W♥M

iPad Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro 12.9

Read More iPad I’ve been living with the iPad 12.9 Pro (2017 Model) since March 2018. After using the iPad daily for about two months, here are my thoughts …

I caved in and bought a used iPad Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro 12.9 (2020). You see, between my Asus Electropunk Laptop and iPad, there is no comparison in terms of portability. The laptop weighs a ton, I never want to travel with it. Instead, if I need to do some work, the iPad and Keyboard combination works best for me.

Previously, I was using the iPad and Keyboard Folio, which is fine, but I didn’t exactly love the typing experience. Plus over time, the Folio is showing some wear and tear.

The shocker of the iPad Magic Keyboard is that it costs $350 new. This is really an insane amount of money to pay for a keyboard… and I felt like it was the barrier to entry for those in the market for a keyboard for their iPad. There are many third party keyboard maker, but I decided to go with the Magic Keyboard because it uses the smart connector.

After playing around with it, like putting the keyboard light brightness to the max, I was shocked that within a few minutes, I went from 100% charged to 84%! I turned off the light on the keyboard immediately. Wow, what a battery drainer.

In the few minutes since I started typing this review, I started noticing the battery quickly dropping. It went from 84% earlier to 81% in a few minutes… Judging by the battery drain, I feel like you need to plug this in if you intend to do a lot of work on the iPad.

The best perk about this keyboard is that you can assign the four physical button at the bottom-left of the keyboard. The four keys are Globe, Control, Option, and Command. I’m a PC user, so using the CMD+C or CMD+V is annoying to me, because of the layout. I’m just used to the Ctrl key to be the furthest left of the PC keyboard. Thankfully, you can reassign the Globe key to CMD, making a better keyboard (in my opinion).

I also like the mousepad, but it doesn’t always work with all the applications. For example, it doesn’t seem to work with Google’s Keep. I am assuming it will work better with native Apple Applications, such as Safari or their iOS Mail App.

The other thing you should know about the Magic Keyboard is that it is a little heavier than the folio. Weight may be necessary so it can anchor the “floating” iPad. As for versatility - it is only a keyboard or it can only close to protect the iPad. That’s all you can do with it.

If you need to use the iPad as a tablet, like reading digital comic books, you have to remove it from the keyboard. I think it was intentionally designed this way… which I don’t like. You see with the Folio, you can just fold the keyboard all the way to the back and use it as a Tablet, if you don’t need the keyboard.

In the end, if you need a keyboard for your iPad, I would recommend either the Folio or the Magic Keyboard, it just depends on how much money you want to spend. I have to admit, typing on the Magic Keyboard is 100% better than on the Folio.

I think my biggest concern is the battery drain. It’s already at 70%, as I finish writing this.

Update: I thought perhaps it’s just a fluke that the keyboard was draining the iPad’s battery like water (even if you have the lights on the keyboard turned off)… but after using it for a week, I can confirm that you need to plug in the keyboard if you intend to type a lot. If you are not using the keyboard, obviously it won’t draw power.

The magnet is very strong and can really hold the iPad in place. You can rock it around in a moving vehicle and know that it won’t go flying off.

PS, the other cool thing about this keyboard is if you need to lock your iPad, you can use the keys: CTRL+CMD+Q and it will lock the iPad right away.

Photo below is my Magic Keyboard with Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (from Mighty Skins) and my iPad with Death Dealer by Frank Frazetta from Skinit. I’ve previously ordered a Skinit for my Xbox Series X, and I love it. The printing looks very good and it seemed durable.

Apple Magic Keyboard and iPad Pro 12.9

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ @weheartmusic

Clockology

Read More Apple I didn’t intend to get it, but after contemplating about the Black Friday prices for the new Apple Watch SE for about $200, I couldn’t pass it up. As you know, starting last year, Apple ....

One of my biggest complaint about the Apple Watch was that there weren’t many official face options for your watch. While that remains true, I have since discovered Clockology. This changes everything.

With Clockology, you can create any sort of clock face that you want. I have downloaded a few from the internet, and I’ve modified a few of them for my needs.

