I typically put together a top ten tech article each year and I will do the same thing in December this year.  However, I wanted to put an longer article out early for those getting ready to shop for the holiday season.  The list below contains mainly stuff I own and have used, but I will throw in a couple other similar suggestions and make a note that I haven't yet tried them.

The Amazon Echo Dot ($50) is not only the cheapest Echo, but, in my opinion, the best.

It has a Bluetooth receiver and a Bluetooth transmitter built in, so you can use it to receive Bluetooth or send a Bluetooth signal to a player.  It has a small speaker that is fine for most non-music audio, but the best thing about it s the aux output.  That means you can attach it to any system with an aux input.  In other words, you no longer have to suffer through a built in speaker, but you can attach it to a serious audio setup.

Hue Bulb Starter Kit ($69) - The Hue Bulbs are amazing.  This starter kit has two white bulbs and a base station.  This gives the user the ability to dim, turn off, and turn on bulbs with a command or a compatible mobile device.  You can spend more if you want to get them colored lights or a light strip, but this will get them started and they can add to it as they like.

 1.  Ring Pro Doorbell ($249) - this thing is awesome.  It is easy to wire into your old doorbell cables and it will detect motion, send you notifications, record video, etc.   You can even talk to the person at the door via its embedded microphone.  

Arlo Wireless Security Cameras ($139 and up) - I have several of these around our property and they are excellent.  I also have the wired version for places in the home I can plug them in.  My recommendation is for the 2 camera setup that costs $199 and then decide later if you want to add on.  

Anova Culinary PCB-120US-K1 Bluetooth Precision Cooker ($99) - I received one of these for Christmas last year and it has made cooking easy and fun.  I own the Bluetooth version, but you can also get a wifi version if you prefer.  Unlike a lot of stuff you see on certain home shopping networks, this is something that will benefit any cook.

DIGIQ GREEN KIT W/ PIT VIPER FAN AND CERAMIC ADAPTOR ($219) - I have one for my Big Green Egg, but you can pick your grill from their user friendly drop down list.  It makes it easy to maintain a constant temperature and, if you smoke food overnight, it well help you get a good night's sleep.  

iGrill2 iDevices Wireless Bluetooth BBQ Meat Thermometer ($199 or less) - This can range in price, so I have seen the actual device with one probe on Amazon for $59 on Black Friday to $199 with the four probes included (Note: You can find the probes on the Weber website for $25).

Anyway, if you can keep you phone inside Bluetooth range, these things are fantastic.  You can easily setup up "cooks" using their app and set alarms to notify you.  If you have an iPhone, one benefit is that it will extend your range.

T-fal Zen Ceramic Chef's Knife - I got this knife in May 2015, but I wanted to see how it would hold up before recommending it.  It is my "go to" 6 inch chef knife because it cuts through meat and fat with ease.  It still works as good as new.  A nice benefit is that it looks cool, too!

 Funai Combination VCR and DVD Recorder ($215) - I know! The "VCR is Dead"! However, I still have some home movies I need to convert and this VCR/DVD combo makes that very easy with the push of one  button.  Also, no one else is making VCRs anymore, so if you think you will ever need one,  get one while you can.

I will update this post as I have time, but these pics should be good enough to get you started.

I wrote about my "Sous Vide Champ" and my FoodSaver v3233 in January 2016.  However, the problem with that particular FoodSaver model was that it has a plastic handle on the side that you need to twist to stabilize the FoodSaver before it will work.   After about 7 months, that handle broke off and the unit no longer worked.

I filled out a contact form on the FoodSaver site (Jarden Consumer Solutions) and they had me send the unit back into them.  After I sent it, I mailed them a tracking number and they sent a new unit out.

Unfortunately, the new unit was a royal blue color, so it would not go with my kitchen at all.  I contacted them again and they had me call their service number.  They no longer had it in red (which is the color I had), so I asked them if they actually had a FoodSaver that didn't rely on this plastic handle in black, white or red.  They had a V3460 (pictured above), which doesn't have this handle, in black, so they sent that out to me.

The new unit works great and I would highly recommend the V3460 over the V3233, if you are in the market.  I also wanted to comment on their FANTASTIC customer service.  Rarely do you see a company so quickly resolve a problem without any hassle at all.  Bravo!

