The Brooks Review

Top Posts

The Hype: Yoshida & Co’s Porter BagsAugust 26, 2025
G-SHOCK DW-H5600 After 7 MonthsJuly 31, 2025
Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022

Recent Articles

  • Traveling Light: Packing Aids

    Packing cubes, packing rolls, stuff sacks — you usually don’t need them.

    Editor’s Note: I’m going to be writing some posts about how I travel light. I’ll pull them all back together at the end with one larger post and hopefully a video. I am not a super minimalist packer, I am however a light packer. This will also be very geared to men, sorry to all the women — I just have no way of writing about that.

    Packing cubes, packing rolls, field pockets, stuff sacks — every where you turn there’s no shortage of people offering smaller bags to put inside of your larger bags. The promises range from the mundane of being more organized, to the comical of offering ways to keep your clothing wrinkle free. I’ve been fortunate(?) enough to try most of these, and after that testing there’s only a handful of them I would recommend.

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  • Looking at the Future

    Craig Hockenberry in the iPad Pro 9.7 display: After using this iPad for a couple of weeks, I’ve realized it’s like the advances of Retina in an important way: I never want to use a lesser display again. And as with higher density, I think it’s obvious that Apple will eventually update all its products…

    Craig Hockenberry in the iPad Pro 9.7 display:

    After using this iPad for a couple of weeks, I’ve realized it’s like the advances of Retina in an important way: I never want to use a lesser display again. And as with higher density, I think it’s obvious that Apple will eventually update all its products to use this improved screen technology. I can’t wait!

    It’s a fantastic display. Can’t wait to get it on all my devices.

  • Traveling Light: Bags

    Yes, let’s talk more about bags.

    Editor’s Note: I’m going to be writing some posts about how I travel light. I’ll pull them all back together at the end with one larger post and hopefully a video. I am not a super minimalist packer, I am however a light packer. This will also be very geared to men, sorry to all the women — I just have no way of writing about that.

    Another excuse to talk about bags, most excellent. While backpacks rule the roost for me, I want to cover four different bags.

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  • iOS 10: Wishes and Concept Video

    Federico Viticci: I don’t believe Apple should move away from the app-based model of file management on iOS. However, both document providers and iCloud Drive ought to be faster to operate, more transparent, and as versatile as they would be a on desktop computer. I still don’t think the file system matters that much —…

    Federico Viticci:

    I don’t believe Apple should move away from the app-based model of file management on iOS. However, both document providers and iCloud Drive ought to be faster to operate, more transparent, and as versatile as they would be a on desktop computer.

    I still don’t think the file system matters that much — but damn if Viticci doesn’t have some compelling ideas. The video is fantastic too.

  • Five Weeks

    David Sparks: As iOS further matures, I’m just not so sure I’ll have much need for a laptop. Trust me. I’m as surprised by this realization as anybody else. He is thinking he will only need a desktop, but I suspect that it won’t be but another year before people like Sparks are wondering what…

    David Sparks:

    As iOS further matures, I’m just not so sure I’ll have much need for a laptop. Trust me. I’m as surprised by this realization as anybody else.

    He is thinking he will only need a desktop, but I suspect that it won’t be but another year before people like Sparks are wondering what they need the desktop for…

  • Traveling Light: Underwear

    Even I was surprised at how well these underwear met the marketing expectations.

    Editor’s Note: I’m going to be writing some posts about how I travel light. I’ll pull them all back together at the end with one larger post and hopefully a video. I am not a super minimalist packer, I am however a light packer. This will also be very geared to men, sorry to all the women — I just have no way of writing about that.

    One pair per day, right? Gone five days? Then five pairs of underwear are needed. At least that’s how I used to pack. Travel underwear? No thanks.

    (more…)

  • Taking Risks

    Kevin Hoctor: If you live a life with the impossible notion of having zero risk, you may be happy but you won’t know how much happier you could have been if you explored new experiences with some risk attached.

    Kevin Hoctor:

    If you live a life with the impossible notion of having zero risk, you may be happy but you won’t know how much happier you could have been if you explored new experiences with some risk attached.

  • What Is the Apple Watch Good For?

    Great post from Richard on how he uses and sees the Apple Watch. I particularly love his term for the app icons on the watch.

    Great post from Richard on how he uses and sees the Apple Watch. I particularly love his term for the app icons on the watch.

  • He Who Holds the Data

    Gabe Weatherhead on a disturbing trend: This new era where every app maker wants to hold my data is not a future I look forward to. This is the one change to TextExpander that I dislike the most. It’s also becoming increasingly more common. Sync is not a business model.

    Gabe Weatherhead on a disturbing trend:

    This new era where every app maker wants to hold my data is not a future I look forward to.

    This is the one change to TextExpander that I dislike the most. It’s also becoming increasingly more common. Sync is not a business model.

  • Replacing TextExpander With Keyboard Maestro

    Gabe Weatherhead has a good overview of some of the quirks with Keyboard Maestro.

    Gabe Weatherhead has a good overview of some of the quirks with Keyboard Maestro.

