Iterate Weekly - Issue 216
This week, Samsung launches a new headset, Daylight computers for kids in the wild!, Oura offers blood panels, YouTube TV loses NBA League Pass, and "The FF Newsletter"!
Welcome to issue 216 of Iterate Weekly.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories shall we?
Thank you as always for reading!
🖥️ Tech
Samsung’s new Galaxy XR headset
I’ve been bullish on VR/AR headsets for years. So how about XR?
Samsung recently announced its long-awaited new headset and here are my initial thoughts.
I’m excited to see what the new Android XR platform has in store. This is essentially creating a new open playing field for developers to mess around in. It’s bringing me back to the early days of Android and all of the amazing creativity (and also garbage) that came in that initial wave of apps. The barrier to entry here is obviously a bit higher, but I’m hoping that there will be some strange and unexpected hit apps on the way.
It’s certainly still an expensive device at nearly $1,800 but it seems like a bargain when compared to Apple’s Vision Pro at $3,500. Will that make it a compelling purchase this holiday season? I’m not so sure. I’m sure the Black Friday Deals are incoming for this thing. If someone sells a discounted version for $999, I’m sure it would sell. But that initial price is pretty steep when they don’t even include handheld controllers. Yes, those will cost you an extra couple hundred bucks.
The good news is that this device should be able to run any Android app even if it wasn’t one designed for an immersive experience. I’m sure there could be some initial compatibility hiccups, but that’s still pretty good. Will it be good for actual productivity? It certainly has the power to do it, and early reports are that it is comfortable enough to do it. Will people sit around in offices wearing this instead of looking at a large monitor? Probably not.
We need more competition in this space. I’m glad Samsung has thrown their hat into the ring. The device looks pretty slick to me. I don’t think I’ll be buying one anytime soon, but it’s certainly on my radar.
🎓 Productivity/Work/Software/Gear
Daylight Computers in the Wild
If you’re not already familiar with the amazing Daylight Computer, it is a machine designed to limit distractions while being used outdoors under natural light. As someone who is working on a laptop outdoors on a daily basis, I’m really excited to see where this product goes.
Specifically, I’m pretty impressed by the push to get these computers into the hands of kids as a less stimulating alternative to an iPad. The folks over at Daylight have been doing some really solid marketing work. I wanted to highlight their series showing “Daylight Computers in the Wild”.
In this latest entry in the series, it highlights Charlie Deist who is a homeschooling Dad in Northern California. The idea of children learning outside all day in nature while still getting a crash course in modern technology is truly impressive.
Kudos to Charlie and Daylight for highlighting this use case. I’m excited to see more examples of these powerful machines out in the wild. And I will say that a Daylight Computer is not a bad holiday gift for your kids this year. I may need to pick one up for my daughter.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Oura Health Panels
It seems like Oura has been in the news a lot lately. You’ve likely been seeing the marketing blitz around their new colorful ceramic rings. I’ve been seeing the ads on TV in addition to plenty of marketing materials in my inbox.
But now there is another nice perk for Oura members. They’ll be able to get new bloodwork done at a fraction of the cost. They’re calling it Oura Health Panels.
Oura claims it’s $250+ worth of medical tests that will only cost $99 for members of the service. And it will be HSA and FSA eligible. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.
What will be covered in this? Oura says that over 50 biomarkers can be tested when using their health panels. It all seems pretty impressive, but I can’t speak from experience just yet.
Yes, I am one of those Oura fans who has been wearing a ring since nearly the beginning of their journey. It seems worthwhile to take advantage of this offer. You can schedule an appointment right in the Oura App with a local Quest Diagnostics location near you.
Unfortunately, this will not be available for residents in Arizona, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, or Rhode Island due to state-level legal and regulatory restrictions. But you should be good to check it out if you’re anywhere else in the US.
I’ll be sure to provide an update once I’m able to test out the health panels for myself!
🛍 Grab Bag
YouTube TV loses NBA League Pass
It’s the beginning of the NBA season!
Let’s all just forget about the huge gambling scandal going on right now and focus on another problem that the NBA has.
You can no longer access your NBA League Pass subscription though YouTubeTV.
This may not sound like a big deal to you, but it’s having a pretty big impact on the way I enjoy NBA basketball.
Picture this. You’re a busy dad who just got the kids to bed and now you want to watch a little roundball while cleaning up the huge mess in the kitchen. Last season, my go-to routine looked like this:
-Say “Hey Google, what are the scores of the NBA games?” to the Nest Hub Max in my kitchen near the sink where I wash dishes
-The Nest Hub Max then responses with the current games in progress and their scores.
-I can then choose the game with the closest score or most compelling matchup and say “Hey Google, play the (INSERT TEAM NAME HERE) game”
-Then the device would respond “Playing (INSERT TEAM NAME HERE) game on YouTubeTV
Within thirty seconds or so, I had deduced which game would be most exciting to watch in this moment and then I had it playing right in front of me. Typically, I also had the in-arena feed of the game so I could skip the commercials and enjoy all the Kiss Cam action I could handle. And I didn’t need to lift a finger so I could continue scrubbing the dishes without fumbling with my phone or trying to cast any media from the NBA app or YouTubeTV app.
Whether you’re an NBA fan or not. It was an amazing feature that worked incredibly well. And it seems like those days are over.
This season, Amazon has the exclusive deal on NBA League Pass. You need to signup in the Prime Video App and either watch games there or connect it to the NBA app. Both of these viewing experiences are inferior to YouTubeTV. They lack the voice controls I just mentioned and also limit your ability to build multi-view experiences to watch things other than basketball in your split-screen experience.
I love NBA basketball so I still subscribed. But I’m not happy about it. Let’s hope YouTubeTV can get back in the game next year. And please reach out if you’ve found any workaround to this issue!
💬 Quote of the Week
"All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price."
-Juvenal
📧 Content Review
The FF Newsletter
We’re in the thick of fantasy football season. And by this point, you should probably know if your team is a contender (like my team “The St. Brown Nosers!) or a pretender (like my team “InLightofBreecentEvents”, formerly known as “Hock of Seagulls”...)
If your season is hanging in the balance and you need some guidance, may I suggest the amazing content coming from the folks over
on Substack?
Twice a week they are churning out some can’t miss advice on who you need to pick up, who you need to drop, and all sorts of other fun info to make this fake sport even more enjoyable.
Go check them out and salvage your season, it’s not too late!
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
Hey! Could you use some help establishing healthy habits? Do you have a big project or new business that you want to get off the ground but could use some advice? Maybe you could benefit from hiring me as your coach. If you’re interested, read more about my coaching services here, or go ahead and book some time on my calendar to discuss further.
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