I have a 2011 MBP that has thunderbolt, USB 2.0, and an ethernet port. The problem with these older computers is that, while they have a larger variety of ports than new Macs, they are limited to the pathetic speeds of USB 2.

I have an SSD USB 3.0 drive that has my Lightroom library. It plugs into my iMac at home (via the fantasticElgato Thunderbolt 2 dock), but on the road, I like to use it with my 2011 MBP to access the same Lightroom library. The problem is that it is a LOT slower since it can't take advantage of the USB 3 speeds.  They do make SSD drives that connect over thunderbolt, but they are much more expensive than the USB 3 counterparts.  If you plan to only use one drive, the price differential (around $60 for a ~256k drive) might not cover the price of the StarTech.com Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet with USB 3.0 Adapter (~$80), but when you consider being able to use USB 3 thumb drives or other USB 3 drives you might want to use on occasion, the difference in price for the extra speed from many more peripherals starts to add up. 

The Startech came along right as I was considering the new MBP. The new MBP only has USB-C ports, so a product like this, combined with a thunderbolt to USB-C adapter (which I need to attach it to the Elgato dock anyway) will add ethernet and USB 3.0 to one USB-C port. I plan to test this when I get my hands on the new MBP.  That capability combined with what it offers to my 2011 MBP makes it worth the price.  I could use it at home with my 2011 MBP, then when I go on the road, detach it and use it with the new MBP where the extra USB 3 port and ethernet will come in handy.

For my current purposes, I plugged my USB 3.0 SSD into the USB 2.0 port on a 2011 MBP. The speed test showed a read and write speed of 30.3 and 34.8 MB/s. So slow, but it is what I deal with because I didn't want to buy SSD thunderbolt drives because they cost so much more. I then unplugged the SSD, plugged in the StarTech device and the speeds increased 10x! (353.2 & 355.6, respectively). Once again, the saving grace to these 2011 Macs is the often criticized thunderbolt port.

The current price of this device is ~$80, but that is typically less than the price differential between a 256 USB 3.0 drive and a 256 thunderbolt drive. In this case, it will also be nice to have with the new MBPs, so it has some staying power that will make it worthwhile if you want to use its ethernet port (which isn't available on many of the newer Macs) and also have access to a USB 3.0 port while only using one USB-C port or thunerbolt.

One thing I should mention is that this was plug and play with my 2011 Mac. I simply plugged it into the thunderbolt port, connected it to ethernet and to the USB 3.0 drive and everything was up and running in seconds. Also, the size and weight of this thing makes it easy to toss in the bag with my SSD drive.

If you are in a similar situation, where you are stuck wth USB 2 ports, but have a thunderbolt port, I highly recommend this device. If you are looking at new Macs and the required dongles, it may be cheaper to get a USB-C only device, but I like the flexibility of using it with my current Mac and my future Macs.

WowWee Lumi Gaming Drone Toy is a small Drone that is a lot of fun!

The first thing you need to do after plugging in the battery, is download the app.  The app is how you control the Lumi Drone.  Once you have a charged battery (the battery has an LED indicator so you know when it is finished charging), you simply plug the battery into the Drone and turn on the Beacon and you are ready to roll.  You do need a screw driver to take off the cover to insert batteries into the Beacon and the Drone also has a screw to secure the battery.  I have never tightened the screw on the Drone and it has not been a problem (proceed at your own risk, though).

Once you have everything on, you open the app.  I am using an iPhone to control the Lumi and when you first open the app, it searches and finds your Drone.  At that point you are met with 3 choices for flying, a library of you past video recordings, and settings for naming your Lumi, calibrating it, tutorials, and language options.  You can also disconnect from the Lumi on this screen.

"Free Flight" - This screen will allow you to use the Beacon to help fly the Lumi (easy mode) or you can fly the Lumi without having it use the Beacon.  I have flown it both ways and at this point, I like to use the Beacon,  I have flown it outside in Advanced mode and because of wind conditions, it is easier for it to get away from you.  The screen also has a trick menu, which is where the real fun begins.  You get the following options:

Flip Backward
Spiral Down
Spiral Up
Sway Left Right
Sway Back Forth
ZigZag Down
ZigZag Up

The tricks are very responsive, but if you fly the Lumi in the house, make sure you give it plenty of room, especially in the "flip backward" mode.  It can get a little out of control, so the more room the better.  We fortunately have a sunroom and garage, so I have had it in rooms without expensive art or TVs hanging from the walls.  If you fly indoors, make sure you are able to easily hit the emergency landing button because it may be the thing that keeps it from hitting something valuable.  It should be noted that I have flown it into walls, flipped it into a chair, and it has crashed onto a field stone patio and it hasn't shown any signs of wear and tear.  The thing is very resilient.