  • Poor Apple Watch

    Casey Liss still likes his Apple Watch: Thinking of the Apple Watch as a standalone device that replaces the functionality of your phone is a fool’s errand. The Apple Watch improves your visibility into what is happening in your phone, like a satellite giving you a bird’s eye view of the earth. Neither will give…

    Casey Liss still likes his Apple Watch:

    Thinking of the Apple Watch as a standalone device that replaces the functionality of your phone is a fool’s errand. The Apple Watch improves your visibility into what is happening in your phone, like a satellite giving you a bird’s eye view of the earth. Neither will give you great detail about what is happening, but either can give you a lot of general information very quickly.

    Liss’ post is great and I completely agree with him. The Apple Watch is an awesome device for me everyday — it’s hard for me to understand why people don’t like the device.

  • Patience and Impatience in the Tech Industry

    Nice follow on from Manton Reece, where he talks about why patience is a double edged sword.

    Nice follow on from Manton Reece, where he talks about why patience is a double edged sword.

  • Silicone Case for iPad Pro

    It pains me to say this, but the iPad Pro is better with a case on it.

    For the longest time now I’ve been very against most cases — especially on an iPad where thinner and lighter is better — but with the iPad Pro (12.9″) the silicone case is a must have purchase. It makes the iPad Pro better in every way, and my only regret is not buying it sooner.

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  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce Goes for the Extreme

    Barry Ritholtz: The Chamber’s priorities are aligned with the small number of companies that are its largest contributors. Maybe that’s only natural. In any case, it no longer seems like the organization serves the interests of business at large.

    Barry Ritholtz:

    The Chamber’s priorities are aligned with the small number of companies that are its largest contributors. Maybe that’s only natural. In any case, it no longer seems like the organization serves the interests of business at large.

  • Photograph Everything and Look at Nothing

    This is a great post from Om Malik.

    This is a great post from Om Malik.

  • 3D Can’t Touch This

    I can’t believe this is a real debate.

    Alternative title: “A Disturbance in the Force Touch”

    John Gruber on a debate about 3D Touch which has arisen:

    A force touch should just be a shortcut to a long press.

    This strikes me as short sighted. 3D Touch is too new to judge and this sentiment (shared by many) seems more like a lack of being open minded to the new technology, than it does a problem with the technology.

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  • The iPad Pro Out Paces My Usage of Any Past Mac

    My iPad Pro is not just my main computer, it is my preferred computer.

    Since the iPad came out in 2010 I have been alternating between working at a Mac, iPad, and iPhone throughout the day. I used my Mac 45% of the time, my iPhone 30%, and my iPad the remaining 25%. Some days those numbers shift around, but on average those percentages are a fair assessment of where these devices fell.

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  • The TextExpander 6 Update

    Michael Tsai on TextExpander 6: For me, the new service is actually a regression because it’s less private. I trust the folks at Smile, but as a matter of policy I don’t like to give apps network access without good reason. Before, TextExpander could run without network access, it would sync via Dropbox, and I…

    Michael Tsai on TextExpander 6:

    For me, the new service is actually a regression because it’s less private. I trust the folks at Smile, but as a matter of policy I don’t like to give apps network access without good reason. Before, TextExpander could run without network access, it would sync via Dropbox, and I could see all the data in the Dropbox folder. Now, you need to log into an account just to launch the app, and the app itself uploads all of your snippets to a server, which is not encrypted, even if you don’t want to sync with any other devices. Smile says that no keystroke data is uploaded, however. Furthermore, the app isn’t sandboxed (because Apple does not offer the right entitlement), so in addition to having access to everything I type it can also access every file on the Mac.

    This is a pretty comprehensive overview of the situation with TextExpander 6. My biggest concern, as a user, is the privacy implications of my stuff sitting on Smile’s servers in what sounds like an unencrypted fashion. I don’t like that one bit.

  • 3 Packing Methods

    A nice look at the bundling, folding, and rolling packing methods. They like the rolling method best as that left the most room. Personally, I remain unconvinced and still use a combination of all three methods depending on what I am packing. I tend to fold pants, roll t-shirts, and bundle button down shirts. I…

    A nice look at the bundling, folding, and rolling packing methods. They like the rolling method best as that left the most room. Personally, I remain unconvinced and still use a combination of all three methods depending on what I am packing.

    I tend to fold pants, roll t-shirts, and bundle button down shirts. I have no clue how good my method is, but it seems to work.

  • Macminicolo Merges With MacStadium

    Brian Stucki with the announcement: In short, I’ve decided to sell ownership of Macminicolo and merge it with another company. I will stay on as President of Macminicolo and also serve as a Vice President of the parent company, MacStadium. I truly hope this works out, as this is a company I absolutely rely on.…

    Brian Stucki with the announcement:

    In short, I’ve decided to sell ownership of Macminicolo and merge it with another company. I will stay on as President of Macminicolo and also serve as a Vice President of the parent company, MacStadium.

    I truly hope this works out, as this is a company I absolutely rely on. I do have a lot of faith in Stucki and give him the benefit of the doubt — he’s been a huge part of keeping this site going.