Ask Paul: September 9 (Premium)

Happy Friday! There’s something about short weeks that make them seem longer, but we can finally relax with some great reader questions.

Bose vs. AirPods Pro

ggolcher asks:

At the same time Apple was announcing their new AirPods Pro, Bose announced their new ANC earbuds: their QuietComfort Earbuds II. I know you had purchased their predecessors, as did I. For me, the QCI has had incredible sound, build quality, and noise-canceling, but they’re bulky and heavy (which leads me to get ear canal soreness after prolonged use), and switching between devices is an exercise in pain.

Yeah, I saw that, and yes, the QC Earbuds are big and bulky, which is maybe my one major complaint.

This new release seems to address the first issue, but not the latter one. I’m debating whether to pre-order these new earbuds or not, as they are expensive, but I use them so often it may be worth it just for the pain factor. I’d love to hear about your experiences with the QuietComfort I, and any impressions and thoughts you may have towards the QCII. Your perspective has usually been very helpful in deciding whether to purchase or not.

When I first read this, I thought, surely I’ve reviewed these earbuds. But I have not. So, the short version is, I’ve had great success over the years with Bose headphones and now earbuds, and I bought these about 18 months ago ahead of our first trip to Mexico City to replace the aging Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones I was using previously; those headphones were wired and came in Apple and Android versions, and I was always having issues with static and dongles and whatever else. So the earbuds were a step up.

In addition to the size/weight, however, I have two other issues. One, the battery life isn’t quite what I want: if I don’t take them out at least once during a flight to Mexico to charge them briefly (which I’ll do when I get up to go the bathroom or grab a drink), they will die right before we arrive. Just an hour more life would make a big difference for that flight, but they wouldn’t make it to Europe for sure. And two, they’re earbuds, so they’re easy to knock out by mistake. I’ve only done that once on a flight but I assume it’s obvious how bad it is to lose a small black thing on a plane. It could fall anywhere and because of its awkward shape, there’s no way to know which way it bounced.

In the good news department, the noise cancelation is fantastic and the best I’ve experienced with earbuds. (Granted, I don’t have a lot to compare it to, and I’ve not used AirPods Pro.) When you put them on during a flight, the noise of the plane disappears instantly and it’s wonderful. And earbuds, even big ones like the Bose, are so much better for traveling light than are over-the-ear headphones: they disappear in a bag.

Ideally, I’d have one set of earbuds/headphones for everything but I’ve typically used different products for different use cases. This past year, however, I’ve been wearing the Bose to the gym because it can be loud and that noise canceling feature works great there, too, and I can double-tap the left bud to let in outside sound when I’m speaking with someone. But I’d rather have something lighter for the gym. I considered the new Google Buds Pro, for example, and of course I’m thinking about the AirPods Pro 2 as well, but I’m not sure I want that lock-in. I understand that there are Beats buds with ANC (Beats Fit Pro, I guess) that were better in some ways than the original AirPods Pro, so I’ll look out for reviews of the new version and see how they compare.

If I could do this over again, I’d probably just suck it up and get another pair of whatever the latest Bose over-the-ear headphones are for flights (QuietComfort 45, it looks like), even though I don’t like those kinds of headphones, and then some kind of AND-based earbuds for the gym (and perhaps walking, with ANC off). And then get whatever ANC-based buds for the gym. But everyone’s use cases are different, of course. And I’m not going that route now.

What I will likely do in the short term is nothing: the Bose work very well for the most part, on planes and at the gym. But I’ll keep my eye on reviews. The one thing I do like about the AirPods Pro, from a distance, is their small size (relative to the Bose). I’m not sure if that’s $250 worth of value. And Beats Fit Pro are a bit cheaper at $200 (and probably work better with Android, which is a plus). (Actually, there is a Beats Studio Buds model that’s only $150. Hm. I need to research this.) And I’ll watch out for reviews of the new Bose, too. I’m sure my wife would be happy to get the ones I’ve been using. And I do think you’ll be happy with them as well. But there’s a lot to compare here.

Windows 11

AnOldAmigaUser asks:

So, after setting up a dozen laptops with Windows 11 (Home) this week, I think Microsoft has truly lost its way. A normal person, who just accepts the defaults is going to accept tracking and advertising just as onerous as that of Google. They will also end up purchasing a Game Pass Ultimate on the way in.

