Second Opinion

Episode Summary

00:00 | Intro

02:09 | Device Availability

iPhone 5S and newer

iPod Touch 6th gen

iPad Air, Air 2

iPad (2017)

iPad Mini 2 and newer

iPad Pro

03:03 | 64-bit only

32-bit apps will not run

06:14 | New visual style

Titles in navigation controllers

Notification Center

Cellular signal indicator

App open/close animations

“Frosted glass” shows up in fewer places

New app icons for many system apps

Buttons, UI elements feel more… solid?

Buttons in App Store have bold blue text, light grey

13:29 | Dock, App Switcher on iPads

Dock

Floating

Can hold more apps

Recently used

Crazy multitasking features

Reworked split view, slide over

16:48 | Control center

One page (back from 2-3 in iOS 10)

More than just buttons/toggles/sliders

Now customizable

19:42 | File explorer

Not really full file explorer (we’re getting there though)

22:52 | HEIF/HEVC

25:29 | Drag and drop API

27:25 | Emoji 5.0 in iOS 11.1

Emoji Version 5.0 List

28:00 | ARKit

AR MeasureKit on the App Store

28:52 | CoreML

29:44 | Camera app can now read QR codes

30:59 | Use iCloud Keychain in other apps through a Safari View Controller

33:48 | Screen Recording and ReplayKit

34:50 | Do Not Disturb while driving

Speed

Connected to Bluetooth car audio

36:58 | Emergency SOS

38:43 | Wi-Fi Sharing

40:16 | Screenshots

41:41 | Keyboard

iPad key flicks

AutoFill for apps

Emoji suggestions

Change the language of diction without changing the keyboard first

One handed keyboard mode on iPhone

46:47 | Siri

New voice

Siri Suggestions in Safari

Better QuickType suggestions

Type to Siri (command line on iOS ????)

SiriKit for todos and notes

48:46 | Podcasts app redesign

Card style design (just like the music app)

Seasons

Special episode types: trailers and bonus

51:26 | Maps

Lane guidance and speed limit indication

Indoor mapping (selected airports and malls)

Still no cycling routing 😡

53:10 | Music

New Chill Mix generated playlist

You can follow friends on Apple Music

See what they’re listening to

Listen to their public playlists

Connect your profile to facebook or Instagram (they’re still not the same?)

55:04 | App Store

Separate games and apps categories

Featured stories

Today tab

New purchase dialog (looks like Apple Pay)

Can view iPad and Mac product pages on an iPhone

57:12 | Outro

iOS 11: The MacStories Review – MacStories

Second Opinion #29: iPhone 8 Plus Review › The Nexus

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Episode Summary

00:00 | Intro

01:07 | Pricing

Start at $650

Add storage for $100

Get XL for $200 more

02:44 | Specs

Snapdragon 835

4GB RAM

Apps stay in RAM forever, it’s great!

64GB or 128GB storage

2700 mAh (3520 mAh on XL)

USB 3.1 Type-C

04:08 | Camera

Rear

12MP

f/1.8

4K video, or lower resolution at higher framerate

OIS

Front

8MP

f/2.4

REALLY good video stabilization!

Ian R Buck on Twitter: "Best moment of the show: we all sang Sweet Caroline without the "Buh-buh-buh" or "So good!" #TurtlesAllTheWayDown #BookTour https://t.co/PYUBQkNpX4"

It’s great having a phone that opens its camera quickly!

Google Lens

Motion photos

12:46 | Battery Life, Charging

I haven’t used my external battery since I got this phone

Typically end the day with ~20% charge

USB-PD

No wireless charging

16:42 | Display

5” 1080p AMOLED (6” 1440p P-OLED on XL)

Always-on display

No problems with it doing stuff in my pocket

19:48 | Body

Gorgeous, really good feeling phone; I feel bad about putting a case on it

Glass is now “upper fifth” instead of “upper third”

Love the material they covered the metal body in

Colors

Pixel 2

Just Black

Clearly White

Kinda Blue (bright blue power button!)

Pixel 2 XL

Just Black

Black & White (red power button!)

