06OCT2024

Happy Sunday, everyone! It’s been an action-packed week with plenty of travel, presenting lots of opportunities to explore and test new stuff. Apart from some fun gear, I really enjoyed reading Sebastiaan de With’s absolutely gorgeous review of the iPhone 16 cameras, discovering a new iOS app for making delightful QR codes, trying out a magic app for turning 2D photos and video into 3D material for the Apple Vision Pro, and doing my best to resist buying this adorable mini RGB LED light that looks like a roll of Fuji 35mm film (because I already have two of its Kodak-themed siblings).

On to the good stuff!

• 🕶 THE HIRO LAB™: Ray-Ban x Meta Limited Edition - After months of going back and forth, I finally gave in and bought a pair of the limited edition transparent Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. I’m using this as an opportunity to launch a new, irregular series of in-depth notes based on completely unscientific testing, called The Hiro Lab™. Check out the first edition with my somewhat conflicted first impressions on the Ray-Ban Meta's HERE, and let me know what you think. Would you like to see more in-depth write-ups here from time to time?
• 🦖 Long Ago Tracker for iOS - Long Ago is a neat utility for tracking how long it’s been since you’ve done, well, anything. You set up activities you want to track, document the last time you did them, and the app displays how much time has passed, both in the app and via lovely home screen widgets. It also offers reminders, goals, and metrics for each activity. I’m tracking when I last finished a book, how long it's been since I got some quality outdoor time, when I deep cleaned my espresso machine last, and when I last took my wife out on a date.
• 🛰️ Garmin InReach Messenger Plus - Garmin just released the newest addition to its InReach Messenger line, allowing you to send photos, voice messages, and text messages up to 1,600 characters via satellite when you’re off the grid. It’s impressive tech, though I’ll remind iPhone 14 (or later) users that you can now send/receive iMessages via satellite for free for two years after purchasing your phone. That said, iMessages via satellite don’t support photos or voice messages. I wonder how long until they do?
• 🫀 Oura Ring 4 - Oura launched its slimmer 4th generation health-tracking ring with improved sensors and battery life this week. I’m a happy Oura 3 owner and find its data more insightful and actionable than my Apple Watch Ultra, especially when it comes to recovery and HRV. Plus, I love that the ring lets me wear a mechanical watch and still get health data sync'ed straight to Apple Health on my iPhone. Like all things in the Report, this is not sponsored, but if you’re interested in trying out Oura, this link should get up to ten readers 10% off, with no kickbacks to me.
• 🖥️ Yoink for MacOS - Yoink is one of those little apps I install immediately on any new computer because it just makes life easier. Whenever you click and drag files, Yoink opens a small drawer on the side of your screen where you can drop them temporarily. Then, you can navigate to a new destination and drag it out of the drawer. Such a small thing, but it’s way better than trying to hold onto the file while searching for where you want to put it.

OK, that’s it for this week—be well, everyone!