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By Six Colors Staff
December 22, 2016 9:22 AM PT
Our favorite books of the year
Dan and Jason read a lot. And both of them keep running into people who say they hear us praising books, and then they go and read them! This is a great responsibility, and not one we take lightly. Here are 14 books we loved this year.
By Six Colors Staff
December 20, 2016 9:59 AM PT
Our favorites: Hardware and gadgets
We like technology. And we like gadgets. It has always been so. As the year comes to a close, we thought we’d share with you some of the favorite gadgets we’ve picked up in the last year.
Amazon Echo Dot
Yes, I extol the virtues of the Amazon Echo on what seems like a regular basis. But it was my favorite gadget of last year, and I’ve only continued to find it a benefit this year. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the voice-activated assistant pool, it’s hard not to like the second genration of Amazon’s Echo Dot. At just $50, it’s a bargain; it has all the same microphone and intelligence features of the full-size model, lacking only the better speaker. (And yeah, its speaker is really pretty poor.) Fortunately, a built-in aux jack lets you connect an external speaker, or you can pair one over Bluetooth.—DM
Logitech Harmony Hub
My house is a mess of conflicting smart-home technologies and home-entertainment devices. I’m slowly trying to clean it all up, or at least get it all working together. One way that I’ve managed to improve and simplify things is by replacing my old Logitech Harmony universal remote with the Logitech Harmony Hub.
The Harmony Hub is clever because it’s a little pod, including infrared blaster, that’s connected to your home internet. You can use your mobile device as a remote or buy a bundle that includes a physical remote (which I recommend). Now we’ve got a physical remote, with clicky buttons, that doesn’t need to be pointed in exactly the right location in order to turn various devices all and off. (My kids had a terrible habit of waving the remote around when the remote was still blasting out commands, leaving the TV on but the speakers off, or the game console on and the TV off.) The new remote is just sending radio signals to the Harmony Hub, which fires off infrared commands from an out-of-the-way location in view of all the devices it needs to control. (It also comes with remote infrared blasters, if you’ve got devices hidden behind a cabinet door.)
It gets better. My old Harmony remote could only be updated with a janky web app with a Mac app wrapped around it, and required a USB connection to update and reboot the remote. The Harmony Hub is programmable via an iOS app, and updates itself seamlessly as I sit on my couch. And since the Hub is on my local network, it ties in to my other smart home stuff—I can, for example, trigger an action on the Harmony Hub via my Amazon Echo.—JS
Sonos Play:1
I’ve been a fairly new convert to the networked speaker arena, but I picked up a Sonos Play: 1—which is discounted to $169 as of this writing—this year on the news that it would at some point integrate with the aforementioned Echo. I’ve found myself enjoying the Play:1 quite a bit—so much so that I picked up a second one. The sound quality is phenomenal, and Sonos’s integrations with popular music services like Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music make it a friendly and easy-to-use device, though I still wish I could simply have it play music from iTunes or audio from my computer.—DM
Anova Bluetooth Precision Cooker
So it turns out that sous vide cooking—a method by which you cook food in a plastic bag at a constant temperature—is all the rage these days. But you know what? One of the most satisfying gadgets I’ve bought recently is Anova’s immersion cooker.
It comes in a box that is clearly inspired by Apple’s packaging, and the product itself is beautifully designed silver-and-black appliance. The Anova cooker is a cylinder that you attach to the side of one of your pots with an included clamp. Plug it in and dial in your target temperature, and it starts to churn and warm the water in the pot. There’s a Bluetooth feature—and on newer models, even a Wi-Fi feature—that let you connect the cooker to a mediocre iOS app. I wouldn’t bother—the cute little translucent dial lets you easily pick a target temperature.