Well. 🙂 I’m not sure that most people would be swayed by the Game Pass advertisement. But yes, it’s no surprise that ads have crept into Setup. And I did document the privacy settings anyone should examine in Windows 11 in the book (and here on the site): it’s not much. You can’t do anything meaningful (at least easily) to turn off telemetry and tracking in Windows.

The worst offender though is Edge. Good God. I took 15 screenshots documenting how to undo what Microsoft has wrought…including yet another dark pattern to purchase a Game Pass Ultimate subscription in case the poor soul managed to get past the initial attempt when logging in for the first time. The reason I documented it is that I know that the settings will somehow revert to default with some new version of the browser, and I need to show people how to set them back.

Exactly.

So, I haven’t written it yet, but I’ve been taking notes for the Edge chapter in the Windows 11 Field Guide and am seriously considering turning it into a list of things you should consider disabling. We’ll see when that comes together, but my thoughts are that most people know how to use a browser and that much of what’s new and unique in Edge is stuff that users should at least consider turning off. Obviously, there is some useful functionality there, too. So I guess it will be a mix of good and bad. But looking at it from a high level, Edge is just too bloated, and that makes it harder for many to understand what’s wheat and what’s chaff.

Is there any idea within Microsoft that perhaps they have gone too far? I ask because at this point, I cannot see myself purchasing another Windows computer.

Yeah, but you’re a technical person/power user. Most people don’t really think about this stuff, and most will use Edge once, to install Chrome. I suspect that most people bothered by Windows are either smart enough to work around that stuff (you, etc.) or would consider getting a Mac. Which, admittedly, would solve a lot of the problems you mention while introducing issues of its own.

eSIM vs. SIM

red.radar asks:

I noticed the new iPhones do not have a physical SIM tray and depend solely on ESIM technology.   As someone who travels a lot and has used different MVNOs do you see this as an issue or a nice advancement?   If it is an issue just a short-term one?   As Apple does so will others follow so I imagine this is just a short-term transition.

I’m writing an article about my own wireless carrier machinations and eSIM is a big part of that story. (Right now, it’s called “Fi, eSIM, CDMX, Me,” but that may be a bit too cute.) Hopefully, that’s out soon, but the advent of eSIMs and the ability to mix and match (say, using voice and text from one SIM/eSIM and data from a second) is transformative. In particular for people like me who travel internationally. One of the advantages of using your home SIM, for example, is that you get to keep your phone number. But one of the disadvantages is that data in another country can be expensive. So you can use two SIMs and have the best of both worlds.

The transition to eSIM (meaning the end of physical SIMs) is inevitable, and it’s not surprising that Apple is on the leading edge of that given its penchant for dropping viable technology early. But I wouldn’t want to make that transition now, and I like having both nanoSIM and eSIM in my phones. My situation is my situation, but it’s still very common to find physical SIMs for sale in airports and, in Mexico, in convenience stores like OXXO and 7 11. But if you want an eSIM, you’ll need to go to a carrier. (Which, go figure, is what we did: we got an AT&T eSIM in Mexico.)

The issue, for now, is accessibility: going all eSIM is such a First World thing for Apple to do and is sort of clueless because Apple’s well-off customers will travel internationally and find it hard to get second SIMs. But, you know, Apple. Until the OXXOs and 7 11s of the world offer eSIMs broadly, it’s too early.

Anyway, to answer your question, yes, this is a short-term problem. eSIM is absolutely the future.

Notched

matsan asks:

Regarding your notch-rant: I agree 100% with you on that. What i find interesting is your complaint when watching movies and i wonder if this may be a form factor thing. I have a 12 mini.  Netflix, Prime and content I stream in safari expand in the area of the screen not covered by the notch. Zooming makes the the movie clipped by the notch in Netflix but not in safari. Content related or something else like the form factor of the phone?

Yes, sorry, I should have specified what I’m doing. Movies and TV shows do come in various aspect ratios, but I would imagine that most are letterboxed by default in such a way that the notch is on one side, unseen, and there is a black bar on the other, so it looks normal. What I am doing is zooming in so that the video occupies as much of the screen as possible, and in this case the notch intrudes on the video on that side. I do this because phones have small displays and I want to see it well. On a Pixel or whatever Android device, there is a small punch hole. On the iPhone, there is a large notch-shaped occlusion.

Rick Steves luggage

Anlong08 says:

I bought the Rick Steves Rolling suitcase you recommend at the beginning of the year.  Its Fantastic! Thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks! (And congrats.)

