Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we discuss the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a re-evaluation at products that already got the formal review treatment.
Different strokes for various folks. While Darren could have long since sworn off tablets as productivity machines, our own Billy Steele (a designer by trade, don'tcha know) was using one to workshop projects with clients. For Darren, anyway, productivity means having a laptop with a discrete GPU on the ready -- aside from when the GPU drains his battery life, that is where an app called gfxCardStatus is available in. Rounding things out, we have Jason Hidalgo talking up the several ways he's attempted to charge his needy PS3 controllers. All that and more after the break.
Forgetting about gfxCardStatus 
Years and years ago, Apple made MacBook Pro laptops that wouldn't even survive a single Apple liveblog. I literally lugged around an external battery simply to make it through. In those days, gfxCardStatus wasn't only a nice amenity; it was a need. This lightweight, without spending a dime program sits up within the top icon bar alongside your AirPort icon and Bluetooth notifier, however the concealed nature masks just how powerful it it.
Essentially, this enables MacBook owners to force their machine to depend upon the discrete GPU or the integrated GPU. The latter obviously sips less power, that's great for extending life on long-haul flights and so on. Over the last few years, I've found myself leaving it forced to integrated by default; I never even bothered to take advantage of discrete, since i do not game on my MBP.
After which came the external monitor fiasco. I went through four cables and 4 adapters, testing out a complete of 4 different monitors so as to hook an external LCD to my machine. None of them worked. Months glided by. I wept. Nightly. After which, i realized gfxCardStatus. I simply enabled Dynamic Switching, and once it detected an external monitor, boom. Seems, pushing a 1080p picture on a second display is an effective reason to apply a discrete GPU. The lesson? gfxCardStatus is a great tool for any MacBook owner, but a notification feature in a future build will be great -- , to let goons like me know once they should awaken and realize that a discrete GPU is really needed.
-- Darren Murph
Nyko Charge Base 3 for PS3 
Charging PlayStation 3 controllers via the console's USB ports could be a pain within the neck -- literally. I first realized this once I found myself staring up at my 63-inch TV from close range while I waited for my lone controller to charge over a laughably short USB cable. Because you can't rejuice it unless the PS3 is turned on, I developed a bent to charge while playing. Eventually, i purchased a brand new Dualshock 3 so i may have one controller charging while I used any other to play wirelessly from a more well-off distance. This was almost always my main method for charging until I got the Nyko Charge Base 3.
The Charge Base 3 has two slots for rejuicing two controllers, which dock automagically with the device via a magnetic adapter. In short, the $25 charge stand offers a convenient strategy to stock up your controllers even if you are not using your PS3. A yellow indicator light means the device is charging while a green light enables you to know that the controllers are all juiced up. It also has a shut-down circuit so that you can leave your controllers within the device overnight without worrying about drawing vampire power.
Nonethless, i've my share of niggles: charging is meant to simply take an hour and a half, but I've seen it take several. The clip-on adapter covers up the player indicator lights. Unlike with an immediate USB connection, you furthermore mght can't use your controllers to play while charging with the device. Overall, though, the Charge Base 3 is a convenient method to keep your controllers charged. It even doubles as a tidy holding station, which helps with organization when you have a gajillion controllers for other consoles. Just beware when folks bring little children over. This thing's a child magnet.
-- Jason Hidalgo
First-generation iPad 
I got my iPad about four months before the iPad 2 was announced. By the point the sequel debuted, I had everything situated simply so, and the slate had found a comfy spot in my daily workflow. For the reason that, I wasn't seeking to splurge at the new model simply because of its novelty or improved specs; i used to be pleased with my OG tablet. i exploit my iPad mostly when meeting with clients about design projects. It allows me to indicate comps and in-progress work with no need to haul around and stir up a MacBook Pro. We will interact with the photographs in some way that's quick and straightforward. If I happen to forget to download a file, i will access it from DropBox without skipping a beat. Ignoring the Retina display at the third-gen model for a moment, the unique still works well for showcasing design work at the go.
Never once have i wished to take an image with my iPad, and that i can't imagine that I ever will. If i must snap a fast photo of something to tweet or reference later, my phone has a greater than capable shooter for that. Normally, if i do know photos may be an opportunity, I carry the ol' NEX-C3 along anyway. So long as the folk in Cupertino continue to update iOS for the unique iPad, I'll still like it over dropping coin at the latest hardware. But, in the event that they determine how to integrate a BBQ smoker, i could be forced to reconsider.
-- Billy Steele
From WhatNewsToday.net
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