Sankaranand Balaradjou

Category: Technology

  • Ordering the New Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation: A Lesson in Patience

    Ordering the New Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation: A Lesson in Patience

    On September 14, 2024, I ordered the new Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. The basic version was priced at 12,900 INR, while the one with Active Noise Cancellation was listed for around 17,900 INR. I started browsing different sites, looking for deals, cashbacks, and bank offers.

    To my surprise, the official Apple website offered a 1,500 INR cashback on most credit cards and a no-cost EMI option for six months. Plus, Apple offered personalized engraving, which you can only get from their official store.

    Cashback details from Official Apple India Website for Airpods

    However, at the time of ordering (Sept 14), the AirPods hadn’t launched yet. I knew I’d have to wait until September 20 — the official launch date — for the product to be dispatched. I even checked the iPlanet website, but didn’t bother calling the local iPlanet store. In hindsight, I should have, because they usually have the products on the launch date itself.

    On the other hand, Amazon showed that I could get the AirPods delivered by the 20th itself and also had the same 1,500 INR cashback offer. On top of that, I was getting an additional 850 INR in Amazon Pay credits! Excited by the faster delivery date and extra cashback, I decided to sacrifice the personalized engraving and placed my order on Amazon instead.

    For context, I bought my last AirPods (2nd generation) on May 2, 2019. Now, they barely last five minutes without dying, so they’re practically useless. I’ve been without AirPods for a while, and taking calls without them has been incredibly inconvenient.

    Today is September 25th, at least five days after the official launch, and my Amazon order still says “Preparing for Dispatch.” I’m starting to wish I had gone directly to the store or stuck with the Apple website, which might have delivered on time, with the engraving included. For example, I bought my MacBook Air M2 directly from Apple with customized 16GB RAM (upgraded from the base 8GB). That order was shipped directly from China, and I received it within 10 days of placing it.

    Now, here’s where things get tricky: I had already converted the purchase into an EMI plan, and my credit card statement had already been generated. If I cancel the order now, it could mess up the EMI process. I’m not sure what will be refunded, and if it gets cancelled, I might end up paying the EMI charges plus additional GST and reversal fees, losing out on the no-cost EMI benefit.

    So, in trying to save 850 INR with Amazon Pay credits, I could end up paying more due to cancellation fees and EMI complications. At this point, patience is the key. I’ll wait and see if the order gets delivered by the updated date of September 29th, as mentioned in Amazon’s order tracking.

    This whole experience has been a reminder that sometimes it’s worth prioritizing reliability and convenience over small savings. If I had gone to the store or stuck with Apple’s website, I’d probably have my AirPods by now — maybe even with that nice engraving. I’ve learned my lesson, and I’ll consider all options more carefully next time.

  • The best macOS clean up app: CleanMyMac X

    The best macOS clean up app: CleanMyMac X

    I use a Macbook Air 2017 as my fulltime laptop. As my usage increased, my system is cluttered with junk files, files left by improper uninstalls and lot other things. I am lazy enough to re-organize my files, declutter, cleanup and remove junks. Practically it is not a manual process IMO and we need to use the right tools to do it. After a lot of research and reviews, I came across CleanMyMac X.

    What was I looking for?

    Unlike Windows, I believe macOS does not need a lot of maintenance, however, I wish somethings could have been handled better like a clean uninstaller and non-app store updates.  So I was looking for a reliable, authentic tool that understands the semantics of macOS and not some useless bloatware. macOS to me is all about being clean, minimalist and secure. Quick research on several sites leads me to just one name, it is CleanMyMac X.

    The best part that let me try CleanMyMac X is that it is notarized by Apple. That cleared my concerns about the security of the app. (i read in few articles that some so-called macOS cleaners are not safe at all).

    The first impression:

    cleanmymac x

    The interface of the app is so minimal, elegant and felt it was designed as per Apple design standards. It is very smooth, intuitive and easier to use. Instead of throwing up some advanced options, the app simply suggests you scan your system for any potential cleanup and improvements. That’s the first win! Be it any application, the first impression should not let the user get lost or at-least make the user wonder what to do.

