a brief gadget-buying frenzy

I decided to buy a pair of earbuds for my iPad. My hearing aid connects to my iPad, but sometimes the iPad insists that my hearing aid is connected to my iPhone (even though the iPhone might be off). Rather than be aggravated, I thought that a new pair of Bluetooth earbuds would be a good solution. (You may know a pair of earbuds will only connect to a single device.) Terry said she liked them because they light up when in use, so she could tell when I was listening to something. That was not the case when I was in the kitchen, for example, and listening to an audiobook or podcast on my iPhone with my hearing aid or the smaller, non-illuminated earbuds I was using with my iPhone. So I bought a similar pair for my iPhone. I selected white, since the first pair was black.

When they arrived, however, I liked the original pair better, since the black case allowed me to see the charging data even when the case was closed, which the white one did not. Since I use the earbuds on my iPhone much more often than on my iPad, I paired the original black pair with my iPhone and the new white pair with my iPad. They’re very comfortable and I love the digital power level display.

Thinking about gadgets, I was looking at the digital timer connected to the lamp in our living space and thinking about what a pain it is to adjust when the clocks change in the spring and fall or when the seasons and changing light required an adjustment. That’s when I had one of those “I could’ve had a V8!” moments. We have two smart plugs that work with Amazon Alexa, one for the light in the dining area and another for the table fountain in the bedroom. Why not, I suddenly realized, get a third for the light in the living area? So I did. The initial setup was a bit tricky, but now that I have done it adjustments will be simple. And no more drift. The digital timer would run fast, so when the light was set to turn on at 6:30 p.m. it would eventually turn on at 6:27. And we’re also no longer constrained to two on/off cycles a day, nor does the cycle need to be the same every day of the week, both limitations of the digital timer.

Then there’s the story of the watch. I had two solar-powered digital watches, which, on account of the pandemic I didn’t wear much. They both stopped working and so they now sit in the box for the next household hazardous waste drop-off event. But now that Terry and I feel more comfortable going out to eat again, and now that I am back attending church in person, I decided it was time to have a functioning watch. (It’s bad form to pull out your iPhone to check the time when in church.) I looked on Amazon for solar-powered watches and was surprised to discover that they were all well over $100.00. I realized that a watch with a standard battery would do and found a Casio that syncs to the time signal out of Ft. Collins, Colorado for around a third of the price of the solar watches. The Q&A on Amazon suggested the battery would last five years or longer, which I found reassuring. A quick trip to the local watch shop for a new band and I’m set. (Casio makes quality watches with crummy bands.)

All right. That’s enough. I’m in good shape gadget-wise for quite a while now.