There are no end to the sous vide cookbooks and websites out there, so all I’ll say is that with the Anova cooker I can make chicken that is guaranteed to not be overcooked—very hard to do on the grill or in the oven—and beef that is exactly at the level of doneness that I desire, every time. Brian Chen’s sous vide explainer in the New York Times led me to buy a $14 chuck roast that, after a day of immersion cooking, turned into eight tender steaks. Eight steaks for $14! Amazing.—JS
Bose QC-35s
Noise-canceling headphones have always struck me as a bit of a luxury, but with several multi-hour flights in the past few months, I decided to treat myself to a pair of the $349 Bose QuietComfort 35s. Most reviewers seem to agree that even if Bose models don’t always have the best sound, their noise-cancelation is second to none, and I’d have to agree. Putting on the headphones and flipping on the noise-cancelation feels like a curtain dropping around you. They’re particularly brilliant in places with constant noise, like a plane or train. I found I could hear my music or watch a TV show without hearing any background noise. The Bluetooth version works pretty well, pairing with two devices simultaneously, and featuring a quoted 20-hour battery life, a backup cord for wired use, an airline adapter, and a very nice hardshell carrying case.—DM
Kobo Aura One and Kindle Oasis
Look, if you want to buy a Kindle you should buy a Paperwhite. But I love Kindles and the new high-end super-premium Kindle Oasis is pretty great. It’s got physical page-turn buttons, is ridiculously thin and light, and comes with a leather case that offers not just protection, but battery recharging.
If you’re outside the Amazon ecosystem, it’s worth looking at the Kobo Aura One, which is a great piece of hardware. It’s got a big screen that makes it feel like you’re reading a hardcover book, and it’s waterproof, to boot.
I can’t decide which one I’m going to take on my upcoming vacation. The Aura One’s waterproof but the Oasis is so light! Oh well—either way, I can’t go wrong.—JS
By Dan Moren
December 15, 2016 9:17 AM PT
Our favorites: Grab bag!
‘Tis the season when we list a bunch of our favorite stuff of the year. But some stuff doesn’t fit in a tidy category. And so, I present to you: My favorite uncategorizable stuff!
Codenames
For that sweet spot of a party game that’s easy to learn, fast to play, and still a challenge, Codenames is exactly what you’re looking for. The premise involves a thin veneer of spying, but the game is really about trying to clue your partner into identifying which words in a 5 × 5 grid of cards are “your” words, without having them guess those of your opponent. It’s a bit Taboo, a bit Pictionary, and a bit Guess Who, but I’ve found that everybody I’ve played with has enjoyed it, and you can generally find it for under $15.
Star Wars: Rebellion
Fair warning: I’ve only played once, and it’s not for the faint of heart, but if you have a friend who’s a die-hard Star Wars fan, Star Wars: Rebellion is a heck of a lot of fun. The expansive one-on-one game (which has a two-on-two variant) sees one player in the role of the Rebel Alliance, challenging the other player’s Galactic Empire. The Empire is trying to find the Rebels’ hidden base while the Alliance is attempting to sway the galaxy to its side. Settle in, because this $70 game takes a few hours to play—and you’ll probably want to blast some Star Wars soundtracks while you do so.
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
I enjoy most cooperative games—there’s something refreshing about battling a common enemy with your friends—and Pandemic Legacy takes that formula to the next level, by creating a “year”-long campaign where you and your team of CDC battle the outbreaks of disease around the globe. The game starts off much like the traditional Pandemic, but an ongoing narrative throws in some twists and turns. (I won’t spoil them.) Much like its predecessor, Risk Legacy, decisions you make as you progress affect the ultimate outcome of the story, and the very board and game mechanics change as you go. It’s a fun ride, even if it can be finicky about rules and proper procedures at times.
Cloak
If you travel a lot, or if you simply end up using random Wi-Fi networks a lot, you might be concerned—rightfully so—about the security of your network connection. That’s a good reason to turn to the security of a VPN like Cloak. The service, which offers both monthly/yearly subscription plans for $10/$99 and time-limited passes starting at $4 for a week, offers both iOS and Mac apps that you can use on all your devices. Whenever you connect to network that you haven’t designated as trustworthy, Cloak will automatically log into the VPN, encrypting all the data from your device. You can also choose from a variety of different locations for the VPN you’re connecting to, which may help deal with some geographic restrictions.
