We’re back with another MacStories Setups update. I swear Federico and I didn’t coordinate our purchases this summer, but you’ll notice that both of us began experimenting with XTEINK readers and the Pebble Index 01 smart ring without discussing it in advance.
The UGREEN Thunderbolt 5 Dock and Steam Controller.
Since June, you’ll see from Federico’s changes that many revolve around fine-tuning his app workflows. From re-adding Claude and Superhuman to reluctantly adopting Chrome for agentic workflows, his update reflects a refinement of the way he works. As for gadgets, Federico has begun using the DJI Mic Mini and Pebble Index 01 for dictation and refined his work and gaming desktop setup with a UGREEN Thunderbolt 5 dock and Steam Controller.
The XTEINK 4 Pro and Retroid Pocket Nova.
My setup changes this summer revolve around experiments. I first tried the XTEINK 3 reader and enjoyed creating a custom UI for it so much that I also bought the XTEINK 4 Pro, which is patiently waiting for a free weekend when I can see what more I can do with it. Plus I’ve been trying a bunch of new apps like T3 Code for working with multiple AI subscriptions, Open Minis to get more out of iOS than Siri AI allows, and working with a wide variety of remote access apps, including Beam and Jump Desktop. Finally, I’ve partially abandoned my custom social media web apps for Typefully, which has more features than I’d ever want to build myself.
That’s it for this edition of Setups. Be sure to check out the links here and on the Setups page because some of these gadgets are on sale on Amazon for its Prime Big Deal Days event. Also, be sure to follow the MacStories Deals social media accounts on X.com, Mastodon, and Bluesky.
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