review Archives - J O Y C O M P L E X

June 7, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

An Apple Watch Band Unlike Any Other

Looking for an interesting alternative strap for your Apple Watch? Would you be interested in one made from a natural and renewable material that is also available in many different colors? If so, then you might want to take a look at the merino wool Apple Watch bands that Lithuania based startup “Some Loops” has for sale.

Wool? You’re kidding right?

Ever since I first laid eyes on felted wool slippers (on a 2006 trip to Iceland) I have never been without a pair. If you want comfy feet wool slippers can't be beat.

Stylish, no. But these GLERUPS are COMFORTABLE!

Lithuania’s textile traditions are particularly rich and thanks to internet commerce wool products from the country are increasingly available to consumers around the world.

These Apple Watch straps are a 21st century continuation of this wool tradition. According to Some Loops founder Algimantas Časas they are made from a similar material to my slippers but with a heavier density wool. “Hand-felted wool would just not hold up that strongly as a watch band.” Instead he has gone with an “industrial density” merino wool which he claims is just as strong and resilient as, “a stubborn Merino sheep.”

Nice Straps

The straps look sharp. I ordered a dark gray one because I thought it would work for casual or formal outfits . . . and because it was on sale and had free shipping.

According Some Loops the band would be comfortable, wouldn't get soggy like a leather band, and wouldn't stick to skin like silicone. I never had that last problem but OK. I was still looking forward to seeing what eventually came in the mail.

Here's some photos of my Series 0 and my Series 4 with the gray wool strap.

42 mm Series 0
44 mm Series 4
Series 0 and Series 4

Some Loops has some really bright colors that certainly pop and would be a fun way to make a color statement with your watch.

A bubble mailer arrived a couple of days after I placed my order. A box was inside and within the box was a really nice looking watch band. The color looked great and the material felt very strong and thick - would be nice if it was a couple millimeters thinner - but the buckle was in my opinion rather huge.

Buckle size difference!

If you’re familiar with the American holiday of Thanksgiving, the buckle is reminiscent of the hats worn by Massachusetts Pilgrims. It sort of let the whole thing down for me.

Great Customer Support

I contacted Some Loops to see about returning the strap and Algimantas quickly got back and offered to send me a different one with a smaller buckle. He was also willing to let me hold on to the first strap so I could make a side-by-side comparison for this review.

I really like this strap with the smaller buckle. Some might not mind or even prefer the larger clasp but I think the smaller one is more discreet.

Big Buckle
Little Buckle

The strap itself is a little itchy at first but that is to be expected. After a few days of use and a couple of showers (yep, you can in fact get these straps wet) the fibers began to relax, stopped itching, and started conforming to wrist. I suspect I won’t even feel it on my wrist when it's fully broken in. If you want to hasten the breaking in period check out this primer on “How To Soften Wool” by the Tricksy Knitter.

Even after only a short period of wear I can say this strap is really comfortable. And this is coming from someone who generally prefers the fit and feel of the standard Apple silicone straps (I currently use a pollen or nectarine strap most of the time). This wool strap has surprised me with how much I actually like having it on.

At first I thought there should be more holes to allow for greater adjustment. But as the strap stretched and mimicked the contours of my wrist this concern subsided. I think I’d like the strap to be a bit thinner but overall I’m satisfied with this purchase.

Try Out Some Loops

Say what you will about the actual watch, but Apple has certainly created a more robust strap industry. Who hasn’t seen a photo of a strap collection posted on r/AppleWatch? If you are one of those people with a strap collection, or if you’re someone like me who only has a few favorites - this wool band would make and interesting addition.

I feel like it will only improve over time and provided it has the buckle you want, will get more use than you might expect.

You gotta match your Minnie Mouse to the color of your strap.

Who Is This Strap For?

What type of person would really benefit from having one of these wool straps? Instinctually, I think outdoorsy folks - not necessarily hard core adventurers - who like hiking, maybe some canoeing or kayaking, or even just walking your dog around the neighborhood might like this band. If you are a big fan of REI, then you might get some use out of this band.

It absorbs sweat but doesn't get soggy, doesn't smell (at least not yet, but I can tell you from my felted wool slipper experience that the band probably won't smell hardly at all) and is completely washable.

In the winter wool can get wet but stays warm. So if you do any winter sports or indoor iceskating wearing your apple watch, it might be a good solution.

Another group would be folks who don't like synthetic fibers for whatever reason - allergies, ethical concerns, sustainability. The strap will eventually mostly rot (except for the two parts that attach to the lug) and the lugs and clasp can be reused with another strap. If you are at all concerned about animal welfare, Some Loops also ensures that no animals are harmed during the accumulation of wool for the bands. Though there is no third party documentation of this claim - maybe they can contact SCS Global Services or a similar company to get this certification.

Conclusion

The Some Loops merino wool strap is an interesting alternative to leather. It’s versatile. Comes in interesting colors. And is made from natural materials.

And they do actually look pretty cool. I think the red band with the rose gold apple watch would look really great (especially with the red crown). The big buckle looks kind of goofy but people don't really stare at the inside of your wrist anyway.

