GoPro Hero 10 Black - Received!

I posted that I bought a refurbished GoPro Hero 10 Black from Amazon and that I was awaiting the package to arrive.

The package arrived yesterday.

I was surprised when I opened it.  Why was I surprised?  Well, the product description stated that I'd be receiving only the GoPro itself and no accessories.  I was expecting nothing other than the camera (I also expected that no battery would be included).

This (<=== link is here) is the one that I bought.

I received the camera, two batteries, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, two mounts and a case.  I was shocked.  I basically got everything that I'd get if I bought a new product.

The camera doesn't appear to be refurbished at all.

About the only thing that was off-putting was that I had to charge the the batteries sequentually with the battery compartment door left open.  The charging process was long in duration, as well.  This was so much of a pain that I immediately began searching for a dedicated battery charging caddy, which I didn't initially anticipate needing to purchase.  I bought the GoPro Enduro 2-battery & charger combo pack from Best Buy (local purchase) for $59, just so I wouldn't be having to charge each battery sequentially.

I haven't really used the camera yet, as I'm actually afraid to go out and about - around here, there's a lot of chaotic last-minute Christmas shopping going on and traffic has been horrendous.

I've got the camera set up to use with the Quik app - was easy to set up.  It can be used with my other GoPro fittings and attachments (many of them were designed by 3rd party attachment makers).

I've also developed a To-Buy accessory list:

I can't wait to use this camera while at my next shooting activity!

Fitbit Sense Replacement

As you've previously read, I had problems with an 8-month old Fitbit Sense - it refused to restart and was stuck in a reboot loop where it would never progress beyond the Fitbit logo screen.

Fitbit, after spending 8-10 days evaluating the broken Sense that I'd sent back to them, sent a replacement.  The replacement arrived 2 days early, which is surprising since it took so long in being delivered from my address to Fitbit's return facility.

The replacement Sense appeared to be prepackaged in a plastic bag with standard Fitbit labeling.  I received nothing other than the pebble itself - no watchband, no charging cable or any other accessory.

It started without issue.  I immediately installed my third party metal band.  I then synched it to my phone using the Fitbit iPhone app.

It came with a 70% charge, but I wanted it topped off.  The charging cable that came with the original watch is not working properly, and I found that out during troubleshooting of the broken watch (this is a known issue - the spring-loaded pins on the charging cable loses it's "spring" the pins no longer make contact with the watch).  I'd ordered two new ones from Amazon.com a few months ago.  I used one of  them to charge the watch.  When I connected it, the watch black-screened.  My first thought was that this watch also died, as the first one die.  I watched it go to the Fitbit logo screen, thinking it would loop back - it started without issue.  I'm not sure why it crashed.  I'd just received it less than an hour prior to that.

This watch brand is very much untrustworthy in the extreme.  While I'm glad I've another Sense, I'm waiting for this one to stop working.  I do not want to go back to my Samsung Watch - while it is nice and it works, this Sense should also work (and stay working).

This Sense will soon be replaced.  I conducted some research the past few days and decided I do not want another Fitbit.  

At first, I was considering the new Sense 2 but Google appears to have severely nerfed it - whereas the Sense is a legit smartwatch, Google has removed a lot of the smart aspects of the Sense technology from the Sense 2, intentionally neutering it so that their new Google Pixel smartwatch can be better competitive.  That is sad as hell.  The biggest changes to the Sense 2 is that the watch is no longer capable of controlling music (which most folks use on Senses when working out) and they've disabled WiFi.

As well, the Google Pixel is not compatible with iPhones, so both the Sense 2 and the Pixel are not options for me.  One of the things I love about my Sense is that it's not locked to a specific OS. 

Garmin isn't an option, as it's fitness and health technology is the least robust in the smartwatch industry.  I want a versatile watch and Garmin appears to be tracking-centric.

Samsung isn't an option, as it's software is WearOS (Google and Samsung are joint developers of WearOS), which is not compatible with iPhones.

It appears I may be locked to Apple's Watch.  Apple Watch isn't a bad platform at all, but I'd prefer to not be locked to any particular platform - the industry is becoming silo'd and that's not a good thing for a consumer that wants options regardless of the phone brand he/she is using.

Of the Apple Watches, I want something that's supported and do not want to worry about Apple dropping hardware or software support any time soon.  That means I won't be getting any legacy Apple Watches.  I'll be focusing on either the Series 7 or 8.

In comparing the 7 and 8, the 8 may be newly released but it doesn't offer a lot more tech over the Series 7. The best thing about the Series 8 option is that I would have even longer support.  The con of the Series 8 in comparison to the 7 is that it'll cost more for not-so-much tech advantage.

I'm trying to keep costs low and I think I will look at refurbished Series 7 Watches.  

I looked at Best Buy's refurb Series 7s and their prices are high. As of 10/8/2022, the price for a certified used S7 45mm GPS Watch is $389!  They also offered taking trade-in watches, and I was curious so I checked what they'd give for a new Sense, but they only offer $25 for Senses - WTF.  This is what I hate about the technology world and why I keep everything that I have...all they're going to do is take your $25 trade-in and sell it to someone or sell it themselves for $100.  F that.

Amazon sells Series 7 re-certified Watches, but I've been told that Apple will sometimes not honor warranty claims on watches bought from Amazon.  The pricing on those phones weren't bad, though, so Amazon would've been a good option (while also buying 3rd party warranties through Amazon, which I should've done with the Sense when I bought it) if I hadn't have found an even cheaper option.

Note that I'm looking for a specific version of Series 7 Watch:  45mm, Space Gray, GPS variant.