Antenna bands slightly visible from the front; a little distracting when you notice them from the corner of your eye

Dimensions feel very familiar coming from the Nexus 5X

People hating on the bezels

28:41 | Buttons

Power, volume buttons on the right

Fingerprint sensor on the back

Really picky when your finger is damp

Swipe for notifications feature has been improved: orientation rotates to match the screen

Before I put a case on it, I activated the notifications by accident a lot

Active Edge

Very effective at getting me to use the Google Assistant more

34:29 | Sound

Great speakers!

No headphone jack. It’s a real bummer when your adapter breaks in mere weeks.

39:48 | Radios

Haven’t noticed any problems, similar reception to Nexus 5X

eSIM

Convenient for setup

How will I quickly switch my service to another phone if I want to?

42:20 | Software

Stock Android 8.0 Oreo!

Second Opinion #30: Android 8.0 Oreo Review › The Nexus

Google promises software support for 3 years

KRACK Attack patch is coming in December

PodKit #33: Prototypical Fun Stuff › The Nexus

Android security update fixes KRACK, slaps Band-Aid on Pixel 2 XL screen | Ars Technica

46:18 | Freebie

Google Home Mini

47:23 | Update: USB-C Implementation

53:35 | Final Thoughts

55:05 | Outro

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Episode Summary

00:00 | Intro

02:22 | Notifications

Organized by categories: Major Ongoing, People to People, General, BTW

Major Ongoing typically have bold background colors. Looks especially great with media players that implement it.

BTW notifications are tiny, at the bottom, and don’t create icons in the status bar

HATE the “an app is running in the background” notification

How to Hide the "App is Running in the Background" Persistent Notification on Android Oreo

Good idea, but annoying implementation. I always have Pebble running.

Exempt: keyboards, live wallpapers, notification listeners, accessibility apps, and anything the OEM puts on.

Snooze notifications is a great concept! Works just like snoozing messages in Inbox: that individual notification goes away for a certain period of time, then comes back.

Notification channels: apps can specify different categories for notifications, and if they do the user can set different priority levels for each

Notification dots on home screen icons

10:58 | Quick settings

Visual cues about which icons are toggles and which expand menus

It takes way more taps to start Do Not Disturb for 30 minutes

Don’t like the white notification tray/quick settings

On Pixel 2, setting a dark wallpaper changes quick settings to dark theme

14:19 | Unusual rollout to Nexus 5X

16:00 | Settings app rearranged

Many categories merged

I have personally been having a hard time finding things, but the search bar saves me

Some options show up in multiple places, making it more likely that you will find it if you are looking around for it

Official method for users to add ringtones

17:46 | Emoji

Completely redesigned emoji set

It’s... okay. I liked the flatness of the old set, but I like the shape consistency of the new one.

69 new ones, hurr hurr

EmojiCompat allows apps to display emoji from newer versions of Android

Google Play Services is the font provider

22:52 | Home screen/launcher

Adaptive icons require developers to submit a foreground image and a background, and the launcher chooses what shape cutout to make the background

Don’t like that more of my icons are dinner plates

Fortunately Action Launcher lets me manually change them

Apps can now surface their widgets from within the app, so the user doesn’t have to dig through the All Widgets list to find them

27:31 | Quick text selection

Detects when you are selecting something like an address, phone number, email, URL, etc and selects the whole thing at once

Alongside cut/copy/paste it can surface an appropriate app to open that in

29:44 | Password manager, autofill

Synchronizes the info you saved on Chrome and makes it available in Android

Also makes this framework available to third party password managers

31:54 | Security

Apps can only request location once every 30 minutes in background

There is now a proper way for apps to create floating UI (like FB Messenger bubbles) that doesn’t abuse System Alert Window

Google Play Protect now shows up all over the place (especially in Settings and Play Store) to assure the user Google is doing antivirus work

Sideloading permission is now grated on a per-source basis

Unfortunately, Chrome is listed as one source

Verified Boot will not boot an OS that has been downgraded

Apps are more limited on how they can identify the device. Google’s recommended method now is Advertising ID

Kernel access is much more limited

WebView is sandboxed

Asks for device password when enabling developer options

39:46 | Miscellaneous

Finally!

