shopping | At Home with Tech

June 15, 2025

Here’s Why Attaching a Bumper to Protect your Apple Watch is a Smart Idea

A long, diagonal crack mysteriously appeared on my Apple Watch screen. No, there wasn’t an ‘incident’ or moment of impact that I could recall. Yes, it was shielded by its OtterBox integrated bumper and screen protector.

I could feel that the crack went deep. But I didn’t know how far down it went and whether it reached the surface of my Apple Watch Series 9.

Yes, I was concerned.

Apple Store ER Visit
So, I visited my neighborhood Apple Store and booked an ‘instant’ appointment with an Apple Genius. (Do they call them that anymore?)

My Genius walked over to me like a doctor entering an examination room. He asked me to take off my OtterBox’s bumper. I quickly realized I couldn’t. It was stuck on. Really stuck (like an alien face-hugging Xenomorph). I asked if he could help. He had trouble too.

It took the Apple Genius a couple minutes, and he needed to use a special Genius ‘tool.’ But eventually, he pried the bumper off. The integrated screen cracked further along the way, but it eventually revealed my Apple Watch’s screen… in perfect condition.

Phew!

But a fair amount of ‘particulate matter’ had accumulated in all the nooks and crannies. My Apple Genius happily polished it up for me and then handed over my Apple Watch.

Time for Another Bumper?
My naked Apple Watch rested in my palm, gleaming. So now what?

No, Apple doesn’t sell bumpers or screen protectors for Apple Watch.

However, my Apple Genius mentioned how much he liked the OtterBox brand and that I could probably buy a replacement bumper online.

I strapped on my Apple Watch as it was meant to be worn… without any third-party protection. But I must admit… I do occasionally hit my wrist against doors and walls. So, my experience may fall outside of Apple’s definition of ‘normal.’

I walked out of the Apple Store with my next mission: Buy a replacement bumper.

In Search of a Better Bumper/Screen Protector
I jumped back online and searched OtterBox’s website. I didn’t want to buy the exact same OtterBox ‘Eclipse’ bumper/screen combo. Not because it only lasted for barely more than a year. I didn’t appreciate how difficult it was to remove.

OtterBox didn’t offer another choice. So, I expanded my search.

There aren’t many manufactures in this market, and even fewer from brands I recognized. The options on Amazon mostly fell in the sub $10 price point. Sometimes, you’d get two bumpers for ten bucks… even with the built-in screen protector.

How good could any of these really be?

And I couldn’t find consensus with reviews… the few that I could find. It’s like this was a forgotten/abandoned product category.

Perhaps Apple is right… Apple Watch doesn’t need protection.

Still, I knew that mine did.

OtterBox EXO EDGE
After my exhaustive search through uncertainly, I eventually ended up back where I started with the one brand I knew.

OtterBox also makes the EXO EDGE bumper without a screen protector. I figured the simple bumper by itself would be more structurally flexible without a rigid screen protector on its top.

So, I gave it a shot… Click.

And in fact, the EXO EDGE bumper does have a bit more give and take. It popped easily onto my Apple Watch. More importantly, I expect it will be simpler to remove when the time comes.

And here’s my Apple Watch with its new EXO EDGE bumper
(and Nomad leather band).

No More Screen Protection?
Case closed, right?

Well, what about the screen? It’s now exposed to any number of dangers with no net.

Yes, I’d prefer to also have a screen protector on my Apple Watch, but I don’t want to use an integrated solution that can cause damage when removed.

My EXO EDGE bumper should offer sufficient protection from most scenarios. But no, it won’t protect against a sharp object at 90 degrees moving directly towards the screen.

You Can’t Protect Against Every Situation
I could seal my Apple Watch in bubble wrap and duct tape. Or perhaps I should just keep my Apple Watch in my pocket all the time. But, of course, that’s all absurd.

I’ve taken reasonable precaution to protect my Apple Watch’s body and screen with a simple OtterBox bumper. We’ll see how far this sensible approach takes me this time.