I probably don’t write about this too much because it’s kind of embarrassing, but I’m really into luggage, laptop bags, and the like. It’s kind of a running gag with my wife because we’ll be walking down the street in whatever city and we’ll go by a bag store, and I’ll just stop and stare, and she keeps going for a bit before she realizes I’ve been sucked in. So she rides me about this little affectation, as she should.

Anyway, I read about bags, I research bags, I buy a lot of bags, and I always like it when something sticks. I was particularly interested to see that when the Wirecutter reviews luggage, they inevitably choose the Travelpro Platinum Elite 21″ Expandable Spinner, which is what every single other bag in our house is; my wife uses one, my kids both use them, and we have an extra one that I could use. But I very much prefer the Rick Steves Ravenna rolling case I’ve been using for many years, and I was literally just examining mine to see whether there was too much wear and needed to be replaced. Nope. It’s fine.

Not coincidentally, this is another thing my wife kind of rides me about because it’s not a spinner. But I can store more stuff in my bag, and it’s expandable, and it fits everywhere; it’s also a sort of interesting hybrid between soft and hard-sided bags that I really prefer. Also, spinners roll off on their own, which drives me crazy. But if I were going to go with a spinner bag, I see that Rick Steves now sells a spinner carry-on. I will consider it when this one needs replacing. But I bet I stick with what I have.

NextDNS

JustMe asks:

How is your current NextDNS experience?  Have you experimented with any other services?  Have you essentially ruled out a Pi.Hole?

Yeah, I think I prefer the services approach over a Pi-hole or other hardware-based solution, and since NextDNS works so well, I will stick with that. The only question is whether to try and get it on the router—a reader did explain to me how to get our OpenWeb-based commenting system to work if I do so—or stick with my current per-device approach. For now, the latter works fine: I don’t see any reason to add NextDNS to my PCs, and configuring it on phones and tablets is easy enough. I couldn’t be happier with how it works. I’ve been to expect issues now and then, but so far it’s just worked.

I will be writing future articles in the Enough Already series, however, and not just about ad/tracker blocking. I’m looking into phone/text spam now, for example.

Zorin, Linux

AnOldAmigaUser asks:

On that note, how is your test of Zorin going?

And JustMe asks:

While I know Linux wont be your long-term solution given its workflow issues, how is your evaluation of Zorin going?

It’s on hold, honestly. I need to get the Windows 11 Field Guide out and have been focusing on that. Tied to that…

Were you ever able to get an HP DevOne laptop for review?

I haven’t asked yet, sorry. But I will. I ran into an odd issue this summer where I went from having no laptops in for review sometime around May to having about a dozen since then. And I need to get through that first. But HP is great about this stuff, and once the book is in a good place and these current review laptops are taken care of, I will get going on both.

Smart App Control

MartinusV2 asks:

Do Smart App Control (security feature) still need a PC reset with 22h2? Did you have any issues so far if you have activated it?

I have not tested this, but it’s on the list for a coming Security chapter in the Windows 11 Field Guide. It does still require a clean install of Windows 11, so it’s not something you can enable after the fact. But looking at it from the outside, the one concern I’d have is that it doesn’t support bypassing for individual apps, it’s either on or off. I probably use some apps (MarkdownPad 2?) that wouldn’t pass muster, but we’ll see. Anyway, my suspicion is that I won’t be recommending people do this first thing after a clean install, at least not for now. I will test it.

Brave

MartinusV2 asks:

Been some time since you are using Brave, did you have any issues with some of your web sites you visits?

I have had no issues using Brave at all. I spent a lot of time over the past few years going in and out of Brave, and the sync issues were problematic for a while, and I did have worries that it would be too aggressive for some sites. But now that I’m using it full-time, I have no problems, and I actually prefer how it handles sync, go figure. This browser is a no-brainer.

Nospacesincomments

proftheory asks:

Isitjustme?

I’mnoticingthatasIentercommentsallthewhitespaceisbeingremovedandleavingalongrunonmess.

Is it just me?

I’m noticing that as I enter comments all the white space is being removed and leaving a long run on mess.

(Entered into notepad++ then pasted in.)

No, it’s not just you. This is a known issue in the new comments system that we’re working on. I’ve never experienced it myself, but several people have. As wright_is notes, George (our owner) and the web team are trying to figure what causes this. This thread has some potential workarounds for now, but we’re hoping to solve for good this soon.

wright_is also adds, correctly:

If you have such problems, you should contact [email protected]. They are very quick to contact you and keep you updated with the problems.

Thanks!