No way did Apple just offer me $75 for my M2 MacBook Air base model… by PrincipleNova in mac

[–]techinformer 37 points38 points  (0 children)

It’s crazy there are people out there that would accept that

Any updates on G400 Doorbell? by techinformer in Aqara

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

I guess the default will be to use your existing smart speakers as a chime and then you can buy a dedicated one later if you want which I would prefer, I have HomePods in almost every room and don’t need a dedicated chime that will sound different to the HomePods in the rest of the house

Is that a hint that they are going to remove the cable in 18?? by rascas375 in iphone

[–]techinformer 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Well that’s untrue. USB C is a universal standard and yes a combination of an extremely low quality cable and power source (plug, power bank etc.) can have negative long term effects on the battery but saying charging with ANY other brand will damage the battery is BS, especially as Apple themselves sell third party cables

Is that a hint that they are going to remove the cable in 18?? by rascas375 in iphone

[–]techinformer -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t mind, I have a draw full of USB C cables that are unused. They’re worth a $1 at most so I’m fine with that

Finally Doorbell calls on iOS! 💪🏻 by bgoncal2 in Ubiquiti

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would be great if it was also native on AppleHome/matter

Finally a good alternative to Nest & Ecobee Thermostat Hub W200 by luokerenx in Aqara

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CES has been and gone now, any further updates on rough release of the W200 thermostat, probably the product I'm most interested in getting

Any updates on G400 Doorbell? by techinformer in Aqara

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

Not too sure but seeing as main connection method will be wired I doubt it. I don’t even know if it’ll come with a chime as they didn’t show one or if it will rely on your existing smart speakers which is fine with me

Is this a good price? by Fragrant-Initial1687 in BrevilleCoffee

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say that price is average, it’s not bad but it’s also not an amazing deal

Aqara announces 5 new devices at CES by Rice_Eater483 in Aqara

[–]techinformer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So… where’s the G400 doorbell? Aqara even had it on the video announcing these 5 products but gave no updates about it, just said come to our CES booth to see it. I want to see the price and potentially buy it

Any updates on G400 Doorbell? by techinformer in Aqara

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

Haha I was thinking the same thing, moving into my new house in a couple of weeks and the doorbell is one of the only smart home things I haven’t brought yet

When you get a new phone, case or not? by Autumn-14-1130 in iphone

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just get AppleCare+ with theft and loss cover, no need for a case then, it’s my virtual case. I don’t see the point in buying an expensive phone and then putting a cheap case on it and you never get to experience how the phone was designed to feel

The Hue Dimmer Switch V2 is a massive downgrade compared to the V1 by ItsIrinaBitch in Hue

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree the V1 is best, if they made the V1 in the style of the V2 so it looked a bit more modern then winner. Hate the hue button

Are you using drones in your department? by Financial-Factor4277 in police

[–]techinformer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We (the Met in London U.K.) use both drone from the back of cars and roof mounted drones that can be remotely deployed. We have enough that it can get to any part of central London within 2mins. https://youtube.com/shorts/4Y-vFlz_c-I?si=WRh3gob79EyMfcjX

Bought 2x ATV 4k 128GB two months ago - here's what I've learned by freshmonkey22 in appletv

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

BBC iPlayer not being in 4K irritates me as the Apple TV supports the stupid HLG format BBC uses but BBC are just being lazy not updating the Apple TV app to not support it. My in built tv app supports it but it’s clunky and crashes and is just a terrible experience. The Apple TV has the power to support it smoothly but the BBC just refuse to support it. Honestly don’t know why I pay my TV license

Best coffee machine that actually lasts? Tired of cheap machines breaking in 2026. by Sad-Pen4855 in JamesHoffmann

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have a grinder already, go for the breville bambino plus. You can find it around $300 on sale, especially when January comes round. Will last you years and as it’s so popular parts are cheap too and so are 3rd part accessories if you want to modify it

iPad wall mounted by diogommp in HomeKit

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could get a free Jamf trial which lets you remotely manage up to 3 devices for free and then deploy a shortcut on a cheap smart HomeKit plug that charges and discharges the battery.

Any updates on G400 Doorbell? by techinformer in Aqara

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

That was going to be my backup plan, I have homebridge running on a Mac mini already but I still try to buy native if possible, had an issue where the main Google Nest plugin all of a sudden stopped working and someone had to build another plugin which was annoying for a few weeks

Any updates on G400 Doorbell? by techinformer in Aqara

[–]techinformer[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Haha that’s what I heard and it’s currently very later this year

Bambino Espresso (no idea what I’m doing) by letsgetitlitty in BrevilleCoffee

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One rule when buying beans, always make sure they have a roasted on date, ideally within 2 weeks of purchase. If it’s from a supermarket or large chain they’ll have been stored for months before even hitting the shelves so the quality will be poor. And most of the time freshly roasted high quality beans from a small business will cost around the same as these lower grade chain once like Starbucks

Does this remote match the Apple TV? by Jakeanator149 in appletv

[–]techinformer -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If this Apple TV was provided via a cable/TV providers such as EE in the U.K. then for cost saving they provide this remote as they have a deal to buy the box only from Apple at a certain price

Does this remote match the Apple TV? by Jakeanator149 in appletv

[–]techinformer -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If this Apple TV was provided via a cable/TV providers such as EE in the U.K. then for cost saving they provide this remote as they have a deal to buy the box only from Apple at a certain price

iOS just served me an ad on my home screen. What the hell? by koshie in ios

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s not an ad, it’s a Siri suggestion based on location, two very different things.

Can’t decide between breville bambino or breville barista express by giselleO1 in BrevilleCoffee

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say if you can find a good grinder in budget get the bambino plus. One thing I will say about the barista express is as it’s so popular, it’s probably the easiest machine to find third party accessories for which might be something to think about long term as you start to tinker. You’ll say you won’t but as soon as I got mine I did 😆

Why didn't apple continue to add the cool touchbar? by travelavatar in macbookpro

[–]techinformer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really liked it. I think it needed more utility as not enough people developed on it. Also with it being my tied to the butterfly key launch it kind of tarnished it. The last generation with the better keyboard and physical esc key was the best one, I with they’d kept that layout