The Brooks Review

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Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022
Grand Seiko SBGX261February 23, 2023
The Hype: Yoshida & Co’s Porter BagsAugust 26, 2025

Recent Articles

  • Let’s Substitute iTunes Passwords for Passcodes on iOS

    Any TestFlight user will tell you that one of the greatest parts is that you can install apps without a dialog popping up asking you for a password. In fact entering my iTunes password every time I want to buy or update an app causes two problems: 1. User annoyance. 2. Weaker passwords. My password…

    Any TestFlight user will tell you that one of the greatest parts is that you can install apps without a dialog popping up asking you for a password. In fact entering my iTunes password every time I want to buy or update an app causes two problems:

    1. User annoyance.
    2. Weaker passwords.

    My password is weaker because I typing long complex passwords causes two problems other:

    1. I forget them.
    2. They aren’t very easy/fast to type on iOS.

    This problem is compounded when you have a device passcode set to immediately (as I do), then you go to update apps and have to type another password.

    My proposal: if a user has a passcode set to activate no longer than 15 minutes of inactivity (I believe this is the current memory of the App Store for password-less purchases) then allow the user to turn on a feature where you can buy anything password-less once the device has been unlocked with the passcode.

    This would eliminate the first two problems listed above:

    1. Buying/updating apps would be less annoying (fringe benefit: you sell more apps).
    2. I could make super secure iTunes passwords knowing that I wouldn’t need them to do every little update in the App Store or to buy $1.99 song.

    Just a thought…

  • The iShine

    Devir Kahan on the Apple-applied icon gloss in iOS (he dubs: iShine): >In my opinion, this Apple shine on all apps looks nothing short of terrible. It makes icons appear bubble-like and juvenile. By far and away the best icons are the ones without this annoying shine. When I finished reading this I thought for…

    Devir Kahan on the Apple-applied icon gloss in iOS (he dubs: iShine):
    >In my opinion, this Apple shine on all apps looks nothing short of terrible. It makes icons appear bubble-like and juvenile. By far and away the best icons are the ones without this annoying shine.

    When I finished reading this I thought for sure that he was wrong. I headed to my iPhone and searched for just one example of a good looking App icon that left the Apple shine in place — I failed to find one.

  • FileVault Tests on a 13″ MacBook Air

    Federico Viticci testing his new MacBook Air 13″ with and without FileVault: >My Geekbench results (run with the latest version of the app available, at 64-bit, with system daemons-only running in the background) report two points more to the test performed when FileVault was turned on. He also ran some nice “real world” tests and…

    Federico Viticci testing his new MacBook Air 13″ with and without FileVault:
    >My Geekbench results (run with the latest version of the app available, at 64-bit, with system daemons-only running in the background) report two points more to the test performed when FileVault was turned on.

    He also ran some nice “real world” tests and his conclusion is similar to mine: you don’t notice any performance difference. Here’s my advice with FileVault: turn it on and leave it on until you think to yourself “this computer is so slow that I need a new one.” Until you reach such a point there is no reason to have it off, that added security (including the upcoming remote wipe) is killer.

  • Myhrvold: Just Getting Started

    Dave Winer: >Also Myrvold has raised $5 billion and has only made $2 billion so far in settlements and judgements. His VCs no doubt expect a 10x return or greater. You can do the math. He’s got to extract at least another $48 billion. He’s just getting started. That ultimately has to chill the investment…

    Dave Winer:
    >Also Myrvold has raised $5 billion and has only made $2 billion so far in settlements and judgements. His VCs no doubt expect a 10x return or greater. You can do the math. He’s got to extract at least another $48 billion. He’s just getting started. That ultimately has to chill the investment environment in tech.

    *Fun*.

  • [SPONSOR] Hunter Research and Technology: Theodolite

    Theodolite is a multifunction augmented reality viewfinder for iOS devices that combines a rangefinder, inclinometer, compass, GPS, map, and geo-tag zoom camera into one indispensable app. Available for iPhone, iPad 2, and iPod Touch 4. Read more about Theodolite and check out other iOS and Mac apps by Hunter Research and Technology.

    Theodolite is a multifunction augmented reality viewfinder for iOS devices that combines a rangefinder, inclinometer, compass, GPS, map, and geo-tag zoom camera into one indispensable app. Available for iPhone, iPad 2, and iPod Touch 4. Read more about Theodolite and check out other iOS and Mac apps by Hunter Research and Technology.

  • Quick Look Gestures in Finder Let You Navigate Like a Pro

    Some more great gesture tricks — this time when you are using Quick Look. On another note: looks like I need to switch to a Magic trackpad at my office now too.