SOME LOOPS - Merino Bands for Apple Watch

General Band Specs:

Thickness: 5mm
Material: 100% merino wool
Buckle and adapter colors: black, silver, gold, rose gold
Weight: approx. 30g (1oz) in total.
PRICE: $50 to $60

Published by Jeremy Burnich in Product Reviews

Tags: apple watch, review, some loops, wool apple watch band

May 2, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

AUKEY Portable Writing Desk

I never knew I needed a folding table until AUKEY sent me one to review.

Do you really need a folding lap desk. No, but for real, it is a very convenient and inexpensive bit of furniture to have lying around.

The Looks

Aesthetically, the HD-LT05 isn’t a bad looking piece of contemporary furniture, though I doubt it will grace the pages of Dwell or Wallpaper*. But it's primary role in your home is not to wow guests or fashion bloggers. It's made for function and made from functional materials. The top, where you'll be spending most of your time, is an imitation wood Formica-like material. The wrist-pads and nearly everything else but the legs and screws are creamy plastic. Those legs? Brushed aluminum - which was a nice decision by AUKEY because chrome would have been cheaper but not nearly as nice or damage resistant; anyone reading this who remembers eating off of Dukes of Hazzard T.V. trays knows that it had chrome legs, which peeled off and was unpleasant to look at and feel. Speaking of which, there's also some nice corner cushions so you don't knick anything with the table as you are moving it around.

Using It

Starting from 9 o'clock and going to 3: It has a drawer on the left had side that pulls out that can be used to hold pencils & pens or coffee. If you opt to use it for the latter you won’t be using it for the former. The drawer also has a rubber mount where you can stick your mobile phone. I used an iPhone X with a Roxxlyn cover and it fit fine. I’m sure you phone will too (unless you dropped $2k or more on a Galaxy Fold in which case it definitely wouldn't fit because (a) that thing is the definition of girth in a phone, and (b) if you can afford that device you probably aren't doing any research on portable desks anyway.)

The surface of the desk is flat. There’s a rubber cutout on the top to prop up a tablet. If you reach under the right hand side you’ll pull out a book stand which you can plug into that tablet slot. The stand also works on it’s own if you just need a book stand. Theres a little red pull that acts as a handle. I sort of like that it's bright red. It’s a nice touch - maybe AUKEY should add red flourishes to all their products as a sort of brand insignia.

How Do I Use It?

Surprisingly, in a lot of ways! For example, I found myself using it as a standing desk. It’s big enough to hold a full sized keyboard and mouse comfortably but small enough to fit on top of my desk. I was able to turn my normal work space into a standing one (note: my monitors are elevated about 8 inches/20 cm above my desk). It's a nice thing to be able to do when you need a little change.

Like how AUKEY markets the thing, this desk is great with your laptop or tablet, especially if you want to set it on the floor and get down to business there. That alone makes it so that you can basically work anywhere in relative comfort.

Additionally, I’ve pulled it out to use as a platform to do little outdoor photo shoots. Propped up on the ground or a table, just throw something over it like a table cloth or a sheet, and you can have a nice impromptu studio space for product photography. Here's a couple photos I took outside of a Hringpoki Egg.

Conclusion

This desk is just very convenient to have. And for $40 it's a good value considering how handy it is. For $40 you can buy a lot of stuff, but some of those things might only be used once or hardly at all. You might not use this desk every day, but you'll grab it often enough that you'll feel like it was a worthwhile splurge.

If you have no space or who just want a portable space to work - it's worth the price of admission. Even if you don’t use it with electronics, it’s more than big enough to use with a notebook to write longhand.

And when not in use fold it up and tuck it neatly away.

So, if you are wondering what to do with $40 and think you might like to have a little writing/working/eating nook that’s portable, definitely give this writing one a look.

Published by Jeremy Burnich in Product Reviews

Tags: AUKEY, Product Reviews, review

February 12, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

Review: Two Different AUKEY Mechanical Keyboards

iPad Pro + KM-G9. A perfect combination.

AUKEY recently sent me two mechanical keyboard to try out. I am not a keyboard junky and I happen to like the standard keyboard that ships with Mac desktops. In fact, I had no problem shelling out a little money to “upgrade” my keyboard to the one that ships with the iMac Pro. You know the Mac that goes with Darth Vader's decor. It’s a great keyboard that doesn’t seem to be affected by all the issues Apple laptop keyboards seem to be ridden with. (I personally have had no issues with the keyboard on my laptop - knock on wood.)

But, there is a physician in the household who uses a Windows machine every day to log on to EPIC and type up copious quantities of notes. So I removed the crappy keyboard that HP shipped with one of their generic looking all-in-one's and replaced it with the AUKEY KM-G6 104 Key LED-Backlit Mechanical Keyboard. This piece of kit is marketed as a "gaming keyboard" because it has Outemu Blue switches. If you are like me and aren't versed in the ins and outs of keyboards, I'm told the switches are clones of Cherry MX switches. Still not helpful? The switches are what the keys are attached to and are what give keyboards their feel and their clickity sound. Having individual switches means that you can register individual keystrokes at the same time which is something that the "membrane" keyboards that ship standard with most computers can't do. Want to learn more, here's a great primer on Cherry switches.

