Category Archives: Technology

My Journey Through Mobile Technology: A Retrospective

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A Look at Every Phone I’ve Owned and Their Technological Evolution

Introduction

Over the past few decades, mobile technology has evolved at an astonishing rate. From the bulky devices of the 90s to the sleek smartphones of today, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing this evolution firsthand. Here’s a comprehensive look at all the phones I’ve owned, detailing their technology, launch prices, adjusted prices for inflation (2024), operating systems, capacities, speeds, and overarching capabilities.

My journey through the evolution of mobile technology has been a fascinating one. It began with the sturdy Nokia 232, a relic of the AMPS era, and has led me to the cutting-edge Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, a marvel of GSM’s 5G capabilities. Along the way, I’ve witnessed the transition from the monophonic ringtones of the Motorola StarTAC to the high-fidelity soundscapes of the HTC series. Each phone, from the Qualcomm QCP-820 to the OnePlus 8 5G, has been a stepping stone in the ever-advancing river of innovation, marking my personal milestones with their technological leaps.

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iPhone 14 Upgrade Issue and Resolution

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A summary of the experience with upgrading an iPhone 14 to iOS 17.5 and how I fixed the problem.

Issue

  • I had an iPhone 14 with insufficient storage to upgrade to iOS 17.5.
  • I used a MacBook Air to download the update and transfer it to the phone.
  • The phone entered an endless loop of trying to boot up and finalize the update.
  • I tried to reset the phone by pressing the up button, down button, and power button for over 5 seconds, but it did not work.
  • I called customer support, but they only suggested the same reset method.

Resolution

  • I plugged the phone into the MacBook Air and saw the option to enter recovery mode on the phone.
  • I chose to update the phone again, but it failed and entered the same loop.
  • I entered recovery mode again and chose to restore the phone instead.
  • The phone was upgraded to iOS 17.5 and restored from a backup that was saved on the MacBook Air before the update.
  • The whole process took about two hours, but I was able to use the phone with the latest iOS release.

Multiroom Support for Chromecast and Audio Extraction for Subwoofer

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Chromecast Audio, now defunct, enabled users to pair any audio amplifier or receiver in the house, with casted audio from sources like Spotify and YouTube Music. Enabling multiroom on these devices helped with the option to bring music anywhere in the house, without spending hundreds on receivers that offered Zone 2 and Zone 3 outputs.

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Amcrest GO 4K Action Camera – Quick Review

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Being an Amcrest security video user, I decided to give the Amcrest GO 4K Action Camera a go. The camera is small, all plastic, that comes with many accessories, including an underwater/waterproof case. For under $50, this is what you get:

  • 1 x 4K Action Camera (AC4K-600).
  • 1 x Waterproof Case.
  • 1 x Bicycle Mount.
  • 1 x Back Clip.
  • 2 x Adhesives.
  • 1 x Mount Connector.
  • 2 x Helmet Mounts.
  • 1 x USB Charging Cable.
  • 1 x Li-Ion Battery.
  • 1 x User Manual.
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Amcrest DVR email trigger does not include attachment

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I upgraded my security camera system from standard definition (960 x 480) to 4 MP (2560 x 1440). I had to change my original cables to a Siamese RG59 style, which I had to run again inside the attic, a process I wish not to repeat if I upgrade to 8MP (4K).

I got an Amcrest AMDV4M4-S5 DVR which stores HD footage from analog cameras. Excellent quality nonetheless. Found an issue that many are having, of triggering email attachments when motion is detected, which were not including attachments at all.

Following the standard procedure found on amcrest forums yielded no results. I had to perform trial and error steps within the main device, and this is what I found:

  1. Ensure that Motion Detect is enabled, to send email, and snapshot. You need to enable it for each Channel.
  2. Ensure that Recording is enabled under storage for both Main Stream and Snapshot.
  3. This one is the kicker. Under Storage, Schedule and Snapshot tab, ensure that MD has been marked (yellow) for all days.

You can see the 3 pictures below.

Motion Detection Enabled
Recording Enabled
Snapshot Recording

Hope this helps fixing the email triggering with snapshot issue.