Razer Edge has died and OnePlus 13R is here

 It hasn't been that long ago that I bought my Razer Edge.  It was being sold at US$199.99, which was a bargain price, even for a WiFi-only model because it came with a Kishi V2 Pro controller.

If you read my earlier blog entries, it was good but not great, and then, it was dead.  The company had an arduous website support mess.  I started the claim within my account, and it asked me to fill in my account details.  Then, I couldn't access some of the most important pages, so support staff added some of my information, and handed the support pages back to me to finish.  When it had been completed, Razer support sent me a package and label (that was another issue) and I returned it.  It didn't take too long and they sent me a whole retail box, complete with cables and another controller.

 That unit died today and I was in the middle of a game, no less.

 I'm more-or-less ahead of where I was with Android.  We'll see if Android helps me recover.  If that doesn't quite make sense, let me give you my Android history.  I had an LG Optimus S as my first Android phone.  It didn't have enough storage to hold apps and and do a System Update.  The next Android product I got was the Google Nexus 7 tablet by Nvidia.  I returned that within a week.  The next year, I got the Google Nexus 7 tablet by ASUS.  I didn't have that for years.  Then, I got a Lenovo Tab M8 FHD, which in 2018 felt like the tablet from 2013.  I later bought the OnePlus 8T and still later, the Pixel 6a.

I decided to buy a reliable phone to replace the Razer Edge: the OnePlus 13R.  I had a OnePlus 8T a couple of years ago and it seemed to be made for an Apple iPhone user.  Physical things seemed to be where they should be.  The operating system seemed to understand how I needed it to work.  When I played a game, it adjusted for it.

 Then, I had a problem with the USB type C port.  Rather than get it fixed, I bought a Google Pixel 6a, and that was a huge mistake.  In fact, the upgrade to Android 14 didn't like that I had two users and it decided my data was corrupt and I had no choice but to erase it.  If the Android 14 upgrade had been optional or I could have postponed it, I would have.  That device is on Android 16 now, but it will never have my trust again.

Last year, I looked at the OnePlus 12R.  They had some good prices on it and it was quite powerful for not being the top-of-the-line phone.  The OnePlus 13R is equally impressive for the time, and at US$529 with a free case and US$50 trade-in/recycling credit, it's a decent deal.

 

Having 256 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM will be helpful. Having the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC will smack the Pixel 6a back into the dark ages.  Having a good cooling system will stop the likelihood of a Razer Edge-like overheating incident.  The 120 Hz low-power OLED will be impressive and the huge battery will keep things going.

 To me, this is still a lot of money for a device to just play games.  I might use it as a phone some time in the future, but it's a device for playing games.  You can tell me about other devices that are twice as much money.  They might be better, but not for me.  I bought an iPhone 15 to be my phone.  I didn't need AI messing up anything and that phone doesn't support it natively.  The 13R will have it, but I won't use that functionality unless it's part of the camera app or something like that and I have no choice.

Razer Edge on 13R box

 

Anyway, hopefully, it will be on the way sooner than expected.  The U.S. headquarters moved from Texas to California, so someone could probably drop it off on their way home.  Well, I got a shipment notice but it's at least a six hour drive from here.  I don't believe that FedEx will work that quickly.

Edge on the left, 13R on the right

 

Update 2025.07.16: The OnePlus 13R arrived.  It's big like the 8T, which isn't a horrible problem because it's still smaller than the Razer Edge.

The device came with 54% charge (6000 mAh battery) so I started downloading immediately.  There was a System Update and after that, another one.

Holding it, I was surprised to see the buttons moved.  Mute switch is on the left hand side, but Power and Volume buttons are on the right.  On the 8T, the Volume buttons were on the left and the Power button and Mute switch were on the right.  My iPhone 15 has Volume buttons and the Mute switch on the left with the Power button on the right.

The OLED is as good as expected.  It may be more power efficient, but at least, it's a 120 Hz display.  Games work as expected.  If you ever want to test a phone, run Tower of God: New World.  For a handheld game, it's quite demanding.  The display is so much better than the Razer Edge.  I'm glad I didn't spend much on that one.  I just looked at the Pixel 6a, which had a System Update and the display is pathetically bad.

 Just as I felt when I used the 8T, I could use the 13R as a replacement phone for my current iPhone.   I know that Samsung has a lot of fans, but I suspect many buy it just because it isn't Apple and that their advertising makes fun of Apple.  I've never had much luck with Samsung.

 The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 seems quite a bit stronger than the G3X that the Razer Edge had.  As many have said, that seemed to be a Snapdragon 888 with a better GPU and all the heat problems were intensified.

 

Running Tower of God: New World, it is warm, but not so hot as to fail.  The Razer Edge would have the fan going and be hot enough to cook something.  It would display "Cooling Down" but the message was only there for a moment.  OnePlus have instituted a Power Pass-Through mode where you can have a power bank attached and it will bypass the battery charging and just supply power to the unit, much the way Apple does with the Mac.

Update 2025.07.17: The 13R got a full charge overnight and it seems ready for anything.  I'm not sure how much I want to take it outside to test the cameras.  I've tried some games and it's quite good.  The Kishi V2 Pro does not work with it, but it doesn't work with my iPhone 15, either.  The older Kishi V2 works with both.  I'm not sure why Razer doesn't actually test to confirm which devices work but it's annoying.  The Kishi V3 and V3 Pro are available, but I'm not ready to put more money into Android gaming or into Razer. 

Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive has a demo available on Steam

 I just tried the new demo of Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive on my Steam Deck.