One option in the Easy Flight mode is to have it follow the Beacon.  You simply clip the Beacon to your mobile device and it will follow you around.  I have taken it outside and back into the house and it works great.  In all of the modes, they also give you a convenient video button so that you can record the Lumi in action.

"Lumi to the Beat" is another mode.  This is similar to some of the "Rock Band" style games that show you colors and you hit corresponding buttons.  In this mode, the Lumi will show one of four colors on the top and you hit the corresponding color on the app.  When you are hitting a bunch of correct buttons, the Lumi will do some of its tricks.  When you start missing, the Lumi will eventually land and the game will end.  One cool part is that you can choose a song to have on in the background while you are playing.  It is really a lot of fun.  However, if you are outside or in bright sun, you may have a hard time seeing the LED colors, so it is best to play in dim lighting, if possible.

"Build A Choreography" is probably my favorite part of the app, other than Free Flight/Trick Mode.  This allows you to pick a song from your music library or Lumi's song and build a flight around the song based on the timeline.  You simply drag tricks into the timeline and you can even save the routine.  Once everything is ready, you hit play and (as usual) you also have the option to capture a video of your routine (from your phone, the Lumi does not have a camera).  It is so cool to be able to hit one button, have music play in the background and watch the Lumi put on a show.

I should mentioned, that the last update to the Drone (that I have tested) was on September 22nd , so I haven't had a lot of time with the Drone since the last update, but the few times I tried flying, it was a much better experience.  For example, after the prior update, when I tried to playing music in the app, it simply would not play.  I also had issues where it flew straight up in the air and hit our vaulted ceiling and had to hit the "kill switch" to get it down.  The last couple of days, I have not experienced any issues other than it hitting furniture on the back flips, but I don't think there is a way around this other than giving it a lot of room.  The good news is that if it hits something, it usually lands and, so far, I haven't had anything get damaged.

If you only have a small room with valuable vases to fly the Drone, I wouldn't recommend it.  However, I really like flying it, so I am basing my review on the fact that I have open rooms that it can excel.  I have flown it in confined rooms, but I wouldn't recommend doing backflips unless you have decent height and space in front of and behind the Lumi.  In any event, it is a lot of fun if you are careful.

I have written an article called "Is that Pro Enough for You" but I was curious to see what articles we would see by actual pros that have actually used it.  As I expected, we already have an article called "One Professional’s Look At The New MacBook Pro" from a professional (Thomas Grove Carter) who "cuts high end commercials, music videos and film".  The one thing that he says is:

"On the 27th October Apple unveiled their new line of MacBook Pros. Since then half of what I read online seems to be “Professionals” (those guys), telling me it’s not Pro at all, not Pro enough or not the right kind of Pro. How many of these people have even touched the new devices?"

What a great concept!  Actually use something before you comment on how useful it is.  One of my favorite mobile techYoutube channels was reviewing the new Microsoft Surface Studio and actually said that the Microsoft Surface Dial was "in part gimmicky, but more useful than Apple's Touch Strip because it is more tactile and we are used to using doorknobs".   So she is able to make that assessment without every using a MBP with the Touch Bar because we are "used to using doorknobs".  Wow!  Just Wow!  

(As a side note, I think the Microsoft Studio looks pretty awesome, but it isn't a laptop, so comparisons to anything used on the MBP is kind of ridiculous, even if you have actually used both computers.)

To quote this reviewer:

"For years we’ve had single mouse inputs on a graphical user interface. Over time we’ve added more buttons and scroll wheels, trackpads with gestures. The Touch Bar takes this step further by allowing multiple inputs at the same time and combines well with the trackpad. The more I’ve used it the more I’ve replaced certain keyboard shortcuts. Why would I use dual-hand/multi-finger shortcuts if the button was there in front of me? And it’s contextual. It changes depending on what I’m doing. I’m editing picture; it shows me relevant trimming shortcuts. I’m editing titles; it shows me font, formatting and colour options. All without the need to open other menus. It works, it’s faster and it’s more productive. I believe it’s only a starting point, as developers learn how we all use this thing, it’s going to get better and better. But even the short time that I’ve been using it with Final Cut Pro 10.3, I can already feel it becoming part of my everyday editing process."

