2025-11-09 05:57:25
Back in January 2025, I took my first hike with the intention of hiking every month. Well some good intentions just do not eventuate. However, it is never too late. So as we are in November 2025, I took my second hike on 6 November 2025.
Within minutes of starting the hike, I regretted not doing this more often. It was wonderful to be surrounded by nature and just being on my own walking, observing, breathing in the nature and most importantly just being present in the moment. Parts of it were dense forest, others were beautiful working along the creek. It was amazing.
For details:
Stats as per Alltrails app:
It wasn't a long walk but it was beautiful.
For this hike, I took my:
In hindsight, I probably could have gone without the watch because I didn't use it at all. The Pixel Pro Fold was handy with navigation (after all, one does not want to get lost) and AirPods were great for podcast listening.
I took lots of pictures too where I must say the Pixel Fold was incredible. At the time, I could have chosen to take the iPhone 17 Pro Max but decided against it. My thinking was, I will benefit from the larger screen on an unfolded foldable. Surprising, not once, I unfolded the phone. I used it as a slab phone.
The temperature on the day was in low mid twenties (in Celsius) and the Pixel Fold got warm, not hot. Having said that, it is expected considering AllTrails is continuously using GPS and I am taking pictures etc. Perhaps, with the vapour cooling on the 17 Pro Max, it would have been better. Well, we wont know anytime soon because as off yesterday, I gave it to my wife. Her iPhone 14 Pro Max had terrible battery life and since I had two phones, I felt terrible about it while my wife is struggling with her iPhone.
People say men do not communicate. My wife isn't much better when it comes to complaining about technology. She basically just lives with it. In her mind, it doesn't matter. In my mind, I am thinking the worse when I hear her battery life is terrible, battery health is 81% and she is using 126GB of her 128Gb storage on the iPhone. Long story short, I miss my iPhone 17 Pro Max but I am much much more happier it is put to better use.
This also means, I am back to one phone lifestyle for now. This may be a good opportunity to live an android only lifestyle for a few months. After all, how attached can one be to a mobile phone.
Some pictures I took:
I felt a bit scary at the following point, mainly in fear of snakes
However, further along from this, I saw these wonderful white parrots which made it all worth it (5 seconds of video):
Note: I used the telephoto camera a lot in this hike which I would have missed terribly on the iPhone Air. The above video is a also a good example. A terrible telephoto lens is still better than no telephoto lens.
2025-10-22 05:34:26
There is something special about the iPhone Air. I will not be doing it justice if all I said was that the iPhone Air is thin and light (which it most certainly is). I have previously written about the hypocrisy of the iPhone Air in my lifestyle.
I pre-ordered the iPhone Air at launch, and I explained the reason:
MereCivilian
Within two weeks of receiving the iPhone Air, I returned it for a full refund. Thank you Apple!
Why... Well, even though this may be an opportune time to list all the compromises of the iPhone Air, those are not the reasons I returned it (well, perhaps partly).
People who follow my journey know I carry two phones, and my other phone, my Android phone, is a foldable. When I got the iPhone Air, I did not have a foldable because I had traded it in for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (details here). Anyway, the question that was on my mind was, will the iPhone Air be a delightful companion to my Android foldable?
Foldable have their own compromises, the biggest being subpar camera and battery life. For this reason, I carried the iPhone 16 Pro (which had a great camera but meh battery life). Interestingly, the iPhone Air also has the same compromises.
Therefore, I decided I will wait for the Pixel Pro 10 Fold to arrive and then buy the iPhone Air to live with my 2 phone carry lifestyle.
On 9 October, I got the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. I am so happy with this device, and being without a foldable for a month was painful.
Anyway, a few days later, when I was at the Apple Store, I bought the iPhone Air. I like to talk to people, so I took this opportunity to have a chat with the Apple salesperson.
According to him, the iPhone 17 series has been selling great, particularly the iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max. They sold so well that there were none in stock that day. He said he had plenty of the iPhone Air in stock in all the variants. That did not give me confidence about the iPhone Air, but I bought it anyway.
OMG, it feels so freaking good to hold. So comfortable.
It is the only iPhone that is currently on sale, which makes me smile every time I hold. It is like holding a piece of glass, it's like I am on the cutting edge, holding a prototype of an iPhone years before its launch. It feels great.
Do yourself a favour; just holding the iPhone Air will make you happy. It is the perfect-size iPhone for 2025 and beyond.
Surprisingly, the battery life of the iPhone Air was decent, but when you compare it with other slab phones, it is clear the battery life is not its strong point.
The following is my battery usage when only using the iPhone Air (note; I did not use any other phone during this period and I was at home on Wi-Fi):
The battery life is decent.