 I've never used a controller with the original game, so it wasn't the easiest to play. However, it worked very well for what it is/  I got through one dungeon battle somehow with a SSS at the end. 

The display only goes to 1280x720, so the graphics seemed okay and mostly, the text was legible.  The audio was in Japanese and that worked as well as it does on Windows. 

I'm feeling a bit enthusiastic that they've got it working for Steam Deck.  Maybe, they can get their other games working on Steam Deck, as well.  I've heard that you can play Genshin Impact on Steam Deck, but you can't load it through Steam and that is their interface, unless you go into Desktop Mode. 

Apple's Liquid Glass sounds like Aqua

 I want to like Apple.  I've been a Mac user since 1993.  I've had an iPhone since the iPhone 4S.  I had an iPod, albeit an HP version because it was on clearance for a good price with maximum storage.  They're doing good things with ARM-based System on a Chip designs.

 I didn't watch the WWDC keynote.  I looked at MacRumors here and there for relevant information.  Since Apple doesn't announce hardware at WWDC, it is interesting, but just.

They're introducing Liquid Glass to all operating systems.  It's what they've been using in VisionOS.  It reminds me of what they did with Aqua when Mac OS X was being created.  Every progress bar and button had a rhythm and they had depth.  The eye candy was tough on systems so they kept smashing it until they stopped using it.

Now, there are Apple Silicon SoCs that have enough power.  woohoo.  However, you can disable it in the beta test release.

For the record, I'd really appreciate if they took care of all the !@#$ bugs first.  The Adobe way of software development isn't critical.  Then again, the thin-is-everything design isn't either.  Adding new functionality before you get the previous functionality to a stable point is risky because there is a good chance that you'll never find the problems. 

They've introduced Foundation Models Framework, a set of APIs to allow access to Apple Intelligence (whatever that may comprise at the time) for integration into applications.  They're still not ready with Personalized Siri, but whatever.

I remember posting on MacRumors that I would wait for iOS 20.7.1 (I was running 16.7.1 at the time) for Apple Intelligence to be ready and working.  Now that they've flipped the numbers up to 26, I guess I can't get that.  What I thought would be three major releases later to be a safe, working release with AI.  We'll see if 28.7.1 will be safe.

Oh, macOS Tahoe is the last release for Intel-based hardware.  Maybe, they can clear out some of the crap and code more effectively for the next release.

Two Years with a refurbished M1 MacBook Air

 I am surprised that I've been using my loaded M1 MacBook Air for two years.

I bought a refurbished model because new models just seemed too expensive, if I wasn't satisfied.  I'd been using the last MacBook Pro that allowed you to change the RAM, the drive, and the battery.  It's a mid-2012 machine with a quad-core i7 and GeForce 650M.  That was powerful in 2012 and it's still usable today. I had an Omen by HP with a quad-core i7 7th generation and GeForce 1050M that wasn't that much quicker.

When I got the M1 MacBook Air started, I was shocked at how much faster the M1 SoC (System on a Chip) was over the 3rd generation quad-core i7.  Plus, it wasn't hot enough to boil water.  While editing video, my mid-2012 MacBook Pro would be at 100 degrees C.  The Intel-based MacBook Pro was great in winter.  The M1 MacBook Air was not a good heater at all.

With a 13.3 inch display, it's much smaller and lighter than the MacBook Pro with the 15.4 inch display, or even the plastic Omen by HP with 15.6 inch display.  One thing I don't understand is when I see someone complaining about how heavy the current MacBook Pro machines are.  Watching a video, someone mentioned carrying one with a Anker Power Bank, a camera, and a couple of other things in a backpack and how heavy it was.  When I was photographing at skate parks, I took a backpack with 3 camera bodies, 6 lenses, the mid-2012 MacBook Pro, and a few other things.  My friends seemed to struggle with it, but I just picked it up and moved, and I'm not strong.  So, how can these people making videos get through ordinary life?

 I have not used this machine outside of the house but I have used it on battery a few times and it's just as quick.  I've tried to use a gaming laptop on battery and it was incredibly bad.

I'm still waiting for a bunch of games to appear, games that I want to play.  During the PowerPC era, I found many games that I liked, such as Unreal Tournament and UT2004.  Back then, you had to have a desktop machine to play those and you had to have a decent graphics card.  I had an ATI XClaimVR.  Now, the simplest MacBook Air can play limited games.

Lately, I've been playing Wuthering Waves, Death Stranding, Lies of P.  They work fairly well, considering that the machine only has 8 graphics cores.  The new M4 MacBook Air is much more powerful and when a refurbished machine arrives, I might buy one.  The current new model is only US$50 more than I paid for this refurbished M1 MacBook Air.

Games are arriving slowly.  I'm just surprised that it's been almost five years since the M1 and there are still developers unwilling to flip the Apple Silicon switch to enabled and figure out what makes their software run best.  The Intel-based Macs aren't going to last forever.  Rosetta 2 has been good, but it only runs 64-bit x86 code.

My Affinity Designer 2, Photo 2, and Publisher 2 are Apple Silicon applications.  They run really well.  Capture One Pro 22 is a Universal application as well. Dropbox is not, but Evernote is.  Steam and GOG Galaxy are not.  I'm not surprised that Steam is not being updated.  Apple and Valve do not get along.  Apple could have worked with Valve on making Proton part of macOS, but noooooooo.  Every so often, Apple says that they like games, they throw some technology and money at it and two years later, they haven't updated it.  Valve has updated their games and left the Mac versions to rot.  I still buy games on Steam and occasionally, there are Mac versions.

