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Updated September 2026: in 2021, with films releasing straight to streaming, I wished for one platform to manage every OTT subscription, with discounts for subscribing to several. Such aggregators now exist in India. I have rewritten it into a guide to them.

During the lockdowns, new films and series went straight to streaming apps, and keeping up meant subscribing to several services, each with its own plan and renewal date. Tracking the monthly spend became tiresome. I wanted a single platform that managed them together and offered discounts for subscribing to several at once.

What are OTT aggregators?

They are apps or plans that bundle several streaming services under one subscription and, often, one interface for browsing. In India, DTH providers, telecom operators and standalone aggregator apps offer packs that include many OTT services together for a single price.

Do aggregators save money?

They can, compared with paying each service separately, especially for households that watch across many apps. The saving depends on which services and which tiers are included. Some packs include the mobile-only or ad-supported version of an app, not the full plan.

What should you check before choosing a pack?

• Which services are included, and on which tier.
• Whether you can watch on the TV, not only on the phone.
• How many screens and devices are allowed.
• Whether you log in through the aggregator app or each service's own app.
• The renewal price after any introductory offer.

Does one app for browsing actually work?

Partly. Aggregator apps and TV interfaces such as Google TV show content from several services together, which helps with discovery. But playback often opens the individual app, and not every service appears in every aggregator's search.

Is an aggregator right for you?

If you watch four or more services regularly, a pack is worth pricing. If you mostly watch one or two, subscribing directly and rotating others month to month is often cheaper and simpler.

What about tracking renewals?

Whatever you choose, keep a simple list of subscriptions with renewal dates, or use your bank or UPI app's autopay list, and cancel ones you have not used in a month.

Keep reading

• Do Subscription Bundles Actually Save Money?
• Android TV Box Buyer's Guide for an Older TV
• Dolby Atmos on Amazon Music: Where to Find It

Updated September 2026: in 2021 I complained that Siri could answer a question, such as a sports score, but could not follow up, for example to add the next match to my calendar, forcing me to start again each time. I have rewritten it with how Siri's follow-up abilities have changed and how to get the most from them.

I used Siri for calls, reminders and messages, and to check scores or facts. The frustration was continuity. After Siri gave me my team's score, asking it to set a reminder for the next game or block my calendar would end the conversation, and I had to start over with a full request.

Can Siri handle follow-up requests now?

Better than in 2021. Since iOS 17 you can make back-to-back requests without saying the trigger phrase again, as long as you speak soon after Siri answers. With Apple Intelligence on supported devices, Siri keeps more context between requests, so a follow-up that refers to the previous answer is more likely to work.

How do you phrase requests so they work?

• Be explicit in the follow-up: "Remind me about the India match on Saturday at 7 pm" works better than "remind me about that".
• Keep requests short and one action at a time.
• Use names and dates rather than pronouns when context might be lost.

Can you type to Siri instead?

Yes. On supported devices with Apple Intelligence, you can double-tap the bottom of the screen to type to Siri, which helps in quiet places and for longer requests. Older devices can enable Type to Siri in accessibility settings.

What is Siri still weak at?

Long, multi-step conversations and complex questions, where chat-based assistants are stronger. Apple has announced a more personal Siri with deeper app actions; check which features have reached your device and region.

How do you fix Siri misunderstanding you?

Check the language and voice settings match how you speak, retrain the trigger phrase in a quiet room, and speak at a normal pace. If Siri keeps choosing the wrong contact, add nicknames or relationships to the contact card, such as "my brother".

What works well today?

Quick actions: calls, messages, reminders, timers, calendar events, controlling smart home devices and sports scores. For these, Siri is fast and reliable, and back-to-back requests remove much of the frustration I had.

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Updated September 2026: in 2021 I suggested that Amazon, Google and Microsoft should build subscription bundles around their strengths, as Apple had with Apple One. I have rewritten it into a practical way to work out whether a bundle actually saves your household money.