No one, other than this one guy has written about real world use of the MBP (with Touch Bar), so I am not saying that his comments will be the norm.  However, it does show that in a very short amount of time, one pro already finds this feature useful.  

The other main complaint is the lack of power with the new MBPs.  I have written about the trade off of size, battery power, and heat, so I won't concentrate on those points.  However, the main thing is how the thing works.  I posted a video from Hardware Canucks in a prior post showing just how much faster video is processed on a 16GB Mac vs a 32GB Windows PC and laptop.  

​Here is another video showing how the thing actually compares to a popular Windows laptop.

To quote the video above "it comes down to how the hardware works with the software".  This is the theme that people that actually use the computer will continue to put forward.   

Once again, we have the guy that actually has real world "pro" experience with the Touch Bar versions and he says pretty much the same thing:

"First off, It’s really fast. I’ve been using the MacBook Pro with the new version of FCP X and cutting 5k ProRes material all week, it’s buttery smooth. No matter what you think the specs say, the fact is the software and hardware are so well integrated it tears strips off “superior spec’d” Windows counterparts in the real world. This has always been true of Macs. If you’re running software with old code which doesn’t utilise the hardware well, you’re not going to get great performance (as pointed out here). I understand people need to use programs from other developers, but at some point they need to play catch up. Otherwise it’s akin to asking for a more powerful engine because you like to buy tire-less wheels for your car. For all the kinds of work I do it’s been excellent"

Obviously not!  There are desktop computers for a reason.  To quote the article:

"A ‘Professional’ should be defined by the work they deliver and the value they bring, not their gear. Use the new MacBook Pro, don’t use the new MacBook Pro. Your audience don’t care. You just have to keep making great work however you can. For me, I love it and I think most people will do too... once they actually touch it."

Doesn't that pretty much put this stupid argument to bed?  Ha, Ha, Ha!  Never!  There will always be complainers about any new tech.  It goes with the territory and if Apple doesn't fit your needs, then maybe it is time for you to move to something else.   By the looks of it, Apple hasn't been hurt by the sudden flock of "pros" to other platforms (if these complainers are to be believed).  

According to MacRumors "Slice Intelligence says the new MacBook Pro accumulated more revenue from online orders during its first five days of availability than the Microsoft Surface Book, ASUS Chromebook Flip, Dell Inspiron 2-in-1, and Lenovo Yoga 900, based on e-receipt data from 12,979 online shoppers in the United States."  Look at the chart below, it is mind blowing:

So, we have learned that the MBP is pro enough for the pro in the article, the Touch Bar should be used before being evaluated, and new MBP orders are wiping the floor with the competition.  That pretty much says it all.

As I mentioned in "The 16GB MBP Fiasco" article, it is hard to define a "pro" Mac user.  However, I found "Can We Put the 16GB “Pro” Myth to Rest?" by Jonathan Zdziarski very interesting:

There were several more apps that he opened, so look at his site for more detail, but his conclusion is as follows:

"Once again, the system began doing its job and paging out before I ever hit that 16GB max. At this point, I stopped launching applications and documents.Conclusion, again, is that it takes an enormous amount of work to burn up 16GB of RAM on your MacBook Pro, unless you’re running a lot of poorly written apps that hog memory, have bloatware running at startup, or possibly doing a lot of advanced, high-end video editing (which I hope to experiment with at some point).  Activity Monitor is a great way to see what’s chewing on your system, and a good starting point for figuring out what apps are causing problems for you."

Once again, I am not saying the MBP is for everyone.  However, with the number of Youtubers and Podcasters describing this as a major issue with the new 2016 MBP, I think it is nice to have a way to put this into perspective for those that don't really know what 16GB can do.  As I posted in my earlier article, if you work with video, there are major advantages to using Final Cut Pro vs Adobe Premier Pro (even when you discount the fact that you can buy Final Cut, but have to rent Adobe Premier forever).