If you haven't tried the Heroic Games Launcher, you should.  It's an Apple Silicon application and connected to GOG and Epic.  It's certainly better than the game launchers from GOG and Epic Games, which are both Intel applications.

GeForce Now is another way to get your game fix but you need to buy a subscription to get to play quickly and not wait for hours for your game to be available.

I have a Steam Deck and sometimes, that is the easiest way to play.  You don't have any distractions.  I paid the US$649 for the top LCD device and it works well, but with the OLED models having a processor built on a more efficient process, they're somewhat better.  There is better performance in the 2nd generation Lenovo Legion Go S model that runs SteamOS but it's HUGE for a handheld.

Back to Mac every day, there isn't much that the M1 MacBook Air can't do and the M4 MacBook Air makes that gap of things it cannot do much smaller.  Given what I've seen in videos lately, the M4 machines, even base machines, are very powerful.  I wouldn't buy a machine with 256 GB of storage.  I'm still struggling with 1 TB but I try to do everything with my machine.

 If there is one problem with the M1 MacBook Air, that has been rectified with the M3 and and M4 MacBook Air, it's that there are only two type-C USB ports and one has to be used for power input.  I could use a USB or Thunderbolt Dock, but my desk doesn't have the room.  Then again, I could just use it on battery for hours. 

Update 2025.06.09: Just noticed that MacRumors is saying that the M1 MacBook Air is still on the list for a new macOS version.  It seems as though the Intel-based machines are out.  We shall see in about 10 hours.  Then again, they were talking about moving everything to version 26, so I don't know what the people at Apple are smoking.

If they stop developing operating systems for Intel-based computers, that will lead to a more efficient operation and hopefully, better quality.  When they stopped developing for PowerPC, the people with Intel-based machines seemed happier.

It should be interesting to see if they've got more interesting hardware.  I'd like to see a gaming machine with good airflow, better heat dispersion, etc., but I doubt seriously that will happen. 

Update 2025.06.30: Got a "low battery" alert for the first time.  Yesterday, I got a new laptop cooling pad I ordered to replace one that seemed to be failing.  I moved things around the desk to make the exchange.  I apparently forgot to check the cables when I placed the MacBook Air on the cooling pad.  That was about 22 hours ago.  Since I've played Wuthering Waves a couple of times, that's not bad.  If I did that to the Windows laptop, I'd get 45 minutes out of the battery most likely.  That GeForce RTX 3050 Ti is reasonable powerful but it is thirsty. 

1 year anniversary of Solo Leveling: Arise

 We're close.  We started in May 2024 and here we are just one year later.  Everyone who started on that first day should be at about the same levels.  I'm at Character level 102 and Reputation level 66.

 

There are so many SSR-ranked characters and weapons, and we even have Shadows that can be General level.

I wonder if the people who spent loads of money are ahead of the people who did not spend much. There are several Korean players at the top and that's partly because they were playing before the rest of us.

I'm interested in what they could be changing.  I'm still trying to finish the latest Hidden Chapter that was added.  Even at Character level 102, I'm not quite there.

 There is a new level maximum for characters and for weapons, plus any Shadow that is at General level gets a weapon.  I'm not sure how they hold the weapons, but it's a game. 

 

Update 2025.05.06: Got to Monarch of Shadows: Adversary! That took two tries.  I wasn't sure exactly what they were trying to do and I wasted time.  Still, I cleared it the second time with 1.27 seconds remaining.  Finishing Hidden Chapter 6 was key to this opportunity to advance.  Feels good to have this accomplishment ahead of the 1st anniversary.

 

Update 2025.05.07: Anniversary codes are here, plus big changes in the game.  As I got to a new Job Title, they added another one.  Maximum character level will be 110.  There are 41 SSR-ranked Hunters. 

I've already used my free SSR-ranked Hunter for  Goto Ryuji and his weapon.  Plus, I used some free stuff to get my second Shadow up to General.

Update 2025.05.14: I'm making my way through the next chapters.  It's a struggle but it always is going through the new stuff.  I just got the Princess version of Cha Hae-In.  I never got one of the Japanese characters but I have her weapon ready at level 100, so the princess will be better with that than some minor weapon.

 I'm surprised how good the giveaways are, especially while Wuthering Waves is much different.  I've heard a lot of people expected great things and were disappointed.  I'm okay but I'm only a few weeks into the game.  Honkai: Star Rail did okay with the certain 5-star characters and the numerous tickets for pulls.

 

Update 2025.05.17: Got through the new chapters and ready to go back and clean up with trophies I missed.  Ready for a Job Change but first try didn't quite work.

 

Update 2025.05.23: Got my first weapon elevated to the final level, eventually up to level 110 but it can go to level 120. 

 

Update 2025.06.04: Well, there was a new livestream today.  New Hunters will be available, of course.  New slots for Gems and more categorizations.

Be sure to use the new codes quickly.

 

Update 2025.07.02: I almost missed a livestream today.  Didn't get any notice.  If it weren't for the game being in downtime, I never would have known. 

Wuthering Waves for Mac is available

 If you've been watching my blog, you've seen that I've played Honkai: Star Rail, Genshin Impact, Seven Knights 2, and Solo Leveling: Arise on the computer (and on phone occasionally), plus a number of handheld-only games.

I saw that Wuthering Waves was available for Mac and I want more games on Macs, as Windows seems to be going in the wrong direction again, for me.

I'm a bit less enthusiastic about buying from the Mac App Store instead of Steam.  I'd rather have my games available on every platform, including Mac, Windows, and Steam Deck/Linux.  Occasionally, something I bought on Steam will suddenly have a Mac version, but that is happening slowly.