TLDR, if you are someone who types a lot and perhaps uses keyboard macros - like say a gamer or a doctor - then a mechanical keyboard is nice to have.

Out of the box - and I like the nondescript brown & black packaging AUKEY uses for their products - the KM-G6 looks and feels like a substantial piece of computer equipment. It has a nice heft and seems really well constructed. It's a $40 keyboard that looks like it cost a lot more.

Plug it in and you get a pretty light show as the LED's cycle through a testing routine. The keys stay illuminated and look pretty cool. The typeface on the individual keys isn't what I'd call inspired but I suppose one of the things that people like about these keyboards is that you can pull the keys and replace them with some that suit your taste - AUKEY informed me that Cherry caps are compatible so the world is your oyster - check out /r/MechanicalKeyboards for some inspiration.

Looks cool but how is it for typing?

Let me start by saying that the physician who I asked to test this keyboard does a LOT of typing. She does enough typing that I often hear her complaining of wrist pain and possible carpel tunnel. In the 20 days since I upgraded the standard keyboard to the AUKEY those complaints seem to have lessened. Your milage may vary but for pure ease of use and typing comfort the AUKEY has an endorsement from at least one medical professional.

I'm told the key travel is nice, that the keys feel responsive, and that the height ergonomics of the keyboard are great. The LED lighting is a hit as well. So there you go.

The other keyboard that AUKEY sent over is the 87-key KM-G9. Generally I prefer to use full size keyboards. I like having the number pad and even if it's only perception, this size keyboard seems cramped. I feel that way about the Apple models as well.

I mentioned above that I actually like the keyboard on my Mac and have no issues typing on my MacBook keyboard either. But since AUKEY was nice enough to send me a keyboard to evaluate I decided to give it a good workout.

When I took the KM-G9 out of the box and plugged it in nothing happened. Where were the cool flashing lights? I was disappointed. I thought maybe it was a Mac issue and plugged it into the Windows machine. Still no lights. I then decided to look up the model and saw that it wasn't a backlit keyboard! Sorry AUKEY. I just really thought the backlighting was pretty cool.

Once I got over that initial misunderstanding I decided to plug it into my laptop using a USB-C hub. Here's what I typed when the keyboard was plugged into my laptop: This is a test ion this auk keyboard. It is pretty nice typing on this. I wish the keys were a little wider but other than that but is pretty snappy. I wasn't blown away by the difference. And I think my spelling got worse using the mechanical keyboard.

But then I had an idea.

Writing with an iPad + KM-G9 IMAGE/J.BURNICH

I don’t like the "keyboard" on my iPad. I've never liked typing on it and most of the time just use my voice via Siri dictation and the Apple Pencil for input and the rest of the time just use it for passive content viewing. What if I plugged in a real keyboard? Could I use an iPad as a laptop replacement if I wanted? So I gave it a shot.

Aesthetically the keyboard+iPad combo looks like something out of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. I think this would especially be the case had AUKEY sent me the KM-G11 which is their "retro" styled small keyboard.

The retro KM-G11 and a still from Terry Gilliam's *Brazil* IMAGE/AUKEY and T. GILLIAM

With the USB-C hub you can have your keyboard, power supply, and have plenty of other ports open to plug in. Like I said, it doesn’t look pretty but it functions well in a cyberpunk sort of cobbled together way.

However typing on the iPad with the KM-G9 is great. In fact, I almost entirely wrote my review of Ken Kocienda's book, Creative Selection, on my iPad with the AUKEY keyboard. I like macOS over iOS but holy crap if the iOS auto correct and predictive text algorithm doesn't make typing on the iPad with a real keyboard a treat.

In my experience, typing on an iPad with the AUKEY KM-G9 was better than with typing on my Mac. Maybe it’s just a placebo but I feel like I have a laissez faire approach to typing on an iOS device versus on a Mac. Maybe I'm more accurate on the Mac but I'm quicker on iOS because I trust the predictive capabilities of the OS more. (Read Ken's book if you want to understand why that's the case.)

My desk looks nothing like this. IMAGE/AUKEY

I'm glad I did my little experiment. I discovered that you can make a pretty good case for replacing your laptop with with an iPad Pro and this AUKEY keyboard if you wanted/needed to.

My only gripe with the keyboard is that as an Apple person the keyboard comes out of the box with windows in mind. Why no extra ⌘, option, control keys for Apple folks? It would be great if they shipped extra caps for Mac users. I think throwing in some Mac style keys isn’t a lot to ask since AUKEY would have an easier time hunting down matching keys. A link to an approved cap vendor would be helpful too.

Other than that, if you need a keyboard you can't go wrong with those that AUKEY offers. The keyboards are well made and incredibly well priced. If you want to dip your toes into the mechanical keyboards definitely take a look at what they have for sale.

Published by Jeremy Burnich in Product Reviews

Tags: AUKEY, Keyboard, review