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App Recommendations from Chris Gonzales

Apollo

The best Reddit app for iOS

Apollo

Apollo is easy to navigate, the interface makes sense in every way, and it actually feels enjoyable to use.
Pinner

The best Pinboard app for iOS

Pinner

Pinner is our favorite Pinboard app because of its clean layout, powerful features, and more.
Paprika

The best recipe manager for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Paprika

Paprika is the best app for organizing all your favorite recipes, and it makes it easy to plan, save, shop, and cook.


Blog Posts & Articles by Chris Gonzales

Apps and Gear for the Holidays, 2021 Edition

It’s that time of year once again when we like to bring you a few of our top app and gear picks to get you through the holiday season in one piece. This handy list has a little bit of everything, whether you’re looking for some neat gift ideas or you’re simply in need of […] »

Halide Mark II for iPad

An all-new app with an interface made from scratch to take advantage of the iPad's larger form factor. »

Staedtler 0.05mm Pigment Liner Pens

I love a good, fine-tipped pen for writing in pocket notebooks or doing clean detail work while sketching. Staedtler's 0.05mm “Pigment Liner” pens are just the ticket, with their long, needle-like tips that create crisp and precise lines (without bleedthough), which dry almost instantly and are then waterproof. »

RØDE VideoMic Pro+ On-Camera Shotgun Condenser Microphone

Look, I won't sit here and pretend to be an expert about on-camera shotgun microphones, but I do know that the RØDE VideoMic Pro+ is a beast of a mic that will make your vlogs, films, and interviews sound exceptionally clean and crisp. »

“8pxl” HD Pixel Art Wallpaper Packs (Desktop & Mobile)

I'm a bit of a sucker for high-quality pixel art, especially if it's got a calming, Studio Ghibli-esque atmosphere. These high-definition landscape/cityscape wallpaper packs by an artist who goes only by the name of Jubilee have exactly the right kind of vibe. »

Day One Releases 5.0 Update for iOS & Mac

Today, our friends at Day One released version 5.0 of their venerable journaling app, which continues to be one of the most important apps on our respective home screens. »

Focusrite “Scarlett Solo Studio” USB Audio Interface

Focusrite's Scarlett Solois a super simple USB audio interface for getting studio-quality recordings at home. Whether you're a musician, podcaster, vlogger, voice actor, voice-over artist, or have any other high-performance recording needs, it's a reliable and intuitive piece of hardware that always captures clear, detailed audio. »

Lamicall Adjustable Laptop Stand

Lamicall’s adjustable laptop stand is a solidly constructed and nice-looking way to elevate your laptop off a desk to a more ergonomic position. It’s made from thick aluminum with a sturdy base, is height adjustable (between 5.7″ and 8.1″), can be angled up or down (from 45° to 180°), and it can rotate a full […] »

Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer

Sometimes you just want a printer that works. You're not interested in fancy features, wireless connectivity, ink colors, scanning, or special paper sizes. All you need is the ability to print in black ink on 8x11 white paper — that's it. »

PITAKA Air Case for iPhone 11/Pro/Max

We've always had mixed feelings about iPhone cases. You want to protect your expensive investment, of course, but what's the point of having such a gorgeous, svelte device if you're going to cover it up with some chunky, heavy thing? The question then becomes, can you keep the phone safe *and* slim? »

Fun and Useful Apps (and more) for Working from Home

One of the sad realities of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is that social distancing is the new normal. Though it pains us to say it, we all have to face the fact that we're in this for the long haul. An interesting side effect of all this is that workforces around the world are now partaking in a “work from home” experiment of unprecedented scale. Millions of people are suddenly finding themselves trying to carve out the space and time to get their work done outside the office, with no friends or coworkers to chat with in person, all while dealing with the everyday distractions of home and making sure the kids — who are also now stuck at home — are fed, schooled, and generally occupied all day. »