    Some more great gesture tricks — this time when you are using Quick Look. On another note: looks like I need to switch to a Magic trackpad at my office now too.

  • Fullscreen Safari Trick [Lion]

    This is a great trick when you use Safari in fullscreen mode (and it makes Safari in fullscreen mode a lot more useable). ((Note: this is the same trick that I told Shawn about on our latest [podcast](http://thebbpodcast.com/2011/08/episode-21-in-ear-monitors/).))

    This is a great trick when you use Safari in fullscreen mode (and it makes Safari in fullscreen mode a lot more useable). ((Note: this is the same trick that I told Shawn about on our latest [podcast](http://thebbpodcast.com/2011/08/episode-21-in-ear-monitors/).))

  • Drance FTW

    Wonder why so many hated “that” post by Google? Matt Drance sums it up perfectly.

    Wonder why so many hated “that” post by Google? Matt Drance sums it up perfectly.

  • Entitled

    John Gruber: >Google seems to feel entitled to copy whatever it wants. Which is exactly why I am souring on Google as a company.

    John Gruber:
    >Google seems to feel entitled to copy whatever it wants.

    Which is exactly why I am souring on Google as a company.

  • PostCheck for Address Book

    My thanks to Brian Toth for sponsoring the RSS feed this week to promote his excellent PostCheck. PostCheck is a killer plug-in for Address Book on your Mac. Its goal is to properly format the addresses in your Address Book for shipping things with USPS. The killer (for me) part is that it will autofill…

    My thanks to Brian Toth for sponsoring the RSS feed this week to promote his excellent PostCheck.

    PostCheck is a killer plug-in for Address Book on your Mac. Its goal is to properly format the addresses in your Address Book for shipping things with USPS. The killer (for me) part is that it will autofill in that pesky 4-digit addition that fancy people add to the zip codes.

    I dig this plug-in, it’s not something I use all the time — but it *is* something that just seems so Apple-like every time I use it. Why this is not a built-in feature I don’t know.

    At [$10](http://briantoth.com/postcheck/purchase) it is an instant buy in my book.

  • The B&B Podcast – Episode 21: In-Ear Monitors

    Shawn brags about his headphones to me a little. I fail at explaining the Google patent stuff to Shawn. We both love Keyboard Maestro. We also discuss the merits of buying a desktop and I talk about why I think I might go back to a desktop machine. Brought to you buy these awesome sponsors:…

    Shawn brags about his headphones to me a little. I fail at explaining the Google patent stuff to Shawn. We both love Keyboard Maestro. We also discuss the merits of buying a desktop and I talk about why I think I might go back to a desktop machine.

    Brought to you buy these awesome sponsors: [Harvest](http://www.getharvest.com/) and [Campaign Monitor](http://www.campaignmonitor.com/)

  • Who Do You Side With on the Google/Microsoft Back and Forth on the Patent Issue?

    An interesting poll by MG Siegler where Google is still favored by most people in this latest spat between the two. I am actually siding with Microsoft on this one (believe it or not) mainly because I do believe all Google has done is: “[whine like a bitch](http://brianshall.com/content/google-are-pussies)”.

    An interesting poll by MG Siegler where Google is still favored by most people in this latest spat between the two. I am actually siding with Microsoft on this one (believe it or not) mainly because I do believe all Google has done is: “[whine like a bitch](http://brianshall.com/content/google-are-pussies)”.

  • How I Tracked Down an Entire Family From One Tweet

    Joanna Geary: >I’ve gone from one tweet to knowing an entire family’s names, location, address, contact details, what they look like, how they are connected to the military and, potentially, where a part of the US army is coming under fire. That’s some seriously good sleuthing, but should be of no surprise to anyone —…

    Joanna Geary:
    >I’ve gone from one tweet to knowing an entire family’s names, location, address, contact details, what they look like, how they are connected to the military and, potentially, where a part of the US army is coming under fire.

    That’s some seriously good sleuthing, but should be of no surprise to anyone — and if it is, then perhaps you are not ready for the Internet. ((At the very least you need to be more realistic about privacy expectations on one of the least private things the world has ever created.))

  • Apple’s Favorite Make-Android-Awkward Patent

    Florian Mueller with the easiest to understand of all the patent discussions about the cards that Apple is actually holding: >And with several such patents, it’s possible for Apple to create a very serious user experience gap between its own products and those of its competitors. >Death by a thousand cuts. Well, it won’t literally…

    Florian Mueller with the easiest to understand of all the patent discussions about the cards that Apple is actually holding:

    >And with several such patents, it’s possible for Apple to create a very serious user experience gap between its own products and those of its competitors.

