The Brooks Review

Category: Articles

  • iPad Productivity Report — 7/22/17

    Something special seems to be brewing for those who care about the future of iPads: momentum. Since day one, there has been people using iPads for their work, then as their only computer. This was always a niche market. Now, in the past few weeks, I have seen so many people talking about, or even making in part, the move to iPad being a primary computing device I can’t help but see the snowball starting to roll down The Mountain. It should be one hell of a year, and mercifully lead to more interest in iPad app development.

    Which leads us right into the topic for this week: the basic apps matter, not the pro apps. I also answer some reader questions, and talk about iOS 11 multitasking.

    You must be a member to read the rest of this article.

  • Slimfold MICRO Wallet

    Recently I started on the quest to find a new wallet. So, enjoy the ride.

    I am a huge fan of having a wallet that is no bigger than it needs to be. I don’t carry much in my wallet, typically 3-4 cards and the occasional bit of cash. This has always lead me to pretty minimalist wallets, but the EZGO wallet I have been using for a while now was beginning to bother me: it’s too thick.

    (more…)

  • Skinth Mondo Shield

    I recently tested the Maxpedition EDC pouch to see how that faired, today I want to check out another EDC pouch from Skinth called the Mondo Shield. They have a wide range of pouches which are primarily designed to be worn on a belt. While I have little interest in carrying this from my belt, I do appreciate the ability to do that should I really want to feel like an EDC nerd.

    (more…)

  • Apple Leather Sleeve for iPad Pro

    I’ve long struggled with what to do when I travel with my iPad. Far too often I have one bag, and this travel style presents two immediate problems you might not think about — both of which the Apple Leather Sleeve solve.

    (more…)

  • Car Camping (video)

    You must be a member to view this video.

  • Outdoor Research Ferrosi Pants

    It’s been a long time since I last looked at getting some hiking pants, but I needed some for hiking this summer as my old North Face convertible pants are far less comfortable than any of my other pants. I went in search of something which is just a pant, and not also shorts. Additionally, I wanted something with seriously stretch, no built in belt (common in hiking clothing), and something so light weight that it would negate the need for shorts most of the time.

    I found Outdoor Research’s Ferrosi Pants.

    (more…)

  • iPad Productivity Report — 7/17/17

    The iOS 11 beta cycle is beginning to get to the point where it is likely to not expect any major changes, so I will start talking a little bit more about changes which impact the workflow on iPad users. This week also saw the launch of what’s likely to be one of the top 10 in iOS pro level applications with OmniGraffle 3.

    Oh, and I get into my move away from 1Password.

    You must be a member to read the rest of this article.

  • Outlier Slim Dungarees

    I talked about the Ultrafine Merino T-shirt from Outlier and how it is considered a “core” piece from the company. The other core item are these Slim Dungarees. I’ll first say that I think the Futureworks are far more comfortable than these, as they are far more stretchy (and much cheaper).

    That is followed by a however, though, because the Futureworks are not a very warm pant to wear. Which, in Washington, is a bit of a problem. I had avoided buying the Slim Dungarees because of the name. “Slim” I don’t like skin tight clothing, and I had assumed that’s what these were.

    (more…)

  • 10.5 iPad Pro (video)

    You must be a member to view this video.

  • Outlier Ultrafine Merino T-Shirt

    Dive deep enough into the world of Merino wool and ‘technical’ clothing in general, and you’ll soon find yourself on Outlier’s site. I’ve talked before about their Futureworks, Strongworks, S120 Pivot Shirt, and New Ways shorts, today I want to talk about one of the shirts they consider a “core” item, the Ultrafine Merino T-Shirt.

    First, it’s $100. Know that going into this.

    (more…)

  • Current Bag Rotation

    I now have an entire family of GORUCK bags living in my closet, next to other bags. However only 5 bags are in active rotation, so here’s how I use my current bag rotation:

    (more…)

  • iPad Productivity Report — 7/10/17

    It’s astounding to me how many people are completely in love with the 10.5” iPad Pro. Be sure to [read my thoughts on it](https://brooksreview.net/2017/07/the-ipad-that-should-have-been/), if you haven’t already.

    You must be a member to read the rest of this article.

  • GORUCK GR2 34L

    The GR2 34L is an interesting bag — it sits in the area between something you might consider a large everyday bag, and something you also consider a small travel bag. I’ve always been fascinated by this, so when a friend decided to get rid of his, I jumped at the chance to take it off his hands.

    (more…)

  • The iPad That Should Have Been

    Something I have been consistently hearing from people over the last couple weeks: “The 10.5” iPad Pro is really good, it’s every bit as big as you need it to be, without ever being too big.” (I am paraphrasing about 6 people, and countless “yeah totally” blog posts.) I feel this too, while it looks like only a tiny size bump, the 20% more screen makes all the difference in use.

    (more…)

  • Hello Weather

    I’ve been using Forecast Bar for my main weather app for quite some time, but it started to feel dated. On top of that it wasn’t showing me data in the way I would hope to see it. I asked around and Justin Blanton pointed me to Hello Weather.

    It looks a bit, umm, silly at first glance, but after using it for a couple months — it’s easily the best weather app on the market. I’ve tried a lot of weather apps in the past, but I can tell you right now this is the one to get. I immediately bought a lifetime membership for it.

    (more…)

  • iPad Productivity Report — 7/3/17

    This week I cover the basics of what you need for general computing on the iPad, and then I take a comparison look at scanning with Notes on iOS 11.

    ## Back to Basics

    It’s been over 6 months now since I started writing these weekly posts, and in that time a lot of new members have joined (welcome, all) — it seems like a good time to step back from each week having a specific focus. So this week I want to go back to the basics of working on an iPad to talk about how I do many of the more general “work” things one does on a computer.

    You must be a member to read the rest of this article.

  • Swiss Army Knife Cadet

    My first pocket knife was a Classic SD Swiss Army Knife, in black. I was five, and I thought this was amazing — MacGyver was my favorite show and now I had his knife. My obsession with pocket knives runs deep, and for most of my life. The oldest pocket knife I have is another Swiss Army Knife, which to the best I can tell is something like a Climber.

    (more…)

  • Panobook from Studio Neat

    At the beginning of May, I received a notebook from Studio Neat — they told me the idea was to create a great notebook for use on your desk, along side (or rather in front of) a keyboard. In other words to create something long and short, not tall and narrow.

    I was on board. The biggest issue with most notebooks, like the Baron Fig, is that it cannot easily fit in the gap between your keyboard and the edge of the desk. The Panobook solves this problem, and then some.

    (more…)

  • iPad Productivity Report — 6/26/17

    This week I dive into printing high quality photos from an iPad, and iOS 11’s bad ass new Notes app.

    You must be a member to read the rest of this content.

  • “The Last Mile for the iPad”

    Gabe Weatherhead posted an article about where the iPad fits, how it works, and such. In short, I think his underlying premise is off base. There’s a terrible analogy which keeps being trotted out, stated by Weatherhead too, where the Mac is a truck and the iPad is a car, etc etc etc. It’s a Steve Jobs quote, and thus is attributed far more truth than it really should be.

    (more…)