Much consternation on the interwebs about Evernote's new pricing policy that limits the free version to only two devices. Frankly, I think the reaction is a bit ridiculous. If you want the service to continue to be available, you have got to be willing to pay for it. Evernote is a critical part of my workflow and therefore I think it important to pay for the service to do my part to keep the service in existence. Why should you be entitled to a free service? 

Some, like Paul Thurrott, will suggest Evernote users switch to OneNote, which is free. Frankly, I am skeptical that if a lot of users switched to OneNote that it will continue to be free. The changes made with OneDrive come to mind. 

I use OneNote and Evernote. In fact, I have been using OneNote more now that I have a Surface 3. The two apps have different UI approaches, and I personally find OneNote's mobile UIs less appealing than Evernote's. Evernote's tagging and search functions are in my opinion easier and more powerful to use.

Microsoft does provide a free tool to import notes from Evernote to OneNote, and I have considered using it to make a backup copy of my Evernote data. My fear, however, is that the import process will not work for me due to the amount of data I have and how much encryption I use in notes. 

One alternative to Evernote that I have been keeping my eye on is an app called Turtl because it by default encrypts its entire note database. The app is still in development and in beta and the developer has indicated plans to provide a premium service to cover its hosting costs. One benefit, however, is that there is a way to host your own Turtl server, which provides you complete control of your data but also adds responsibility to maintain that server and any backups.

If a service is not important to you, meaning that if it went away or your data was lost that would not be a big deal, then I see no problem using it for free. However, in my opinion, making a decision based on a service being free or not is the wrong approach if the service is important to you. Instead, you should determine the impact of losing your data and the features and functionality you want, and then consider what is a fair price of balancing that risk and value. 

Now that I am using iOS more thanks to my recent purchase of an iPad Mini, I am constantly being reminded of the restrictions if poses.  A perfect example is the difference in using LastPass with Android and iOS. 

With Android, LastPass runs in the background and detects whether an app or web page with login screen has appeared, and when it does, a dialog appears prompting the user to login to LastPass. The app is also capable of detecting which app or web site you are using so that the proper one is displayed as an option for AutoFill or to copy your credentials for pasting on the login screen. When combined with a finger print scanner, the process of using LastPass to enter credentials on Android is fast and easy.

LastPass does not run in the background on iOS and therefore has no way to see whether you are in an app or web page that is prompting you for credentials. If you have to manually task switch or start the LastPass app, login to LastPass, copy the credentials (one at a time for userid and password), then manually paste on the login screen. While the process provides for access to your credentials, it is not nearly as easy or fast to use as with Android.

To be fair to iOS, the same issue occurs with Windows 10 store apps, although the LastPass Chrome extension runs on my Surface 3 and therefore detects and can autofill login credentials for web pages.

One will point out that iOS not allowing for apps to monitor what is displayed on your screen is a security and privacy feature, but one that in my opinion makes the mobile experience harder. LastPass requires I provide credentials to access the information I store in it, why shouldn't I be able to specify to iOS that I want it to monitor and prompt to provide quick access to my credentials?

Several articles published this week about Microsoft no longer manufacturing the Surface 3 with plans to end sales by the end of the year.  Personally this feels a little like when Apple stopped selling the Newton MessagePad, in both instances I found the device very useful.

I appear to have a real minority position in my belief that the Surface Pros are too large. I think the 10.1 inch screen of the Surface 3 is a perfect size for writing notes in digital ink. 

Last month I wrote an article describing how I use OneNote on thee Surface 3, noting how for me the Surface Pen is a key accessory. Most likely the failure for more people to appreciate the Surface Pen is at the root of why few view the Surface 3 favorably.  

The Surface 3 will continue to be functional even if Microsoft decides to not replace it with another Surface as long as it continues to run Windows well. Fortunately, several other companies also make lower price 2-in-1 devices to fill the void if Microsoft decides to stop selling a low price, smaller Surface. In fact, it existence of such alternatives might be the best reason for why Microsoft is opting to stop selling one.

The way one moves app icons in iOS is by far the worst user experience of any computing device I use. Almost every time I try to add an app to a folder I end up chasing the folder around the screen, which is incredibly frustrating. I've never had this type of experience with Android. 

The iOS App Store is acting up for me, right now I can't install an app, it just continues to "clock" so I am going to restart the Mini. Restarting resolve the problem. 

Last Wednesday I decided I needed a newer device to run the latest version of iOS. After a little comparison shopping I decided to buy an iPad Mini 4 from Gazelle. I got a good price on a 64 GB model so I now have a device capable of running the latest version of iOS. 

The Mini arrived on Friday, so I've been using it for about 24 hours.  It is taking me time to adjust to iOS after using Android almost exclusively for several years.  The Mini is a nice device, although I think it is a little too small in comparison to the Nexus 9.  

I am writing this blog post on the Mini and one thing I am finding annoying is that for some reason the keyboard is not automatically adding a period at the end of sentences, even it is configured to do so in settings. Perhaps it has something to do with the input box in Safari? 

Extensions should be added to Microsoft Edge by the end of July, it is already available for Insiders. I really like using Edge on my Surface 3 but the lack of extensions, particularly LastPass, has been a show stopper. 

If we arm everyone, then everyone is part of the militia and we no longer need a standing military. Effectively, everyone will be required to purchase their weapons and be drafted to serve. Imagine all the money that can be saved by recalling all troops (restoring to them to militia status) and closing all bases, foreign and domestic. We will store all arms in armories across the country. After all, the founding fathers did not trust standing armies and preferred militias. 

And while we are at it, why do we need police? FBI? CIA? SEC? FDA? EAA? NHTSA? 

We all will be richer by not having to pay taxes and in full control of our own safety! 

1999.io provides a mechanism for people to post comments to stories, but unfortunately it doesn't provide a method to notify the site owners that one has posted a comment. 

I have two suggestions for site owners. If you are going to basically ignore comments (meaning that you aren't really going to spend time to see whether anyone has posted a comment) you may consider turning comments off.  You do this in Settings, Access and uncheck the "Allow anyone who is logged in to comment" option. 

If you want to keep comments, I recommend thinking of your 1999.io editor page as a news feed. New comments will appear on this page and I think you will find them easier to find them here than in the rendered web site. Get in the habit of scanning through your "feed" at least once a day.

I recently went on a week long trip to visit family and friends, staying at hotels the entire time. None of the hotels carried broadcasts of Chicago Cubs games, but fortunately I had my Surface 3 that runs the MLB At Bat app.

I wrote earlier about the things I like about the Surface 3, and I can now add to that list the mini display port that enables me to connect the Surface 3 to any TV with an available HDMI port. 

In my gadget bag I carry a mini display port to HDMI converter and an HDMI cable, with which I was able to connect the Surface 3 to the hotel room TV. I think start up the MLB At Bat app and select the Cubs game. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the video stream, it worked as well as when I am at home. 

The experience highlights for me the benefit of being able to physically connect a device to an HDMI port. In the past I have tried connecting my Nexus 9 to a hotel TV using Chromecast, but the hotel WiFi did not cooperate. 

I also have the first generation Microsoft wireless display adapter that I didn't even bother to try because the wired connection worked so well.  

If you enjoy watching video from Netflix for the MLB At Bat app and want to watch that video while traveling, I can recommend the Surface 3 .

Thanks to Ron Chester for compiling and maintaining an outline of documentation about 1999.io. I've added it to my menubar. Ron maintains the outline using Fargo and is displayed using the Small Picture reader, which I think is one of the most overlooked useful feature.