As someone that writes articles about Apple, I felt that it was my obligation to show this clip of an interview with an Apple Engineer:

I should mention that I ordered a MBP and I don't have a problem using an adapter, but even I love this video.

There are a lot of folks complaining about the fact that the current MBP is maxed out at 16GB of RAM.  However, while I have had my concerns, as well, I am sticking with Macs, for now.

I saw the video below a while back and wanted to link it here because it is one of the many reasons I am getting the new MBP rather than moving to Windows:

The other thing is that I have read articles this year discussing the amount of RAM most people will need and the consensus is 8GB of RAM.  While I use more taxing applications like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro, I still think that 16GB will be more than enough to do what I need for years to come.  

If I was a person that had high end needs and was concerned about future use, I would simply upgrade it when 32GB becomes an option or move to another OS.  When we make tech decisions, rarely are we looking at a product that will solve all our problems for a decade.  Sometimes you have to use a short term solution, then sell that product to help pay for something new when they have something that fits your needs better.

Here's how much RAM your PC needs to run smoothly
How Much RAM Does Your Computer Need for PC Games?

According to the article, "on a computer that stores massive databases, virtual machines, and other huge things in memory, even 32GB of RAM may not be enough."  So, if that is you, I would pass on the new MBPs and move to another solution.  

Apple's answer:
"To put more than 16GB of fast RAM into a notebook design at this time would require a memory system that consumes much more power and wouldn’t be efficient enough for a notebook. I hope you check out this new generation MacBook Pro, it really is an incredible system."
​
A more thorough explanation (Reddit):

"The true reason behind the lack of 32gb or ddr4 is intel. Skylake does not support LPDDR4 (LP for low power) ram. Kabylake is set to include support, but only for the U category of chips. So no LPDDR4 support for mobile until 2018 I think."

The most ridiculous thing I have been reading in the comments is that the new MacBook Pro is no longer for the professional.   There isn't one unified professional that uses Macs.  The "pros" that use Macs are in many different jobs across many different spectrums.  For a huge majority, 16GB of RAM will be more than enough for years to come.   In the state I reside, there is a professional privilege tax.   Therefore, if you're profession is not listed below, this state does not consider you a professional.

If a "pro" is less exclusive and simply means "making money using a Mac", that is much larger group that has very different needs.  I think the MBP is not the laptop for every single job, but if that is the criteria, Apple has never had a "pro" computer.

I have also read that this computer isn't for the pro because it doesn't have any ports that aren't USB-C. I have actually seen people say it isn't pro because it doesn't have an SD slot.  That is ridiculous.

Wanting to use devices without adapters has never been a pro requirement for a computer.  I have a thunderbolt 2 dock that I have been using with my 2011 MBP and it made the laptop no less "pro" than before I got the dock.  Actually, it made the 2011 MBP much more "pro" by expanding the ports to include USB 3, which the computer did not have.  

Like it or not, the USB-C/Thunderbolt connectors are a HUGE step forward in capabilities.   You can use an adapter to get backward capabilities, but you can't make a slow port that is built into the computer faster.   Here is an article I wrote about Thunderbolt 3 over a year ago that explains why I like the port. 

Please don't confuse my defense of the 2016 MBP as being "pro" as being happy with every decision Apple made with the new laptops.  I just think the way people are complaining about is ridiculous and hurts their credibility.   One guy was claiming it was no longer "pro" because it lacked MagSafe!!   While that is also ridiculous, mark my words "Griffin Will Make a Break Away cord for the new MBP, just like they did for the MacBook".

I do feel bad for the people that need a 32GB option right now, but it just doesn't fit Apple's design philosophy and I don't think it is rational to think that they would have come out with an 8 pound laptop that has 2 hours of battery life.  They can barely update the stuff in their line up now (which is a more common and legitimate complaint), so adding a laptop to please a small percentage of Mac users really doesn't make a lot of sense.  If I had your specialized needs, I would try to find some way to move to Windows where you can get a laptop to your specs.

For the record, I would have preferred one USB 3 slot and one SD card slot (more for future storage expandability than for dropping files).  It is a preference.  That doesn't mean that it is something that makes the laptop useless for my needs, or less pro, it just means that there will be some slight inconveniences in the short term.