extravagantGEEK

Just a geek and her thoughts…

Category: Software

  • Upgrade Time.

    Upgrade Time.

    Disclaimer: I am not important enough yet to be sponsored by anyone, therefore all products and brands in this post are mentioned solely based on my own personal experiences with them.

    I can recall the days when smart phones were using BlackBerry, Palm OS and Windows… no not Windows Phone, literally just a phone running a mini mobile version of Windows actual OS. Watching both Android and Apple innovate has been fun and while I have slowed down from my previous habit of getting a phone 2 or more times a year… I still love admiring the new releases. However, this year I am not just looking, but have had to debate on what I am actually going to upgrade to because my iPhone 11 is starting to show its age.

    It has been a great phone and got me through the pandemic very well. Not to mention, it’s in my favorite color (purple)! Yet, I have come to realize that based on the way I use my phone, I need more than 128GB. I’m one of those people who often plays mobile games; some of which vary in size from 5GB to as much as 10GB. Constantly having to offload the apps and then reinstall them can get old really fast. I also like to keep at least 5GB worth of music downloaded for airplane trips or when I may need some entertainment in an area with poor signal. If I could, I would probably download a few episodes of a show or perhaps a movie. Unfortunately, I know that even with backing up Photos, iMessage, etc. to the iCloud… I still do not have enough storage for my desired personal use.

    As a result, long before Apple’s event last week, I knew 256GB or more would be the minimum I would accept for my next phone. To be honest I did ponder going back to Android for a bit. I was a fanatic of theirs for awhile and even went as low as calling Apple fan’s sheep at one point. Things just change with time and there have always been things I like about both. I remember rocking an iPod Touch while having an Android phone in the early days just to be able to get some experience with both platforms. Android was always a favorite for customization but iOS always had snappy performance and prettier apps. I eventually got an iPhone 6S as my first iPhone and held onto that for quite a while. I have always loved that iPhones continue to get updated more often (and for longer) than most Android phones. They also seem to retain their value a lot better as well. I went back to Android when Google’s Pixel line first came out and bought its first two iterations, followed by a OnePlus 7 Pro.

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  • How its going.

    How its going.

    Okay, so it’s been just over a week since I posted my first article after doing a redesign and relaunch of this blog. It has been an adventure thus far with a few hiccups that ultimately led to me getting behind schedule on my goal to post a minimum of once per week. However, as I am writing this it seems that it will likely only be a slight delay (one or two days later than I hoped for).

    I love computers, I love the internet, I love software and I love good hardware. Despite that, I feel as though I couldn’t build a decent gaming PC if my life depended on it. I literally have an Associate of Applied Sciences in Computer Networking and barely passed my hardware classes. I mean, I got a B+ but I’m a perfectionist, okay? So, for the most part I leave that alone. Yet, when it comes to software… I’m quite passionate. Whether it’s a custom ROM being flashed on a phone, modifying CSS/HTML or designing a logo for someone. I’m always ready for the challenge. Unfortunately, this week my software and input knowledge failed me. I will admit I am bit rusty but… I have high standards for myself so it feels like a minor failure in my eyes.

    I stated previously that I made the switch from SquareSpace to WordPress for blogging. Its approximately $3 less (monthly) than what I was previously paying so it seemed like a no brainer and perhaps something I should have done a few years ago. They have a wider range of templates and better ones for that matter. I want to keep on topic though so I will get to the point. While I have been a fan of working with WordPress in the past… it has been about 7 years since I used it with a purchased domain name. As a result of this, I was not ready for the fact that using the custom name servers from WordPress would break all functionality of my e-mail. The joys of not paying for everything in one spot and using Google Domains/Workspace.

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  • Microsoft Surface Go, is it worth it?

    Note: I started this article exactly one month ago and it is just now getting posted. I made posts on social media about how I was going to upload it over the weekend and I failed in epic fashion … I don’t even have a valid excuse. I’m sorry to those who were looking forward to it for so long. The good news though is that this review will be much more thorough as I’ve had the device for several weeks.

    I’m the type of person that does extensive research on a product before I make a purchase. I have been looking at the Microsoft Surface Go for a few months and weighing my options during that time. I debated on getting an iPad or a Chromebook as well. I made my ultimate decision on Thanksgiving Day while shopping at Best Buy to pick up the Surface Go. You can’t beat 18 Months no interest and $50 off the usual price so I went with it and have had no regrets.

    Out of the box… it wasn’t quite the tablet of my dreams but after tweaking a few things here and there it has certainly risen to my expectations. I made sure to get the option with the most RAM and the most storage (8GB/128GB) because anything less would just not be worth it in my opinion.

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