Doodle
I’m not sure how we could accomplish anything over at The Incomparable without the help of Doodle. The free service lets you find the time that works the best for any meeting, whether it be a podcast, party, D&D session, or, I don’t know, a work meeting I guess. Choose a handful of dates, send an invitation to everybody on your list, and everybody can pick the times that they’re available, making it easy to pick the one that works for the most people. The iOS app even lets you know if you have conflicts on your calendar. There are paid private and business plans, but the free option is probably sufficient for most people.
Roll20
As fun as it is to play role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or board games like Trivial Pursuit in person, sometimes you just can’t get everybody into the same place. For The Incomparable’s Total Party Kill and Game Night podcasts, we’ve managed to span the vast abyss of space and time zones by using Roll 20. It’s an online gaming service that incorprates video and voice chat as well as a shared map where you can move gaming tokens, roll virtual dice, and even create complicated macros and scripts, if you’re so inclined. The basic model is free, but pony up a little bit and you can add more storage space for your game assets, tablet support, or even access to the API if you’re feeling ambitious.
[Dan Moren is a tech writer, novelist, podcaster, and the Official Dan of Six Colors. You can email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter at @dmoren.]
By Six Colors Staff
December 14, 2016 8:35 AM PT
Our Favorites: iOS apps
The iPhone may be approaching its tenth birthday, but it often seems as though the iOS app scene is doing anything but slowing down. That said, the huge preponderance of apps has made it trickier to separate the wheat from the chaff. Still, we soldier on, testing new apps as they arrive, and where necessary, pitting them against old favorites. We’ve combed through both recent and more longstanding apps for the ones that have stood out for us.
By Six Colors Staff
December 9, 2016 9:33 AM PT
Our favorites: iOS/Mac Games
All work and no play make all of us more than a little bit dull. Great games abound on Apple’s platforms, and you shouldn’t feel the least bit guilty about indulging in them. After all, sometimes the brain does its best work when it’s distracted. At least, that’s totally what we keep telling ourselves.
By Six Colors Staff
December 29, 2015 10:08 AM PT
Our favorite things: iOS apps
From quick-check iPhone apps to super-deep ones for the iPad Pro, there’s a broad spectrum of iOS apps out there, and a bunch that we love. Here’s a look at 18 of our favorite iOS apps of 2015.
By Six Colors Staff
December 22, 2015 12:38 PM PT
Our favorites: Mac apps
Even as the iPad gets more and more capable, the Mac remains the beast of burden for much of our days. Whether it’s a MacBook or an iMac, we spend a fair amount of our days behind a keyboard and trackpad. And, more importantly, to get that work done, we need apps—lots of apps. Here are a few of the ones without which we simply can’t get things done.
By Six Colors Staff
December 17, 2015 8:30 AM PT
Our favorites: Services and stuff
Hardware and software are great, but services are the gifts that keep on giving. Sure, subscribing to a service can often be pricey, but the returns you get are often well worth it. So here are a few of our favorite services that might make a good gift for someone—or even a treat for yourself.
By Philip Michaels
December 16, 2015 8:00 AM PT
Christmas music: The 10 biggest holiday playlist mistakes
Doubtless, if you are reading this article, it is because you are taking time out of your holiday preparations to catch up on the latest Mac news. This is a wise choice by you, partly because Jason does a fine job packaging Mac News You Can Use in a compelling and engaging way, as does the other guy whose name I forget. Scott? Steve? I want to say it’s Steve. Anyhow, nicely done, Steve.
But your decision to temporarily postpone your holiday ramp-up to visit this particular corner of the Internet is fortuitous for another reason. Because at some point in the build up to the Festive Period, you are going to put together a Holiday Playlist, and you are going to get it spectacularly wrong.
I say this because I’ve been at this for a dozen years — as long as Apple has made buying a la carte music as simple as tapping on a Buy button — and the holiday music section of my iTunes Library is a horror show. Should a panel ever be convened to examine musical crimes against humanity — and under President Huckabee, I put the possibility at even money — I will probably be called as an expert witness and, even more probably, will be first against the wall for my history of regrettable downloads.
