My Tech Stable

 Like many people, I use multiple digital devices in a typical day, including laptops, tablets and my smart phone. I don't know how unique I am in this, but the devices I use represent an eclectic assortment of platforms, this is despite the fact that I primarily identify as an Apple user. The list below will outline the devices I use regularly; that is, at least several times a week, why I chose them and why I keep them around.

 iPhone SE (2020)—In the spring of 2020, I upgraded from the iPhone 6s I had been using since late 2016 because of one app it wouldn't run. I monitor my blood glucose levels with Freestyle Libre 14-day sensors and wanted to use those with the smart phone app instead of a separate monitoring device. The phone has been paid off for several months now, but I am in no hurry to upgrade. I am definitely a fan of the enhanced value proposition brought by Apple products' comparative longevity and will definitely opt for an iPhone when the time comes to replace it.

Amazon Fire 10 Tablet—This is a bit of an anomaly in that I 'downgraded' from an iPad to an Amazon tablet, but when I found myself in need of a new tablet two years ago, I couldn't justify the expense of another iPad, considering the limited uses I have for a tablet. I only ever use a tablet for reading eBooks on the Kindle app, checking emails and light Web surfing, all of which the Fire tablet does quite well. I caught this one on a Black Friday sale for half price and I had a $25 Amazon gift card to put toward it, so I was able to pick it up for less than $50, which was a steal, considering it's really all the tablet I need. I had owned a couple of Fire tablets before it, and this is the first one that really felt ready for prime time. Fire tablets aren't the greatest tablets out there, but for the money, their value proposition is undeniable.

Chromebooks—I have two of them, a 14-inch HP and an 11.6-inch Lenovo. I bought both of these devices for the simple reason that they are lightweight, wildly inexpensive, and thus well suited as grab-and-go devices that I don't have to worry about, should they become lost or damaged. Chromebooks have limited functionality, compared to Windows or Mac OS computers, and thus will never have first-string, go-to status for me, but for Web, e-mail, and light productivity tasks, they are at least adequate. I use the HP Chromebook primarily to provide Zoom connectivity allow virtual attendees log onto certain meetings I regularly attend. Because of its smaller size, the Lenovo is the computer I most often use on the go. In many ways I use the Chromebooks in much the same way as I use a tablet, but I much prefer the notebook computer form factor. Looking ahead, I could possibly see a Chromebook tablet as a viable alternative to both a Chromebook and a Fire tablet, but not necessarily anytime soon.

HP Windows Laptop—This was never a great laptop and at about five years old, it has not aged gracefully at all. I keep it around because my employer is a Microsoft shop and I occasionally need a level of compatibility not offered by my other non-Windows machines. It stays on my dining table, where I mainly use it to read emails while I eat breakfast. This computer could barely run Windows 10 out of the box and does not meet the requirements for a Windows 11 upgrade, so the next likely step for it is a Linux installation. It may be my Apple snobbery coming through, but I could never see myself using a Windows computer as my primary personal machine.

MacBook Pro—This decade-old Apple laptop is my go-to home computer. It has aged out of all but security updates from Apple but it still performs circles around my Windows laptop. It is a testament to the value proposition of Apple products. Yes, they cost more but they last longer and have fewer issues along the way. I occasionally consider upgrading to a newer MacBook, but cost is usually a deterrent. As long as this one continues to function properly, and it can run recent versions of the software I need, it will continue to serve as my main computer. I've been an Apple user for more than 30 years and I don't see that changing any time soon. When this machine needs replacing, it will be with another MacBook*.

The one device not mentioned on the list above is my employer-issued Lenovo ThinkPad X1 laptop. I did not include it because I did not select it and I have no say in how long I will keep it. As a general rule, my employer replaces computers every four to five years, sooner if they develop a significant malfunction. I will say that it is a pretty nice setup as it came to me with a large Dell monitor with built-in docking station. All peripherals and network connections are made via the monitor, which connects to the laptop with a single USB-C cable. This provides the best aspects of both a desktop and a laptop computer. 