 My M1 MacBook Air (from 2020) has 8 graphics cores, so it's decent for what it is, but hardly great.  I ran Resident Evil 7 on it and it was smooth but not great.  It's the same with Death Stranding and Divinity-Original Sin 2 and others.  Baldur's Gate 3's minimum requirements are much higher than my machine has,  so I haven't bothered.

In any case, I recently changed phones, so I updated my Mac and my watch to the latest operating systems to match.  Performance is down.

 Regardless, Wuthering Waves seems to be very close to Genshin Impact, Solo Leveling: Arise, and Honkai: Star Rail with some changes.

This feels like a combination of the other three.  It's an open world-type of game, so it's like Genshin Impact, but it occasionally requires testing to ascend, which makes it similar to Honkai: Star Rail.

As with Genshin Impact, I've gone all over to activate the various devices for Fast Travel.  This makes certain that I can go quickly and heal quickly, when necessary.  Unlike Genshin Impact, there are more than a few of these devices.  Additionally, some of the devices can add to the maps on your Terminal, i.e., your communications device.

After about a week, I'm at Union level 31 and my main character, Rover is at level 54, on the way to level 60.  As well, his weapon, Red Spring is at level 50.

 I've got ten other Resonators.  I started with Baizhi, Yangyang, and Chixia.  Since the start, I've got Verina, Lingyang, Yuanwu, Sanhua, Youhu (who comes in Convene regularly), Taoqi, and Calcharo.  Going through the first set of acts, I've seen most of the characters appear.  Are three 5-star characters good?  Calcharo happens to have great abilities, while the other two are like 4-star characters.

It's important to keep on top of achievements in Maps, Pioneer Podcast, Guidebook, Trophies, Data Bank, and even Store and Quests.

There is a lot of climbing and just like Genshin Impact, the characters will climb when you're not wanting that to happen.  There is a lot of fighting, also, as with any gacha game.

The characters speak good Japanese.

I haven't spent any money on the game.  I'm not even sure what I'd buy, if I felt the need.

 Obviously, at Union level 31, I'm making some progress.  Some of it is easy, but there are difficult tasks and I've had to go through some of them three times.  However, compared to Genshin Impact, it feels so much less difficult.  I was at AR 43 when I de-installed that game and I never felt as though I was making progress.  I never got to the point where I had access to Inazuma.  In WuWa, I haven't made it too far outside JinZhou, except for Mt. Firmament, which I'm trying to solve now.

Update 2025.04.17: This morning, I hit Union Level 40, so I did the ascension test and finished it first time with Rover (Spectro), Baizhi, and Calcharo. Now, my main character can go to level 70.  As well, I completed the ascension on his weapon and that can go to level 70. That's decent progress for a few weeks' time.

Update 2025.04.27: Got to Union Level 45 today.  I guess the training wheels are being removed now.  Two days later, the new (1st anniversary) version will arrive.  Working on the weapons and finishing some quests, so I'm feeling a bit more prepared for what will happen.  I'm still struggling with main quests.  As well, a few confrontations seem to be far above my level, requiring characters at level 90 or higher, rather than my level 70. 

Update 2025.04.29: The anniversary update is complete.  The "Cubie" rubbish isn't endearing to me.  Who would allow them to spend money on that, instead of a proper update?

I suppose I should try to embrace the ridiculousness and try to win some stuff. 

Update 2025.05.01: I embraced the ridiculousness.  I got through level 5 and then, it wanted me to finish two Main Quests that I can't finish with level 70 characters and level 70 weapons.

Update 2025.05.07: Finally at Union  level 50, which means my maximum character level is 80.  The unfortunate part of this is that the opponents have automatically had their levels raised, even in Simulation Training.  Maybe, if there are four or five characters at level 80, I can finally finish  a couple of Main Quests.  I was stuck on the Vault and got partway through the Black Shores tower, but couldn't finish the second tower. 

Update 2025.05.14: At Union level 52, I'm struggling.  Calcharo and Rover (Spectro) are at level 80 and have 5-star weapons at level 80, but I can't get Baizhi ascended.  I'm working on my two Havoc-oriented characters, Taoqi and Danjin, but getting them to level 80 and their weapons will take time.  I've only used Danjin in a limited number of battles and I've yet to have Taoqi to the level of the other main characters I've been using.

Update 2025.05.16: Baizhi is at level 80 and so is her weapon.  Got Danjin ascended, so I need to get her to level 80.  She'll be helpful in the Main Quests. Once I got to Union Level 53, it feels as though things became more even.  Certainly, having three characters at level 80 has helped.  Looking forward to see what other areas there are to visit.

Update 2025.05.22: I kept seeing some items for the anniversary that were locked up for 30 days.  Today, they were unlocked and I used the Convene tokens and got Ciaccona, as well as another Danjin.  That brings my total to 4 5-star characters.  Getting Ciacconna up to level 80 will take a while, but doesn't everything? 

 

Update 2025.06.17: Got past the level 60 ascension test.  I don't know if it will help anyone else, but you can see the helpers the characters consumed to be strong enough.

Once through the test, I happened to have enough to bring Rover up to level 86 right away.  I've been working on upgrading the skills for the last week or so because my characters weren't strong enough with level 4 skills.  I'm hoping that quite a few quests can be completed once everyone is at level 90.  I need to move Ciaccona past level 50 at this point.  Calcharo is the only 5-star character I have that is at level 80. 

Update 2025.06.21: Still working on Resonator resources to Ascend Baizhi and Calcharo past level 80.  Handling Calamity Class creatures is interesting with Rover at level 90 and the other two at level 80.  Supplies help, but luck is important and timing is everything.

