The Brooks Review

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Leica Sofort 2June 13, 2024
Grand Seiko SBGX261February 23, 2023
Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022

Recent Articles

  • Amazon Item of the Week: Sharpen Your Knives

    I have been getting a lot of questions lately about how I sharpen my pocket knives. I use this little v-sharpener by Smith for most day-to-day sharpening tasks. It is also the sharpener that I take hiking/camping with me. It does a nice, but not spectacular job. For a really sharp edge I use Japanese…

    I have been getting a lot of questions lately about how I sharpen my pocket knives. I use this little v-sharpener by Smith for most day-to-day sharpening tasks. It is also the sharpener that I take hiking/camping with me. It does a nice, but not spectacular job.

    For a really sharp edge I use Japanese wet stones — they will give you an edge that will cut your finger a millimeter before the blade touches your finger. Just how I like my knives. (These are wet stones so they need to be kept, umm, wet.)

    – Starter stone: [2 in 1 1000 to 6000 grit stone](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD2C9/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
    – [800 Grit stone, to set the blade edge](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD1MH/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
    – [1200 grit stone, to get a good edge](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD1MJ/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
    – [6000 grit stone, to get a truly sharp knife](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD1MK/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20).
    – [Wet stone holder](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DD21Y/ref=nosim&tag=brooksreview-20) (so it stays put when you sharpen).

    I grew up sharpening my knifes with these stones and I wouldn’t trade them for any other system because I like my knives to be really sharp.

  • Online Privacy: Kids Know More Than You Think

    Tina Barseghian: >In terms of strategies for privacy, 90 percent of the tweens said they don’t include their full names, addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates (only day and month, not the year). About 36 percent said they embedded false information to protect their privacy, and some did so as suggested by their parents. Hope…

    Tina Barseghian:

    >In terms of strategies for privacy, 90 percent of the tweens said they don’t include their full names, addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates (only day and month, not the year). About 36 percent said they embedded false information to protect their privacy, and some did so as suggested by their parents.

    Hope yet.

  • New Philips Monitor Uses Sensor to Promote Better Posture

    Alexandra Chang: >The 24-inch LCD monitor uses a built-in CMOS sensor to determine your distance from the screen and your neck angle while sitting. The monitor works with software made by DigitalOptics Corporation, and, like a worried mother, will remind you to straighten your back, keep your distance from the display, and take breaks from…

    Alexandra Chang:
    >The 24-inch LCD monitor uses a built-in CMOS sensor to determine your distance from the screen and your neck angle while sitting. The monitor works with software made by DigitalOptics Corporation, and, like a worried mother, will remind you to straighten your back, keep your distance from the display, and take breaks from sitting at the computer.

    Awesome, except for the fact that it is *only* 1920 x 1080.

  • The 4 Inch iPhone 5

    Interesting speculation that [Gruber seems to confirm](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/04/10/iphone-aspect-ratio). What’s more interesting is that the writing in the “forums” for *The Verge* has more compelling content than their actual staff writers.

    Interesting speculation that [Gruber seems to confirm](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/04/10/iphone-aspect-ratio). What’s more interesting is that the writing in the “forums” for *The Verge* has more compelling content than their actual staff writers.

  • 500px Releases $20 Flickr-Killer Plan

    This is good news because 500px is a great service and Flickr hasn’t changed for the better since 1999.

    This is good news because 500px is a great service and Flickr hasn’t changed for the better since 1999.

  • Bartending: Memoirs of an Apple Genius

    Great new book from Stephen Hackett about life behind the Genius Bar. I’ve only had the chance to read a few chapters, but it has been a great read so far. Get it today.

    Great new book from Stephen Hackett about life behind the Genius Bar. I’ve only had the chance to read a few chapters, but it has been a great read so far. Get it today.

  • How to Delete Your Instagram Account

    I’m on it.

    I’m on it.

  • Facebook Acquires Instagram

    Fuck. They say it will be separate, but integrated — I don’t buy it. I’m out, which frees up a spot on my homescreen. If you value your privacy you will quit too.

    Fuck.

    They say it will be separate, but integrated — I don’t buy it. I’m out, which frees up a spot on my homescreen. If you value your privacy you will quit too.

