WEEKLY WHEATIES #2443
One Device, Amazon Kindle, AI Power, Halloween
In this newsletter:
📝 Post: One Device to Rule Them All
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Amazon Kindle
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI Power
😎 Pick of the Week: Halloween Picks
📦 Featured Product: Flash Drives
📝 One Device to Rule Them All
This summer in Weekly Wheaties #2427 I wrote about Superapps - essentially, apps that can do a ton of things just good enough to keep you using one app instead of bouncing from app to app to app. While this focused on the software side of things, we also have the hardware version of this in play. Meaning, how many devices do you have and use on a daily or weekly basis? How do you decide when to use which one and for what? Do you have one device that only does one thing, and it does it so much better than all of your other devices it has a permanent job others just can’t do in comparison?
Two weeks ago, I made an argument for the Kindle as a great example of this device. And with the newer devices announced (see below), this may be even truer for you now. This is not a love story for the Kindle, although it is probably one of my favorite pieces of technology I own as I’ve shared before. If you’re someone who loves reading physical books, a Kindle is not quite a tablet, but not really a physical book either. It is a great gateway into bringing tech into the analog world of reading. Many people who are physical book readers have made the switch and love it. In comparison, a Kindle is much lighter than any book, and it has a battery that lasts weeks if not months.
Other devices can read digital or even audiobooks, but no device will ever stack up to a Kindle for this one purpose. However, a Kindle may cost more than you’d like to spend. Or maybe you don’t like to carry multiple devices. In this case, your phone may be sufficient. Maybe your phone’s screen is just a bit too small, and you have a tablet for reading instead. Now this tablet may do more than just function as a reading device and may also be an entertainment device for streaming and gaming. Let’s also not forget that minimal phones are on the rise, too.
Taking Apple as an example, there are various iPhone sizes and speeds to choose from. If you need a bigger screen or something more powerful, there’s a huge lineup of iPads - so much so that it’s honestly too overwhelming for me. They literally offer 6 iterations of the iPad based on size and speed, starting with the iPad Mini. Then, each of those has different color, storage, and connectivity options. Without doing the math, I’d bet there are at least 100 different ways to order an iPad. And for each version, as you spend more on storage, you climb the ladder of pricing that gets you to the next step-up’s version. If you price up enough for a regular iPad, then you may as well get an iPad Air. Price that up enough, and you may as well get an iPad Pro.
At some point in the iPad lineup, you may also then choose to buy a keyboard. But at that point, you are now priced up to a full-fledged laptop. Then, you have a few options to choose from here. So, the game continues… until next year’s models are released anyway. This is another reason why I’ve always said to spend the money you are plan on spending and buy the best option you can afford when you need to purchase something. Especially with Apple’s products.
Now, let’s consider a smartwatch. Its main function arguably is to tell the time, but it does many other things your phone or other items can also do: track your steps, alert you with notifications, allow you to talk hands-free, and more. But then it does a couple of things your phone can’t: read your heart rate and perform an ECG. However, if you want the most accurate heart information, this is not the device for you. In fact, the hardware on these smartwatches may even be a great first step in letting you know you need a more in-depth test.
What smartwatches can do that is very powerful is when you take the information they provide and pair it with their phone counterpart. For example, even if the heart rate or step counts are exactly accurate in comparison to a much better heart rate monitor or step counter when it pairs with the phone, it can then provide much better information. The importance of the trend starts to show over time. This means that if your resting heart rate has been shown to be around 60 bpm over the last year, but within the last week, it rose to 70 bpm, that can alert you to get something checked out.
Next, what about all of these home assistants? Apple’s HomePod, the Alexa Show, and the Google Home are all limited in the actions they take and the information they give. I’m not 100% certain, but I’d almost be willing to bet there’s nothing any of them can do that your phone can’t. Or at least with an app on your phone. So, if this is true, why do we even need these devices? Herein is the heart of this post - convenience.
Convenience, in this case, is mainly around cost. You should ask yourself if you’re willing to pay $X for a device that will be purchased knowing the device limitations - a Kindle only for reading or an iPad that can’t make cellular calls. Many times, though, after purchasing an item, you may find other uses for it that were not originally considered. Personally, I purchased an iPad solely to use as a note-taking device. I absolutely use it for that, but never considered it would become my main ‘mobile gaming’ device (not that I play a lot of games anyway).
Second is the convenience of actually using the device in tandem with cost. For the home assistants, if they aren’t used, then that’s wasted money. That said, some of them can be had for less than $25, and at that point, it’s a nice to have moreso than wasted money. But there’s another way of ‘saving’ money when looking at your slew of devices. If you use your newly purchased tablet to satisfy your social media and streaming habits, you may not need to upgrade your phone. If you’re like me and use your phone to take all of your pictures, maybe you don’t need to upgrade your DSLR camera. If your tablet can replace your gaming console, you may save money there, too!
Ultimately, each device may do one thing another can’t or has some convenience over usability, ease of carrying, or the cost associated with a mix of all of the above. Perhaps the one app or feature available outweighs everything else, and it’s worth it to you. I get that, too! With these newer foldable phones and smart glasses becoming more and more popular, the line between devices is grayer than ever.
If you are wondering what this looks like in practice, consider the devices you take with you when you travel. Especially if limited in space or number of devices. As a parent, how many of you still bring a sound machine versus using an app on your phone?
What are your non-negotiable devices in use (outside of your phone, at least)?
🗞️ ICYMI: Amazon Kindle
Amazon announced 4 new Kindle devices already available for purchase. In order of price, the original Kindle starts at $110 and is the lightest offering, with updated speed, storage, and a new color - Matcha. The Kindle Paperwhite adds waterproofing, a slightly larger screen, a battery lasting up to 3 months, and also updates the speed and storage for $160. The all-new Kindle Colorsoft adds a splash of color to the screen, and it has wireless charging for $280. A great option for those who may like to read comic books or highlight in multiple colors. Lastly, for $400, the Kindle Scribe is the only option that offers a writing capability to take notes on the larger 10” display. Note that this option is not waterproof.
🗞️ ICYMI: AI Power
As AI is becoming used more and more, so is the draw of power from the grid. So much so, the comparison is ‘Three New York Cities’ Worth of Power. I mentioned last week how Microsoft invested in the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Now, Google Backs New Nuclear Plants to Power AI. Even Amazon is investing more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors. You can read more into how the “power demands over the past decade substantially outpaces macro trends” from Intelligent Computing. AI isn’t going anywhere though, nor should it. It’s been shown to save many companies a lot of money in their day-to-day processes. Even the Treasury Department is using AI to save taxpayers billions.
😎 POTW: Halloween Picks
With Halloween coming up next week, here are some picks to help you set the vibe or spur some ideas for your costume or road trip!
Google Frightgeist (current trending costumes)
The Definitive Ranking of Clowns (insert clickbait tagline - Number 3 will shock you!)
The Most Haunted Houses in Every US State (with photos)
📦 Featured Product
Although more and more laptops and computers no longer come with USB-A, and cloud storage may still be growing, I still receive questions on which flash drives to purchase. I’ve always been a fan of the typical SanDisk Flash Drives. However, if you need something that can help backup your phone, or utilize USB-C from newer computers and tablets, check out their Ultra Dual Drive. Lastly, if you need something waterproof and essentially indestructible, consider the Corsair Survivor Stealth Drive. All options have various storage sizes available, but I wouldn’t suggest anything under 64 GB.
