Hello Everyone! It's my immense pleasure to announce that Ceddy's Random has now its own Podcast. This is Ceddy's Podcast from Spotify.

Join me on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth as we explore the unique stories of our guests. In this podcast, we dive deep into the life experiences that have shaped our guest's journey and discover the lessons they've learned along the way. From overcoming adversity and finding a purpose to achieving success and fulfillment, we explore a range of topics that will inspire and empower our listeners.

You can listen to my official podcast account: Ceddy's Podcast. Aside from Spotify, it is also available on other platforms which as Apple Podcast. Kindly click each highlighted link to learn more. 

Most of my podcasts are in Tagalog but I'll be uploading some English podcast content so stay tuned! 

See yah!

--Ceddy

Macbook Air Retina 13 Inches with Intel Iris Plus Graphics First Impression

Hello Everyone! Ceddy here and I am back for another quick first-impression review of the Macbook Air Retina 13 inches with Intel Iris Plus Graphics.

Throwback 2015

I purchased my very first Macbook Air way back in 2015, and I completely fell in love with it. As an Apple user, I've been hooked on the Apple ecosystem since then. I've been using that old MacBook for 7 years now, and as Apple releases new software updates, my Macbook works fluidly as it feels new. However, as time goes on, I have to upgrade the software tools which I am using for video editing on my vlogs and for my projects. And as the software updates itself, some features that's been currently added are no longer supported on my old MacBook, the optimization which I am expecting didn't manage my expectations and it takes hours and hours for me to render a 4-minute video, as you may know, MacBook specs are also crucial and is needed for the Final Cut Pro to work fluidly but my 2015 Macbook Air can no longer handle these tasks and it is now completely showing some aging as well and its performance is quite slow now.

Which is which?

Then I decided to purchase a new Macbook Air 2020. My original plan was to purchase the Macbook Air M1 (Silicon Chip) this is a system on a chip made exclusively by Apple on its own devices such as the Macbook 2022 lineup and above. It is commonly known as Soc, Soc architecture is also being used in iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch devices, Airpods, Airtag, and Homepod. Since I'm on a tight budget, I made some research and watched some youtube reviews, and finally decided to buy their 2020 LineupSeries.

Intel means integral or is it?

Intel has been an integral part of the Macbook lineup since day 1.  In a nutshell, the M1 processor is power efficient enough to handle tasks compared to its Intel processors. But in my opinion, as long as it is working perfectly and can handle any tasks, that would be fine for me. So I choose the i3 Intel Dual Core with Iris Graphics. 

The keyboard is mighty swift!

So far, this is my second day of using it while writing this blog. Typing on the keyboard is swift, it is so comfortable that I can't stop typing. Compared to my old 2015 Macbook Air, this keyboard, which they market as the "Magic Keyboard" works flawlessly, no wonder they called it like that, its precise typing experience is enhanced by a "scissor typed keyboard", as you may know, 2019 and previous Macbook Pro and Air lineup has been controversial due to its butterfly keyboard and they had to shell out $50 Million to its customers affected by the unreliable typing surface, these customers who purchased between 2015 and 2019 in 7 states in the US. So far my 2015 Macbook Air butterfly keyboard is not faulty at all until today. 

Aesthetic-that is all

Built and quality-wise, It is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The color of my previous MacBook Air is Silver and I opted to choose the same color. It's very catchy to the eye especially if you are using it outdoors. 

LED? A defo upgrade indeed

The lid is almost thin and creamed up with a pitch-black surface. And the screen? oh well, it's LED Retina -IPS display, this is a major upgrade for me since my eyes are completely used to LCD retina display. The display of this Macbook is perfect for binge-watching on Netflix. Though I find it difficult to see some viewing accuracy outdoors as it is prone to light reflection on the screen as you can see above.

And one more thing...

All of the features I love of my previous MacBook Air adding the new Touch ID is completely bang for my bucket. Seamless experience when logging in to any site, paying online via Apple Pay is a breeze with authentication via touch i.d. 

Work like a magic

The trackpad has some new features as well, including touch force, and pressure-sensitive drawing, and the backlit keyboard remains the same. There is something in the trackpad itself that it feels so good to use. The pressure vibration response is oddly satisfying.

Aesthetic or another cash to spend?

