What I Use: January 2025 (Premium)

We're in Mexico for what could be about three months, we'll see. But it's a new year and a good time to take stock: Here or abroad, I tend to use the same tools each day to get work done.

It's been a while. I do often publish What I Use posts tied to trips--the two most recent being Mexico City (October/November 2024) and Berlin 2024--and I will sometimes write up individual apps, services, or hardware. But a straight-up What I Use post? The latest one I can find is from five years ago, if you can believe that. And what the heck, here's one from 2007, or 18 years ago(!) for a bit of context. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Computers
Thanks to all the laptop reviews I write, I usually move from PC-to-PC throughout each day, week, and month, and switch between different machines on a rolling basis. Heading into this long trip, I faced an interesting dilemma in that I had received several PCs for review late in 2024 and, in the process of reviewing them, it occurred that I might actually be able to come to Mexico without bringing any of them. That is, could I possibly review all the hardware before my mid-January departure?

I almost did it. The only PC I didn't review is the I one I couldn't bring with me, the desktop-bound HP OmniStudio X All-in-One Desktop AI PC. So that's in my home office in Pennsylvania now, and I will ruin the eventual review by telling you now that it is terrific, and that the Lunar Lake-based version HP announced at CES a few weeks back is probably even better.

But in almost achieving this rare feat in a reasonably timely manner, I also coming to Mexico for the first time ever without any review laptops. And that means I was able to travel lighter than usual, and actually bring the two laptops I bought last year. Both of which I remain very happy with: The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Generation 15-Inch and Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3.

In Mexico, I use a More Mobile setup centered around an HP Thunderbolt 4 Dock, a Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse Set, a 24-inch Dell P2422H Full HD (1080p) display, a Dell 4K webcam, and an Audio-Technica ATR2500x-USB microphone on a KDD microphone boom arm stand. The laptop rotates in and out based on what I'm reviewing at the time. And though I'm sure I'll get at least a few review laptops during this trip, I came here with nothing. And so I'm using an 11th generation HP ZBook Firefly 14.
Tablet
I read daily on a 2024 Apple iPad Mini with 128 GB of storage. I like it, but I suspect my next move will be to a larger entry-level iPad. It's definitely better for my needs than the 13th-inch iPad Air M2 I purchased earlier last year.

Phones
I move between ecosystems, but as I write this, I'm using an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max with a Lake Green Apple Silicon case and a 46mm Jet Black Aluminum Apple Watch Series 10 with a Lake Green Sport Loop. But I can and almost certainly will switch to the dark side as needed. Which, in this...