22JUN2025: A really satisfying twisty knob
The gadget I can't put down, charging your watch in vintage style, new indie apps, and more!
Happy Sunday, everyone!
This week, I've been drooling over this announcement trailer for the new James Bond game coming to the Nintendo Switch 2— so great to see 007 back on Nintendo! Separately, I wrote a new Hiro Lab report about an extremely overpriced flashlight that I love for the excellent Foofaraw Press, got on the waitlist for NeonIchiban, a new digital comics store from a bunch of ex-Comixology folks, played around with an AI-powered virtual pet on my desktop, and have been rocking out to this Denzel Curry cover of "Bulls on Parade".
My sincere thanks to TRMNL for sponsoring this issue.
On to the good stuff!
Note that some of the links below are affiliate links and the Hiro Report may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
👾 GiiKER Super Decoder - I bought one of these as a gift for my son this summer, and we both have become kind of obsessed with it. It is a small handheld game that really leans on the retro gadget aesthetic. With light up LEDs, morse code-like sound effects, and a really satisfying twisty knob, it just looks and feels great. The gameplay itself is a lot like Wordle, except that instead of a word, there is a hidden color pattern that you need to guess, and depending on the difficulty level, it will let you know which colors you have guessed correctly and are in the right space vs. which colors you have guessed correctly but are not in the right space. You only get 7 guesses, and in some cases, a countdown timer. It's super satisfying and gets harder and harder as you level up through the 500+ levels of the game.
⌚ elago Vintage Mac Apple Watch Charger Stand - Anyone who has been reading the site for a while will not be surprised to learn that I have a thing for vintage Macs. So naturally, I did a double or triple take when I found this beautiful little Apple Watch charger in the shape of a vintage Mac. This company also has a really good-looking one in the shape of a classic Game Boy. I just wish that these supported my Apple Watch Ultra - otherwise I would be all over them both.
💊 Pill Buddy for iOS - Pill Buddy is a brand new indie app for iOS that is here to help you remember to take your medications on time. Granted, iOS has its own medication reminder baked into the Health app, but Pill Buddy makes the whole thing much more fun and playful. Your pill buddy is an animated Daruma that acts like a virtual pet, basically gamifying your pill tracking. I really dig the aesthetic.
☕ Octave: Pour Over Guide for iOS - Speaking of delightful indie apps, Octave launched last week as a simple but fun app for guiding you through your coffee pour overs' timing and recipe. It has a really unique retro pixel art aesthetic but offers some unique touches like the ability to adjust your recipe based on your desired flavor profile for your coffee. Seasoned veteran pour over makers definitely do not need this app but it's great for beginners or anyone who just wants to add a playful touch to their morning ritual.
🔌 Anker Prime Docking Station - I recently had the embarrassing experience of running out of ports on the small Thunderbolt dock that I had for my office set up. After some deliberation, I wound up grabbing this larger and more capable docking station from Anker. In so doing, I gave up Thunderbolt ports, but gained the additional USB-C and USB-A ports that I need and saved a good bit of money. Your mileage may vary, but for me, I'm just running one 4K external display and not doing any major data-intensive stuff, so Thunderbolt is just kind of overkill for what I'm up to. It's totally a gimmick, but I also like the little digital display showing my power usage.
That's it for this week!
I'd like to extend one last warm thanks to TRMNL for sponsoring the Hiro Report this month. If you haven't already, go check out the new color ways they've added this month, and the growing list of both official and community-generated integrations.