The app is very powerful and contains a lot of nice perks. The only drawback is that weather and certain features are not available on the non-paid version. Normally, I wouldn’t mind paying once for a feature, but unfortunately, it’s currently subscription-based (about $20 a year).

Since I don’t have access to weather, I’ve removed a lot of those features when I tweaked these clock faces.

The other thing about Clockology is that it is really clunky how to get it to work.I’ll summarize, you need to download a special “enable beta” file. Once you download the file, you need to “Watch Sync” … and voila, the Clockology will now work on your watch.

Since it’s an app on your watch, you need to keep Clockology running… which means you might have to look in your settings to let it run in the background and so on.

So, I take it back, regarding limited clock faces for the Apple Watch. Now with the Clockology app, it’s unlimited what I can do… and now my new problem is deciding which clock face to use! I’m partial to the Star Trek’s LCARS or Fallout’s Pip Boy.

Anyway, I have put together a few of my favorite Clockology clock faces that I’ve downloaded and tweaked to my needs. Download here: drive.google.com.

Enjoy,

- Weekend Gamer

Monty Python

Fallout

Super Mario Bros

Cyberpunk 2077

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Apple Watch SE

Read More Apple The iconic iPhone 7 has been announced by Apple yesterday (September 7th). It is the latest and greatest from the company, and they are getting a lot of negative feedback about the lack of a headphone jack ....

I didn’t intend to get it, but after contemplating about the Black Friday prices for the new Apple Watch SE for about $200, I couldn’t pass it up. As you know, starting last year, Apple introduced their “budget” Apple Watch, the SE, which strips out some features.

What’s missing from the SE is a faster/latest processor, no ECG and blood oximiter sensors, no always-on display, and lacking UWB or 5GHz Wi-Fi communication capabilities. If you absolutely have to one of those things, then you need to buy the new Series 7.

My biggest complaint is that you must have an iPhone to use with the Apple Watch. I believe you can only have one active watch at one time, so if you own multiple Apple Watches, it only works with just one.

The other complaint is that battery life is absolutely bad. You need to charge it every day. To be fair, most smart watches requires you to charge once a day. My Amazfit GTR 2 advertised battery life of 7 days, but in reality, it’s really only two or three days. So battery life just sucks all across the board.

My last complaint is there aren’t many watch faces officially available from Apple. I’m assuming that it will get better over time. There are many third party watch face makers, but none of them are very good. The really good one costs subscription fees, which I would rather not pay for. If they sell individual face for, say $1, I wouldn’t mind paying for one or two… but unfortunately, there’s not many choices.

Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with the new watch. I feel it’s “fast enough” for my needs, and it has all the health tracking abilities in other smart watches. My two health focus is sleep tracking and heart beats… but obviously, you can use it to track various other things, like standing up or walking/running.

One of the coolest thing going from my Amazfit watch to the Apple Watch is that Apple has some applications built for WatchOS… which Amazfit some some Android Watches don’t have. For example, I used the calculator on my watch (for tipping) and showed up the compass on the watch to my brother.

Another perk in the Apple brand that you may not be aware of, is all the many, many, many accessories you can get for the Apple Watch. Need a new wrist band ? There are a million bands out there. Don’t want to pay $100 for Apple’s Milanese Loop ? There are knock-offs you can get for $15 (which is exactly what I did for a similar Milanese Loop at Walmart).

So, if you’re keeping track, I’m officially 100% into the Apple Echosystem, owning the new iPhone 13, iPad Pro 12.9 (2021), Apple TV (HD), and, now, the Apple Watch SE (2021).

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Divinity: Original Sin II on the iPad

Read More Larian Studios I have been hyped about Baldur’s Gate 3 since Larian Studios announced their teaser in August 2019. I’ve already mentioned that I was a massive fan of Black Isle Studios …

You know I’m a big fan of Larian Studios, the Belgium company that is currently developing Baldur’s Gate III (which I already pre-ordered) and the successful Divinity series. While I haven’t loved the original games from 2002, I came around with 2014’s Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel Divinity: Original Sin II.

Sadly, I haven’t beaten either of the Divinity: Original Sin saga, but from all my hours of gameplay, I love it. So much that I’ve decided to spend $25 to see how Divinity: Original Sin II will work on my iPad Pro 12.9. I saw that it supported Bluetooth controller and keyboard, but I will likely just use touch to play.