Getting the other 5-star characters up to level 90 is difficult.  Working on the 4-star characters to get the resources to level up the 5-star characters.  When raising skill levels, I found that I need a third item and that you can only gather those (through battle) a limited number of times per week. 

Panasonic Lumix 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 is here

A couple of days ago, I ordered the Panasonic 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 OIS macro lens.  At US$300 off US$1099.99, it was a decent deal and 10% from that made it a better deal.  It's native and weather-sealed and with the small aperture, it's lightweight and will do just fine for photographing at a distance.

 It should be better made than my micro Four-Thirds Olympus 40-150mm (80-300mm equivalent) f/4.0-5.6 but the actual exposure won't be much different and that lens isn't weather-sealed.  That was surprisingly good for a refurbished lens at US$99.  The 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 had better be really good since it's new.

Do you see much of a difference?

 

I wouldn't mind a travel zoom, but the only one that is weather-sealed and will work is a Canon EF-mount L-series lens for about US$1500.  The Panasonic 28-200mm f/4.0-7.1 has a fair number of "it's okay", which says that I won't like it.

I've been fighting with a Viltrox L-mount to EF-mount adapter and a Tamron 180mm f/3.5 macro lens.  It could be as new as 2014 or as old as 2004.  The combination does not seem to focus to infinity and I'm not sure what is the problem.  It seems quite reasonable otherwise.  As a lens from that time, with an 82mm filter size, it focuses reasonably well, but about as quickly as any macro lens I've used.  When trying to photograph the moon, it will focus the whole distance, much like most PDAF-oriented lenses on CDAF.

I took the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 out for a while.  It's not that heavy for what it is.  Coming from micro Four-Thirds, it's heavy.  My Four-Thirds equipment was about the same.  This lens has a 77mm filter size, which is still compact for 135 Format, where 102mm or 105mm filter size is not that surprising.

It seemed to focus quickly, although when photographing a flower that was close, I was not certain about the focus, so I tried a second time.  It could have been my eye sight.  It has Optical Image Stabilization and it's compatible with Dual I.S., which should make it seem super steady.

 

 Everything turned out very well.  I only changed the photos for size and to export them as JPEG files.  The starry sky photos are a bit difficult to see the detail, but they were photographed handheld, with the Dual I.S. able to handle the shake.  Obviously, the water tower was photographed from two different locations about 300 feet apart and at different focal lengths, but they worked out very well.  I was thinking about my Olympus ZD HG 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 where I photographed the mechanism of a wind turbine and the part numbers are legible.  That had a maximum equivalent focal length of 400mm.  Trying to find something weather-sealed isn't available at this time for L-mount, unfortunately.

Generally, if you buy the "regular" lenses, you can't expect much.  This "regular" zoom lens wasn't inexpensive, unless you're gauging the cost by Leica standards.  (I really wish that I could buy that 90-280mm f/2.8-4.0 but that's used car territory.) This lens has a good range and you'll need that deeper Depth of Field for photographing at long distances.

 Its macro abilities are okay, but there is no close range switch for the auto focus, just the full range and 3 metres to infinity. I would prefer the 3 settings switch.  I may still fight with that adapted Tamron 180mm f/3.5 macro lens on occasion but for everything else, the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 is a winner.

I was looking at a few video reviews from four years ago when the lens was being released.  The one thing that hit hard was the sharpness differences from 70mm and 300mm.  My experience on micro Four-Thirds Panasonic lenses was that they all seem to suffer a bit on the long end.  This one has been good for me, but I'm sure that it is technically a bit weak at 300mm.  Does it matter if I get the shots I want?  No, it doesn't.

Update 2025.05.11: I'm still not impressed with the auto focus.  Whether it's the S5 Mk II or the 70-300mm lens, the combination isn't as good as it should be.  I reviewed the lens on Panasonic's store site, where I bought it, and maybe that review will cause them to look at how it works and how to improve it.  I just don't feel as confident with this lens as I do the 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 or 50mm f/1.8.  AF is almost instantaneous on those.

 

Update 2025.05.13: Last night, I went out to photograph the moon.  There were a few difficulties where the lens went through the entire focus range a couple of times.  Can't imagine why the PDAF did not grab focus. Switched to manual focus at one point.  Dual I.S. worked well, though, when I tried to photograph a moving (the still ones don't stay there) plane, it couldn't compensate.

 

Update 2025.06.29: Went out because someone had been smashing windows and wanted to get some video of that person.  Didn't find him, but I did get a couple shots of the moon. 

Solo Leveling: Arise Are we there yet?

 I was just watching the latest livestream, 9.0, was it?

 New stuff, blah blah, new characters, blah blah, and the maximum character level is going up to 105.  I get close and then, it changes.  My Guild leader is at level 100.

 The list of updates is here.

CM Prizm mentioned that he uses "Radiant Goon", which is what I've been using for months, but I've never seen anyone else using it in the Top 100 listed.

 

 

We still have a month and a half until one year.  That seems crazy to be playing something that long, but I've still got Honkai: Star Rail going, even though I don't play often.

I suppose it's just business and they need to keep finding ways for us to spend money.  I've spent a little, where I didn't spend any on Honkai: Star Rail and still got my characters to maximum levels.

 

There are still loads of upgrades with artifacts and weapons and skills.  I'm still trying to increase Hunter skills, so that they're all at level 7 or more.  I've leveled up Hunter weapons, even for SR-ranked Hunters.

System has managed to allow me to Advance some of the early characters and their weapons recently, which has made the game more playable.  I'm still working on the story in Hard and Reverse mode, and apparently, they've added to the story again.