  • Drafts for iOS

    I posted about [Drafts](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts/id502385074?mt=8) on [Saturday](https://brooksreview.net/2012/04/drafts/) when [Stephen Hackett posted his review of it](http://512pixels.net/drafts-capture-and-share/), but — despite having a three day old baby in the next room — I think I need to say a little more about this app. The reason? I think it is truly fantastic. ### Idea The thinking behind [Drafts](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts/id502385074?mt=8) is…

    I posted about [Drafts](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts/id502385074?mt=8) on [Saturday](https://brooksreview.net/2012/04/drafts/) when [Stephen Hackett posted his review of it](http://512pixels.net/drafts-capture-and-share/), but — despite having a three day old baby in the next room — I think I need to say a little more about this app. The reason? I think it is truly fantastic.

    ### Idea

    The thinking behind [Drafts](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts/id502385074?mt=8) is that sometimes you just need a piece of paper to jot something down on, you don’t need titles or anything else, you just need to type something quick. Get in and get out.

    That’s Drafts and it is excellent at this very task.

    Is it niche? It sure sounds like it, but I think it is no more niche than Post-It Notes — because to me that’s what Drafts is: the realization of a digital Post-It Notes.

    #### Pop for iOS

    I want to mention a similar app: [Pop](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pop-for-ios/id508555382?mt=8) and while the purpose may be the same (scratch paper), the implementation is very different. The apps are philosophically different and while Pop isn’t for me, maybe it is for you — be sure to check both out.

    In my mind, if Drafts is Post-It Notes, Pop is just a sheet of paper — nothing wrong with that — so it’s worth checking that out too if you are interesting by this type of an app.

    ### Wants

    There are two things that I want more out of Drafts (and the developer knows this):

    1. A better icon. This app is in my dock, but I almost didn’t put it there because of the icon.
    2. Dropbox integration. Initially I thought Dropbox syncing, but that’s not what I want. I want Drafts to have a button that I can send the `.txt` file for the Draft to a folder in my Dropbox. Not every note needs to go there, but I want to be able to send one if needed.

    ### Conclusion

    I love it. No, I *really* love Drafts. Drafts has kicked Notesy off my home screen and displaced Mail from my iPhone dock. It’s easy to tell you what I love about Drafts: I can open it, be presented with a blank field in which I can type, exit the app and be done. If the next time I enter the app has been over 3 minutes, boom its another blank field to type in. That’s what I love, no organization and not naming things.

    Just type and be done.

    This is going to be perfect for meetings, for remembering tidbits, for drafting tweets ((Sorry Birdhouse)), for life really. [Go get it](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts/id502385074?mt=8).

    UPDATE: Be sure to go into the settings (in the share menu options) and change the appearance from default to something else, you can thank me later. (I prefer grayscale.)

  • [SPONSOR] Byword

    *(Note from Ben: it seems there is a belief that I think Byword is a “bad” app, but that is simply not true. If you are looking for a writing app, Byword should be on your shortlist of apps to check out — I own it and keep very close tabs on it’s development.)* Byword…

    *(Note from Ben: it seems there is a belief that I think Byword is a “bad” app, but that is simply not true. If you are looking for a writing app, Byword should be on your shortlist of apps to check out — I own it and keep very close tabs on it’s development.)*

    Byword is a Mac and iOS app for modern writers.

    Modern writers don’t just sit at a desk and write. Sometimes it’s great to be able to write, edit or proofread when and where inspiration strikes and not be restrained by a single device or location. Byword makes this kind of workflow easy by integrating iCloud and Dropbox synchronization.

    The flexibility of Byword: An article idea came to your mind last night on the couch and you began working on it on your iPad. This morning, at the office, you picked up where you left off by opening Byword on you MacBook Air — and finding the article was there just as you left it on the iPad. After lunch, on your way to the coffee shop, you pull out your iPhone to proofread and finish the draft.

    Byword is available on the [Mac App Store](http://bit.ly/I4yOsA) for $9.99, and for iOS on the [App Store](http://bit.ly/I4ySIC) at the introductory price of $2.99. Check it out.

  • Figure

    Its been a while since an app has made me smile this much. Good fun, even for a rhythmically and tone challenged person like me.

    Its been a while since an app has made me smile this much. Good fun, even for a rhythmically and tone challenged person like me.

  • “Living in denial”

    The Macalope: >Still, if you had told us years ago that people would be only too happy to stand on a street corner talking loudly into a Bluetooth headset about their rash, we would have said you were crazy. And, yet, here we are. So maybe people will wear these dorky things. Even if Mac-y…

    The Macalope:

    >Still, if you had told us years ago that people would be only too happy to stand on a street corner talking loudly into a Bluetooth headset about their rash, we would have said you were crazy. And, yet, here we are. So maybe people will wear these dorky things.