In the past, I’ve played around with Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II on the iPad, but those games originally came out in 1998 and 2000 (and yes, I bought and played them back then).

With Divinity: Original Sin II, which originally came out in 2017, on the iPad, I was just eager to see a semi-recent, modern game on the iPad. We all know that Apple have never been known for video games… so I’m glad to see companies, like Larian, take a chance.

So, for some bad news, those with older iPads, they cannot run the game. The game will run on iPad Pro 2018 to 2021 (basically any iPad with the A12 Bionic chip or later). The other bad news is that the game will take up at least 18GB of storage, so if you have an 32GB iPad, it’s going to take up half your space!

Even many users might feel that $25 is expensive (especially for an iPad app), you have to understand that this is a first-class game. I’ve played the PC, I’ve paid $50 for the game originally, so $25 is really bargain, in my opinion…. But it’s true, $25 is a million times more expensive than the typical $1.99 iPad.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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Site Update: Lucky 13

Read More iPhone The iconic iPhone 7 has been announced by Apple yesterday (September 7th). It is the latest and greatest from the company, and they are getting a lot of negative feedback about the lack of a headphone jack ....

As you may, or may not, know, I’m about to wind down and heading into Winter Hibernation mode. I do have one final show that I (want) and will cover, Bad Religion at the Palace Theatre in St Paul on November 16th. I am a long-time Bad Religion fan and will brave the snow, if I have to, to see the band play.

Anyway, as an early birthday gift to myself, I’ve decided to buy Apple’s latest iPhone 13. The move from Google’s Android is partly due to the way Visible Mobile works on iOS. I can connect up to five devices to my iOS Phone, verses one device on Android.

Plus, since I started using an iPhone X in the last few months, I’ve learned to really admire how easy it was to use the iPhone. Everything just seems to work better and easier on the iPhone. For example, the Bluetooth connects with my car without any issues. My old Android phone would sometime randomly disconnect. It’s super annoying, especially when you’re driving and you absolutely need my phone to connect to the car.

Since I’m already a big iPad fan, moving to the iPhone is effortless.

Now, for the bad news, if you’re also on the fence about switching to the iPhone… it’s actually hard to switch over (at least for me).

For starters, you cannot just buy an unlocked brand new iPhone at any retailers, such as Target or Best Buy or Amazon. Basically, the only way to get an unlock phone is through Apple. You can buy it online, or you can visit one of their retail stores. Unfortunately, their physical store can be quite popular … meaning you have to wait in line to get an appointment to buy a phone (which can take over an hour).

The other bad thing is that generally when you buy into the Apple ecosystem, you’re going to be locked in their system. Again, having own an iPad and an Apple TV, and thinking about getting an iWatch… I’m basically already locked in. Just be aware that Apple always charges more for their products… but if it means quality and that the money goes to an American company, I’m okay with paying more.

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TV: Midnight Mass, Squid Game, and See

Read more Television.

Read More Haunting of Hill House The Haunting of Hill House is a long, re-imagining of the Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name. It’s a haunted house show, but actually the majority of the show is in flashback. The family all moved out of the haunted house years later... but events all lead them back to Hill House. …

MIDNIGHT MASS
netflix.com

From the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass came out just in time for Halloween, on Netflix. Flanagan and his crew, including music by The Newton Brothers, Andy Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart, all of whom have worked with Flanagan since his 2013 film Oculus (a film that I love and own on Bluray).

I feel if I talk about the story of Midnight Mass, it may be “spoilers”, but I don’t think it would ruin anything if I were to mention or identify the evil forces in the story. I think part of the enjoyment is that the story will slowly reveal what is behind all the “miracles”, so it is a bit of a mystery. However, I still don’t think you won’t enjoy it if I told you what it is about.

Like Flanagan’s previous shows, it’s really not about the ghost or the evil thing… it’s all about the characters. And he does this many of the characters on the isolated Crockett Island.

