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iPhone 6S Plus Review
“The new iPhone X is the best iPhone Apple has ever made” is a silly statement and one that we always hear in iPhone reviews this time of year. Of course it’s the best iPhone ever, it would be pretty embarrassing if it wasn’t! It’s also a little silly to say that
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5 Years of BirchTree
I have been writing online consistently for the past 5 years. A smart man would have recorded the exact date I started so that I could say “Happy 5th Birthday, BirchTree!” but you’re stuck with me.
Since I only know the year, and it really doesn’t matter that much, I’m declaring October
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Free Podcast Apps Are Nothing New
There was a bit of chatter online yesterday over Marco Arment’s decision to make Overcast free and only make money on it though a patronage program. Essentially, he’s doing the Radiohead model of “pay what you want” for the app. Marco said he did this as a way to make sure all his
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What If You Used iOS 9's Low Power Mode all the Time?
One of my favorite new features of Apple’s iOS 9 is Low Power Mode. This feature is designed to kick in when you reach 20% battery remaining, and give you a little more time before you have to race to a charger. And while most iOS 9 reviews covered this mode briefly and determined
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Nintendo Wii: True Disruption or Just a Fad?
There are many comparisons that can be made between the upcoming Apple TV and Nintendo’s Wii gaming console. They are each platforms that promise accessible, simple games with a focus on motion controls. The Wii is a great example of disruption in the tech industry, as it truly made everyone from the corporate executives
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An iPhone Lover's Review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung offered iPhone users a 30 day test drive of one of their high-end Galaxy phones for the low, low price of $1. I'm hopelessly curious about devices/apps/services outside of the ones I use, so this was a great opportunity to dive deep into Android once again after being away
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Behold, the Biggest Games Coming Out in Holiday 2015!
2015 has been a truly great year for games. While we have gone though some slower years to kick off the PlayStation 4 vs Xbox One generation, 2015 saw a wealth of great games that have made this a special year for all gamers. The best news is that we still have 4 months left,
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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge: Top 10 First Impressions
When I got this phone yesterday, I was flooded by comments from people both online and in real life that I was finally going to understand why Android is so much greater than iOS. I would argue that considering that since my first smartphone (Samsun Galaxy S), I have owned 5 iPhones and 4 Android
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Record, Edit, Share: How I Produce My Podcast
I have been recording podcasts for just over a year (the first episode of Birch Bark was on August 18, 2014) and I wanted to take a moment to share my workflow and some of the tools that I use to get shows recorded, edited, and distributed each week.
This workflow is for a one-
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Apple's Next Messaging Push Should be to Venture Online
Yesterday I tweeted this:
Come on Apple, you know there's room on this page to add iMessage in the cloud! Maybe iOS X. pic.twitter.com/8Z5EK2XRcV
— Matt Birchler (@mattbirchler) August 17, 2015
I was at work yesterday and was struggling to keep a conversation going with my wife over a combination of
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Current Thoughts on What a New Apple TV Needs to Be
What does Apple have to do to make the Apple TV a success this fall? This question has been on my mind the last couple days in light of talk that the mythical Apple TV update may be coming soon. My answer to this question seems very obvious, but I’m skeptical it’s what
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Life with T-Mobile: A Lesson in Compromise
My wife and I decided we were going to switch to T-Mobile on January 8, 2014. That was the day that the company announced they would pay you $350 per phone to leave Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint. We were stuck on Verizon, which had great coverage, but cost a lot and limited
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Another Year of the Most Boring iPhone Design
I was rolling my iPhone 6 Plus around in my hand last night (like you do) and I realized that I was saddened by the thought that Apple was sticking with this design for at least another year. Apple could flip the script on us this September and release the iPhone 7 with completely different
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It Only Counts if You Actually Do It
I think one of the hardest thing for humans to do is to see the big picture when it comes to their own lives. We’re very good at seeing it for everything outside ourselves. This is why it’s so easy for us to give advice to people, but we can’t take it
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First Impressions of CurrentC
NOTE: This piece originally ran on June XX, 2015 but was taken down at the request of CurrentC.
One of the perks of working for a big company is that you sometimes get to try new and interesting things before they’re made available to the public. It doesn’t happen too often, but when
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The Official Twitter App is Better Than You Think
What if we nerds used Twitter the way it's meant to be used and not like we used it 5 years ago?
This is the question I aimed to answer when I switched Tweetbot off on my Mac, iPad, and most critically of all, my iPhone. I love Tweetbot, and I genuinely think
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Who's Actually Buying iPods These Days?
With this week's update to the entire iPod lineup, many have been asking "Who are iPods even for these days?" Well, I worked the last 3 years managing an electronics department for Target, and have sold a lot of Apple devices over that time. Since Apple doesn't break down
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Finding Your Silence
I really need quiet to get my best creative work done. I know that some people like to have some background noise or they have some music that works well for them. I have never been one of those people. The noises are always distracting. I sing along to the music (even just in my