Following my recent post about the demise of the ARC Browser, as a Kagi Search subscriber, I’ll give Kagi’s Orion a serious try. I’ve been using it for about half an hour now, and I like what I see, though it may use a lot more memory1.

  1. This issue has already been reported on Orion’s discussions forum. ↩︎

Most of the recent improvements to Ghost seem to focus on newsletters and monetization. I moved to Ghost to leave WordPress and get basic newsletter capabilities. That’s it. I appreciate Ghost’s openness to the Fediverse, but most of these improvements aren’t targeting users like me. Ninety percent of my publishing goes elsewhere… like here on Micro.blog. Maybe it’s time to reconsider a few things…

As Apple enters in more uncharted territories for them, I expect more controversies. A bunch of world-class designers imagining new stuff creates a fertile set of conditions. We are in exciting times again.

Notes of interest from watching iPhone Duo reviews

I watched many iPhone Duo video reviews for you. In no particular order, these are my notes.

  • The return of Touch ID in lieu of Face ID received negative feedback. People don’t like changes like this. It is seen as a step back. I disagree. It’s not the end of the world.
  • I feel a level of excitement about the iPhone that It’s been lacking for a long time… it feels even higher than for the iPhone Air. Many reviewers say the iPhone X was the last time they felt this excited.
  • The iPhone Duo is a very polished product for a version 1.0 for Apple. But some reviewers feel it’s a polished prototype.
  • Right-handed users are the target of this phone.
  • The right-positioned Dock might auto-hide in a future iteration of iOS, so the screen real estate feels less cramped.
  • Many issues can be fixed with a few software updates.
  • It seems obvious Apple will extend the camera plateau to include more hardware capabilities like Face ID.
  • A Pro chip without the Pro cameras.
  • Many third-party apps aren’t optimized for the iPhone Duo, which reduces the device’s value proposition. Next year, though, it will be a thing of the past.
  • Many issues can be fixed with a few software updates.
  • The nano-texture inner screen gets praise, but the texture reduces contrast. Photography enthusiasts might not be thrilled.
  • Opinions differ on the image quality of the FaceTime camera on the inner display.
  • The crease is not an issue, but there is a groove, for sure.
  • Multitasking on the inner display really feels like the future of what multitasking on the iPad must become.
  • About the outer display: it’s like having an iPhone 5 in a Pro Max world.
  • There are so many different ways to use and interact with the iPhone Duo; it makes the learning curve a little daunting.
  • The iPhone Duo experience cries out for software design tweaks and improvements in the next few iOS releases.
  • Reviewers seem to rediscover the iPad software experience in some ways while reviewing the Duo. Weird.
  • The iPhone Duo is the heaviest iPhone ever, heavier than the Pro Max!
  • It’s not for photography enthusiasts. Even for 2000$. The lack of a telephoto lens is a major drawback.
  • Using a case on the iPhone Duo is odd but mandatory for such an expensive device?
  • The iPhone Duo might be the modern version of the first MacBook Air: a device full of compromises but also full of potential.
  • Using the outer screen is where most compromises show up, but using the inner screen is where things feel incomplete due to the lack of third-party support; that should improve over time.
  • Reviewers recognize Apple’s design prowess but also lament the lack of Face ID.
  • The iPhone Duo might create a new wave of support for the iPad, as developers are working to adapt their apps for the Duo, which requires dynamic resizing of their apps.

Surprising lack of singularity

How can eight YouTubers create nearly identical HomeView commentary video thumbnails? Are they following a code of conduct? Is this AI suggestion slop? A few YouTubers go a little bit more imaginative than others, though. Fascinating. Found on Ben Thompson’s blog, in a blog post with an X.com embed1.

  1. I don’t link directly to x.com by principle. ↩︎

A sick guy

According to U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia “has been fine on Ukraine” and “hasn’t been doing much” to the country it has been attempting to violently conquer for over a decade.

“Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much,” Trump told reporters on Oct. 19.

This guy is sick. There is no other sound way of putting it. Are the mid-terms the cause of his behaviour?

This is how I use my iPhone these days… As a photographer who likes B&W photography, because colors can be distracting when telling a story, I find calmness in this setup.