 Hopefully, it will all be interesting. 

 

Update 2025.03.15: Did you try upgrading the skills on your shadows yet?

 

Update 2025.03.16: Did you make it to the next Job Change?  It took me three tries.  I noticed later that the usual 30 points didn't appear.

Update 2025.03.19: Character level is 99 and Reputation level is also up. There have been so many strange bugs.  One of my QTE skills can't decide which to use and it seems to choose the one I want in certain circumstances and everything else when I need the stronger one.

 

Update 2025.03.31: Made it to character level 100. When the game was new, character level 80 was the maximum.  Now, it's 105.

Still working on Hidden Chapter 6 and a lot of Side Chapters.  Got to get those trophies.

Our little Guild has a new member but only two of us are really able to play consistently.  Rank C1 is just beyond us.

Got Goto Ryuji and his exclusive weapon, and it's on the way to level 100.  Almost all of the in-use weapons are at level 100.

I was looking at Game8's list of SS Tier characters and I have five of the seven.  I'm a bit surprised by the way some of the characters play and the Tier where Game8 has them. 

 

Update 2025.04.07: New LiveStream with higher levels of artifacts--level 100. New character was introduced and someone called it underwhelming.  Who knows?  New Codes are here.

Update 2025.04.23: It's getting closer to the 1st anniversary of SLA.  I didn't think a lot about it, but I recently got the update to Honkai: Star Rail for its 2nd anniversary, and I've started to play Wuthering Waves, which is about to hit the 1st anniversary this month.  Lots of celebrations at the headquarters, I can imagine.

 

I got my first General-class shadow: Ant Beru.  Does anyone remember Luke Skywalker's aunt?  Is it just me that, in English, this seems like a Star Wars takeaway?  In any case, he has a weapon, which is a recent addition. 

My Character Level is up to 101 and my Reputation level is 65.  I suspect most everyone who started that first day is about the same.

I chose the Phone 15 over iPhone 16e

Friday evening, I bought an iPhone 15.  I considered the 16e but I felt that it was an experiment I didn't want to try.

The 60 Hz OLED display and the Apple modem seem okay, but for someone else to try.

 Obviously, the iPhone 15 has been out for about 1.5 years and that's good.  There won't be any surprises. Whichever device I bought, the inane gestures are part of the package.  I've become so accustomed to using the Home button (since the iPhone 4S) that I will have some trouble switching.

 Given that the iPhone 15 was only about US$1.50 more per month for 24 months than the iPhone 16e, it wasn't a difficult choice.  It still has a newer SoC than the 2022 iPhone SE/iPhone 13 but it's only one generation newer.  They only had black and pink phones and I chose a black 256 GB model.  Immediately, they wanted US$99.99 upfront, plus $36 activation fee plus tax.

 AppleCare+ will be quite a bit more expensive.  I'm expecting it to be around $10 higher but it would also be higher for the 16e.

I ordered a Spigen Liquid Air case that I'd been watching for a few months.  It's supposedly 50% off at US$14.99.  I've used one on another phone and it was agreeable without being too heavy or bulky.  It's not as strong as the Ballistic cases I used to buy, but I'm not sure they're in business any longer.  I could throw the phone in those.  I ordered through Amazon, but there aren't many ways to do this now, and without a car, I just can't go to multiple stores looking for a case.

I'm not sure about the phone-to-phone transfer but restoring the phone from my Mac at USB 2.0 speeds takes too long.  I tried to do that for someone who got an iPhone 15 when iOS 17 was new and not stable and it did not work.  I'll make a backup and try the WiFi transfer.  I'm not completely sold on iOS 18, but I suspect I won't be able to replace it with iOS 17.  I'm not ready to update my Mac to Sequoia, but that may happen, as well. 

Wish me luck!

Update 2025.03.10: The phone arrived.  I asked the UPS driver to wait because T-Mobile customers have been receiving empty boxes from UPS.  After the problem I had recently with the local UPS location losing something else, I was concerned.

The Quick Start phone-to-phone transfer did not work.  It managed to transfer my SIM contents to the eSIM but that's about it.

 I backed up my phone Sunday evening and restored to the new phone on Monday afternoon.  It was better than usual.  I remember starting the restore and going to bed.

 The phone is a bit bigger and definitely needs a case because the camera module sticks out.  I wouldn't want to drop it on a table and damage it.  The Liquid Air case has such an unusual feeling.  It's grippy but smooth.  The price was right, also.  It took some time to get everything to where I can use it and shop.  I can't seem to get away from using Face ID, but I'll be damned if I want it.

The phone is faster but I don't see that it's really fast.  There is only a one generation difference between the SoC in the 2022 iPhone SE (A15) and the iPhone 15 (A16). 

Update 2025.03.18: It's been a week.  The iPhone 15 works well enough.  It's not as huge as I thought it would be because of the smaller display of the iPhone SE.  I don't like the pill-shaped opening, but it ill be okay.

 I tried the Kishi V2 controller.  It didn't work with the Nexus app, which is very different from Android.  Then, I looked at the Razer website and they mention the iPhone 15.  I suspect that they mean any USB type-C iPhone, but they only mentioned one as not working.  Maybe, in a few years, they'll have the app working with this port and not the Lightning port.  Oh, second try.  The Kishi V2 works.  The Kishi V2 Pro that comes with the Razer Edge does not.  That's the one with Force Feedback.

I haven't played as much but I haven't seen any scrolling problems, so the OLED display must be quick enough.