    Even if Mac-y is right, you’ll still look like a douche.

  • Drafts

    I love this app so much that it’s not only on my home screen, it’s in my dock. I’d write up a review, but [I’m a little busy right now](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/sloane.jpg).

    I love this app so much that it’s not only on my home screen, it’s in my dock. I’d write up a review, but [I’m a little busy right now](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/sloane.jpg).

  • Wait a CEO Said That?

    [Google’s CEO Larry Page released a rather boring letter](http://investor.google.com/corporate/2012/ceo-letter.html), but there are some sentences in this long letter that really make you scratch your head. Actually they make you wonder: a CEO said that? The following is a list of my favorite lines from Page’s letter. Page, begging for followers on Google+: > I strongly…

    [Google’s CEO Larry Page released a rather boring letter](http://investor.google.com/corporate/2012/ceo-letter.html), but there are some sentences in this long letter that really make you scratch your head. Actually they make you wonder: a CEO said that?

    The following is a list of my favorite lines from Page’s letter.

    Page, begging for followers on Google+:
    > I strongly encourage all of you to follow me on Google+—I love having this new way to communicate and share with all of you!

    Page taking a dig at Twitter and Facebook for not partnering with Google:

    >And privacy considerations certainly limit the information that can be shared between platforms—even if the third parties hosting it were willing to work with Google, which hasn’t always been the case.

    I am really not sure why he even included this bit when talking about Google Wallet:

    >No more claiming you left your credit card at home when your friend asks you to pay for lunch!

    Pro tip: don’t accuse *your* user as being the schmuck that is mooching off of his friends.

    Page claiming that Chrome is great and basically telling people that his software is never the problem — no your computer is probably the problem:

    >I promise it won’t take too long to install, and if it does you probably need a new computer.

    Pro tip: just don’t ever say that.

    Page on making money off some of the projects coming out of Google:

    >People rightly ask how we’ll make money from these big bets.

    Ok so that sentence isn’t that funny, but he goes on to explain how much more money they are getting from advertising on mobile — never does he actually answer the question, instead just pointing to Google’s successes and thinking that should be enough evidence that their projects will pay off. Pro tip: when writing a letter don’t ask yourself a question that you don’t have a good answer to.

    Page winning the award for best parenthetical in a letter from a CEO of a major corporation:

    >That is a mighty big check (actually lots of smaller checks!) and I’m delighted we’ve been able to support our partners with that much resource.

    Page showing his math skills:

    >One thing I’ve learned is that if you keep doubling things, it really adds up fast!

    Page giving an example of a bigger project that failed, but still made Google money:

    >The team failed at understanding the Web, mostly, I think, because they were distracted by their work making advertisements amazingly relevant.

    Pro tip: if you are a web company, it’s probably not a good idea to say that you “failed at understanding the Web” in a letter to investors.

    Mostly this letter taught me that Page really loves a good exclamation point!

  • ADmented Reality

    This is a pretty good visualization of what [I was talking about](https://brooksreview.net/2012/04/google-ly-eye-ads/). [via DF]

    This is a pretty good visualization of what [I was talking about](https://brooksreview.net/2012/04/google-ly-eye-ads/).

    [via DF]

  • The ‘Paper’ Business Model

    Justin Luey responding to my suggestion that Paper should have charged $0.99 for the app, as well as doing IAP for additional tools: >This might “set the expectation”, but it’s still shady to charge extra for essential features, and it makes the whole transaction more complicated than it needs to be. Charge a fair price…

    Justin Luey responding to my suggestion that Paper should have charged $0.99 for the app, as well as doing IAP for additional tools:
    >This might “set the expectation”, but it’s still shady to charge extra for essential features, and it makes the whole transaction more complicated than it needs to be. Charge a fair price for a feature complete app, and offer a free lite version to allow users to demo the app.

    I’ve been thinking more and more about my suggestion since I posted it and it is really tricky to suss out. I don’t like the idea of ‘lite’ versions of apps — that’s complex for the user. They have to think about which one they want to buy — they don’t know if there is a free version and so perhaps they just see the paid version and buy that. It’s complex and frustrating.

    The reason I like the idea of a paid app with IAP of some kind: longevity. I don’t like my apps to become abandonware and without upgrade pricing for developers on the App Store, there are only a couple of good ways to get continued revenue from the app:

    1. Attract more users, thus selling more copies.
    2. Use IAP to allow the user to buy something extra (including subscriptions).