The difference between you and me is that I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I’m here before you today to serve as a warning against following my regrettable lead. Think of me as Jacob Marley offering a chilling warning to all of you Scrooges out there. Instead of being bound by the heavy chains I forged in life, I’m lugging around a metric ton of 99-cent downloads I’d just as soon be able to return for store credit. Mark my horrible errors in judgment, and make sure you don’t repeat them.
These are the 10 mistakes people making when assembling holiday playlists.
Continue Reading "Christmas music: The 10 biggest holiday playlist mistakes"
By Six Colors Staff
December 9, 2015 8:00 AM PT
Our favorites: Board and card games
Tear the kids1 away from the video games and gather round the kitchen table for some honest-to-goodness real life gaming. Board games are a great way to get some family togetherness time, and always a good excuse to get some friends together. Here are a few of our favorites, if you’re not sure where to start or what to get next.
Or, to be fair, parents. ↩
By Six Colors Staff
December 7, 2015 10:24 AM PT
Our favorites: iOS/tvOS games
Welcome back to the Six Colors gift guide, in which Dan and Jason tell you about of a bunch of stuff we liked in the past year. You might like them too!
Frankly, there are so many games on iOS it’s hard to know what to recommend: do you like action? Adventure? Puzzles? Strategy? We could go on all day. So here are a few of the games we’ve been playing the most in the past year, which might appeal to you or someone for whom you still need the perfect gift. And if this isn’t enough for you, we’ll remind you that the apps on last year’s list are still available, too.
By Jason Snell
December 18, 2014 2:14 PM PT
Our Favorite Things: iOS Games
I always say I am not a “gamer,” yet I seem to spend a lot of time playing games, especially on iOS. My Six Colors collaborator Dan Moren is someone I consider much more of a gamer than I am, so I asked him to join me to create this list of iOS games we have enjoyed over the past year. We hope you can waste as much time on them as we did.
By Jason Snell
December 16, 2014 10:38 AM PT
My Favorite Things: Games (non-software edition)
I live in a house with three other people. My wife and I have been living under the same roof for quite some time, but at some point we welcomed these tiny crying creatures into our house. They keep getting bigger, though. One of them is now 13 and the other one’s 10, and to keep them entertained sometimes we play games on our dining-room table.
If you also live with people—children or otherwise—and enjoy playing games, you might be interested in buying one of these and giving it as a gift. I don’t know, is it still gift-giving season?
Note: I’m including Amazon links here, but I strongly encourage that you consider visiting your local game store, if you’ve got one. Local game stores are an amazing resource, filled with people who will help you pick exactly the right game for the needs of your friends and/or family.
Continue Reading "My Favorite Things: Games (non-software edition)"
By Jason Snell
December 12, 2014 1:04 PM PT
My Favorite Things: iOS Apps
I have an iPhone and an iPad. Do you have an iPhone and/or an iPad? Did you know that you can add small programs, or “apps,” to it? Here are some of these so-called “apps” that I enjoy.
By Jason Snell
December 9, 2014 10:51 AM PT
My Favorite Things: Geeky Holiday Music
A few years ago I wrote a story about one of my favorite holiday playlists, one featuring a bunch of geeky holiday music. Well, I’m no longer employed by the publisher of that story, so I’m just going to write a new story here on the site that I actually own. Merry Christmas empowerment!
By Jason Snell
December 8, 2014 2:40 PM PT
My Favorite Things: Mac apps
I spend a lot of time at my Mac. I love my iPad and iPhone, but my Mac is still where I spend most of my time. Between writing and making podcasts, this is the place where my tools of choice reside. Since it’s the end of the year, I figured, why not mention a bunch of Mac apps that I use every day? If there were a gift-giving holiday coming up, you could even use that as an excuse to buy them.