Picture-in-picture

Night mode

Support for 97% of printers in the world without plugins

Easter Egg is a creepy octopus you can drag around

Bluetooth 5 support

Rescue Party

If Android detects that your build of Android is failing, it will go through a series of steps to try to recover, clearing various caches and restarting. The final step is booting into recovery and prompting the user to factory reset.

Android Go

Version of Android built for the developing world: low-memory phones in areas with low data caps

46:54 | Updates

Streaming updates: phones using the A/B partition update system will now write updates directly to their unused partition, instead of storing it on the user partition first. Should get rid of “you need to free up storage” problems.

Project Treble

Should remove the need for SOC vendors to test and reimplement each new version of Android, making it more likely for 3rd-party devices to get timely updates. Currently this is the main reason phones only have two years of updates: Qualcomm only releases drivers for their SOC for two years.

Obstacles still in the way: OEM skinning and cellular carrier approval.

This should make it much easier to replace OEM customizations with third-party ROMs because AOSP builds will work with all Treble devices.

Not sure if apps that want to ensure they are running on an “approved” version of Android (like Netflix or Android Pay) will work on third-party ROMs

All devices that ship with Android 8 use Treble. Upgrading devices it’s optional (original Pixel is the only known one so far)

Links

Android 8.0 Oreo, thoroughly reviewed | Ars Technica

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Episode Index

01:01 | Physical Dimensions

Glass back

Color options-Gold, silver, space gray

Not quite the same dimensions as the iPhone 7, the case is a little wonky

02:45 | Pricing

Starting at $800 depending on finish and storage.

04:05 | Specs

A11 Bionic

3GB RAM

64/256GB storage

04:43 | Camera

Single front facing camera and dual back camera.

Video shoots at 60 fps in up to 4k.

Photos have auto HDR and the portrait mode has new lighting effects.

07:15 | Battery Life

08:56 | Charging

Lightning

Fast charging available, but not with the brick in the box

Qi wireless charging

12:26 | Screen

5.5’’ screen

Still has those gigantic bezels

Still an LCD

18:32 | Color Options

Silver

Space Grey

Gold

21:01 | Speakers

Uses speakers on both top and bottom of the phone. This year only half the speaker grille on the bottom is used.

23:04 | Radios

Slightly worse reception than the iPhone 7 Plus.

24:18 | Software

27:34 | Final Thoughts

iPhone 8 occupies a strange place in the price lineup.

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Overview

Apple Watch - Silver Aluminum Case with Seashell Sport Loop - Apple

Strava Cyclist Profile | Brian M.

Features

CPU

LTE

W2 Chip

Barometric Altimeter

Performance

Wowza!

Battery Life

Damn son!

Physical Appearance

😍

Screenshots

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Hardware

00:01:05 | Switch Specs

Technical Specs - Nintendo Switch™ Official Site - System hardware, console specs

00:01:59 | Storage & File Management

Storage space

Only 32 GB of storage space.

From what I remember, when asked about this, Reggie Fils-Aime (CEO of Nintendo of America) noted that they wanted to keep the price <= $300, and having that 32GB of storage space was needed for that.

Can handle microSD card slots of up to 2TB though, and that’s where the software needed to run the game will live.

How game software and safe files are stored:

Game cartridge (doesn’t matter if you have microSD card or not)

Software to run game is on cartridge.

Save files are on the Switch.

Digital copy of game & no microSD card

Software to run game is on Switch

Save files are on Switch

Digital copy of game & microSD card

Software to run game is on microSD card (as long as there’s room)

Save files are on Switch

CANNOT BACK UP OR TRANSFER GAME SAVE FILES

Seriously, what the fuck?

Nintendo Technicians can supposedly transfer from one switch to another.

Micro SD card is formatted for just your switch

As a gamer: frustrating

As a Nintendo fan: disappointing

If you could back up/transfer your save files, I’d probably buy games like Yooka Laylee and Sonic Mania on the Switch.

00:15:01 | Battery Life

According to Nintendo, ~2.5-6 hours.

Thanks for the vague answer guys!

So intensive games, like BotW, would be much closer to the 2.5.