    >Death by a thousand cuts. Well, it won’t literally take a thousand patents. But the key thing is: one such patent has an effect, and several of them can collectively have major impact.

    If you are at all curious as to why Google is so worried, this is the article to read.

  • The Google Patent Whiner

    Last night things got pretty good on Twitter with Brad Smith, Microsoft General Counsel, [tweeting](https://twitter.com/#!/BradSmi/status/98902130412355585): >Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no. Followed by a [Tweet](https://twitter.com/#!/fxshaw/status/98932077327691776) from Frank Shaw, Microsoft Head of Communications, that included a screenshot of an…

    Last night things got pretty good on Twitter with Brad Smith, Microsoft General Counsel, [tweeting](https://twitter.com/#!/BradSmi/status/98902130412355585):

    >Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.

    Followed by a [Tweet](https://twitter.com/#!/fxshaw/status/98932077327691776) from Frank Shaw, Microsoft Head of Communications, that included a screenshot of an email exchange turning down the offer to partner up on buying the patents.

    Kudos to Microsoft for having the balls to respond in this way — it may not be a savvy move in the end, but it is a great PR move in the short term.

    I do however think that MG Siegler has the best explanation of what is happening with Google and patents right now (which is why I have this post linking to him):

    >And it reinforces something that many observers think about Google’s position here: that they simply weren’t taking the patent situation too seriously until recently, and now they’re all up in arms about it.

  • HoMedics.com | Defender™ Anti-Theft Locking Drawer

    This is a pretty neat drawer safe and what makes it particularly interesting to me is that it has holes for cords to slip through. The intended use is that you charge gadgets while keeping them secure — I wonder if it wouldn’t make a good backup drive safe. That is: run the backups with…

    This is a pretty neat drawer safe and what makes it particularly interesting to me is that it has holes for cords to slip through. The intended use is that you charge gadgets while keeping them secure — I wonder if it wouldn’t make a good backup drive safe.

    That is: run the backups with the drawer open for ventilation then lock it up when done. My only concern is what the “locking tether” is and how robust it really is for securing the safe.

    [via Unplggd]

  • Ultrabooks

    Monica Chen and Joseph Tsai reporting on Intel’s new Ultrabook concept for PC manufacturers to compete with the MacBook Air: >The sources pointed out that the new MacBook Airs are priced at about US$999-1,599 with rather strong demand in the US; however, designing an ultrabook based on Intel’s technical suggestions will still be unable to…

    Monica Chen and Joseph Tsai reporting on Intel’s new Ultrabook concept for PC manufacturers to compete with the MacBook Air:
    >The sources pointed out that the new MacBook Airs are priced at about US$999-1,599 with rather strong demand in the US; however, designing an ultrabook based on Intel’s technical suggestions will still be unable to reduce the machine’s price level to lower than the MacBook Air’s unless Intel is willing to reduce its prices, which already account for one-third of the total cost.

    Two things to keep in mind here:

    1. Apple (presumably) makes a profit off of MacBook Air sales.
    2. Apple is considered to be *more* expensive than its PC counterparts.

  • Patently Absurd

    John Gruber responding to the hypocrisy that has become Google’s legal defense: >They’re effectively arguing against the idea of the patent system itself, simply because Android violates a bunch of patents held by Google’s competitors. I could have quoted every word he said in this post.

    John Gruber responding to the hypocrisy that has become Google’s legal defense:
    >They’re effectively arguing against the idea of the patent system itself, simply because Android violates a bunch of patents held by Google’s competitors.

    I could have quoted every word he said in this post.

  • Villainous Robber Baron

    Writer W.W. for The Economist: >And then tell me that Nathan Myhrvold of Intellectual Ventures is not our age’s authentic villainous robber baron, making a fortune gaming America’s dysfunctional patent-law system to shake down would-be innovators.

    Writer W.W. for The Economist:
    >And then tell me that Nathan Myhrvold of Intellectual Ventures is not our age’s authentic villainous robber baron, making a fortune gaming America’s dysfunctional patent-law system to shake down would-be innovators.

  • Car Analogies

    In response to my earlier rant, about a certain journalist, David Hayes emailed me in a great comment that he also posted to his blog (which I am linking to here). I particularly love the last paragraph of the post as a way to look at the Mac price versus PC price debate. If you…

    In response to my earlier rant, about a certain journalist, David Hayes emailed me in a great comment that he also posted to his blog (which I am linking to here). I particularly love the last paragraph of the post as a way to look at the Mac price versus PC price debate.

    If you look at it the way Hayes frames the argument then it is clear that Macs simply require a higher standard of hardware and thus have a higher price point.