Patryk Chojecki

Patryk Chojecki

Research & Business Development

My Default Apps - 2023

1 minute read

Published:

I always enjoy reading or watching YouTube videos about how people use their devices, and more specifically, the apps that catch their interest. When I came across this post by Birchtree, I quickly decided to create my own list.

I also included some brief explanations for why I chose to stick with these apps and services. It’s worth mentioning that I’m a dedicated Apple user, and I tend to favor Apple’s default apps unless there’s a third-party option that offers significant advantages.

  • Mail Service: Gmail - It’s been the same for about 15 years.
  • Mail Client: Apple Mail
  • Tasks: Apple Reminders
  • Calendar: Apple Calendar on Mac, Calendars 5 on iPhone.
  • Notes: Apple Notes for all personal and less important stuff, Obsidian for most work-related notes, TextEdit if I need to draft something quickly and I’m working on my Mac.
  • Text Editor: Visual Studio Code
  • Messaging: Signal
  • Maps: Google Maps - I wish I could use Apple Maps more often but from my experience in Taiwan they are significantly less useful.
  • RSS Client: NetNewsWire
  • Launcher: Raycast
  • Cloud Storage: iCloud, Google Drive for some projects.
  • Presentations: Keynote if I work alone, Microsoft PowerPoint if I collaborate with coworkers.
  • Photo Library: iCloud
  • Photo Editing: Photomator
  • Web browser: Safari, Ungoogled Chromium for specific work-related stuff.
  • Weather: Apple Weather
  • Bookmarks: Raindrop.io
  • Podcasts: Overcast
  • Music: Apple Music
  • Clipboard Manager: Maccy
  • Password Manager: bitwarden - I hope to move to Apple Keychain in the future.
  • Budgeting: Expenses - I want to mention that I manually log every single purchase I make in this app and I’ve been doing that for about 2 years.
  • Mastodon: Elk

You May Also Enjoy

Mac Apps That Make My Life Better

3 minute read

Published:

This is a list of Mac apps that make my life significantly easier and more fun. I use a vast majority of them every single day and it’s hard for me to imagine using a Mac without them.

TSMC Plans to Expand to the EU

1 minute read

Published:

Many media outlets reported that TSMC plans to set up its first European fab which will be located in Germany. TSMC has been working toward expanding to Europe for a few years but the Russian invasion of Ukraine significantly delayed those proposals.

Apple Forced to Allow Alternative App Stores

4 minute read

Published:

Mark Gurman, reporting for Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. is preparing to allow alternative app stores on its iPhones and iPads, part of a sweeping overhaul aimed at complying with strict European Union requirements coming in 2024. … Apple is applying a significant amount of resources to the companywide endeavor. It hasn’t been a popular initiative within Apple, considering that the company has spent years decrying the need for “sideloading” — the process of installing software without using the official App Store. In lobbying against the new European laws, Apple has argued that sideloading could put unsafe apps on consumers’ devices and undermine privacy.

TSMC’s Arizona Investment & the Security of Taiwan

1 minute read

Published:

Last week, multiple media outlets reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) would triple its planned investment at its Arizona chip plant. This obviously tells us that the company is feeling bullish about its offshore manufacturing expansion.