My 2021 view was that bundles would decide the next competition between the big technology companies. Amazon had Prime, Google had its huge user base across Photos, Drive and YouTube, and Microsoft had Office users. Since then, bundles have multiplied. The real question for a household is whether any of them saves money.

How do you work out if a bundle saves money?

• List what you pay for now, service by service, with annual cost.
• Mark what you actually use each month.
• Price the bundle that covers the used services.
• Compare the bundle price against the individual services you would really keep.

A bundle saves money only if it replaces at least two services you would otherwise pay for.

What bundles are common in India?

Amazon Prime combines delivery with Prime Video and music. Apple One combines Apple's music, video, games and storage. Google One adds storage and, on higher tiers, AI features. Microsoft 365 combines storage with Office. Telecom and broadband plans also bundle streaming apps, which are often the cheapest way to get several services.

What are the hidden costs of bundles?

Paying for services you never open, and finding it harder to cancel one part. Bundles also make price increases less noticeable, because they arrive as one number. Review your bundles once a year, just as you would individual subscriptions.

Did my 2021 prediction come true?

Partly. Bundles did become central, but the companies stuck to their strengths rather than copying Apple: Microsoft added AI to productivity, Google added AI to storage, and Amazon kept Prime broad. There is still no single bundle that covers everything.

Are telecom bundles a good deal?

Often, if the included apps are ones you would pay for anyway. Mobile and broadband plans from Indian operators frequently include streaming subscriptions at little extra cost. Check the tier of each app included, since bundled versions are sometimes the mobile-only or ad-supported plan.

What is the simplest approach?

Keep the one bundle your household uses most, add individual services only when you are actively using them, and pause those between seasons of shows you care about.

Keep reading

• OTT Aggregator Packs in India: Are They Worth It?
• OneDrive, Google One and iCloud: Each One's Weak Spot
• Dolby Atmos on Amazon Music: Where to Find It

Updated September 2026: in 2021, after Apple put Dolby Atmos into Apple Music, Amazon Music announced spatial audio too, but without a clear launch date or catalogue details. I have rewritten it into a guide to finding spatial audio on Amazon Music. Availability varies by plan and country, so check your own app.

Apple's move to Dolby Atmos in 2021 pushed competitors to respond. Amazon Music said it would offer spatial audio as well, but at first gave few details about timing or which songs and plans would include it. For listeners, the question was simple: when and where could they hear it?

Does Amazon Music offer Dolby Atmos?

Amazon Music offers spatial audio tracks, in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, as part of its higher-quality tier, Amazon Music Unlimited, in markets where that tier is available. The music included with a standard Prime membership may not include these formats. Check which version you have in the app's settings.

What do you need to hear it?

• A plan and country where spatial audio is included.
• A supported device, such as recent phones, some Echo speakers and certain soundbars.
• Tracks marked as Dolby Atmos or 360 Reality Audio in the app.
• Good headphones or a compatible speaker for the best effect.

How do you find spatial audio tracks?

Search for spatial audio playlists in the app, or look for the Dolby Atmos or 360 badge on albums. Not every song has a spatial mix; it depends on whether the label created one.

How does it compare with Apple Music?

Apple Music includes Dolby Atmos in its standard subscription and has a large Atmos catalogue, which is its advantage. Amazon's strength is value for Prime members and a strong regional catalogue. If spatial audio is your priority, Apple Music is the simpler choice.

Why was Amazon's 2021 announcement so vague?

Because spatial audio depends on record labels producing new mixes, and on device makers supporting the formats. Services can announce support before much of the catalogue is ready. That is why early announcements rarely gave dates or numbers, and why the choice of songs grew gradually afterwards.

Is spatial audio worth switching for?

Listen first. Some spatial mixes are impressive, others sound odd compared with the stereo original. Most services offer free trials, so compare the same songs before paying more.

Keep reading

• Do Subscription Bundles Actually Save Money?
• Reasons why I hate or don’t like AirPods Pro
• OTT Aggregator Packs in India: Are They Worth It?