As you can see, the battery life for such a thin and light phone is decent. Actually surprised myself how good it was. If we lived in an iPhone Air-only bubble, personally, perhaps I would be happy with the battery life.
The fact is that we do not; there are other iPhones that have significantly better battery life. Honestly, the iPhone Air has the worst battery life in this year's lineup, as shown in the following test:
To save you from watching the video, the following is how long each phone lasted in their battery test:
If you are in the US, the battery life is even better on the Pro models because the SIM card tray was removed to add extra battery. The above test was done on the UK version of the phone (thats the one sold in Australia), which does come with a physical SIM card tray.
Now, if you 100% know that the iPhone Air battery life is more than sufficient for your needs and you do not use the telephoto and ultraWide camera, the iPhone Air is the perfect phone for you.
For me, as it is, it isn't suitable for my needs. I usually give my iPhone to my family, and for most of them, the iPhone is the only computer in their life. They want a bigger screen, better battery life and the best camera possible. Don't we all 😆
The iPhones I buy are usually kept in the family for 3-4 years, and battery life gets worse as the iPhone ages, so it makes financial sense to buy the best one possible.
I bought the iPhone 16 Pro last year, and no one in my family wanted this phone. My mum, who has the oldest iPhone, the iPhone 13 Pro Max was not interested because it has a smaller screen. I totally understand this. Even my eyesight is not as good as it was. The iPhone 17 Plus would have been perfect for her 😥.
MereCivilian
The reasons are not dissimilar to my reasons for returning it the first time around.
I am a father, a husband and I take lots of pictures. Daily, I missed the ultra and the zoom lens on the iPhone Air. Parents will know the difficulty in taking pictures of their kids.
IPhone Air gets great reviews by YouTubers, as did the iPhone Mini. One thing that most viewers probably are not aware of is that most YouTubers have other phones and real cameras for their needs.
For me, my mobile phone is my only camera. Foremost, my mobile phones are tools that are required to get the job done and last me the whole day doing that job. As a tool, the iPhone Air disappoints both in terms of feature set and battery life. As a luxury object, it's my favourite iPhone in recent times. I considered getting it to use as my home iPhone (now that is a crazy thought lol)
I envy those who can live the iPhone Air lifestyle. In 2025, that is not me.
BUT, I am confident that there is an iPhone Air in my future. Precisely the same way, I have an iPhone 13 Mini that I still use every day.
To that end, I cannot promise you I will not buy an iPhone Air for the 3rd time around. And that is a tremendous compliment on the design and execution of the iPhone Air. Good Job Apple.
2025-10-05 16:12:20
Most reviewers say that the iPhone 17 is the phone to get this year (by the way, they said the same thing last year lol).
It packs remarkable value and features. Compared the last year's iPhone 16, the most notable additions are the ProMotion display and the selfie camera. Last year, I attempted to use the base iPhone 16, but despite finding it a joy to use, the lack of a ProMotion display and always on display was a deal-breaker. Both are resolved this year. This year, I feel I am not a Pro user; the base iPhone is perfect.
However, what if you aren't a Pro user but would like a bigger (iPhone Pro Max) display? This year, you have no other choice but to get the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Alternatively, live with the compromises of the iPhone Air, which doesn't have the best battery life and isn't the largest display on an iPhone.
Last year, you could have bought the iPhone 16 Plus. This year, we could have bought the iPhone 17 Plus. Instead, we get an iPhone Air, which will not have the same battery life compared to the iPhone 17 Plus and has only one camera.
The following is the price structure in Australia:
$400 more
$200 more
$200 more
The iPhone 16 Plus in Australia was priced at $1599 (admittedly, with only 128gb storage)
My parents are Pro Max users, not because they are Pro users, not because they want the latest and the greatest. They use the Pro Max because their eye sight isn't as good as it was and because they do most of their personal computing on their iPhone. Both my parents have an iPad Pro and iPad Mini, but I rarely (very rarely) see them using the iPad. They have no other choice but to get the iPhone Pro Max or downgrade to a smaller battery and a single camera.
I am not 40 yet, but even my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, and that is why, 99% of the time, I prefer using the Pixel Fold instead of my iPhone 16 Pro. I also regret not getting the Pro Max last year because of my poor eyesight. Although this poor eyesight thing is a recent problem for me 😞
While I appreciate what Apple has done with the iPhone Air, I cannot help but think that Apple deliberately removed the iPhone 17 Plus from their lineup to push people towards the most expensive iPhone they sell, the Pro Max. As an Apple shareholder, this most certainly is the right move for a corporate giant.
The following is the iPhone lineup in Australia. There was definitely space for the iPhone 17 Plus (right after the iPhone 17 and before the iPhone Air at $1599). As consumers, I feel we were a little short-changed. Again!