By Jason Snell
December 4, 2014 4:30 PM PT
My Favorite Things: Services and stuff
It’s hard to write about web services in a holiday gift guide. They’re intangible, for the most part. Who likes giving the gift of intangibility? “Merry Christmas, Grandma, I got you a year’s subscription to Amazon Prime! This empty box is a representation of all the boxes you’ll be getting via free two-day shipping!”
So it’s settled, then. Only a dummy would write a gift guide entry about favorite services and stuff you order over the Internet.
By Jason Snell
December 2, 2014 12:50 PM PT
My Favorite Things: Hardware
As a newly minted independent content creator or whatever, I am no longer required by my employer to brainstorm shameless ways to mention products in conjunction with an upcoming set of gift-giving holidays. Fortunately, I’m not barred from it, either.
That being said, on the site I’m going to write a few articles about things I like, so that if they sound good, you might try them out or even give them as a gift. If it was the sort of season when one would do that sort of thing.
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display
As I was reviewing Apple’s new Retina iMac I went out and bought one for myself. Yes, I was in the market for a new computer and had some money I needed to spend, but using the new iMac for even a few days was enough to convince me that I needed to get one.
Yes, the display is gorgeous, but the iMac packs processing and graphics power too. Outside of a high-end Mac Pro you will not find a faster Mac. No, it’s not cheap, but $2499 for one of the fastest Macs around attached to a screen so big that even 4K video plays with room to spare… that seems like a pretty good deal.
[Starts at $2499, Amazon link.]
MacBook Air 11”
I love the 11-inch MacBook Air. It’s Apple’s cheapest laptop, but it’s still fast and versatile. Yes, there may be Retina MacBook Air models appearing in 2015, but will they start at $899? All signs point to no. As a travel Mac the 11-inch is a perfect size. Until I got my iMac, I also hooked my MacBook Air up to an external display and used it as my desktop Mac too. The Intel i5 processor and the fast flash storage meant I rarely felt any slowdowns.
iPad mini 2
Yes, Apple came out with the iPad mini 3 this year. I think the iPad mini 2’s the better buy. The iPad mini 3 is $100 more expensive than the iPad mini 2, but all that’s really changed is the addition of Touch ID. I like Touch ID on my iPhone, but it seems less necessary on an iPad, especially if that addition is going to cost you $100.
Unfortunately, the existence of the iPad mini 3 means that the iPad mini 2 isn’t available in as many variations as it used to be. There are only 16GB and 32GB models, so if you need to max out on storage, you can’t choose this path. Even the $349 32GB iPad mini 2 is a pretty good deal, compared to the $499 64GB iPad mini 3.
I wish Apple had upgraded the iPad mini 3 with the same tech as the iPad Air 2, but that didn’t happen. Instead, by keeping the iPad mini 2 on the price list, Apple’s providing an awfully nice price for a great little iPad. This is the iPad I use every day, happily.
[Starts at $299, Amazon link.]
iPhone 6
The question of the fall was iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? I’m firmly on the side of the iPhone 6. I’ve been loving my iPhone 6 since the day I got it. Though the iPhone 6 Plus has its fans, I don’t think it’s an iPad replacement and it’s just too large for my taste. It’s not a bad product, especially for basketball players and similarly giant people, but it’s not what I would choose. Or recommend.
[Starts at $199 with contract.]
TiVo Roamio
I bought a Tivo Roamio a year ago and I’m still loving it. I haven’t used the latest iterations of every cable and satellite company’s DVRs, obviously, but after several years with DirecTV’s serviceable DVR technology, moving back to TiVo was a pleasure. I can offload recorded shows to watch on the TiVo app, and the two other TVs in my house have a TiVo Mini attached, so they’ve got access to live TV and all the recordings on the main DVR.
The Roamio does more than just TV, too. We also use it to watch Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Comcast On Demand, MLB TV, and Vudu. I love it.
[Plus model starts at $400, $320 now on Amazon. TiVo service extra. Pro model starts at $600, $493 now on Amazon.]
Pebble
I’m still wearing the Pebble, and still liking it. It’s a basic smartwatch with some good hardware, improving software, and very long battery life. I get the distinct feeling that next year will be an Apple Watch kind of year for me, but at $99 the regular Pebble is priced right. It’s the watch I wear most days. I’m wearing it right now.