Riley Flynn is our main character, he returns to his hometown after spending years in prison for killing a woman in a drunk-driving accident. His character is haunted by this dead woman, and you always see her with flashing police light when the show shows his vision. Riley’s childhood sweetheart, Erin Greene, is also back on the island. Greene left the island, but found herself back, leaving her abusive husband, when she got pregnant.

Other characters that we follow are Father Paul Hill, the young, new priest at St. Patrick's Church, he holds a secret, which we will find out midway in the show, and Bev Keane, the overly zealous believer at St. Patrick’s Church. I don’t care what anyone says, Keane is the most evil character on the island… even though she doesn’t believe she’s evil.

The thing is, if you love the two previous Haunting shows, you’ll really love Midnight Mass. Everyone has long, long, long dialogues and monologues, but they are all delivered with such passion and sadness, that it’s hard to look away. You’ll cry, especially hearing Flynn’s last speech and his confession of love for Greene. It’s simply heart breaking.

If you hated Haunting for its slow burn, then I don’t think you can handle Midnight Mass. If you can survive the pilot (which doesn’t even hint at what the show is about), you might get a chance to enjoy it… but if slowness isn’t your thing, you won’t like Midnight Mass.

Read More The Hunger Games Film update: I just saw The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at the dollar theater. We saw this at the New Hope Cinema Grill, for about $12, you can get meal and a film, which isn't bad. …

SQUID GAME
netflix.com

If you haven’t heard, Squid Game is Netflix’s blockbuster television show. Everyone, at least over 111 million, is watching this South Korean drama/thriller.

The show creator and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, wrote the story, originally called “Round 6”, in 2009 and tried to get companies to fund the project. No one was interested, until finally in 2019, Netflix agreed to pay for it, as part of their foreign programming offerings.

This show is about desperate contestants in a game of death. Immediately, people will notice how similar it is to other films before it, like Battle Royale or The Hunger Games… except the contestants in Squid Game, they all want to play (they are not forced) for a chance to win.

The large cast of characters includes our main character Seong Gi-hun, player #456, who signed up for the deadly game to settle his gambling debts. Cho Sang-woo, player #218), is wanted by the police for embezzling billions of dollars… and who is also Gi-hun’s childhood friend. Kang Sae-byeok, player #067, is a North Korean defector, trying to get money to bring her mother and brother across the border.

The protagonist in the story is a gangster named Jang Deok-su, player #101, who will do anything, kill anyone, in order to win the game. There are many other characters, but those are the main ones that I followed closely.

The most interesting thing about the television series is that is is very gripping and tense. I love how the story will unfold in directions that I didn’t see coming… but it made sense in the context of the film.

Anyway, in the end, the winner of the game received about 40 billion dollars.

The ending of the show is pretty good… although I felt like the show creator left some things open so there might be a second season of Squid Game. I hope not, I personally think that the story should just end with Episode 9, I don’t need a continuation of this story.

I can see another show, in this same universe, that takes place in a different country. After all, in the show, the V.I.P.’s talked about how they liked the Korean Games the best, suggesting that there are other games in other countries. With that… I wouldn’t mind seeing a deadly game of tic-tac-toe or hopscotch.

Read More Apple TV+ I’ve been enjoying the new American drama series called The Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+. The television series was developed by Neil Cross and Tom Bissell and based on the 1981 novel by Paul Theroux. …

SEE
apple.com

Apple TV’s See is a post-apocalyptic science fiction television show about a world where humans lost the ability to see. It stars Jason Momoa, who was a big draw for me to watch it, but ultimately, I just felt the whole concept is just silly.

The story is about this sightless world, with its own rules, the Kane clan wanted to destroy all those who can see… putting our hero, Baba Voss (played by Jason Momoa) and his children in danger. Soon enough, Voss’ tribe is destroyed and they are on the run.

The second season just ended, setting up some things for season three (which was renewed by Apple).

Personally speaking, they should just end the series with the final episode in Season 2. The big battle was very good, and I felt it should just end in a high note.

Before I talk about the bad things in See, I wanted to point out the one good thing the show has: it’s blind fight scenes. Because no one can see, the way they battle is just very interesting. For example, lots of low shots and misdirection. Visually, it looks so cool, because no one with vision will fight like this.

