When I was working in retail, the Apple Watch was an excellent device for me. I could keep tabs on text messages or other notifications without having to get my iPhone out. It was also a great way for me to keep track of breaks and check the time to make sure that cashiers and stockers I was working with were ready to clock out of their shifts on time.

Now that I’m working at Automattic, though, I’m sitting in front of a computer for my entire work day. I still wear my Apple Watch, but not for the same reasons. Now, I literally only use it as a pomodoro timer — using it’s built-in timer app to take short, five minute breaks periodically throughout the day.

I could use my iPhone or another device for this, but I don’t want the timer to make a noise when it goes off. Just a simple vibrating nudge on my wrist is what I want — it’s silent and less jarring.

If there was a watch that offered this functionality without all of the smartwatch functionality and it was reasonably priced, I would buy it without hesitation.

➝ Source: kevquirk.com

It has become an annual tradition to share my device home screens around the new year. This serves as a snapshot of what I’m using, which I can use to see the evolution over time.

I’ve add my Nintendo 2DS to the list, which I recently acquired. I’m still playing games on my iPhone using the Backbone One, but i purchased a 2DS to play Nintendo DS and 3DS titles. Emulation for these systems isn’t great on the iPhone. The dual screen of the systems doesn’t make for a great emulation experience and existing iPhones just aren’t powerful enough for smooth 3DS emulation.

iPhone 15 Pro

iPad Pro, 11-inch

Framework 13, running Ubuntu 24.04

Nintendo 2DS

I have dozens of 3DS games installed, but most recently I’ve been playing Super Mario 3D Land, Mega Man X2 in Snes9x, and Plants vs. Zombies through TWiLight Menu++.

Apple TV 4K

I’ve enabled Display Zoom for larger icons on the Home Screen. This can be done in Settings > General > Appearance by setting Display Zoom to “Large”. I’m glad they introduced this as an option because I never liked the move to smaller icons that came with tvOS 17.

Apple Watch Series 5

Similar to Cake, which I highlighted last month, tinyPod is a case for your Apple Watch that turns the device into a pocketable handheld rather than a wearable. I love the homage to the click wheel on this one.

➝ Source: thetinypod.com

From their About page:

Transform your Apple Watch into a playful, functional handheld device that provides connectivity without distraction, encouraging you to leave your phone at home.

This seems like a neat project.

➝ Source: cake.computer

Last year I published my home screens at the beginning of January and declared that it will be an annual tradition. Following up that this year with my home screens below.

It’s worth noting that I had a dedicated gaming handheld last year, but that is no longer the case. Instead I’m using my iPhone as my gaming handheld, paired with the Backbone one to play games in Steam Link, PPSSPP, and RetroArch.

iPhone 15 Pro

iPad Pro, 11-inch

13-inch MacBook Air with M2

This is actually a screenshot of a virtual machine running Ubuntu 22.04. The MacBook is primarily a work machine and I had previously setup a separate user account on it for personal stuff. This year I decided to move that to a virtual machine instead, which makes it easier to switch back and forth for quick breaks throughout my work day.

Apple TV 4K

Apple Watch Series 5

I haven’t been sharing my home screens as regularly as I’d prefer, so I thought I’d just publish screenshots from each of my current devices at the beginning of the year and plan to do the same each year going forward.

iPhone 13 Pro

iPad Pro, 11-inch

MacBook Air with M2

Apple TV 4K

Retroid Pocket 3

Apple Watch Series 5

I’m pretty excited about widgets coming to the iPad Home Screen. But if I’m being honest with myself, I’m not sure if I’ll actually end up using them. I’ve been using the same strategy for organizing my home screens for so long that it takes a lot to make adjustments.

macOS Monterey seems like a massive improvement, though. My iPad sits next to my iPad throughout the work day and Universal Control will be a very welcome change. I love the idea of fluently moving from my Mac to my iPad and back again with the same keyboard and mouse.

And then there’s Shortcuts on macOS. This is the real deal. Nothing on macOS in the automation category has ever clicked for me quite like Shortcuts has on iOS. Bringing that power and ease-of-use to the Mac is going to fundamentally change how I perform a multitude of tasks. And I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

➝ Source: thesweetsetup.com

BasicAppleGuy:

As delightful as the first batch of 2020 Braided Solo Loops were, I couldn’t help imagining what changes 2021 could have in store for them, and first on my wish-list was to see the bands refreshed with multiple braided colour options. In a desperate effort to keep my brain from leaking out during a recent Zoom call, I had the chance to begin mocking up potential redesigns for the Braided Solo Loops.

While the Woven Nylon Band is still my favorite Apple Watch band type of all time, the Braided Solo Loop is a close second. And it has the advantage of still being sold by Apple.

But the Braided Solo Loop is lacking in the “fun” department when compared to the Woven Nylon Band. It only comes in solid colors and those colors are pretty limited.

These mock-ups by BasicAppleGuy depict what could be coming in the future. Or at least what I hope to see. If Apple releases multicolor Braided Solo Loops, I expect I’d start collecting them like I did the Woven Nylon Bands.

➝ Source: basicappleguy.com