[$99 for base model. Pebble Steel, which I don’t like as much, costs more.]
Avantree Roxa
This is a weird one, but I use it all the time: The Avantree Roxa is a tiny Bluetooth receiver. I have it plugged in next to my (long-discontinued) Squeezebox Boom music player. The Boom’s a great music player and it’s got a line-in jack for auxiliary input, but no support for Bluetooth. That’s where the Roxa comes in: I connect my iPhone to it via Bluetooth, and it plays the audio through the Boom’s aux jack. It’s even got a USB port for device charging. I picked this up at CES and I honestly haven’t compared it to other, similar devices. But I highly recommend devices like these to retrofit older speakers with line-in jacks into Bluetooth-capable devices.
[$70 list, on Amazon for $35.]
By Jason Snell
November 28, 2014 7:58 AM PT
Gift Guide: Marvel Unlimited
If you or someone you know loves, loves, loves Marvel comics—and especially if we’re talking about someone who doesn’t buy many or any comics the week they’re released—I highly recommend the Marvel Unlimited service.
It’s like Netflix for Marvel comics. (And only Marvel comics—I wish other publishers would offer a service like this, but they don’t!) For $10 per month or $69 annually, you get access to more than 15,000 comics in Marvel’s library. Read as many as you want.
To read the comics, you’ve got to be on the Internet—though you can offload 12 at a time onto any device, so even if you’re out of range or on an airplane, you can have access to the equivalent of two trade paperbacks worth of comics.
The selection on Marvel Unlimited is pretty great. There are classic runs from all of the comics you’d expect—Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men—plus newer books. In fact, Marvel seems to be posting most of their comics with a six-to-nine month lag. I buy a handful of brand-new Marvel comics on Comixology every month, but most of their stuff just doesn’t appeal enough for me to pay $3 or $4 per issue. Once that stuff hits Marvel Unlimited, though, I’m all over it.
The economics of a service like Marvel Unlimited are pretty simple: If you read enough comics in a year to make it worth $69, it’s a service worth getting. I’ve had it for two years now, and have no regrets.
Recently I spent a weekend catching up on last year’s Infinity event, written by Jonathan Hickman. (It was surprisingly good!) Marvel Unlimited provided a suggested reading order for the entire event, which was a huge help. All told, there were 22 comics in the main sequence of the event. Most of those comics are now for sale on Comixology for $2, meaning in a weekend I read $44 worth of comics. It adds up quickly.
And not having to weigh whether a particular storyline or plot synopsis is worth several dollars opens you up to exploration. I’ve read numerous excellent runs of comics that I never would have bought, based on stray Twitter recommendations. (Brubaker and Fraction’s Immortal Iron Fist and Mark Waid’s Daredevil, to name two.)
When the service launched, it only worked in web browsers and was Flash based. When the iOS app arrived, it was usable but really ugly. It’s come a long way since then. The app is more stable, does a better job of pre-loading issues as you start to read them, and there’s even a Smart Panel mode that—while not as good as Comixology’s Guided View—still does a decent job of guiding you from panel to panel if you prefer to read that way.
And when you get to the end of an issue, it prompts you to immediately jump to the next issue. (Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer you the next issue in an event, which would’ve been nice when I was reading Infinity.)
Marvel Unlimited isn’t perfect. The app still has a few bugs—the inability to zoom properly on two-page spreads when in portrait orientation bugs the crap out of me, and it still crashes a little too often. The catalog of comics is still missing some classic issues (only the first eight issues of John Byrne’s Alpha Flight, really?), though in the past couple of years they’ve filled in many of the holes—all the Uncanny X-Men issues I missed are now there.
If you’ve got a comic fan who likes Marvel on your gift list, or you want to do yourself a solid, I highly recommend Marvel Unlimited. I wish Marvel’s distinguished competition offered a service like this—it might actually get me back into DC comics for the first time since I was a teenager.