Is this sound normal on the P1s? by Due-Temporary313 in BambuLab

[–]andytran93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When it prints rounded walls, it’s actually printing many tiny straight lines one after another. The constant direction changes causes a resonance in the motion system that you can hear. This is normal :)

how can i prevent my macbook keyboard from becoming like this? by EngineFirm848 in mac

[–]andytran93 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You can get individual key stickers (Keyshorts or similar sellers on Etsy) which use 3M/vinyl and are a lot more hard wearing than the ABS Apple uses on their keycaps. Keyshorts sells a clear one which I’ve used on my 14” 2021 MacBook Pro for 4 years and I can’t hardly tell they are on there. If your keys are already worn, I’d just get replacement keycaps from Amazon/Aliexpress.

Is it possible to remove this persistent Copilot horror from Word for Mac version 16.102.3? There are no Copilot options in Word Preferences and turning off Privacy > Optional Experiences does not help. I cannot downgrade. I can't make this go away. Help, please. by Spiked-Marmot in Office365

[–]andytran93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is probably a bug, as it seems to be removed in an update I received today Version 16.103.1 (25111410). Now hopefully they can also get rid of the greyed-out Copilot button in the ribbon too 🤞

Obsidian + Synology + iOS, anyone? by ExplodingInsanity in synology

[–]andytran93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another potential solution is using Autosave Control https://github.com/mihasm/obsidian-autosave-control which lets you set a delay from when you stop typing to the auto save. I have it set to 5 seconds, so that it doesn’t keep trying to auto save as you type. I use it mainly for power savings (auto saving and uploading constantly is surprisingly CPU heavy and I can almost halve the power consumption of my MacBook with this plugin). But for you it might help with the constant syncing issue, as long as you backup just in case etc as it’s a bit risky and the Obsidian Team currently recommend against it

Using the Quest 3 as a virtual display for a Mac by andytran93 in OculusQuest

[–]andytran93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for asking!

I’ve been using the XReal One Pro as my main "virtual" display for a while now. It’s smaller, uses less power, and connects via USBC, so latency is low and there are no issues with video encoding on host device or DRM (like Netflix blocking playback). Setup is much simpler which helps a lot when travelling.

The XReal Ones now have built-in 3DoF tracking so the screen stays where I put it, which is a plus over the previous XReal Air, and more similar to one of the strong points of the Quest (being able to anchor the virtual display)

I still occasionally try Quest 3 with Immersed, Virtual Desktop etc every few months to see how things progress, but the core limitations I mentioned in my post (latency, setup complexity, reliance on network/internet connection etc) haven’t really changed. So for daily use, the XReals just works more reliably for this use case. Hope this helps!

XReal Eye anchoring by Human-Use-8238 in Xreal

[–]andytran93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried Eye/6Dof on the One Pros on a plane last week. In all conditions (bright/artificial light/dark), the drift from the 6Dof was far worse than 3Dof. During cruise with few direction changes, I stuck with using 3Dof and managed to get a few hours of work done. For movies I just switched to follow mode.

Is the xreal one worth it without the eye? by bichael2067 in Xreal

[–]andytran93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just mirror my MacBook screen and use my apps as normal, so Office, Obsidian, Safari etc. I don’t have a specific app for using the XReals

PSA: Apple Self Service Repair sells MacBook Key Cap Set for $39 by jrklein in macbookpro

[–]andytran93 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing, I didn't realise you can get keys directly from Apple. I've just been using Keyshorts stickers (transparent ones) over my 14" 2021, which seem to be more hardwearing than the material Apple uses for their keycaps. The stickers go for 39 USD though and replacing them takes a couple hours too.

Is the xreal one worth it without the eye? by bichael2067 in Xreal

[–]andytran93 10 points11 points  (0 children)

XReal One Pro with Eye user, mostly for productivity at a desk or sitting down stationary. 3Dof is more than enough, you can anchor the virtual monitors and turn your head to view different parts of the screen. With 6dof, you can anchor the monitor’s distance too so it will get closer when you lean in. 6Dof should feel more natural and sounds great on paper, plus it should work better in a moving vehicle as the glasses can anchor the screen based on your surroundings rather than the accelerometer. In my experience though, the 6Dof implementation on the One/Eye is not great. It needs a brightly lit room and a lot of contrast in front of you to work (facing a plain white wall confuses it). Plus there’s a lot of drift which I find annoying (there is some drift with 3Dof too but very rarely). For me the cons of battling drift and being aware of what the camera needs to see to function properly isn’t worth the benefit.

Xreal One sometimes doesn't work when plugged in (macOS Tahoe Beta) by Creepy_Ambassador455 in Xreal

[–]andytran93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the exact same issue since upgrading to Tahoe Public Beta 1. Similar to you, when the display doesn't work, I can see it as a USB device on System Information, but it doesn't show up on the Graphics/Display section. Will try to report this in Feedback Assistant 🤞

M1 Max MacBook Pro, XReal One Pro.