Update 2025.04.06: I'm thinking that I chose at the correct time.  The tariffs from the White House will have ruined the market for electronics and more.  I noticed that a photographic lens has already risen in price on Amazon.  Prices of Apple's phones may be as high as US$1000 more. 

Update 2025.05.11: I've been playing a few games.  Moonlight Mahjongg that I've been playing since around 2008, on the 2nd generation iPod touch originally, seems just as tough on the iPhone 15 as it was on all of the other devices.  That's odd.  Other games seem okay, but it makes me wonder if Apple went out of their way to push people to the Pro models.

Thankfully, I've gone through the transition period and I can just use the phone now.  Call quality is reasonable, as is the photo quality.  The only thing that really bothers me is that the bezels are so small that the case covers some of the display.  At least, it's not like the Razer Edge where they put some artificial material  to surround the display and cut off part of the display.

iOS 18 is buggy.  I don't have to worry about Apple Intelligence, but still, they really need to work on a superior experience and repair the operating system, and their apps.

Apple's Home Button is dead and gone: iPhone 16e

 I've been using Apple devices with a Home Button since the 2nd generation iPod touch around 2009.

With the iPhone 16e, the Home Button is gone.  There is still a fingerprint reader in some iPad Power Buttons but that's it.  The iPhone 16e has Face ID, along with a passcode to secure the device.

As someone who has kept with the original aesthetic through the 2022 iPhone SE, I'm not sure that I want to switch, but will probably do it just to arrive sooner than later.  I dislike the inane gestures, and there won't be any substitutes as there are on Android.  People around me have switched and when they need help, we struggle a fair amount.

The price is up US$170 with a minimum storage size of 128 GB in contrast to the 64 GB base of the 2022 iPhone SE.  When I bought the 2020 and 2022 models, I paid the extra $150 up front to get the 256 GB model.  Then, the 2020 was $0.00 per month (for 18 months) with credits and the 2022 as $1.25 per month (for 24 months) with credits.  If I remember correctly, I had a pay off at the end of the 2020 plan.  I would expect to pay something like $3.75 per month for the iPhone 16e.

What's good is that it has a version of the iPhone 16 SoC (System on a Chip), just as the 2022 iPhone SE had a version of the iPhone 13 SoC.  It's probably not as powerful, but better than the competition and 40% faster than the 2022 iPhone SE.  It has more RAM for games and AI.  I have zero use for AI right now.  In 30 years, it will probably be very useful.  Right now, it's an infant and I don't want to change diapers.

It also has the Apple-developed 5G cellular modem that they bought from Intel who bought from someone else. The modem in the 2022 iPhone SE isn't particularly quick but it is reliable.  This new one is the first of its kind.  It might work okay.  Supposedly, there are some outstanding patent issues they need to settle.  It does not support the infamous mmWave, which is just fine with me.  Who will be close enough to the tower, without obstructions, to actually use mmWave connections?

I hope that the OLED technology is at least as reliable as the LCD is on the current model.  It's a 60 Hz OLED display and that could mean problems scrolling.  I've seen how bad that could be with the Google Pixel 6a.  I don't care to revisit such a situation with an iPhone.

They replaced the 12 MP camera sensor with 48 MP and a 26 MP telephoto mode.  That's more than either of my camera bodies and they will still have better image quality because they're not trying to squeeze so much into a small space.  I have referred to this as a noisy bus.  The bus is nice and quiet with a few passengers, but when you overload it and have people standing in the aisle, people will be unhappy and complain.  The size of most phone sensors is tiny.

All that said, if you're looking for an iPhone, the 16e is a place to start.  It's only US$100 cheaper than the next available phone.  You can get less expensive Android-based phones.  If you're looking for something Android, take a look at OnePlus.  I saw a deal on a 120 Hz OLED display, 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for US$599.  It's a OnePlus 13R.

Update 2025.02.27: Apparently, the 16e has better battery life than the iPhone 16, and the 5G modem is partly responsible.

Update 2025.03.07: I just bought an iPhone 15 with my 2022 iPhone SE going back as a trade-in device.  It won't be as powerful as the 16e but it will have a better display.  At about US$1.50 more per month for 24 months, it wasn't a huge difference.  I would normally wait for Memorial Day deals but I don't care for the iPhone 16e.  I'm not saying that it's a bad phone.  It's just not a good choice for me.

With the iPhone 15 having a better SoC than the iPhone 13 generation, I'll have better power but not ultimate power.  Being pushed into a 6.1 inch display, I'd rather have one that is a bit better.  I'm not sure the extra camera module will have any significance.  I'd rather take a real camera with me.

Update 2025.03.11: The iPhone 15 is good.  There was lots of updating and the side-by-side phone transfer did not work, except for the SIM to eSIM  part.  I connected the cable between Mac and phone to restore.  Just finished with with operating system updates last night and there was a new one with security updates.  I guess their separate security update thing isn't working or they forgot how to use it. 

People on MacRumors are mentioning that the iPhone 16e is good and that they're happy with it.

Update 2025.03.19: I've been learning the inane gestures since there is no Home Button.

I can get the Control Center to work and there are three different pages, unlike the smaller display version.

I can somewhat reliably bring up the App Switcher, but sometimes, it just doesn't want to work in one swipe.  The App Carousel swipe at the bottom works okay.

Switching between Home Pages works the same as on the small screen.

Editing Home Pages requires press-and-hold in an empty area.

 I suppose it's not so bad, but it's certainly difficult to change from 15-16 years of doing everything with the Home Button. 