BotW is ‘supposed’ to get about 3.5

I cannot remember how much BotW playing time I got from single charge of the switch.

From what I remember, it took ~2 hours to go from empty to full on the dock while not playing on it.  Nintendo claims ~3 though.  It was a while ago that I tried this though.

Comparing to that of the DS:

“A common complaint was the 3DS's battery life; Engadget reported to get 3 hours of battery life from the system, while IGN reported 2 to 4.5 hours of play.”

Nintendo 3DS - Wikipedia

Nintendo 3DS review

00:19:03 | Kickstand

Flimsy as all hell.

Feel like I’m going to break it everytime I use it.

Should have had the entire back plate as one large kickstand.

Not many people are saying this, but I have heard a couple of reviews praising Nintendo for the kickstand’s placement over the microSD slot.

Bro, chill.  They literally could have placed it ANYWHERE.

Anywhere not over the microSD slot would have been dumb.

00:21:06 | Bluetooth

Can’t connect a wireless headset to it.

But it has bluetooth.  Seriously, look at the specs.  It has bluetooth because the JoyCons wirelessly connect to the switch via Bluetooth.

There are third-party controllers that connect via bluetooth

00:23:55 | Speakers/Microphone

Speakers get very loud, despite being on the back.

Is there a microphone?

00:26:02 | HD Rumble

HD Rumble is Geoff’s most underrated feature about the Switch.

1-2 Switch demoes it really well

Geoff thinks it can be a great ‘little thing’ that could improve many games, so he hopes more developers will utilize it nicely.

00:29:48 | Resolution

720p when not docked.

1080p when docked.

Plenty of people weren’t super happy about resolution at announcement.  In my personal, biased opinion, people seriously need to chill when it comes to screen resolution in gaming.

Makes me think of Yahtzee’s review of The Order 1886, when he complains about pointless, but very detailed room.

00:31:23 | Networking

Up to 8 switches can connect wirelessly

Nintendo’s bringing back the LAN party!

Styles of Play

00:36:03 | Controller Configurations

JoyCon Controllers

JoyCon Grip

Putting the two in the JoyCon grip works just fine.  It is different though.

The buttons are smaller, and the layout is different from your “standard” controller.

Someone with large hands might not have a fun time with this.

“Double fisting” (one JoyCon in each hand)

I personally like to use one in each hand, as opposed to using the JoyCon grip or the pro controller.

I honestly don’t know if anybody else does this.

It honestly does create some quirks while playing games like BotW.

I have personally chosen to adjust to this, and it works.

For games like BotW, I think it’s actually recommended by Nintendo that you use the grip if not in handheld mode.

I think if you take them off in game, a little prompt comes up.

It works, but even if you have ‘average’ size hands, you’ll need to adjust how you hold them.

Instead of having pointer finger over bumper and middle finger over trigger, use just point finger for both bumper and trigger.

Someone with large hands probably won’t have a fun time with this.

Using each JoyCon individually as a controller:

A little awkward at first, since ‘off centered’/’asymmetrical’, but they work.

00:50:41 | Cost of Peripherals

Joycons expensive if you want to buy more.

$80 for a pair.

$50 for a single JoyCon.

Pro Controller

Overpriced at $70

It your standard, regular, “normal” controller.

Do Wii U pro controllers work on it? No, according to Nintendo Support Forums.

Wii U Pro Controller on Switch | Nintendo Support Forums

00:55:44 | Resolved Issues

JoyCon Connectivity

At launch, there were some connectivity issues with left JoyCon.

That was fixed in a patch in the first two weeks after release.

Frame Rate in BotW

At launch, there were some frame rate issues with BotW in situations with a lot going on on the screen.

Also fixed in a patch in the first two weeks after release.

00:57:17 | Nintendo’s Online Services

Online Service

Nintendo Switch Online – Nintendo Switch™ Official site – Online gaming, multiplayer, voice chat

Nintendo’s first attempt at this kind of stuff.

Still not a lot known about Nintendo is going to implement this.

Supposedly will feature “free game of the month”.

Only available for that particular month.  What to keep it?  Then you have to buy it.

By comparison, Xbox Live Gold subscription outright gives you the game for free.