And that brings me to the terrible things about the show. Everyone is beautiful, like they have hairdressers and they wear makeup. Why would anyone look good when everyone is blind ? While we’re at it, why are there windows in houses ? Why are there flowers in vases ???? It just doesn’t make sense. In a visionless word, to me, there shouldn’t really be fire on torches or people wearing uniforms! I guess, realistically, if no one can see, wouldn’t you just walk around naked? Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but this whole sightless concept is just dumb.

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TV: Bosch and Lisey’s Story

Read More Television The pilot does an incredible job of setting the tone and style of the show. This was a police procedural crime drama with two parallel storylines: Detective Bosch on trial for the murder of an alleged serial killer …

BOSCH
amazon.com

Out of nowhere, I got notification that the new Season 7 of Bosch just dropped on Amazon Prime!

I was so excited that I launched the pilot and after viewing the “Last Season on Bosch” recap… I realized I had totally missed the entire Season 6. Basically, I had to binged through Season 6 so I can start on Season 7.

Since these Bosch seasons are based on the Bosch novels, the mysteries are all really well-crafted. The characters are wonderful and unique… and it’s the great writing that kept me interested since I watched the pilot in Feb 2014.

In Season 6, the storylines are based on The Overlook (Book 13) and Dark Sacred Night (Book 21). The FBI/radioactive storyline wrapped up mid-season, but the aftermath (and court trials) would take a backseat as other stories (such as the serial killer copycat) surfaced and resolved.

Overall, Season 6 was solid. I do have some issues, like I didn’t particularly enjoyed the Jerry Edgar/The Butcher storyline. The story felt unsatisfying. We, along with Harry Bosch, knew the truth behind the fatal shooting of the Butcher, but what was the point… and why go in this direction? I suppose, it’s all to setup Edgar’s actions in Season 7.

Season 7 is the final season of Bosch. The storyline was based on The Burning Room (Book 17). Once again, Detective Harry Bosch is doing all he can to solve the death of a 10-year-old girl in an arson fire. This season also heavily focused on Bosch’s daughter, Maddie, who is on a hitlist.

The Inter-Police Division fighting Plot B of Season 7 was just plain silly, in my opinion. I understand that they want to spotlight the other supporting characters in the police department… but it just felt like it was time-consuming and going nowhere.

While it’s true that this is the final season of Bosch, Variety wrote that there will be a spinoff series… From what I’ve read, it seems like the new spinoff series will be focused on Maddie Bosch. Which makes sense to continue the story in this new direction, considering that Maddie was such a main focus in Season 7.

Since Harry Bosch is such a jazz enthusiast, you can expect that same music language in the upcoming spinoff series.

While there’s no official soundtrack for Season 7, Titus Welliver (who plays Bosch) curated his Bosch Playlist, which includes The Soul of John Black and Etta James.

Read More Television The concept is pretty cool, especially because it’s based on the characters and stories of Stephen King... but the execution is just not that great. The same can be said for all of Stephen King’s TV …

LISEY'S STORY
apple.com

Stephen King’s favorite novel that he’s ever written, Lisey’s Story, is being adapted to a limited series on Apple TV+. I’ve previously mentioned that I did not enjoy any of King’s stories to television, based on the horrible Under the Dome and The Mist. It’s the same for Lisey’s Story… the pilot was down-right boring to me, that I gave up. For a pilot, you really need to hook the viewer, and the first episode did nothing for me.

The only Stephen King television I like are Creepshow and, I will admit to liking The Outsider (except for that ending).

Critics are also hit or miss on the new Lisey’s Story show, citing that it’s very slow-paced. I can agree with that, but given that it is based on a long novel, that it would make sense to let the show interpret the story to television form. Even though some people hated the show, they all agree that actress Julianne Moore is doing a great job, playing the lead character.

If you were interested, the Lisey’s Story Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack is available on Loud Robot and WaterTower Music. The soundtrack was composed by Clark (aka Chris Clark) and he wanted the music to sound threatening and uneasy: “The idea was to capture the demented threat of Long Boy's presence in a way that made it sound beautiful, like the maws in an H.R Giger painting. So much detail and there's a visceral shock factor that works on screen, but the malevolence is crafted with love and care.”

