Author: Bryan

I have had the Westone ES50 custom in ear monitors for a while but have been using a pair of Airpods Pro for their convenience lately. Today I got the Shure RMCE-BT2 blue tooth adapter cable for MMX connector style headphones and it has breathed new life into my ES50s. Not having to use an adapter, and a different adapter, when using these with my iPhone X or iPad Pro is a game changer for me. The sound is rich and I don’t feel I’m missing anything from the cabled option. These produce more than adequate volume for me using this fairly sensitive in ears. I hated in ears before getting my ES50s as I could never get a good fit they would always fall out. This has been the case with the Airpod Pros although I’ll still use them for some of their features and convenience. The Shure RMCE-BT2 have 8 hours of battery life, though I’ve not had them long enough to judge other reviewers have said this is about accurate, and report the battery level audibly and to the battery widget on the iPhone X and iPad Pro. I was able to pick these up on sale for $50 while they retail for $150. Even at full price I’d recommend them. The Westone ES50 retail for $1000 and sound amazing. If you can’t find a universal fit in ear but would like the convenience I’d highly recommend the ES line from Westone.

I decided to keep my SN30 controller rather than going with the SN30 Pro from 8 BitDo. I mainly play ported games on my iPad but if you do have need for the added buttons of the SN30 Pro I would go with the SN30 Pro+ instead for the added grip when using the thumb sticks.

8 BitDo also has software for remapping that only works with the Pro+ model. With both controllers I was not able to add them as you would a normal Bluetooth device on the iPad Pro. Instead I had to go through System>Accessibility>Switch Control>Switches>Bluetooth Devices… to add the controllers. You can connect the controller by holding start and a together to go into pairing mode going into the above menu and then connecting it. You only have to go through the menu once and then you can connect it after that by just holding start and a. The buttons on the controller feel nice and are responsive and the controller works well with the iPad. I would highly suggest going with the Pro+ model though for the extra $5 given its added accessibility with the software and the added comfort with the grips. I’ll be carrying the SN30 in my bag for the form factor but using the SN30 Pro+ at home.

The Samsung T5 Portable SSD is my choice for mass storage for my iPad Pro. It’s also how I transfer files around from my PC to my iPad. Its fast and from all accounts including my own very reliable. The drive itself comes with both the cables for using type c to type c and type c to type a connections. So no matter if you are using a computer with type c or not it has you covered. Being a type c connection on the drive was important for me not just for speed but durability as well. This is not an inexpensive drive at an msrp of $250 street price closer to $150 but I think if you look into it you’ll find this is the best option for speed size and convenience. It really is amazing how small this thing is.

I was a little torn on what to write about next but I really like this little charger I found for the iPad Pro. It’s really tiny, type-c, and 30 watts so it’s perfect for a travel charger for the iPad Pro. The prongs fold away and it fits with my other items in my accessories bag. Anker is a company I have had many chargers from and I trust them. Its even not to badly priced at $34.99 at the time of writing so it could be a good alternative to the apple branded charger which is $49.00.

Starting next week I will be posting on this blog Monday, Wednesday and Friday about tech related topics. Specifically I will be talking about the digital conversion I have made from analog forms of media such as note taking, photography, videography, and sound. I will be looking at some of the ways that this change has impacted my life starting with how I am becoming more productive through digital media as a content creator.