I found that Apple carries Series 7s on their Certified Apple website.  I found what I wanted there and the cost is $313.  I don't have the money now, but I might have to do something soon because Series 7s are pretty much the rage at this point in time, as the public is now aware that the Series 8 has no huge advantage over the Series 7, and now folks with older than Series 7 Watches are now trying to buy Series 7 watches.

The plan is to get a 45mm GPS variant Series 7 within the next few months, whenever money comes in, but if I find that I can no longer find Series 7s on the Apple refurb website due to high demand, I'll just have to get the Series 8.

Bought Samsung Galaxy Note II

I finally got the chance to replace my aging HTC Thunderbolt.

The Thunderbolt was actually fine until Verizon pushed a 4.0 firmware update (without my knowledge and without prompting me first...if I'd have known, I'd have done some research and postponed the update).

The update caused issues.  ICS is designed for multi-core CPUs.  The T-bolt is single-core.  After the update, I noticed serious lag in response times when clicking on objects.  2-3 seconds of lag, in some cases. I decided to restore back to the factory settings and wipe the microSD card of data.  Even after doing that, there was still lag (although not as much...but it was much more random).  As well, the battery was draining more quickly than it used to...power consumption was already kinda bad without adding ICS.  Sometimes the phone would shut down with little warning.  At first, I thought it was a system crash, but began to notice that the battery was dead, even when showing at least 50% power.  I don't know if the battery needed to be replaced, but I wasn't about to buy a new one when I was close to being eligible for an upgrade.

So, I was due for an upgrade.  The window of the upgrade would open on 3/9.  I'd been researching the last 4-5 months and had set my eye on two phones:

Samsung Galaxy SIII
Samsung Galaxy Note II

For those that don't know, both of these phones share the same hardware.  The Note II is bigger, though.   The SIII has a 4.8" screen and the Note II has a 5.5" screen.  The SIII is sold in a 16GB version and 32GB version.  The Note is only sold as a 16GB version.

I decided multiple times on the SIII 16GB version (I'd add my 32GB microSD to expand the storage), but I kept going back to the Note II and changing my mind.

**Another thing (treat this as a warning):  do not get these phones from Verizon.  They're a lot more expensive than 3rd party vendors such as Radio Shack and Best Buy.  As of 3/5/2013, both Best Buy and Radio Shack sold both SIII versions (the 16GB version for $99 and the other version for $199 -- Verizon sold the 16GB version for $199, AND Verizon only sold the 16GB version).  Both of those stores also sold the Note II for $199, whereas Verizon sold it for $299.  No-brainer for me...do not buy from Verizon.

So, I decided to get the Note II.  I wanted a traditional color, so I got the gray one.  I got it yesterday afternoon.

First, it is a BIG phone.  It is big, but I love the size of the screen.  The extra space is an asset.  It is also highly configurable.  I thought I liked ICS on the Thunderbolt (it was nice...it was just that it appears that ICS didn't like the phone's hardware)...  My Note II is running v4.1.1 (stock ROM, which I'm happy with).

I haven't found anything that I dislike about the phone so far, and I'll looking hard.

I got a case for it as well, the Platinum Series Kickstand Case.  At first, I wanted the Samsung flip case, but I read reviews that said that they're not durable.  The case that I got is pretty hardcore, but it is hard to remove the bottom portion...not a problem until you have to install or remove the microSD card or battery.

As well, the battery capacity is outstanding.  I can probably go 24 hours without recharging the battery, with heavy usage.  Wireless reception is very good.  4G reception still needs to be tested (I only have average reception when I'm at home, due to the distance of the tower from the house), but I shouldn't have a problem with that.

All my apps work fine on this phone (I've a crapload of apps, both free and paid).

The camera is outstanding.  The screen renders colors the way that most Samsung products do...extremely well.

All I have to do now is get insurance coverage, as I've read that it's a fragile phone.  I'll cancel my T-bolt coverage and add the Note II instead.

Overall, I'm very happy with this phone.  I'll be studying up on its capabilities by joining web forums that cater to this make and model.

I may donate the T-bolt, but may play with it to experiment with ROMs.  I'll have to get another microSD card before I do that, though.  At this point I should probably just donate it, because, really, my older iPhones are more capable than the T-bolt.  I liked the T-bolt but it got old rather quickly (was already an old phone when I first got it).

** I'm referencing US-spec models.

A few things...

1. I've added more RAM to the Macbook. In fact, I've upgraded from 768MB of RAM to 2GB. I couldn't resist the price. I bought the RAM from Best Buy because they were having a sale. I got 2GB for $37.

2. I've learned a new key combination for Macs. I wanted to know if there were key commands to capture screenshots. The key command is 'commmand + shift + 4'. The only issue I had was that once I executed those key strokes, I didn't know if I had to paste the screenshot somewhere or access an already generated screenshot. I eventually decided to use the capture utility to do the same thing.

1 & 2:

Screenshot of #s 1 and 2:























3. My battery charger and adapter broke. It appears that the cord near the square brick got too hot or something...there is now a hole in the outside plastic coating. The power adapter was also very hot to the touch. I'm currently using the wife's adapter to charge my notebook until I can either purchase one or (more than likely) schedule a Genius Bar appointment.

4. There's a piece of plastic flaking off of my Macbook behind the screen toward the bottom, where the big enlongated vent is. This wasn't there a week ago. It hasn't broken off yet and I still have Applecare on this 1g notebook. I may let it pass but I'm beginning to see several casing flaws that are beginning to add up. I'll post pictures later.