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More Morrissey: Mozquito Coast and ASappy

Read More The Smiths I was excited to see that This Day Is Music is publishing The Smiths - The Day I Was There, a new book on the Manchester band. This book is more or less a collection of memories from various fans, compiled and edited by Richard Houghton. … Morrissey As you know, I used to be a devoted The Smiths and Morrissey fan. Like many of you, I have grown up and may have been a little disenchanted by singer Morrissey’s beliefs and personality... but I still love the music .…

We recently talked about how cool it was to see that Morrissey and The Smiths were suddenly in the news (being on The Simpsons and the topic of Shoplifters of the World) a few weeks ago. Here are a few other Morrissey/Smiths items in the news:



MOSQUITO COAST
apple.com

I’ve been enjoying the new American drama series called The Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+. The television series was developed by Neil Cross and Tom Bissell and based on the 1981 novel by Paul Theroux. The same novel was also made into a motion picture (of the same name) in 1986, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

I haven’t seen the movie, but based on the six episodes that already aired (the finale will air on June 5), I’m really contemplating on checking out the film.

The story is about an American family living off the grid for nine years. They’re discovered by the government and the family soon went on the run. Their journey leads them to The Mosquito Coast, in Mexico.

What I like about the story is that it’s very smart and written in a way that you’re not quite sure how the family will get out of one troubled situation after another. It’s almost on the Breaking Bad level, because you know the main character is really intelligent and without resorting to violence… can out think his way out of the trap.

As for the Smiths appearance, in the second episode, “foxes and coyotes”, the family sought help with a coyote to take them across the border to Mexico. While their father, Allie Fox, removes a police ankle bracelet, their daughter, Dina, goes through the coyotes’ record collection to discover a copy of The Smiths’ classic The Queen Is Dead album. The timeline doesn’t make sense, since the book was written in 1981, and this album came out in 1986. Clearly an invention for the television show.

Anyway, the owner of the records, Chuy, said he much prefers Morrissey’s solo music, and puts on “The First of the Gang to Die” and started dancing with their mother, Margot.

The Mosquito Coast, Episode 2: “foxes and coyotes” (30 April 2021)

A$AP ROCKY
asapmob.com

In the recent GQ interview with A$AP Rocky, he dropped the news that his latest collaboration is with Morrissey! The rapper is a fan and previously mentioned in 2018 on Open Late, that he “f*** with Morrissey on some Smiths sh**. Make some emo, real, retro-infusion, motherf**in’ 2018 shit, man.”

With that, in GQ, A$AP said his album is called All Smiles and will feature the Pope of Mope: “Anything you need him to do, he show up and do.”

Apparently, the new album will be a slight departure from what you normally think of when you think of A$AP. He noted, “It's all about the evolution. If I’m still doing the same sh** with the same sounds and the same bars and the same visuals from years ago, what's the point? You got that catalog. You can go revisit that.”

Say what you will, but based on that, thought, I’m interested in hearing the new All Smiles record.

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Visible Mobile

Read More iPhone The iconic iPhone 7 has been announced by Apple yesterday (September 7th). It is the latest and greatest from the company, and they are getting a lot of negative feedback about the lack of a headphone jack ....

I’ve been using internet-only telephone service called Visible for three months now… and I feel I’ve experienced all the pain and strain of using their service. The short story is that this is a very inexpensive mobile service, that offers everything (unlimited data, text, and voice) for $25. I stand behind that, I think it’s such a good price for what you get.

However, before you drop your current phone service, I need you to ask yourself:

1. Can I live without customer’s service?
2. Can I live with only 4G or 5G service?
3. Can I live with random drop calls/unexpected disconnections?

If you said “yes” to all three questions, then Visible may be for you.

Now, with all that out of the way, I’ll start to rave about what I love about Visible. First of all, $25 for unlimited data, text, and voice is unheard of in the US mobile industry. Technically, it’s $40 for the service, but if you join a Party Pay group of four members or more, your cost is $25. Visible encourages joining Party Pay, some groups have over 200 members. Personally, I’m in a small group of 6 members at OldGreatParty.