This topic falls under a larger question I sometimes have regarding the practicality of manufacturing expensive, shiny surfaces that require constant protection. (Wouldn’t it be great to drive a car with a tough, rubberized exterior?)

Alas, I know you’ve just got to travel your life’s path without worrying about every possible stumble.

But it’s okay to be smart and apply certain protections.

And just try not to trip.

June 8, 2025

From Dark Path to Smart Glow: My Quest for Backyard Solar Lights

We’ve set up a small fire pit area in our backyard, complete with a new Solo Stove and Adirondack-style chairs. After trying out our newly created outdoor space at dusk, I discovered a problem. It was too dark while walking out on the gravel path that leads to the back of our property and our Solo Stove. The path, which traverses a small slope in our yard needed a bit of lighting.

This requirement became clear while we were hosting dinner for a few friends on our deck. When we walked down the deck stairs in the near-dark onto the path to fire up the Solo Stove, my friend commented that it was hard to see the path’s surface for that final step down.

That’s code for, “Someone’s going to break a leg!”

A leap of faith to my fire pit? Maybe tripping and falling down my little hill? No, that’s not what I was going for. So, it was time to illuminate the situation.

Solar Power to the Rescue
The obvious solution was to buy a few solar pathway lights. They charge up during the day in the sun, and then they shine throughout the night. There’s about a trillion of them on the market. They’re relatively inexpensive… some are under ten bucks.

I’m no stranger to this outdoor lighting strategy. I bought eight solar path lights years ago for the front of our house. But I damaged a couple with my lawnmower, and the rest broke or wore down over time. Ultimately, I didn’t replace them, as our landscaping focus moved to other priorities.

While that was a nice-to-have lighting solution, now I had a specific need. So, I began my research anew…

Shopping for Smart Solar Pathway Lighting
Solar landscape lighting tech hasn’t seemingly advanced that much. Some lights make it through the night. Others… not so much.

But that important variable really didn’t address my total need. I wanted more control of my solar lights, beyond set-it-and-forget it. I might choose to turn them on during specific nights or just when we’re hosting a party.

So, yes.. I’m talking about smart solar lighting. And yes, I wanted to control them with an app on my iPhone.

(Cue the tumbleweeds.)

Astonishingly, no company makes that for the consumer market. Well, none that I could find.

Nobody… except for Ring.

Ring Solar Pathlights
Ring appears to be the only manufacturer that’s in the smart outdoor solar lighting market.

Ring’s Solar Pathlights integrate into Ring’s larger home security ecosystem… doorbells…cameras… alarms. Beyond the pathlights, the one extra piece of Ring gear you need is a Ring Bridge. That’s the Wi-Fi hub that connects these smart pathlights to Ring’s smartphone app.

App-tastic
And the app works great. You can manually turn all your pathlights on and off via the app. You can schedule them. You can let them go all night long.

You can also activate the built-in motion sensor on each Ring Pathlight (which aligns back to Ring’s home security focus).

Pricing
Yes, Ring’s smart solution costs more.

Each Solar Pathlight: $34.99 (There’s a 4-pack discounted bundle for $29.99 each.)
Ring Bridge: $49.99

So, all in… my 4-Solar Pathlight kit cost $169.91… plus tax.
(Compare that to a fifty buck price point for 4 old-school solar lights.)

But again, as best as I can tell, Ring is the only player in this market. So, I signed up and joined their team!

Set Up
Setting up my four smart pathway lights took a bit of time, but the process was straight forward.

Download the app onto my iPhone
Set up the Ring Bridge near a window facing my backyard
Add each Ring Solar Pathlight into the app (using the QR codes included in each box)

When that was done, I had total control of my new pathway lights, planted in our bed of pachysandra on the edge of the gravel path.

My Experience Using Ring’s Solar Pathlights
My current plan runs these lights from dusk till midnight. Since their positioning doesn’t give them a ton of direct sunlight during the day, I was originally concerned my solar pathlights wouldn’t have enough juice at night. Happily, that hasn’t been a problem. They’ve been operating just fine.