*UPDATE: Well, things didn't exactly turn out that way. The MacBook Pro is now mostly retired in favor of a Dell Latitude 7490 notebook computer, running Linux Mint, which I had gotten to replace the increasingly unsatisfactory Chromebooks. For what it's worth, I do not see myself acquiring a Chromebook laptop/tablet combo. The Dell has proved to be so satisfactory that I installed Linux Mint on my Windows laptop to create a dual-boot system, but I quickly ended up retiring it in favor of yet another Dell 7490 with Linux Mint. While I have not completely ruled out another MacBook at some point in the future, These days, I'm just loving Linux.

Getting to the Point(er)

 One of my minor pet peeves with graphical interfaces on computers, regardless of operating system, has long been the mouse pointer/cursor. By default, it's usually very small and unobtrusive, and either black or white, which makes it somewhat hard to see and easy to lose track of. This is not a new problem. I have been losing track of my mouse pointer for about as long as I've been using a mouse. Of course, now that I am approaching the upper reaches of middle age and my eyesight isn't what it once was, the issue has become increasingly acute. Fortunately, I have found that I can easily address this problem on all three platforms I use regularly—Mac OS, Chrome OS and Windows—without installing any additional software. As a result, my mouse pointer is larger and more visible on all of my screens. Not only are they larger, but at least on my Windows and Chrome OS computers, they're also an obnoxious shade of purple for added visibility. Colored pointers are also now an available option under Mac OS Monterey, but I'm running a slightly older version that doesn't include this feature, so mine remains black.

The process for each platform is a little different, but not difficult. On Mac OS and Chrome OS, the settings are found under the accessibility settings, while on Windows, they're under the Mouse settings. We'll take each in turn.

Mac OS—Open System Preferences and click the Accessibility icon. In the dialog box that appears, select 'Display' on the menu at the left and then click the 'Cursor' tab at the top of the box and you will get a slider to adjust the size of your pointer. As mentioned earlier, Mac OS Monterey also includes an option to select the colors of the fill and outline of your pointer. Even without the option to change the pointer color from black, it is still quite helpful for it to be a bit larger. My only question is why these settings are located under 'Display' instead of under 'Pointer Control'. 

Chrome OS—For all their simplicity, configuring Chromebooks can be more than a little complicated when it comes to accessing advanced settings. At least this one didn't involve activating any experimental feature flags, as is so often the case, such as turning on the ability to disable and enable the touch pad. 

To access these advanced Chrome OS mouse settings, you need to go through several layers of menus. Begin by clicking the clock in the lower right corner of the screen and then clicking the gear icon at the top of the menu that pops up. For simplicity's sake, I keep that gear icon pinned to the 'shelf' at the bottom of the screen. Once you're in the Settings screen, scroll to the bottom and click 'Advanced' to see more settings. Click 'Accessibility Features' and scroll down until you see a group called 'Mouse and Touchpad'. You will see a switch on the right side labeled 'Show large mouse cursor'. Click this to turn it on and you will see a slider, with which you can adjust the size of the pointer. Just below this is a 'Cursor color' menu to select a color. 

Windows 10—Windows takes a slightly more logical approach, actually grouping these controls under the mouse settings. To access them, click the 'Start' icon in the lower left corner of the screen and select the gear icon to open the System Settings. Select 'Devices' and then 'Mouse' on the following screen. Scroll down and you will see a heading called 'Related Settings'. Under that, you will see 'Adjust mouse and cursor size'. Click that and you are presented with controls for both the size and color of the mouse pointer. 

 Somehow, I had stumbled onto this setting on my Windows laptop long before I searched for them on my MacBook Pro and Chromebooks, but I am now glad to have a larger pointer on all of those machines, plus my office computer. A bigger cursor is a small thing, but it does make a real difference. Even though this setting is buried under a few layers of menus in all three operating systems, it's definitely worth seeking out.