accessories &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:accessories A personal weblog. Fri, 14 Aug 2026 21:51:11 +0000 https://i.snap.as/Xmr1St6g.ico accessories &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:accessories Hello and Goodbye Clicks Power Keyboard https://dallincrump.com/hello-and-goodbye-clicks-power-keyboard?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I received my pre-ordered Clicks Power Keyboard this week. It's a quality iPhone accessory and it made my thumbs very happy. But a Clicks account is required for firmware updates, and that's a deal-breaker for me. !--more-- I was excited when the Clicks Power Keyboard was first announced. A mag-safe physical keyboard that turns your phone into a slider and is also a battery pack? I immediately pre-ordered one. When I received it this week, I was impressed by the build quality and how good it felt to type on. I was a bit skeptical about how the round keys would feel, but my thumbs didn't seem to have a problem with them. No doubt, as muscle memory improved, I would have mastered it like my old BlackBerry phones. When attached to my iPhone, both devices together are quite heavy, but still manageable and not as top-heavy as I thought they would be. I couldn't see myself using it for marathon typing sessions, but for long emails and texts or moderate-length blog posts, it would be so much better for me than typing on glass. I didn't try it, but you can also pair the keyboard with any other Bluetooth device that accepts keyboard input. So it's a pretty versatile gadget. But today I tried to install an available firmware update via the Clicks app on iOS. And it prompted me to log into my Clicks account. It gave me two options: "Later" and "Sign In". "Later" doesn't actually mean later, it means cancel, because it just kicks you out of the update screen. "Sign In" takes you to a screen with two options: sign in with Apple, and sign in with Google. No option to use a different sign in method or even a preferred email address. So Clicks has locked the ability to install firmware updates for its products behind the creation of a Clicks account using your Apple or Google account credentials. I have both an Apple and Google account (for now), but what if I didn't have either? What if I didn't want either? Why is this even a requirement for firmware updates? The only reason I can think of is so Clicks can track, market to, exploit, and monetize their users. It is wrong, and it is insulting. It means that I don't really own the product Clicks sold me. Rather, they are allowing me to pay for the privilege of using their product, and they get to decide how it is used. I am already trying to wean myself off the likes of Apple and Google, and it is not easy in a society where their products and services are ubiquitous. I don't want to entrench myself with even more companies that are trying to copycat unethical Big Tech practices. So farewell, Clicks Power Keyboard. I hardly knew you. My thumbs are sad again. But my conscience - on this matter, at least - is clear. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/hello-and-goodbye-clicks-power-keyboard"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 163) #tech #smartphones #accessories]]> I received my pre-ordered Clicks Power Keyboard this week. It's a quality iPhone accessory and it made my thumbs very happy. But a Clicks account is required for firmware updates, and that's a deal-breaker for me.

I was excited when the Clicks Power Keyboard was first announced. A mag-safe physical keyboard that turns your phone into a slider and is also a battery pack? I immediately pre-ordered one.

When I received it this week, I was impressed by the build quality and how good it felt to type on. I was a bit skeptical about how the round keys would feel, but my thumbs didn't seem to have a problem with them. No doubt, as muscle memory improved, I would have mastered it like my old BlackBerry phones.

When attached to my iPhone, both devices together are quite heavy, but still manageable and not as top-heavy as I thought they would be. I couldn't see myself using it for marathon typing sessions, but for long emails and texts or moderate-length blog posts, it would be so much better for me than typing on glass.

I didn't try it, but you can also pair the keyboard with any other Bluetooth device that accepts keyboard input. So it's a pretty versatile gadget.

But today I tried to install an available firmware update via the Clicks app on iOS. And it prompted me to log into my Clicks account. It gave me two options: “Later” and “Sign In”. “Later” doesn't actually mean later, it means cancel, because it just kicks you out of the update screen. “Sign In” takes you to a screen with two options: sign in with Apple, and sign in with Google. No option to use a different sign in method or even a preferred email address.

So Clicks has locked the ability to install firmware updates for its products behind the creation of a Clicks account using your Apple or Google account credentials. I have both an Apple and Google account (for now), but what if I didn't have either? What if I didn't want either?

Why is this even a requirement for firmware updates? The only reason I can think of is so Clicks can track, market to, exploit, and monetize their users. It is wrong, and it is insulting. It means that I don't really own the product Clicks sold me. Rather, they are allowing me to pay for the privilege of using their product, and they get to decide how it is used.

