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Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology reporter and blogger at the Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has written books about Twitter, the iPad, and mobile productivity. Keep up with him at ojezap.com.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata 19 comments

New iPad Pros Boast M1 Chips and Liquid Retina XDR Display

Apple has unveiled new iPad Pro models that don’t look all that different but build in significant upgrades. Most notable is the inclusion of the same M1 chip used in recent Macs. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro also boasts display technology derived from Apple’s Pro Display XDR.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata 26 comments

Apple’s AirTag Promises to Help You Find Your Keys

Apple’s long-rumored AirTag has finally arrived to help Apple users find their car keys via the familiar Find My app. You can track down one of the little metal discs in your couch via Bluetooth and Ultra Wideband. Elsewhere in the world, you can find an AirTag using Apple’s vast Find My network, which leverages nearly a billion in-use Apple devices to relay a tag’s location across town or the globe.

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Some Fancy E-Bikes Have Their Own Apps. We Tried Two

Electric bicycles have become popular for their motor-assisted, eco-friendly locomotion, and some even have companion apps. Julio Ojeda-Zapata took a break from his traditional road bike to test two such high-tech e-bikes and found that their iPhone-based connectivity adds considerably to the experience.

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Apple’s AirPods Max Headphones Are Pricey but Good

You would pay dearly for Apple’s AirPods Max headphones, which at $549 exceed the cost of rival products by $200 or more. But Julio Ojeda-Zapata came away impressed with their stylishness, ruggedness, audio quality, active noise cancellation, design flourishes, and integration with Apple’s ecosystem. They have flaws, but none are deal-breakers.

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Nomad Multi-Device Charger Aims to Be AirPower’s Heir

Apple’s AirPower never shipped, but the notion of a multi-device wireless charger with flexible positioning lives on. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tried Nomad’s Base Station Pro, a charging pad for up to three arbitrarily placed devices. It mostly works as advertised, but its high cost and technical shortcomings mean it isn’t for everyone.

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Xebec’s Tri-Screen Attaches Extra Screens to a MacBook

For users of Apple’s laptops, one screen isn’t always enough. Xebec aims to solve that problem with its Tri-Screen, an accessory that attaches to the back of the laptop lid and has screens that slide out on the left and right. Julio Ojeda-Zapata took a look.

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The iPhone Gets 5G, but What’s It Like in Real-World Use?

Apple’s iPhone 12 line is the first with 5G, meaning the phones can tap into high-speed data from the main cellular carriers in the US. But “high speed” is relative. Depending on carrier and location, downloads are crazy fast or merely akin to 4G LTE. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tried T-Mobile and Verizon 5G.

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Apple Introduces $99 HomePod mini

Apple announced the HomePod mini, a smaller, less expensive, and more rounded version of its two-year-old HomePod. The expanded speaker line has little in the way of groundbreaking features as it competes with speakers from Amazon and Google, but at least it’s now more affordable.

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The Apple Watch as a Pandemic Peripheral

Is the Apple Watch even more attractive than normal during the pandemic? Julio Ojeda-Zapata has been pondering its utility in the coronavirus context, and he’s increasingly using his watch so he doesn’t have to keep digging out—and later disinfecting—his iPhone. He’s trying to talk his wife into doing the same—we’ll see how that goes.

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Mimestream Brings Gmail Features to a Mac Email App

You can access Google’s Gmail in desktop email clients, but its IMAP support can be awkward. Enter Mimestream, a native Mac app that uses Google’s Gmail API to more faithfully bring Gmail’s features to the desktop. Mimestream is still in beta and the developer has much to do, but you can try the app now for free.

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Apple Unveils Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE

Apple has announced its next-generation Apple Watch Series 6 with a number of enhancements, notably a blood oxygen sensor and new bands. The company also unveiled a lower-cost Apple Watch SE.

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Skip the Library Trip, Borrow Ebooks and More at Home

If you’re skittish about visiting a public library during a pandemic, ask about electronic borrowing you can do from home. Many US libraries provide digital versions of books, comics, and magazines, plus music downloads and streaming video options. Julio Ojeda-Zapata examines all the likely choices.

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Juggle Video Meetings More Easily with Meeter and Fantastical

Videoconferencing has surged during the pandemic, and keeping track of meetings on multiple platforms is a hassle. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tried two software tools, Meeter and Fantastical, that promise to make this juggling act easier.

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Zwift Transforms Stationary Bicycling into a Shared Virtual Experience

Outdoor cycling is feasible during the COVID-19 pandemic, but long rides are impractical and group rides are an infection risk. Enter Zwift, a bicycling simulator you run on an iPad, Mac, or Apple TV as you sit on a stationary bicycle. As you pedal, your Zwift counterpart does the same as it roams exotic realms. You can meet friends on Zwift, and you might even see a T-Rex!

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watchOS 7 Introduces Sleep Tracking, Handwashing Detection, and More

Updates in Apple’s just-announced watchOS are substantive if not groundbreaking. They include sleep tracking, a handwashing-detection feature suitable for the COVID-19 pandemic, and “dance” as one of several new workouts. Other improvements include watch face sharing, language translation, bicycling directions and earphone-volume detection.