The pathlights’ overnight glow is moderate… not exactly ‘bright.’ But they do have more oomph. You can manually activate brighter settings (up to 80 lumens) for shorter periods or when their motion sensors turn them on. Clearly, their solar batteries can’t handle a 100% brightness load all night long.

That’s okay. Their illumination is sufficient, and I can kick it into a higher gear whenever I want.

What Comes Next
It’s odd this market isn’t more fully built out. But I’m happy with my Ring Solar Pathlight purchase.

No, I don’t own other Ring products. But now that I’m a part of its ecosystem, who knows what might come next…

The Lester smart home is an always an evolving story.

May 18, 2025

Why I Bought a Broken Tripod at an Artists’ Open House Event

My mother lived in the Bridgeport area when she was growing up. She eventually left Connecticut and headed to her life in New York City where she would meet my father. And the rest is Lester history.

My identity is that of a New Yorker, who now resides in Connecticut, but it’s not lost on me that half of my family’s history hails back to Bridgeport.

Today, Bridgeport hosts thriving artist communities. One place you can find that community is in the American Fabrics Arts Building where artists rent their studios. And a couple times a year, there’s the AmFab open studios event where many of the artists display and sell their paintings and art.

My wife and I often enjoy going for a couple hours. And we did just that this past weekend.

Walking through the Early 20th Century
This time, I found myself particularly attracted to the old building itself. It’s a converted mill originally designed for lace manufacturing in the early 20th century. So, I decided to take a few pictures as we walked about.

2008 Movie Set
Did you know that scenes from the 2008 film “Righteous Kill” with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino were filmed here? You can see how these two hallway doors were modified for the movie.

A Camera Tripod with No Name
As we continued our exploration, I turned a corner. Off to the left, I spotted a few old camera tripods on a platform. They first seemed part of an art installation, but as I walked closer, I realized they were all for sale.

One tripod spoke to me. It was a professional model with a spreader on the legs and nice fluid ball head.

I pulled it down and tested it out. It had a few cobwebs attached to its frame but was otherwise in good shape. The big drawback was this tripod was missing its quick-release plate that you would need to attach a camera onto it. So, I would have to buy that elsewhere.

But I couldn’t figure out the manufacturer, and the seller didn’t know either. That would require more research. (It’s odd that there wasn’t a company name branded onto the frame.)

So, for the moment, it was an unusable tripod. Not quite broken, but useless for now.

Second Life?
I own a couple of lighter tripods for my timelapses and videos, but this one was beefier. I could use it.

The price: $20.

Hmmm… That’s certainly a great price. (Tripods like this one start in the hundreds and go up from there.) But there’s a good reason for this ‘bargain.’ It would need some additional, unknown spend.

What were the odds that I would eventually find a solution?
Maybe 50/50.

But I bought it anyway. I wasn’t initially sure why.

One Person’s Trash is Another Person’s Treasure
Then, I carried this mystery tripod over my shoulder as my wife and I walked about the artists’ studios a little longer. I couldn’t be happier.

I can’t paint. I have no idea how to sculpt, and I don’t draw. But I can snap a photo or two, and I’m working on evolving my timelapse videos.

As I passed by more artists in their studios, nobody batted an eye. It was as if everyone carried a hulking tripod about their day. And then it struck me. It was so obvious.

A brush and paint can take many forms. This tripod was waiting for me. The universe had offered me a tool to practice more of my own art.My creative spirit was energized. Not bad for a couple hours on a weekend.

Unexpected Saturday Afternoon

My wife and I left the AmFab studios, and as we drove out of Bridgeport, I reflected on this place where my family’s history still remains mostly unknown to me. But that’s another story.

For now, I felt entirely grateful. And yes, it’s time to get to work fixing my new tripod. If anybody recognizes the manufacturer, please let me know!

Category: shopping

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