    Beyond that I worry that after a year the developer may move on to greener grass. With IAP the developer can add a new feature and charge all of the users for that feature, instead of just the “new” users.

  • Obviousness vs. Tutorials

    [John Gruber on the lock screen camera access for iOS 5.1](http://daringfireball.net/2012/04/obviousness): >To invoke the button, you must slide it upwards rather than simply tap it, for the same reason you must slide the unlock button rather than simply tap it: to avoid inadvertent invocation while the phone is in your pocket or purse. But if…

    [John Gruber on the lock screen camera access for iOS 5.1](http://daringfireball.net/2012/04/obviousness):
    >To invoke the button, you must slide it upwards rather than simply tap it, for the same reason you must slide the unlock button rather than simply tap it: to avoid inadvertent invocation while the phone is in your pocket or purse. But if you do just tap on it, which is an obvious thing to try, you get a clever hint: the lock screen playfully jumps and bounces, suggesting visually that you can slide it upward.

    This is exactly what Shawn and I were talking about on [the latest B&B podcast](http://5by5.tv/bb/55). We were trying to figure out how apps like Paper and Clear can teach the users how to use those very apps, given their general lack of “normal” UI controls (like buttons).

    I never even thought about how clever that little jump that iOS does is, but reading this post showed me one step that developers can take to reduce confusion.

    I imagine, for instance, on an app like paper: when a user pauses after drawing the tips of the brushes would ever so slightly slide up from the bottom. This of course would only occur on the first dozen or so launches of the app — thus training the user where the tools are and then eventually the tips disappearing from the app and this getting out of the users way.

    I personally don’t think tutorial splash screens, or even tutorials as a function of the app like with Clear, are the way forward. They are simply too cumbersome and too easily forgotten — they are inelegant solutions to a very real, and common, problem.

    Not everything can work in an obvious way when you are trying to rid the UI of buttons, but many things can easily be learned. Looking through my favorite apps on the iPad, it’s clear to me that they are also the apps with the least amount of buttons.

    For all the trouble that gesture based interaction causes with learning curves, [this statement from Gruber](http://daringfireball.net/2012/04/obviousness) seems off the mark to me:

    >That’s why I like the analogy that gestures are to iOS what keyboard shortcuts are to Mac OS — an alternative way to do something as a convenience for advanced users. The default, true way to do things should be visual.

    I very much believe that gestures are the ‘true’ way to do things on iOS. Buttons are just the step ladder, the transitional tool, that is being used to get users familiar with the common gestures. Gestures, however, are still not perfect and present a very real problem — but a problem no more complex than the mouse and pointer presented when first being adopted.

    It was no easy task to teach users to point and click on things — let alone right click — and as Gruber states single and double clicks are still an issue for many Windows users. We did, as a society, overcome the non-obvious nature of ‘click-able’ UI elements and so to shall we overcome the non-obvious nature of touch-based gestures. It just takes some time, we’ve only given it a year and even then only now are these UI-less apps really starting to appear.

  • The B&B Podcast #55: I’m Not Getting Rid of the Keyboard

    Shawn and I talk about Shawn’s annoying new DAS keyboard, Google’s Project Glass, and UI-less UI in iOS apps (such as Clear and Paper). It’s a short one this week.

    Shawn and I talk about Shawn’s annoying new DAS keyboard, Google’s Project Glass, and UI-less UI in iOS apps (such as Clear and Paper). It’s a short one this week.

  • ‘Mostly Torpid’

    Gretchen Reynolds: >But exercise paired with otherwise unalloyed sitting should be avoided, Dr. Dunstan says. “It is important the general public become more conscious about what they do in their nonexercise time,” he says. Almost everybody, he says, “should look for opportunities to reduce their daily sitting time and move more, more often, throughout the…

    Gretchen Reynolds:
    >But exercise paired with otherwise unalloyed sitting should be avoided, Dr. Dunstan says. “It is important the general public become more conscious about what they do in their nonexercise time,” he says. Almost everybody, he says, “should look for opportunities to reduce their daily sitting time and move more, more often, throughout the day.”

    And this is why I stand at work.

  • ‘Complicated Apps Are the New Excuse’

    Federico Viticci: >[…] I think Paper made us realize even more that old interface schemes from the PC era belong to another age, and that all the metaphors we were accustomed to will have to be re-imagined. Exactly.

    Federico Viticci:

    >[…] I think Paper made us realize even more that old interface schemes from the PC era belong to another age, and that all the metaphors we were accustomed to will have to be re-imagined.

    Exactly.