The downside to Party Pay is that each member must have a payment option and unique user account. It’s not meant for family… so if a parent wants to buy a Visible line for their child, that child must have a login and payment option (the parents can’t just add a family plan option). The family thing doesn’t affect me, but I can understand that is very annoying for family plans.

The other important thing with the unlimited data is that Visible offers is the ability to tether or “Hotspot”. They limit the connection to one and the speed to 5mbps, which is fast enough for email and light web browsing. I didn’t have any issue with the speed cap, when I’m using my iPad or laptop. I think that’s acceptable, considering that Visible is trying to protect themselves. Think about it, if they all unlimited connection and unlimited speed… people will just cancel their home cable internet and start using their phone only. I understand why they do this, even though I do think the cap is very limited.

You can get around the one connection limit if you use visible on an iPhone. This is because iOS handles hotspot linking a little differently than Android. iOS has a built-in limit of five or six devices, using its own linking style. I have tested this out, and yes, I can connect a few devices at a time when I’m using an iPhone.

Over the last three months, I have to say that I’ve really enjoy using the Visible service. I don’t worry about my data usage anymore (before I had to watch everything I do when I’m mobile). I love the ability to tether, especially that it’s free with the service is amazing. My last phone company didn’t offer tether. So, for $25, I think you get a lot, especially the 4g/5g (if you have a newer phone). Speed test varies from anywhere between 70mbps to 30mbps. I can only assume it’ll be much faster on a 5g network.

Now for some complaints about Visible. The number one problem I have is that you have to use their app on Android or iPhone. I’ve used both, the one on Android is not very good, the one on the iPhone is slightly better. Their app basically suck, but you must use it to activate your service. You must use it to pay your bill (you can only pay 7 days before it’s due). Their autopay system didn’t work for me, so on the day my bill was due, they put my account on suspension. That’s fine, I just reverted it back to manual pay.

Since Visible is built on Verizon’s newer network, you cannot use the older CDMA technology. Visible wants you to buy their approved GSM phones from them … but you can bring your own device, so long you can provide the IMEI number.

If you have technical issues with Visible’s service, they don’t really have customer support. Actually, they do, sort of. You can chat with one of their people… but often time, they are not very good. The line to talk to someone is often really long. Like maybe the wait time might be as much as an hour during peak times. I’ve chatted with someone at Visible, and they were not helpful, so I suggest you sort out your problems on your own.

Sometime you can’t connect to Visible, this happens about once a month for me. When this comes up, just either power off/restart your phone or turn on and off Airplane Mode. When you do this, it resets the network protocol, and you should be able to get back on Visible’s network.

Despite these issues, I’m on good terms with Visible. The service is far from perfect, but given the freedom and pricing, it works for me. It might not work for you. I suggest if you’re on the fence about switch service - that you give Visible a trial month first. Do not port your number, just create a new number with Visible at www.visible.com. If you want to try out the service, please use my referral code 3ng2nr, so I can reduce my phone bill for a month. If you want to save $15, join a Party Pay like the one I’m in called OldGreatParty.

P.S. Since I like the ability to tether on multiple devices on an iPhone, I’ve given it some thought and I may be purchasing the new iPhone 12 off of Visible’s website. Now the problem is that Visible states you get a Visible SIM card with the purchase. I’m almost afraid that they might cancel my current Visible service for the new SIM. I don’t want or had a desire to active the new SIM. I would call and ask, but it’s Visible… so they probably don’t even know.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Soundtrack 2020

Midge Ure: Soundtrack: 1978-2019 Read More Visage Typical musical proponents of the New Romantic movement were Spandau Ballet, Visage, Japan, Ultravox, Landscape, Adam & The Ants, Culture Club, and Duran Duran - especially during the period from mid-1979 to mid-1983. ....

MIDGE URE
midgeure.co.uk

Playing familiar classic songs like 'Vienna', 'Dancing with Tears in My Eyes', and 'One Small Day' in an intimate storytellers formatted show, Midge Ure’s current Songs, Questions & Answers Tour is shaping up to be one big night at your local venue and a show not to be missed.