The only thing which I feel bad about this device is the lack of a MagSafe charging port. It is easy to attach the Magsafe while charging but on this particular MacBook Air, they opted to put a 2 USB-C thunderbolt port on the left side and a 3.5 mm headset jack on the right side.  Ideally, it's very pleasing to the eye and kind of aesthetic to see few coms on it, but come on Apple, you can do better. I mean, aesthetically, it's great. No more ports, less is more as they say. However,  I can not use my other accessories which are mainly USB-A type. And sad to say, you are needed to purchase some accessories which are compatible with Macbook Air ONLY. So another is spent on these unnecessary accessories. But who cares? Apple users would do anything, I suppose? 

All-day battery indeed

Battery-wise, so far the battery is efficient. I charged it for about almost 2 hours and I've been using it for about 4 hours now straight, writing a review about it. from 100% down to 85% while Im wrapping up my review at this point. 

Verdict...

So, if you may ask me. Is the Macbook Air 2020 worth purchasing this 2023? Yes, absolutely. If you are just like me, editing videos, binge-watching on Prime or Netflix, and casually browsing the internet. This is the Macbook Air for you. Its weight is 1.29 kg. The thinness and its portability do their job very well.

Thanks for reading my first impression and I'll see you again on my next blog.

--Ceddy

Nintendo Switch OLED Review After 2 Months | Ceddy's Random 2023

Hello Everyone! Ceddy here and welcome back to another tech review.

Finally, I Have One!

I recently purchased a Nintendo Switch OLED last January. I recently uploaded an unboxing video to my Youtube channel. You can check the link here. 

Nintendo Switch Initial Launch

The first launch of Nintendo Switch was dated back in March 2017. And the hype was so insane. It was tagged as $299. Coming from a family of playing Super Mario on a Nintendo Family Computer (yes We have that one at home) and I have the Gameboy Advance and Gameboy SP as well. I thought I might purchase the newly launched Nintendo Switch. But there's a drawback! The first switch display is LCD and it's not OLED!. That makes me think of sticking to my iPhone playing Mobile Legends rather than purchasing it as my vision is getting used to eye-popping OLED displays.

Hello, Nintendo 2023!

So I skipped that part. And fast forward to today 2023. I decided to purchase the NEW NINTENDO SWITCH OLED. And voila! It never disappoints me. The OLED screen is an eye grabber and the switch controller has an HD rumble (a  haptic feedback engine hidden inside the Joy-Con and Pro Controller) adding the gaming experience better! (though the first switch has an HD rumble, the experience is really different with the OLED display) 

First Impression...Feels Plasticky?

Though I find that the controller is plasticky and it wiggles a bit when connected to the console. Still, it's vulnerable to "Joy-Con Drift" ( a term for joysticks acting as though they are being tilted in a particular direction even when they are not.) If you purchase as well a separate joy con controller as that cost you much as 70 dollars (AED to USD exchange rate at the moment online), that depends on the brand or Nintendo itself.

Regional Settings Issue. And the Technical Stuff...

I am living in Abu Dhabi UAE and I'm not able to download some games via Nintendo E-Shop the only way for me to download them is to find a solution by changing the region and all. It's very technical so I will leave it here. To make it short, I was able to download some free games such as OVERWATCH 2 (I'm addicted to it! ) and Fortnite.

Pricey Games!

Most of my friends would think that Super Mario is free to download. But it's not! And you very rare for Nintendo to run some offers or discounts on Super Mario games. There are plenty of free games which you can download at the Nintendo E-Shop though most of them need an internet connection to play on.

Little Nightmares 1 and 2 are on sale and I purchased their digital version. And speaking of purchases. The Nintendo Switch OLED internal memory is 64GB versus their previous 32GB storage and there is a micro sd card slot in the console's back compartment. I purchased an extra 64 GB on top of its internal storage and its expandable to up to 2TB of storage.

I decided to purchase the physical version of SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD + BOWSER FURY. I got a deal on Amazon and it cost me $40. It is much cheaper than the digital version which costs about $60. Very expensive. But upon playing the Super Mario 3D World. I now realized why it is very expensive. The gaming quality overall is superb and one thing is for sure. They spent millions of dollars just to create a game that was enjoyable and fun. And I bet $60 is all worth it. But I'm still hoping that they can run a discount.

The Gameplay Experience is Absolutely Great!