Updated September 2026: in 2021 I listed the "showstopper" in each cloud storage option: OneDrive lacked Google-style photo organising and Chromecast casting on iPhone, Google lacked bundled apps, and so on. I have rewritten it into a comparison of what each service still does not do well.

I spent a long time choosing cloud storage because each option lacked something I wanted. OneDrive was affordable and included Office, but its photo organising was basic, it could not cast to a Chromecast from an iPhone, and it had no bundled music or video. Google Photos had the best photo tools and casting, but no bundled apps. Each choice was a compromise.

What is OneDrive weakest at?

Browsing and rediscovering photos. It backs up reliably and has added more photo features, but search, automatic albums and memories are less polished than Google Photos. Casting support also varies by device and app version. Its strengths are per-person storage on family plans and Office apps.

What is Google One weakest at?

Storage sharing and extras for non-Google users. The family plan shares one storage pool, so one heavy user can fill it. Higher tiers add AI features, but there is no music or office suite bundled in the way Microsoft and Apple bundle theirs. On iPhone, backup works well but lacks the deep system integration of iCloud.

What is iCloud weakest at?

Anything outside Apple devices. iCloud works through a browser and a Windows app, but Android support is minimal. Its photo features are good on Apple devices only. For a mixed Android and iPhone family, it is the least flexible choice.

So which showstopper matters least?

• If you care most about photos, accept Google One's shared pool.
• If you need storage per person and Office, accept OneDrive's weaker photo tools.
• If everyone uses Apple devices, accept iCloud's poor Android support.

Can combining services solve it?

Partly. Many families use OneDrive for storage and a small Google One plan for photos. It costs more and adds apps to manage, so do it only if the missing feature truly matters to you.

Has anything improved since 2021?

All three services have added features, especially AI search and editing, and prices have changed. The basic trade-offs, though, are the same ones I found then.

Keep reading

• Do Subscription Bundles Actually Save Money?
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Updated September 2026: in 2021 I wrote a short list of what I did not like about my AirPods Pro. I have rewritten it as a practical guide to the three problems I ran into, what causes them and how to work around them. Apple has released newer models and software updates since then, so check your own device before relying on any single detail.

I fell in love with my AirPods Pro. Every day I was surprised by how much technology fits into such a small design. Still, a few things bothered me enough that I wrote them down, and they are the most common complaints people raise about earbuds like these.

Why do AirPods Pro not switch automatically on an older Mac?

My MacBook Pro was a 2012 model. The AirPods Pro connect to it, but the features are limited and there is no automatic connectivity. While I watched a film on the Mac and a call came in on my iPhone, the earbuds stayed with the Mac instead of moving to the phone.

Automatic switching depends on the Mac and iPhone running fairly recent software and signing in with the same Apple ID, so a very old Mac simply cannot take part. Two things helped:

• Switch by hand. Choose the earbuds from the Bluetooth or sound menu on the device you want to use.
• Answer the call on the phone. Taking a call on the Mac over Wi-Fi worked, but the quality was poor and the audio was delayed, so I avoided it.

Can you turn off noise cancellation during phone calls?

Noise cancellation was one of the best features of the AirPods Pro compared with similar headphones. The trouble came on calls. With it switched on, I could not tell how loud my own voice was, so I sometimes spoke too loudly, and sometimes the person on the other end told me I sounded too quiet.

The simple fix is to change the listening mode yourself. Press and hold the stem, or use the control centre on your phone, to switch between noise cancellation, transparency and off. Transparency lets you hear yourself naturally, which is usually enough to bring your voice back to a normal level. I would still like the earbuds to make that switch by themselves when a call starts.

Is spatial audio worth using if few apps support it?

When Apple launched spatial audio, it demonstrated the feature on Apple TV+. More than a year later, that was still the only place I could use it, and there were rumours that other streaming services would follow. Because nothing else supported it, I stopped using the feature and sometimes forgot it existed.

Support has probably grown since I wrote this, so it is worth checking the settings of the services you use most. If your favourite app does not offer it, you lose very little by leaving it off.