The legendary Ultravox/Visage singer draws from over four decades of music and associated stories from his early days (i.e. turning down an offer to join the Sex Pistols and touring live with Thin Lizzy) to the commercially successful 1980’s and his historic Live Aid/Live 8 involvement, as well as more recent solo ventures.

Ure’s latest is last fall’s Soundtrack 1978-2019 (on Chrysalis Records), a 32-song collection that re-visits classic Ultravox and solo/collaboration tracks, as well as adds previously unreleased material.

Midge Ure Us Tour Dates

Jan 22 - Seattle, WA - Recital Hall @ Benaroya Hall
Jan 24 - Salt Lake City, UT - State Room
Jan 25 - Denver, CO - Soiled Dove
Jan 27 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
Jan 28 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway Tap Room
Jan 29 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
Jan 30 – Hamilton, ON – The Casbah
Jan 31 – Toronto, ON – Hugh’s Room 1H
Feb 01 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House
Feb 03 – Boston, MA – City Winery
Feb 04 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater
Feb 05 – Washington DC – City Winery – Wine Garden
Feb 06 – New York, NY – Iridium
Feb 07 – New York, NY – Iridium
Feb 08 – Long Island, NY – My Fathers Place
Feb 09 – Bordentown, NJ – Man Cave (2 Shows)

Sex Education by Ezra Furman Read More Ezra Furman Last night's show opened with Ezra Furman. The crowd was sparse to begin with but trickled in throughout the night. Ezra's performance had a raw, garage band…

EZRA FURMAN
ezrafurman.com

Ezra Furman (from Ezra Furman and the Harpoons announced her record Sex Education Original Soundtrack on Bella Union (available to purchase on January 24, 2020). The original soundtrack can be heard throughout season 1 and 2 of the hit Netflix television show.

The filmmaker asked Ezra Furman, “We want you to be the Simon & Garfunkel to our The Graduate.” As a result, Furman’s more tender songs were put in Sex Education rather than putting it on her normal record (Twelve Nudes at the time of her songwriting).

Furman said, “Making music for a TV show was a new experience for me. As a fan of many a high school comedy, for example The Breakfast Club and 10 Things I Hate About You, I knew how fun the music can be, and also how emotional. I wanted to rise to the challenge.”

See Furman on tour:

Jan 23 - Saskatoon, SK - Winteruption Festival
Jan 25- Edmonton, AB - Winteruption Festival
Jan 26 - Calgary, AB - Big Winter Classic Festival
Jan 28 - Somerville, MA - Once Somerville
Feb 15 - Santa Rosa, CA - Arlene Francis Center
Feb .16 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
Feb. 17 - Arcata, CA - Richard's Goat
Feb. 18 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre
Feb. 19 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe
Feb 20 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
Feb. 22 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
Feb. 23 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister Bar
Feb. 24 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
Feb. 25 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole
Feb. 26 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
Feb. 27 - Los Angeles, CA - Teregram Ballroom

Servant: Season 1 (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack) Read More M. Night Shyamalan It's more Mary Shelley than Steven King, more Tim Burton than M. Night Shyamalan. There's no gruesome blood-bath here, more an overcast sense of foreboding. A requiem, not a murder. ....

SERVANT
tv.apple.com

I accidentally got Apple TV+ last Black Friday. You see, if you bought an Apple product, they just gave you Apple TV+, which is kind of a nice bonus. Unfortunately, the content for Apple TV+ isn’t very good…. With one exception: the excellent, creepy television show called Servant. This is an new Apple Original series from Academy Award-nominated director and executive producer M. Night Shyamalan, and created and executive produced by Tony Basgallop.

The show is about a couple that hires a nanny. If you watch the trailer, you soon discover that the baby is actually a doll. I won’t say much more, but it’s a weird psychological story… with some supernatural elements (at least that’s the impression I got based on some things that happened throughout the series).

If you love the show, like me, you’ll be happy to know that you can buy the soundtrack from four-time Grammy-nominated independent record label Lakeshore Records. The soundtrack features music by composer Trevor Gureckis, and will be available on digital platforms on March 6, 2020. Apple does have a timed-exclusive, so you can purchase the album on iTunes right now.

New episode of Servant will be available on Friday.

john + vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic