/803715181645856768
The Amazon Echo Dot made me feel like I was stepping into the future in a way that no tech device had done for years before. I was hooked immediately and could not see going back to a time where I
watch
A questionable watch band
I picked up my Apple Watch band last night from my local Apple Store and eagerly brought it home, giddy to try out this new watch1. I went with the Series 3 42mm Space Gray Aluminum watch with LTE, and paired it with the new dark olive sport loop band. I’ve always gotten one