    My first action:

    As soon as I hit the beautiful round scan button, it started to scan my system, a delightful experience indeed to see the beautiful animation during the scanning process. At this point of time, I am still not sure of the actual capability of the app, but the UI was so good so far :p

    Tada! the scan was over in less than 3 minutes, then comes the result screen.

    clean my mac x

    Again a winner! Instead of showing an advanced report and making user wonder what action to perform, it simply shows what you need to clean up, status about the protection of the system and some performance improvements. The classification of this report & feature is very user-centric. I am surprised and happy that I have about 10.84 GB of junk files to potentially clean. However, with a slight doubt and curiousness, I clicked review details to make sure this app does not remove any important files accidentally.

    clean my mac x

    so if you are wondering what those junk files are? See the above screenshot! They are mostly user cache files which took a lot of space. So my mission accomplished finally and I was content of the results.

    Other features:

    Primarily scan button is your one point button that takes care most of the cleaning things, however, this app offers much more than cleaning such as neatly categorised features called Protection, Speed, Applications, Files along with Cleanups.

    Cleanup lets you clean system junk, mail app attachments and emptying trash bins as we saw above. Protection allows scanning your system for malware removal and removing private data such as browsing history, auto-fills, browser saved data and chat history. Speed provides the option to manage launch agents, login items and heavy consumers. Maintenance does free up your ram, purgeable hard disk space, flush DNS cache, rebuild launch services, reindex spotlight, repair disk permissions and optimising time machine snapshot.

    My favourite feature is uninstaller and updater, which I believe should be part of macOS natively. It does a clean uninstall of any app you want to remove, plus the updater feature keeps tracks of the latest update of your apps even if they are not installed from AppStore. See below an example of one such update prompt for Sketch app.

    sketch update clean my mac x

    The best part is, it shows a release log which comes handy when you are not sure if you want to update. Other features include extensions which let you manage extensions and plugins installed in your laptop including your browser.

    Some other essential features include Space lens which gives you a visual size comparison of your folders and files for quick tidying up, large and old files to identify large files and folders that we did not open for months. Shredder is a very essential feature which you can use to delete any confidential file without leaving any trace in your hard disk.

    Verdict:

    CleanMyMac X is an essential tool for any mac users, which at the first place should be a part of macOS system itself. You can download from here.

    Cons: The AppStore version of CleanMyMac X does not let you use your activation key, you need to download a direct version from the site to use a license key. Not sure if it is an AppStore norm, but it is not a big deal!

    Credits: Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

  • How to check Apple AirPods case battery level in macOS

    How to check Apple AirPods case battery level in macOS

    After Apple AirPods 2 was released, I got excited and decided to buy one. This is my first AirPods experience and I made this choice because Macbook Air is my primary device and my job role demands at least 4 hours of calls every day.

    The first thing I realized is unlike the iPhone or iPad, the Macbook does not have an interactive screen like below to show battery status. This is a drawback for users like me who use an Android and Macbook combo.

    But eventually, I figured out there is a quick way to see the battery status of not just the AirPods but also the AirPods case in macOS. As soon as you connect your AirPods to the Macbook, hover over the Bluetooth icon in your Mac, choose your connected AirPods, and then it will display the battery level of both your left and right Pods. But here is a catch, if you want to see the battery level of your AirPods case, just take only the right Pod and place it in your ear, while leaving the left AirPod still in the case, now follow the above steps to hover over the icon. Tada! you can see the case battery level as well.

    Try to disconnect and connect again if it does not work. Unfortunately, this is not straightforward and I wish Apple would take into account the feedback and provide us an intuitive screen like in iOS for macOS.

    Credits: Photo by Adam Przeniewski on Unsplash

  • How to clear Amazon Echo yellow blinking light ring

    How to clear Amazon Echo yellow blinking light ring

    The other day I noticed my Amazon Echo dot blinking and pulsing yellow light ring.  So I came across this official page that explains the different types of light rings and their meaning. According to the page, the yellow blinking light ring means

    A message or notification is waiting for you. Say, “Play my messages” or “What are my notifications?”

    I tried to read my notifications by saying above commands but still, the yellow light did not disappear and Alexa said there are no messages or notifications.  So opened my Alexa app on the phone, to see if I can manually delete or read the notification but no it did not help and I cannot see any notifications or messages.