What should you check before buying AirPods Pro?

Match the earbuds to the devices you own. If your Mac or iPhone is several years old, expect fewer automatic features. If you take many calls, try the different listening modes in a shop first. If you care about spatial audio, confirm that your streaming services support it before you count it as a reason to buy.

Keep reading

• Setting Up AirPods Pro for a Family Member
• iPhone 14's Missing Features: What Apple Added Since
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Updated September 2026: in 2021 I explained why I was willing to pay Apple's premium for a new MacBook: build quality, battery reliability measured in charge cycles, and macOS. I have rewritten it with current details on MacBook battery ratings and whether the premium still holds up.

I wanted to replace my old MacBook Pro with something that would last many years. The price was the obstacle, but I felt it was justified by reliability, build quality and the operating system. I cited battery cycle ratings as an example: when Apple promises a battery will hold up to a number of cycles, it generally does.

What are MacBook battery cycle ratings?

A charge cycle is using the equivalent of a full battery's charge, whether in one go or across several days. Apple rates the batteries in its current MacBook models to retain up to 80 percent of original capacity at 1,000 cycles. Some older models had lower ratings. You can check a MacBook's cycle count in System Information, under Power.

Is MacBook build quality worth the price?

For many buyers, yes. Aluminium bodies, good keyboards and trackpads, and strong displays are consistent across the range. Apple silicon Macs also run cool and quiet with long battery life, which reduces wear and makes them pleasant to use for years.

What does the premium not cover?

• Upgrades: memory and storage cannot be added later, so you pay upfront for what you will need.
• Repairs: out-of-warranty repairs can be expensive; consider AppleCare+ or a budget for repairs.
• Some software: a few professional or company tools run only on Windows.

How do you get the most value?

Buy enough memory and storage for five or more years, look for education or festive offers, and consider the previous generation at a discount. A MacBook kept for six years often costs less per year than a cheaper laptop replaced after three.

Is macOS a reason on its own?

For people who prefer it, yes. It is stable, updates are straightforward, and it works closely with iPhones. For people whose work is Windows-based, the premium makes less sense.

Keep reading

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Updated September 2026: the original 2021 post listed what a Project Management Office (PMO) owns in an IT project. I have expanded it into a clearer explanation of what a PMO does, who is in it and how it differs from the project team.

In IT projects, the Project Management Office, or PMO, is the group responsible for steering the project: planning, tracking, reporting and keeping stakeholders informed. It typically includes the project manager, delivery manager, project coordinators and representatives of the business owner.

What does a PMO do?

• Planning: builds the integrated schedule and allocates people to it.
• Tracking: monitors progress against milestones and budget.
• Reporting: keeps the business owner and stakeholders updated on progress and issues.
• Coordination: assigns tasks to the project team and follows up.
• Risk and issue management: records risks, agrees mitigations and escalates when needed.
• Standards: sets templates and processes for documents, testing and sign-off.

How is a PMO different from the project team?

The project team does the work: requirements, configuration, development and testing. The PMO organises and oversees that work. On small projects, one project manager may do both. On large programmes, the PMO is a separate function coordinating several teams.

Who does the PMO report to?

Usually to a steering committee of senior sponsors from the business and the IT vendor. The steering committee makes major decisions on scope, budget and timelines; the PMO brings them the information needed to decide.

What makes a PMO effective?

Honest reporting, especially of bad news early; a schedule that the project team actually uses; and a light enough process that it helps rather than slows the work. A PMO that produces status reports nobody reads is overhead.

What does a PMO report each week?

A typical weekly report covers progress against the plan, milestones due and missed, key risks and issues with owners, decisions needed from the business, and budget status. The most useful reports lead with what needs attention rather than listing everything that went well. A red status raised early is worth more than a green status that turns red a week before go-live.

Is a PMO needed on every project?

Not as a separate team. Small projects need project management, not a PMO. Large or multi-vendor programmes benefit from one, because coordination becomes a full-time job.

Keep reading

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