The iPad challenge #1

Today was the first day of me living with my new iPad mini. Sure, yesterday was a great day for unboxing it, getting used to its form factor and setting up the parameters of this challenge… but today is when it all starts; and here a my first impressions:It’s a much more different experience from the iPhone than I would have thought. I’ve always imagined the iPad as an exploded iPhone, just a larger screen for the same apps and activities but in reality it feels totally different. Yes, the apps are mostly the same and I’m still setting up most of the apps I use on my iPhone as well as trying to discover some new ones to squeeze the maximum amount of productivity out of this little toy, but even the apps that I used on my phone feel new and different on the iPad. 

Pages, the Microsoft Word of the Apple world feels totally different on the iPad. The keyboard is really enjoyable to write on, especially in landscape mode. It feels like I’m writing on a sort of kids toy laptop, but at the same time I notice that I can pick up some serious speed really fast and then when I pick up my phone it feels so small and toy-like. 

Among the apps I was installing late last night was OneNote, the note-taking app from Microsoft. I’ve talked about it in the past, but it was never my favourite app. I used it as a default notes app back in the days I had a Windows Phone powered HTC, but not much since then. To be honest I think I only know s handful of people that willingly use OneNote on any of their devices. But as a first look here on the iPad mini it kinda made sense to me. I feel really tempted to give it a giant try to use that as my default go-to app. 

The larger screen is so far the thing that impressed me the most. I can do my writing, check my emails, search for apps and it never feels crowed. Everything is so relaxed and its feels like I have miles of space while the actual device in my hand weighs next to nothing. I like it because it’s really light and so far everything I tried doing with it (which I’ll admit isn’t much) just felt like s well organised page from a notebook. It felt like I constantly had extra space to see some more info or add a new tab.

I only had a few hours to play around with it today and that includes the time it took me to write this post. Most of the time was spent on downloading some of the apps I didn’t have time to yesterday and trying to arrange them in some sort of order. Unlike others, I don’t believe in having the exact same layout on all my devices so the apps and the order they’re in will be different on my tabled than on my phone.

So while it’s definitely a work in progress, here are some of the pros and cons of the day:

Pros: Great typing experience. Much bigger screen real estate and actually having the possibility to take advantage of that 

Cons: Kinda hard to write at full speed when lying on the bed. The soft/Smart Cover does not offer the same amount of support as the body of an actual laptop (but I guess I should’ve figured that out way before buying the tablet)

 

Poetic Affinity case for the 2014 Moto X

A couple of months back I was talking about how much I dislike cases and how I don’t want to use one for my phone. Then it so happened that I dropped my phone, it cracked and due to a series of unfortunate events, it took me 2 moths to get it replaced. But now I have, and for the past week I’ve been living with my phone, and a case I got for him. Here are my impressions:

The case I decided to go for was a Poetic Affinity. It’s a hybrid of hard plastic and rubber that feels very sturdy and resistant. I bought it because it was cheap, it seemed to offer good protection for the back, corners and the front, and because I liked the idea of having a clear back so that the design of my phone could show. But that is what I saw online. Here are some photos with the box of the case and the phone in the case:

 

As you can see, the back of the box says the case is transparent, grippy, durable and lightweight.  I can tell you it’s grippy, like very. It offers a lot of grip if I hold it normally in my hands and make sure that the sides of the case touch the palm of my hands. And once everything is on the table, I’m not concerned about it falling off.
I can’t say anything about it being durable because after staying two months without a phone, I didn’t have the heart to drop it again this time on purpose to see what happens. But it feels durable enough for me, so I’ll just take their word for it. About transparent and lightweight I’m not that sure and here I have a small Pros and Cons of the case.

Cons:

• I am not happy with the fact that it’s not as transparent as it looks online. Many people have complained on the internet about it (too bad I read the comments after receiving the product), but this case just doesn’t do justice to the beautiful design of the phone. You can’t see the engraving on the back with the case on and neither can you place your finger in the Moto Dimple.
• Speaking of the dimple, the lack of it on the case is my second biggest complaint. I love that dimple on the back, I use it as a datum point whenever I use my phone. It’s how I know if my phone is upside-down or right-side up in my pocket. And it also gives me a bit more grip and control when using the phone one handed. With the case it’s just one big slippery surface and it just feels wrong. A lot of the times I find myself holding my finger on the camera lens.
• Can’t distinguish the volume buttons. Although the buttons remain very clicky and easy to use, and while it’s easy for some reason to find the lock button, I find it almost impossible to find the volume buttons. 9/10 time I just randomly press on the side of my phone when listening to musing hoping to hit something that will change the volume.

Pros

• It feels solid! Although I said I didn’t drop it on purpose, I have a feeling that if I drop it, with this case, it will be okay. Even without the phone in it, the case does not bend, and if feels very rigid. This makes getting the phone in and out of the case a bit tricky, but the general feel is reassuring.
• Rubber supports. I know it sounds weird, but on the back, the case has two small rubber “legs” that act like two support points when the phone is on a flat surface. This makes it a bit more stable and a bit less wobbly when typing with the phone on the table. It’s a small but nice touch that I like although it’s not a deal maker for me.
• The buttons stay clicky! Even with the case on I find it very easy to use all the buttons. The on/off/lock button is especially easy to find, my thumb just going in the right direction every time. The volume keys are a bit harder to find, but just as easy to press.

Day to day

I already talked about how life feels with a big screen in your pocket and this case doesn’t change things that much. When using it everyday I don’t find it harder to do the things I would normally do, and they’re not any easier either. Everything I do just has now an extra feeling of security that everything will be okay even if I drop my phone by accident.

But, when I get home and take the case off my phone, things change. I suddenly feel those thin bezels that make the whole phone feel thinner, I actually feel it lighter and more comfortable to hold with one hand. I rediscover the Moto Dimple and I’m in love with it all over again. I look at my phone’s back and love what I see.

Make no mistake, this is a bulky case!

Conclusion

This case has huge rubber and plastic bands on it’s size, it’s raised so it will protect the screen if it falls face first and it’s generally 3-4 mm thick. It will make the phone feel thicker, heavier, and it may hide some of its sexy lines, but it will offer it protection in return. Am I pleased with it? Well not really considering the fact that it’s not as transparent as advertised and it doesn’t have a cut for the moto dimple on the back. Personally I would go for a rubber bumper type of case, but I decided to give this a try first. If you want full protection on your phone and are not bothered by a few extra mm’s overall, then this case will do the job for a decent price. If you also want to conserve the looks of the phone and the feel in the hand, then you might have to look somewhere else.