    I finally said this command and

    Alexa! Delete all my notifications

    voila the ring did not appear anymore.

    Credits: Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash

  • LastPass not updating in Chrome

    LastPass not updating in Chrome

    Recently LastPass pushed a new update for their vault and it prompted everyone to update. On clicking Update, the vault screen is opened with a pop-up showing LastPass is updating. But to my surprise, the update progress did not work. I thought it was some temporary connectivity issue, but the prompt to update always used to appear in my browser and began to annoy me. I even tried removing and reinstalling but it did not work!

    Finally, a solution posted by a user in LastPass community forum worked for me. All I did was remove any auto-fill information stored in my vault and the update went through.

     

  • Thoughts of a frustrated Logitech customer

    After having bought a Logitech M235 Wireless Mouse, I used it for a year or more without any issues. Finally, it began to show signs of wear and the left button was not working anymore. Being a laptop user, I am not so comfortable with a trackpad and always dependent on the mouse as my mainstream device.

    The Logitech M235 mouse was bought on a lightning deal for about 549 RS. After it stopped working,  I started looking for a similar mouse. It was one of my friend who advised me of its three-year warranty and the ability to get it replaced in Logitech Walk-In Center (WIC).  That’s where the problem is about to start.  While the product is just 549 Rs, I really don’t want to make a fuss about it. However, it is the experience that I had with these WIC in Pondicherry I wanted to talk about.

    On a hot and sweaty weather of 5th October 2017 by the morning, I thought of visiting the one and only customer center available in Pondicherry listed on their official website.  Tried calling the no about 10 times only to end up no one picking it. The address is located just 3 km from my house, however, in usual traffic, it takes 15 to 20 minutes to reach the place. After having reached the place, I find no trace of such center. I roamed like a lost guy in a foreign land asking neighborhood about such a place. Using the Google Maps, I stumbled across several streets and finally after a 30-minute quest with no help from anyone I came to the same place again as listed in both the website and google places. Waited in the exact same location for about 10 minutes to see if I can find someone to ask.

    Finally, an old man arrived, whom I went forward to seek assistance by showing him the name of the customer care center and a picture of the signboard I got from Google. He claimed that he is a watchman that works for this so-called place and handed me a visiting card saying that the place was shifted recently. He also said that they started taking requests from today since the shifting is all done. Finally, after an hour of pursuit, I found an answer to my quest.

    I am sure Indiana Jones would have felt the same after finding the treasure.

    Tried calling the phone number mentioned in the visiting card and again no one picked it.  After betting on my life, I now have to travel 4 km to their newest location. Yes, I am talking about something that takes 30 minutes in usual traffic to travel. With the intention to finish this task, I took the risk of going there.

    That’s the second round of challenge in my pursuit to find my quest. I roamed around 15 minutes in the same street multiple times because there was no door number or no signboard or even any signs of such location.  The neighborhood has no idea about something like that. After doing my math (Counting the door no using Odd and Even formula) and trying to figure out the exact door no, I ended up in a place that looks more like a residential apartment than an office. I opened up a metal gate like a stranger who has no idea where he was going and went to the first floor. Finally !!! I reached where I should be “the Logitech WIC”.

    With still the sweaty body in a hot noon weather, I entered the place where I got a straight to face answer that they cannot handle or take any request because there is no internet or network. It was a damn straight answer like a dirt was shovel upon my face. That’s when I realized I wasted 3 HOURS OF MY LIFE which I cannot get back. That’s when I realized I should probably write a blog about it. However, i never did.

    Then one fine Saturday of 14th October 2017, I called the WIC office and this time I got lucky. Someone picked the phone. I told them I wanted to hand over my device.  The guy at the other end told me someone who takes care of this is away and suggested coming on Monday. I told him Monday is a weekday and would prefer to come the very same day. His next answer was that server is down and they cannot accept any requests. He also told me that the stock is available and I can get a new replacement immediately on Monday. I got surprised by his variable response. First, it was someone who is not available and then all of a sudden it was server that is down.