At moment, only online multiplayer games are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms, and Splatoon 2.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a port from WiiU, and they just left the online aspects of that game as was.

Arms doesn’t use mobile app, but has different/interesting implementation for lobby and setting up matches.

How do you add friends?

Do you have a public profile?

Mobile App

Splatoon 2 is the first and only game that uses this

I don’t do the online multiplayer bit, but people don’t seem to like it.

01:05:41 | Game Selection

Previous issue with WiiU was the lack of good games...and the lack of games in general.

Take a look at the online store for the Switch:

Switch Games - Nintendo Game Store

Wide range of games for a wide range of prices.

See full list here:

Game Guide - Nintendo Game Store

Nindy games

Nintendo Switch Nindies Showcase Announced - IGN

Related to previous point, WiiU also had a lack of 3rd party developers

When switch was announced, many 3rd party developers hopped on board, some big names included like EA and Bethesda.

Full list here:

Nintendo Switch Will Have Full Third Party Support

Mobile games are being ported to the Switch

5 Nintendo Switch Games You Can’t Play on Your TV - Up At Noon Live! - YouTube

01:12:30 | Speculation Corner

VR on the Switch?

VR on the switch?

Matpat on Game Theory went farther to suggest AR on Switch

Via Matpat, Nintendo did file for a patent on a headset that appears to be made for the switch.

Game Theory: Nintendo’s SECRET PLAN for the SWITCH! - YouTube

VR onf Switch buzz seems to be kicking up lately (see recent SwitchForce video)

Somebody apparently found code for a ‘VR mode’

Switch VR Uncovered and Voice Chat Built In?! - YouTube

Implication for the DS

Is this the beginning of the end of the DS?

[Puts on tin foil hat] Dead man walking!  Illuminati confirmed!

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Pros

Google Cast built in

Hockey puck look isn't bad - nice and low-profile

Remote

Good for old people who can't understand casting

Bluetooth doesn't need line-of-sight

Can install apps/games from Google Play or APKs

When you start casting, it can command your TV to turn on and switch input to Nexus Player

Photo slideshow it shows as a screensaver is quite pleasant

Cons

Not well supported in the Googleverse anymore

Google Home cannot cast Netflix to it, even though it can do that to Chromecast

Setup involves typing in passwords with an on-screen keyboard controlled by the remote

Voice recognition in the remote isn't great

Not all streaming platforms are supported (read: Amazon Video)

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Pros

Good range. Not amazing, but that's what mesh networks are for

Powered via USB type-C

Two Ethernet ports: one for connecting to the modem, and one for a device/switch

Setup was very user-friendly

Install app on phone, scan barcode on bottom and follow the on-screen prompts

Looks great

Similar aesthetic to Google Home

Single slot of light on the front indicates the internet's status

Goes great on our TV stand, which is black minimalist modern

Guest network

Can give access to particular devices on the guest network (eg Google Cast devices)

App

Can access it from wherever you are, internet connection willing

Device list

View each device's recent usage

Rename devices

Set a priority device

Network check

Speed test

Signal strength

Can add multiple Google accounts as administrators

Lots of advanced settings I didn't dig into

Finally, a router with comprehensive update notes!

Family wifi: label certain devices as kids’ devices, set automatic/manual pause times

Cons

Built for a mobile-first world

Companion app is the only way to control router

App only available for Android and iOS

Setup requires an internet connection

According to listener Su, the Neato Botvac cannot connect to Google WiFi

Other Episodes Mentioned

Second Opinion #9: Allo & Duo Review › The Nexus

Google Wifi Unboxing and Setup - YouTube

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye

Episode Index

1:32 | Price

6:51 | Specs

11:18 | Camera

13:19 | Battery, Charging

16:06 | Display

19:36 | Body

23:56 | Buttons

25:50 | Radios

26:39 | Vibrator

27:19 | Software

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)

This review is spoiler-free until 18:10

Links

Tales from the Borderlands | Gameflix - YouTube

Humble Telltale Bundle (pay what you want and help charity)

♪♫ Tales from the Borderlands - All Title Sequence Music Videos ♫♪ - YouTube

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Beat Doctor - Organic (electric edit)