My favorite part as well as the console's dock it allows the user to display Nintendo Switch gameplay on the television. By docking the switch on it and you can remove as well the joy-con and connect it to the joy-con grip. I'm using the Joy-con grip to play Overwatch 2 and Asphalt 9 as the Joy-con has a built-in gyro sensor. While the switch is connected to the dock, It is simultaneously charged at the same time. And the new switch dock has a built LAN Port which the previous dock doesn't have. So if you wish to play an intensive game that needed a robust internet connection, then they decided to put a LAN port. That's a plus from Nintendo. 

The Battery quality of the console is okay. Not great really. I spent most of my time playing Overwatch on the go. And approximately it last up to 6 hours of battery usage and yet I still have 30% left when I reached home.

For your reference, here's what is inside the box of Nintendo Switch OLED. 

Nintendo Switch console

Nintendo Switch dock

1 Joy-Con™ (L) controller, 1 Joy-Con™ (R) controller

2 Joy-Con™ wrist strap accessories

Joy-Con grip accessory

Nintendo Switch AC adapter

HDMI cable

So. Do I recommend the Nintendo Switch OLED to purchase this 2023?

If you have the budget to purchase games aside from the free ones. Searching for a better OLED Screen with decent battery life. The portability. It's a YES for me!

Thanks for reading my tech review of Nintendo Switch OLED and I'll see you again next time!

-Ceddy

 iPhone 13 Pro Max Quick Unboxing Review | Ceddy's Random

Hello Everyone! Ceddy here and welcome back to my blog. And for today's content, I am going to do a quick unboxing review of the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Yes! You read it right. Finally, after 3 years of using my iPhone 11, I was able to upgrade to iPhone 13 Pro Max. After 3 years of using my old iPhone, its battery degrade as well from 100 % going down to 75%. As the time I used my device, I also noticed that its overall performance was lessened although Apple is well known to optimize the overall hardware and software performance.

I didn't hesitate to purchase the iPhone 13 Pro Max although the new iPhone 14 is approaching and will introduce this coming September's keynote event.  I've been watching plenty of reviews of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the feedback was excellent. 

Some of the reasons that I purchased this device is because of the adaptive ProMotion display which clocks up to 120hz and clocks down to 10hz. I personally prefer this high refresh rate since I'm always playing Mobile Legends and Genshin Impact. 5G is also available on iPhone 13 Pro Max which was initially debuted from the previous iPhone 12 lineup. Dolby Vision XDR Display as well that provides a wide color gamut giving unprecedented color accuracy when watching a movie or capturing/recording video content. Packed with 6 GB or ram, an IP68 Rating that can be fully protected from dust and can handle being underwater for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 6 meters. I mentioned only a few of the features of the new iPhone 13 Pro Max. Enough with the intro, let's start the unboxing! 

iPhone 13 Pro Max Alpine Green New Redesigned Packaging

Back Portion of the iPhone 13 Pro Max Alpine Green

USB-C 20W Power Adapter 

What's in the Box?

Documentation with Apple Sticker

iPhone 13 Pro Max All Glass Front / Textured Glass Back

iPhone 13 Pro Max Triple Camera Lenses

Side Panel of the iPhone 13 Pro Max

USB-C to Lightning Cable Charger

And the last item in the box is no other than the USB-C to lightning cable. Most Android devices use USB-C chargers because of the data transfer rate and charging speed capability. However, Apple still continues to use the lightning cable which was launched way back in 2012.

Transparent Case for iPhone 13 Pro Max

For added protection, I purchased a transparent case for my device along with a screen protector. I'm planning to purchase another case that comes with a magnet embossed on its back so that charging a MagSafe would be easier. 

 iPhone 13 Pro Max with Transparent Case

And that's it! Thanks for reading my quick unboxing review of the iPhone 13 Pro Max. I will be writing a follow review after using the device for a month utilizing its features such as 5G connectivity and more. So stay tuned! 

Stay safe and God Bless!

-Ceddy

Samsung Pay Review 2022- 1 Month After Using It | Ceddy's Random

photo credits to Wikipedia

Contactless Payments

contactless card symbol, image credits to Wikipedia

Samsung Pay - Setting It Up

Launched Date

What is Samsung Pay?

My Experienced Using Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay - Is it Safe?

The convenience of Samsung Pay 

photo credits to boubyan bank

Samsung Pay Application

Home, Pay, and Discover.

Pay Tab

Discover Tab

Shopping Online Using Samsung Pay

photo credits via medium.com

Overall Experience

Do I recommend Samsung Pay?