2025-10-05 06:45:57
The following short story is not my creation, and I do not know who the original greater is, but it beautifully highlights some important lessons along with showing how our current world works.
A few years ago, robbers entered a bank in a small town. One of them shouted: “Don’t move! The money belongs to the bank. Your lives belong to you.
Immediately, all the people in the bank laid on the floor quietly and without panic.
This is an example of how the correct wording of a sentence can make everyone change their view of the world.
One woman lay on the floor provocatively. The robber approached her, saying, “Ma’am, this is a robbery. Please behave accordingly.”
This is an example of how to behave professionally, and focus on the goal.
While running from the bank, the youngest robber (who had a college degree) said to the oldest robber (who had barely finished elementary school): “Hey, maybe we should count how much we stole?” The older man replied: “Don’t be stupid. It’s a lot of money, so let’s wait for the news on TV to find out how much money was taken from the bank.”
This is an example of how life experience is more important than a degree
After the robbery, the manager of the bank said to his accountant: “Let’s call the police and tell them how much has been stolen.”
“Wait”, said the accountant, “before we do that, let’s add the $800,000 we took for ourselves a few months ago and just say that it was stolen as part of today’s robbery.”
This is an example of taking advantage of an opportunity.
The news reported the bank had been robbed of $3m the following day. The robbers counted the money, but they found only $1m so they started to grumble.
“We risked our lives for $1m, while the bank’s management robbed two million dollars without blinking? Maybe it’s better to learn how to work the system, instead of being a simple robber.”
This is an example of how knowledge can be more useful than power.
2025-09-23 17:23:31
Wives are good people. I cannot presume that all wives are good 😆
Firs, my wife is a wonderful human being and second, she is the only one on this planet that can be my better half. I doubt anyone else can survive with me. Anyway, she has a very interesting way of getting to the point.
I got the iPhone Air on Friday and I was waiting for her to notice or make a comment. Anyway, two days went by and she didn't say anything. So on Sunday evening, I handed her the iPhone Air and said, "this is my new iPhone".
10 seconds later she said, WOW, this is super light and thin. 5 seconds later, she handed the iPhone back to me.
I don't remember what I was expecting her to say or how she would react. In any case, I was surprised that the iPhone Air had so little air time.
I said: So thats it.
She said: it still is just an iPhone. whats the big deal?
She saw the disappointment on my face and said: Your energy is better spent elsewhere.
This concludes my wife's thoughts on the iPhone Air.
Does it put things into perspective? I think it does.
2025-09-22 15:22:04
I got my Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold last year at launch thanks to an amazing deal by trading in my 10-year-old iPad, which gave me $1,000 off.
MereCivilian
Anyway, this year, I was content with not upgrading from my one-year-old Pixel 9 Pro Fold because, well; I wasn't looking forward to spending so much money on a phone.
Compared to last year's model, this year, Google added the following to its foldable:
When the Pixel 10 Pro Fold was announced, my wallet was super pleased because I didn't have a good reason to upgrade. After trading in my Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the upgrade would cost me AUD1800. I like MagSafe, but I am not paying that much for it.
Whirlpool is a popular old school like forum in Australia. While browsing, I came across a post where it said that if you had bought the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold from Harvey Norman, you may upgrade by paying AUD299. This sounded like an amazing deal. My purchase came with Harvey Norman's Mobile Freedom Plan (which apparently is now discontinued). It is like Apple'e iPhone Upgrade Program. Interestingly, this plan was included for free with my purchase, and I can upgrade if available by 14 September 2025.
I was overjoyed 😹!
In Australia, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is going to be available on 9 October 2025, a few weeks after my Mobile Freedom Plan expires. However, you can place a preorder now, and this is exactly what I have done, thus using my AUD299 upgrade. The only downside was that I had to hand in my Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and wait till the 10 Pro Fold is available in October 😔.
Therefore, since 9 September, I have been without my beloved foldable 😿.
I am eagerly looking forward to 9 October when I go to my local Harvey Norman and reunite with a Foldable.
Best AUD299 I have spent in recent times
You may recall, in June 2025, I embarked on a challenge where I did not use any Apple devices for 6 weeks.
MereCivilian
Being without my beloved foldable, I took this opportunity to use only Apple devices for 4 weeks starting 9 September. This means that my Surface Pro and my Pixel Watch will rest while I try to live the Apple ecosystem lifestyle.
It's almost 2 weeks (at the time of writing this post) since this experiment started, and as I suspected, I really, really miss my Google Fold. Despite having the iPhone Air, there is something so wonderful about a foldable 💌.
Interestingly, I am also missing my Surface Pro. I got very fond of that device too. Honestly, I am considering bringing the Surface Pro back into my daily rotation and changing this experiment from Exclusive to Apple to 30 Days without Android.