    After appreciating myself for my level of patience, I had called again today to give one last try and got a response that I can come and submit my mouse for inspection. Finally, I took a 20-minute drive to reach the place. This time I need no directions or assistance as I know exactly where the place is. Went inside, waited for around 15 minutes and then signed a receipt and was told there is no stock and I had to wait 2 days to get a new one.

    What ? Seriously? Just for a mouse that is worth 500 bucks, you want me to travel this many times? My hourly rates are nowhere near the price of this mouse but still what I am trying to emphasize is “the experience” one gets in believing it.

    Sorry to say this Logitech but for being a long-term customer (Logitech Keyboards, Speakers, Mouse and Cam), this experience has changed my decision on not to rely anymore on your products.

    Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

  • Copy macOS Sierra Installer for installing in multiple systems

    After downloading from the App Store, Simply quit the installer (Install macOS Sierra) and navigate to Applications folder via Finder.

    Copy the file called “Install macOS Sierra” and paste it in any of your backup folders.

    You can trigger the installation by just clicking the copied installer.

  • CHARGEKEY – my obsession of stylish iPhone charge cable

    11-21-2013_ChargeKey_Hero_Sidebyside_1200x1200

    I own an apple iPhone 5 which I am totally in love with because of its design factor and powerful computing. My phone is my oxygen, it has evolved from need to necessity. As a regular traveler, it always run out of juice due to constant usage of songs, maps and social networking.

    So i ended up carrying the iPhone charger with me always. Wherever i stop by, i look for a charge point in MRT, bus stations and airports.  After considerations, bought power bank to charge on-demand but still have to carry the long iPhone charge cable. Because these power banks usually don’t come up with lighting cable and iPhone does not use a standard charging port like other android phones.

    This completely does not serve my purpose of carrying a slim phone with bulky charges and cables. Looking at options, I had opportunity to try the CHARGEKEY from Nomad.

    ChargeKey-iPhone5It is a portable lighting cable that looks like a key chain. Best part is it is Apple Certified. It can charge and sync as well. Look at a situation where you need to copy some pictures from your iPhone and you can always pull up your keychain to do so.

    Using Nomad CHARGEKEY for iPhone, I always feel like an international spy with high tech gadgets, it makes me distinct in a crowd. The best part is the key looks so thin and light but at the same time it is very rigid and rugged in quality.

    It can hold your iPhone seriously !!!!!

    Read more about the CHARGEKEY in Nomad Site.

  • How Two Factor Authentication should change in the future using mobile phone

    This is my 50 cent suggestion of how two factor authentication should change in the future. With an increase in sites adopting them, you will end up having an average of more than 20 different two factor authentication codes in your mobile.

    86/365+1 Cryptic

    Two Factor Authentication codes via sms are just optional and purely dependent on your mobile network availability, i don’t prefer receiving sms codes for each of my sessions. The best so far is the Google Authenticator tool which is available in all cross platform mobile operating systems. So like an RSA key, the Authenticator tool can generate the codes offline and does not require data connection.

    So what is going to happen in the future ?

    I have 5 accounts linked with my Google Authenticator that includes my two google accounts, dreamhost, lastpass and dropbox. Evernote and Linkedin have introduced two factor authentication and they are going to be in queue for me.

    There’s no doubt that i will end up having a minimum of 30 accounts very soon and the current Google Authenticator tool will let me scroll to search for my code out of this 30 accounts. By the time i locate the right account and enter the code, the time expires and code changes. So in terms of usability there is necessarily a change.

    So here is my proposal (sorry if it sounds dumb)

    Instead of entering the code manually for every account, each account added in Google Authenticator should have a unique callback url or Google should provide a push service which securely allows third party services to send request to our Google Authenticator client in our mobile.

    Update: After having a discussion with my friend Srinivasan Annamalai, one of my Technology Evangelist, we concluded few things for better security and also in terms of usability, Google should provide a service to third party services which gives permission only to trigger an action to Generate Secure code associated with concerned account and pop up the same in user mobile screen (on-demand action).

    So the next time you want to login using step two authentication, all you have to do is take your mobile, fire up the app and wait for a request made by your service provider to Google, the app will Generte code and pop it up. So you enter it. Thats it. Tada !

    By this way you can manage N number of two factor accounts using a single authenticator application…