If your daily digital life relies on Google Services, once you become an iPhone owner this may not change. I was a long-term Android user before I changed to the Apple ecosystem.

Even though Apple is offering their equivalent of what Google offers on Android, I never found a better alternative for storing pictures than Google Photos.

Google Photos for most of the typical users is unreplaceable due to the Storage Saver option. Thanks to that we can store all our photos and do not pay too much for the storage. At some point we will need to pay Google to store them, however as they are compressed, they consume less space than storing them in full resolution in, for example, Apple Photo Library.

The first thing that I do when setting up my iPhone is to download the Google Photos app from the App Store. This is what I recommend to my friends who switch from Android to iPhone, however, there is one thing that needs to be remembered.

Read More about Google Photos in the Apple ecosystem (on iPhone and iPad)
Blog
Travel to Poland with eSIM and Orange Flex
Published
Read Time 7 min.

After five years interspersed with the pandemic and market instability, I flew to Poland to visit my loved ones.

A lot has changed since my last visit. My children need to be connected to the world to a much greater extent than in the past. Personally, I have also become accustomed to having the Internet at hand, always where I need it.

While in England most people with Wi-Fi at home have it at quite reasonable speeds, in Poland it varies depending on where you go.

Windows
Upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro
Published
Read Time 2 min.

Recently, I had to put into use a computer that was delivered with Windows 11 Home version by default. Since I need the professional version in the environment where I need to use it, I decided to upgrade it.

Once you have purchased the product key, the easiest method is to go to Settings > System > Activation and enter the Pro version key in the Change product key section.

Unfortunately, although I have used this method before on other computers, this time I received information that the product key provided cannot be used to upgrade the currently installed system.

I decided to check whether I would be able to upgrade Windows 11 from Home to Pro using the method of updating Windows 10 Home to Pro I described earlier.

Blog
Trying LycaMobile on EE Network (as a GiffGaff user)
Published
Read Time 18 min.

I am a long-term GiffGaff user. I don’t remember for how long now, it was something around mid-2012. For years I constantly recommended GiffGaff due to great prices per monthly bundle (goody bags) and prices for calling abroad. Nothing has changed. I still recommend this to everybody who wants a bit of saving and great value for money, but I am always looking if there is something better.

Blog Internet
Virgin Media joining the gang and will start increasing prices in mid-contract
Published
Read Time 3 min.

As a Virgin Media customer for many years, I have always appreciated the fixed price guarantee that I get when I sign a contract. There are no hidden fees or price increases, and I can be confident that my monthly bill will stay the same for the entire contract term. In the month before my contract ends, I will be able to negotiate a new contract or switch to a different provider if I find a better deal.

Unfortunately, Virgin Media has decided to join the trend of other companies and raise their prices. They have notified their customers that their pricing terms will be changing.

As explained by them, price increases are being attributed to rising inflation, which is currently at a 40-year high in the UK.

Blog Apple
Anyone Can Create an Apple ID with Your Email Address without Your Permission
Published
Updated
Read Time 7 min.

Imagine waking up one day to 11 unread emails from Apple asking you to verify your Apple ID. Someone has just created an Apple ID with your email address on their new iPhone!

Blog Apple
The Rapid Security Response update for macOS broke compatibility with OpenCore Legacy Patcher
Published
Read Time 1 min.

Recently, I wrote about giving my friend’s MacBook Air from Mid-2013 (A1465) a new life by installing macOS Ventura (13.4.1) on it.

Although this laptop was still working well, it was not compatible with the latest macOS from Apple. However, the OpenCore Legacy Patcher gave it a new lease on life by allowing it to run the latest macOS.

After installing any OS updates on unsupported hardware, you should be prompted to install post-install volume patches (also known as root patches) on your first boot.

By installing Rapid Security Response Update 13.4.1 (c), the system froze at the Apple logo and progress bar at approximately 35% of the loading process during the first reboot.

Thankfully, the solution was not too complicated.

Blog Apple
Second life for MacBook Air from Mid-2013
Published
Read Time 5 min.
Probably some of us have friends who have MacBook computers. Some of them purchased them some time ago and, despite still working, have been made obsolete and stopped from further support from Apple. When the device is out of support life, it does not receive any further software updates. This is putting their users at risk of unpatched variabilities but also causing problems using outdated software like Internet Browser. I got friends who purchased MacBook Air 11th-inch Mid-2013 (A1465) at a very similar time when I purchased my first MacBook Pro.
Blog Software
A better way to send photos via WhatsApp
Published
Read Time 2 min.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told my friends and their friends not to send pictures over WhatsApp. If you must do it, please at least change this one thing first to make everyone’s life easier.

WebDev Hugo
Supercharge your headings in Hugo with Render Hooks
Published
Updated
Read Time 13 min.

The great thing about Hugo, a static site generator, is that it got a lot of options for customisation and more are constantly added.

There are templates embedded into it, but they can be easily overridden by custom templates, like headings, through render hooks.

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