Update 2025.05.20: A week or so ago, I saw a security update for the Apple-designed C1 modem.  I have not seen anyone complaining about the modem itself.  The iPhone 16e seems to work well.  It just wasn't for me.  I'm getting better at the plethora of inane gestures required to use the phone well.

When I'm using a timer or waiting for Uber, it's convenient to see the status in that dark spot at the top.

 When I was walking through Target, I saw the prices on the iPhone display and I could only shake my head.  When I was buying the iPhone 8, the iPhone X was US$999 and that was just a bit shocking.  However, my Motorola StarTac in 1999 was $1599 down to $9.95.  It was a Digital PCS phone, but also had access to analog signals.  The least expensive full price phones I recall were Nokia for US$149.99 or $99.99 for the cut rate model.

In any case, Apple is still selling phones and the phones and computers have been exempted from the tariffs, thanks to $1 million for someone's inauguration fund.  I bought at the right time, though.

OM System OM-3: Is it for you?

 Those of us who have been using micro Four-Thirds for a while have been waiting for this HUGE announcement of a retro camera.  The company showed the original, 135 Format OM-3.

 I've been happy with the way the E-M1 worked but not necessarily its shape.  The grip was a bit cramped for my fingers and the rear display out in the open meant that I could change settings with my nose.  They fixed the rear display, and they slightly changed the grip with the E-M1 Mk II.

Time passed and the photographic division of Olympus was sold to a holding company.  They paid to finish updates that had already been through the engineering phase, and they created the OM-1.  Then, the time ran out for using the "Olympus" name and they modified it to say "OM System" and slightly modified it otherwise.

The other day the OM-3 arrived, as slippery as my old OM-1N from the 1970s.  Nikon has two bodies like that, the Z f (135 Format) and the Z fc (APS-C) .  I don't understand why, except for nostalgia, anyone would want a slippery camera body.  They're too expensive to drop. 

At US$2000, it's way too expensive to drop.  I immediately thought about buying an E-M1 Mk III to get much of the functionality without the risk.  The OM-3 is priced between the OM-5 and the OM-1 Mk II.  The functionality is between the two.

The one difference that the OM-3 has is the Creative Dial.  This is something they added to the Pen-F, a model which won hearts but didn't sell well enough for a follow-on camera body.

I've seen a few of the first impressions videos on YouTube.  Most of them are sales pitches, which isn't a good idea.  PetaPixel's Chris Nicholls and Jordan Drake tell it how it is but OM Digital probably doesn't appreciate that.

It's a good camera body.  The Creative Dial gives it interesting options that no other camera has.  I like my Panasonic S5 Mk II for the ability to use LUTs to change the look of photos or video.  It's color grading in the camera.  The OM-3 Creative Dial goes further.  You can play with the color as you're looking at the scene to create your own look right there.  That's impressive, but who will spend the time to use it?

There are a lot of Pen F users who feel abandoned by the lack of a Pen F Mk II.  Would they spend US$2000 for the OM-3 to get an update? 

Update 2025.02.20: Watching Micro Four Nerds video about the re-made 17mm f/1.8 and 25mm f/1.8 lenses that arrived with the OM-3, she states that they're rated IPX1, which is just slightly better than nothing.  I don't have the 17mm f/1.8 but I won't be replacing the 25mm f/1.8 until it's inoperable.

It's all interesting that OM Digital has been around five years now and they've survived.  The OM-1 was an improvement over the E-M1 Mk III with a new sensor but will they just create equipment by using what parts are already in the warehouse?  To many of us who became familiar with Olympus in the 1970s, it just seems sad that the innovator has gone away.  Other companies have examined and re-created Olympus' innovations over the years and put their own name on them, but without the company, would any camera body today be so good? 

Update 2025.02.21: I have mentioned the E-M1 Mk III on a few YouTube videos about the OM-3 and to my surprise, when I looked for one today, they were all gone.

Android 15 on a Pixel 6a

 It's been about a week since Android version 15 arrived on my Pixel 6a.  I just got a security update, as well.

I haven't seen a difference, positive or negative.  Being a stable operating system is the best thing about Android right now.

My replacement Razer Edge is still on Android version 12 and recently got a security update.

When will new dSLRs no longer be sold?

 Recently, I've seen a few Japanese quarterly sales listings where the Nikon D7500 is still fairly popular.  Everything else listed is a mirrorless camera or the latest version of the Ricoh GR.

It's interesting to me that things have changed so much in 16 years.

When Panasonic introduced the G1, no one was sure what to think.  For me, Panasonic had only recently got into interchangable lens cameras with the DMC-L1 that was announced with the Leica Digilux 3 and the Olympus E-330.  They had no real history in stills photography before 2007.

I waited until 2012 to trust them with my money and I wasn't completely satisfied.  By 2014, Olympus' E-M1 arrived and I could see mirrorless cameras pushing out dSLRs eventually.

Being that Pentax doesn't have any mirrorless cameras now, and those they tried were awful, will they go away?

Nikon and Canon seem to have a new model or two every few months.  Their first 135 Format models were setbacks for mirrorless cameras in general, they are finally finding their way with third generation models.  They both have a few dSLRs available, mostly in the bargain basement.

I don't believe I'd used a dSLR since 2016 and that was a necessity because the Olympus E-M1 did not cooperate with my Four-Thirds lenses and micro Four-Thirds didn't have the focal lengths I needed.

Imagine people from the 1970s, when ASA(ISO) 400 film was new, being shown a modern camera body that is huge in contrast to the typical SLR of the time.  Leica users, though, will probably be at home for the most part because of the M-series.  Don't show them the L-mount bodies.

Do you think by 2030 that dSLRs will only be part of the used camera sales?