I am already trying to wean myself off the likes of Apple and Google, and it is not easy in a society where their products and services are ubiquitous. I don't want to entrench myself with even more companies that are trying to copycat unethical Big Tech practices.

So farewell, Clicks Power Keyboard. I hardly knew you. My thumbs are sad again. But my conscience – on this matter, at least – is clear.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 163) #tech #smartphones #accessories

]]> https://dallincrump.com/hello-and-goodbye-clicks-power-keyboard Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:26:09 +0000 The 20-Year Wallet https://dallincrump.com/the-20-year-wallet?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I’ve been using the same wallet for nearly 20 years. I purchased it in January 2003 shortly after I returned home from my 2-year church mission to Brazil. !--more-- It’s made of leather and it’s an accordion-style tri-fold, meaning it has three segments, two of which fold in towards the middle segment. But unlike most tri-fold wallets where the two outer segments fold in on the same side, this one has two outer segments that fold in on opposite sides of the middle segment. In the crease of one of the folds, there is a money clip for holding bills. It’s definitely showing signs of wear, but it has held up remarkably well and is still perfectly usable. My wallet is older than my marriage. I’ve had it nearly half my lifetime. When I bought my wallet, Facebook didn’t exist, Google was just a search engine, and smartphones weren’t even a thing. I am sure I will get more years out of my wallet. And I don’t know what I’ll do when the time comes to replace it, because I haven’t seen any others quite like it. But it may be a moot point, because aren’t tech companies trying to make physical wallets obsolete? a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/the-20-year-wallet"Discuss.../a --- 100DaysToOffload (No. 35) #EveryDayCarry #accessories]]> I’ve been using the same wallet for nearly 20 years. I purchased it in January 2003 shortly after I returned home from my 2-year church mission to Brazil.

It’s made of leather and it’s an accordion-style tri-fold, meaning it has three segments, two of which fold in towards the middle segment. But unlike most tri-fold wallets where the two outer segments fold in on the same side, this one has two outer segments that fold in on opposite sides of the middle segment. In the crease of one of the folds, there is a money clip for holding bills.

It’s definitely showing signs of wear, but it has held up remarkably well and is still perfectly usable.

My wallet is older than my marriage. I’ve had it nearly half my lifetime. When I bought my wallet, Facebook didn’t exist, Google was just a search engine, and smartphones weren’t even a thing.

I am sure I will get more years out of my wallet. And I don’t know what I’ll do when the time comes to replace it, because I haven’t seen any others quite like it. But it may be a moot point, because aren’t tech companies trying to make physical wallets obsolete?

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 35) #EveryDayCarry #accessories

]]> https://dallincrump.com/the-20-year-wallet Thu, 03 Nov 2022 03:05:41 +0000 Topics https://dallincrump.com/topics?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader. Topics of Focus faith - thoughts related to my religion tech - self explanatory Other Topics 100DaysToOffload accessories AI automobiles Bandcamp books business cassette charity Christianity Christmas ChurchOfJesusChrist climate community compactDisc contention COVID19 decentralization DigitalMinimalism economy electronicMusic EveryDayCarry eWaste family FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) friends gratitude haiku health hobbies HomeOffice humor intentionism internet laptop LessConvenient libraryMusic life Linux loneliness media meditation mentalHealth misc movies music news nostalgia physicalMedia planning poetry politics privacy prophets retro smartphones SocialMedia synthwave travel TV Twitch unity (not the game engine) Utah vaporwave writing]]> To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader.

Topics of Focus

#faith – thoughts related to my religion #tech – self explanatory

Other Topics

#100DaysToOffload #accessories #AI #automobiles #Bandcamp #books #business #cassette #charity #Christianity #Christmas #ChurchOfJesusChrist #climate #community #compactDisc #contention #COVID19 #decentralization #DigitalMinimalism #economy #electronicMusic #EveryDayCarry #eWaste #family #FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) #friends #gratitude #haiku #health #hobbies #HomeOffice #humor #intentionism #internet #laptop #LessConvenient #libraryMusic #life #Linux #loneliness #media #meditation #mentalHealth #misc #movies #music #news #nostalgia #physicalMedia #planning #poetry #politics #privacy #prophets #retro #smartphones #SocialMedia #synthwave #travel #TV #Twitch #unity (not the game engine) #Utah #vaporwave #writing

]]> https://dallincrump.com/topics Sat, 13 Mar 2021 23:20:27 +0000