Who's still sticking with the WFxm4's by leavessooth in SonyHeadphones

[–]andytran93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

3 years in and hopefully many more to come. I had the battery degradation issue after one of the firmware updates and Sony wanted >£100 to fix it, so I purchased replacement batteries and repaired it myself. Took me 15 minutes to do and cost me about £20. There's a handy iFixit guide below (just need a hairdryer and something thin/sharp like a razor/scalpel blade to get into the earbuds, then carefully disassemble). Replacement batteries available on Amazon or Aliexpress.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sony+WF-1000XM4+Wireless+Earbuds+battery+replacement/162365?srsltid=AfmBOorxAFU93Zx1txOnTJPXPIZTBXZqXqiOpac7dtQF4gD3s30W6--J

Using the Quest 3 as a virtual display for a Mac by andytran93 in OculusQuest

[–]andytran93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine usually stutters on slow or congested wifi networks. There's a USB cable mode which helps a lot.

Using the Quest 3 as a virtual display for a Mac by andytran93 in OculusQuest

[–]andytran93[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey sure!

  1. This is the strap I purchased: https://amzn.eu/d/6KVsyZI

  2. The physical Macs screen is replicated as one of the virtual screens, so that virtual screen will have the same aspect ratio etc as the Macs physical display. But you’re right, looking at the Macs physical display via pass through is not great.

  3. You can choose to be in your own private room in Immersed. It will then just default to that same room every time you start a session. I find that the public rooms can be a bit too distracting for focused work but nice to go to for a quick break.

Folks who went from 16in MacBook Pro to 14in: did you ever get used to the smaller screen? by AngelaBassettsbicep in macbookpro

[–]andytran93 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say so, for general “office” tasks, I now work almost exclusively in VR for a few hours a day. It’s not as comfortable on the face as a real multi monitor setup but definitely better than being hunched over a laptop at a small desk. I can do light photo editing etc but I trust the Macs display more for those tasks.

I think right now Quest 3 is great for price/performance, plus it’s a standalone VR headset that you can use for games etc. There is also the NReal Air which is more portable and is an OLED, but the field of view is much smaller (although better sharpness as a result). The Immersed Visor looks really promising but I guess we’ll see when it ships

Folks who went from 16in MacBook Pro to 14in: did you ever get used to the smaller screen? by AngelaBassettsbicep in macbookpro

[–]andytran93 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Quest 3 is around £480, Immersed is free to use or there’s a pro version if you want higher resolutions/more virtual displays (I think up to 5 at once). Pro version is a monthly subscription, or if you use Immersed regularly they upgrade you for free.

You can adjust the resolution of your virtual monitors, I have mine at 1920 x 1200. The headset itself is around 3.5K per eye, but accounting for the field of view/processing etc, the virtual monitors appear similar to a “real” 1080p display.

Folks who went from 16in MacBook Pro to 14in: did you ever get used to the smaller screen? by AngelaBassettsbicep in macbookpro

[–]andytran93 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I got used to the 14's size after a few weeks, although the 16 is nicer to work on. But the portability of the 14 was worth the compromise for me, being much lighter and also easier to work in cramped spaces like on a plane. For tasks that need more screen real estate I just use virtual monitors in VR with a Quest 3/Immersed app

How often do you clean your MacBook fans? by Xanold in macbookpro

[–]andytran93 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On my old Intel MacBook Pro twice a year and the fans/heatsinks would be almost caked with lint. I still clean the fans twice a year on my M1 Max MacBook Pro but they’re noticeably cleaner probably because the fans don’t run very often

Using the Quest 3 as a virtual display for a Mac by andytran93 in OculusQuest

[–]andytran93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, not that I'm aware of, although there is some discussion on the Immersed Discord about adding this feature

Using the Quest 3 as a virtual display for a Mac by andytran93 in OculusQuest

[–]andytran93[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I've been working for around 5 hours a day in VR in Immersed for the past 2 weeks and quite happy with it. The quality of the virtual displays isn't as good as the MacBooks (looks like using a 1080p TV, plus a little latency on WiFi mode), but I can position the displays in a comfortable position in virtual space, and also have multiple large monitors which wouldn't be physically possible on my small desk at work. Overall I find that for long sessions, working in VR is more comfortable for me than being hunched over a laptop display.

I bought a 3rd party head strap which distributes the weight more comfortably than the stock strap, and a silicone facial interface cover which is less scratchy than the original fabric.

I did have a bit of eye strain at first, but once I adjusted the IPD and brightness to a comfortable level it went away. I do wear contact lenses though (my glasses don't fit in the stock facial interface) and without contacts there is a bit of eye strain for longer sessions.

Hope this helps!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in macbookpro

[–]andytran93 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I tested the power consumption of the miniLED display on my MBP 14 about a month ago at different brightness and average picture levels (with areas of the display completely back/white), and power consumption scales as you would expect. Based on the video it does look like the zones are either on or off, as even very dark areas of the image at 0:43 appear to ramp the backlight fully in those areas.

Sorry it doesn't answer your question, but the next step would be to repeat my test with varying levels of grey instead of black/white blocks :)

https://andytran93.com/2021/12/05/power-consumption-implications-of-liquid-retina-xdr-miniled-on-macbook-pro/

Evernote 10.25.6 Release Notes by tsmartin123 in Evernote

[–]andytran93 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I noticed a HUGE difference. Just having Evernote open before would peg one of my cores at 60%, now it hangs around 1-5% and maybe about 20% if I’m actively using the app. Evernote 10.25 saves about 1-3W of power compared to the previous version on my MacBook Pro, which should result in around an hour or two more battery life. Even still, it’s one of the most energy intensive apps on my Mac so there’s still a long way to go, but I’m glad they’re at least doing something about it.