The Birchtree Podcast

We’re only a few weeks away from Apple’s annual September event and I’ve not really taken any time to talk about what I’m looking forward to there. Today, that is rectified.

I can only really say nice things about Micro.blog and it felt like it was time to have an episode about only good stuff.

Turn on voice boost in your podcast app for this episode. I apparently drifted away from the mic around the middle of the episode and I couldn’t get the audio to be totally level throughout…sorry :( The iPhone undeniably shifted our thinking as a society about what a phone is, but did it “kill design” while it was at it? I argue it didn’t kill design, but had a design that was so far ahead of what everyone else was doing that it made little sense to keep pursuing those older designs.

Just because you love a company one day does not mean you are going to love them another day. Even of those changes make logical sense for them to make and even if the writing is on the wall that the change was going to happen, none of that means everyone is going to be a fan of these changes.

Android tablets just haven’t caught on, and today I dive into some reasons why I think that’s the case.

In this bonus episode, I review Sea of Solitude, a new game that deals with depression, ego, and sorrow. It's not "fun" but it's definitely worth a look.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a brilliant game, and if you’ll allow me, here’s why.

The iPadOS public beta came out yesterday and that means all the major tech outlets got out there “here’s what’s new in iPadOS 13” videos as well. If Apple’s goal in changing the naming of the iPad’s operating system was to shift the conversation in terms if its “ability to replace your PC” then I think they it seems like it’s working.

Quick episode today on how the betas are holding up for me and why I'm desperately hoping for new betas today to fix some of the crazy problems I'm having with my iPhone and Apple Watch in particular. These were explicitly messaged as unstable and I knew that going in, so not complaining by any means, just wanted to let other "thrill seekers" out there know where these stand after a few weeks of use.

Google's upcoming Stadia service looks like a really hard sell to me, especially compared to things like Microsoft xCloud, not to mention the years of baggage the gaming industry has with very similar services.

Apple made some very targeted updates to the iPad this year and they are reaping the rewards in the tech press. I think people are getting their hopes up a little too much for how much these updates are going to fundamentally change the iPad experience though. Yes, the iPad will be better than ever, but this is still the same fundamental experience it was before.

Recorded minutes after Tim left the stage at WWDC 2019, here are my thoughts on what Apple shoed off for the Apple Watch and iPad. Short version: I’m a very happy camper.

My review of the Google Pixel 3a.

I’ve read 12 books in 2019 and felt it was high time I talk about them. There are some really good ones here, so I hope everyone is able to find something they enjoy.

Quick chat about the differences Google and OnePlus are taking with their new spring phones.

Video version here: https://youtu.be/ule7fvg2uAQ Killzone Shadow Fall was the launch title for the PlayStation 4 and I wanted to give it some love for being a rare game that feels as cool as even the fanciest E3 demo. It’s not the best game in the world, but I think it’s worth more that some people give it credit for.

More Pixel 3a talk that hits on something that I hadn’t really thought much of before, but is an important difference in how I use iOS and Android.

Camera, performance, and build quality. You can get all three of those by spending $800+ but midrange phones always require some sacrifice. The Pixel 3a is no different, but it makes different trade-offs than many phones in the same price range and I think that makes it a really interesting and compelling phone.

Google I/O kicks off today and I have a lot of thoughts! This episode is split in half, recorded both before and after the keynote, so you’ll get to see how close I was to guessing what Google would focus on (spoiler: I nailed the security angle and missed on my OnePlus 6 being included in the beta).

My full review of Gris, a Nintendo Switch game that deserves your attention. Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RSRkqSByltg