Essential Apps for Your New iPhone

A list of apps we consider absolutely essential for every iPhone, as well as a range of apps that are simply better than their first-party counterparts made by Apple. »

Our Favorite iOS Games (2019 Edition)

2019 was an incredible year for gaming on the iPhone and iPad. Many of us who pay attention to this market had sadly begun writing off the App Store's gaming section as fading into obsolescence, thanks to the glut of “freemium” titles that lure you in with flashy visuals and addictive gameplay before using every trick in the book to nickel-and-dime you into the ground. »

Apps and Gear for the Holidays

It's that time of year once again when we like to bring you a few of our top app and gear picks to help get you through the holiday season in one piece. From recipe gathering to trip planning, photo editing, and various kinds of audio distraction entertainment, this handy list has a bit of everything. »

ElevationLab FamilyCharger

ElevationLab's FamilyCharger gives you one central place to quickly charge all the gadgets in your household, without all the cord clutter you get from most multi-port chargers. »

Peraco Wooden Docking Station & Nightstand Organizer

You know that saying, “A place for everything, everything in its place”? I'm a big proponent of it, as anyone who's ever worked with me in person can tell you. I get real anxiety about things just being left around all willy-nilly with no system. There has to be a system, people! »

Elago AW3 Case for Apple AirPods

As Mac nerds that go way back, Elago’s retro-styled W3 stand for the Apple Watch is still one of our favorite Apple gadget accessories around. Now they’ve released a complimentary product to go with your AirPods: the AW3 AirPods Case. Compatible with versions 1 and 2 of the AirPods, the Elago AW3 makes your AirPods […] »

Dark Noise: An Delightful White Noise App for iOS

Released just over a month ago, Dark Noise is a simple yet powerful ambient noise app for iPhone and iPad created by first-time iOS developer Charlie Chapman that offers exactly what you'd expect: a collection of high-quality ambient noises (38 in all) to help you sleep, focus, or relax. »

David Smith’s “Moon++” for Apple Watch

Developer David Smith has added another great app to his “plus-plus” lineup: It’s called Moon++ and it’s available only for the Apple Watch and the new watchOS 6. In a blog post, he explains what it does and why he made it (bold emphasis mine): Moon++ seeks to provide a highly accurate, visually pleasing indication […] »

CANSHN Crystal Clear Case for iPhone

I'm the type of guy that puts a lot of thought into the color of any iPhone I buy. For that reason, I don't often like to put a case on the phone — but if I'm going to, it has to be a crystal clear case like this one. »

RegisBox “Sheikah Slate” Zelda-Themed Wireless Phone Charging Pad

Here's one for you Legend of Zelda nerds: Charging accessory company RegisBox has a sweet wireless charging pad inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that will make charging your phone feel like inserting the Sheikah Slate into one of the game's Rune Pedestals. »

IKEA & Sonos “SYMFONISK” Table Lamp + Wi-Fi Speaker

Earlier this year, it was announced that IKEA and Sonos would be teaming up to release a Wi-Fi speaker that was also a lamp. (They cleverly billed it as “the best sounding lamp in the world.”) That product, the “SYMFONISK” table lamp speaker, is now available for purchase. The best way to describe it is […] »

Hyleton Universal Travel Adapter

If you’ve ever traveled internationally, you know that not every country in the world uses the same style of electrical outlet. With a universal adapter like this one, you can plug into outlets in more than 150 countries, as long as they’re of the US, AU, EU, or UK socket styles: Using the sliders on […] »

Yicaihong Aluminum Mousepads

You don't have to rely on those flimsy foam mousepads when you have the option to buy an aluminum mousepad. »

The TGT iPad Case

The TGT Wallet (pronounced “tight wallet”) is something we’ve mentioned over on Tools & Toys a number of times over the years. However, they’ve got another product that we think is worthy of The Sweet Setup’s audience’s time: the TGT iPad Case. Introduced back in November, this case fits the standard 9.7″ iPad design and […] »

Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700

For years now, Bose’s QuietComfort 35 IIs have been the industry standard when it comes to noise-cancelling headphones. Back in May, they surprise announced that they’d be releasing something a little different that could potentially unseat their own flagship product: the Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700. As Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee puts it in his excellent YouTube review, […] »

A Roundup of Apps for a Fitter You

Dieting and exercise are essential to a happy and productive life, but they can be challenging at times. Luckily, there are tools to help track and encourage your path a healthier self. »

The Best Apps for Thinkers

We rely on certain apps to get us through the mess and come out the other side with a plan. In today's roundup, we've gathered together eight of our favorite apps for outlining, brainstorming, planning, capturing, and tracking it all. »

Apps and services for the holidays

As is our annual tradition, we like to select a handful of apps and services to help you get through the season with your sanity intact. »

Apps and Gear for Summer (2016 Edition)

Summer’s in full swing here in the US, and whether you're trying to make memories while traveling, enjoying food and drink with loved ones, or even if you just need ways to pass the time, we've got some app and gear suggestions that may help you out. »

Apps for the Holidays

The holidays are here, and we've collected some of our favorite apps to help you through this busy but special time. »

Our favorite iPad writing app

Editorial is our favorite writing app for iPad because it contains so many power-features that make us more productive and happy writers. »

Faith Korpi’s sweet Mac setup

Faith Korpi is a co-host on the IRL Talk podcast, a professional copywriter, makes films and teaches ballet on the side. »

Álvaro Serrano’s sweet setup

Álvaro Serrano is the author and publisher of Analog Senses, a website about the human side of technology featuring links and articles on design, photography, Apple, and the tech industry in general. »

Fraser Speirs’ sweet setup

Fraser Speirs is primarily a teacher of Computer Science in Greenock, Scotland, provisions all the IT at the school, writes speirs.org and co-hosts Out of School with Bradley Chambers. »

Brad Dowdy’s sweet setup

Brad Dowdy is a husband and father, and a pen addict and business owner that specializes in high-quality pen cases. »

Brandon Wentland’s sweet setup

Brandon Wentland runs a 14-person digital marketing agency called Optimal, where they help brands make money online by driving lots of traffic to their sites and converting them into buyers, as well as custom website design and development. »

Nate Boateng’s sweet setup

Nate Boateng is a self-proclaimed tech junkie and also writes his own site when not spending time with his wife and sons. »

Steven Aquino’s sweet iPhone setup

Steven Aquino is a freelance tech writer who covers iOS Accessibility, publishes his personal site, Steven's Blog, and co-hosts Accessible, a weekly podcast focusing on accessibility on iOS. »

Jamelle Bouie’s sweet setup

Jamelle Bouie is a staff writer for Slate magazine, where he covers politics and policy, takes photographs, and sometimes goes on TV. »

Andrew Franciosa’s sweet Mac setup

Andrew Franciosa is a photographer living in Upstate New York where he runs his own studio that focuses on commercial and wedding photography. »

Conor McClure’s sweet Mac setup

Conor McClure is a student currently living in Western North Carolina, days away from finishing a degree in music business, and writes conormcclure.net, where he talks about photography and technology. »

Sruli Loewy’s sweet Mac setup

Sruli Loewy is a student and runs SrulTech Solutions, a general technology support and web design company that he founded, and also designs websites and writes posts for his blog. »

Shahaf Levi’s sweet iOS setup

Shahaf Levi is a writer and developer on his site, SL Repository, where he builds apps and writes about things he discovers. »

Sven Fechner’s sweet setup

Sven Fechner is the writer, curator, and internet harlequin behind SimplicityBliss and one of three pilots on the popular German technology podcast Der Übercast. »

Apps for summer

We made a list of some of our favorite apps to use during the summer when traveling abroad and relaxing at home. »

Pushpin 3.1 update

The newest update to Pushpin, our pick for best Pinboard client, received a slew of awesome updates, such as keyboard shortcuts and custom feeds. »