Pixel 4a: Two Years And Counting

I bought my Pixel 4a in September 2021 through the French electronics superstore Fnac - mainly because the 4a wasn't available in Sweden and I heard positive comments from Fnac customers. The purchase went smoothly and the phone was delivered without any hassle. The total price was EUR 354.

In the end it was a no-brainer for me, getting the 4a to replace my aging Pixel 2. I definitely wanted to stick with Pixel phones, if at all possible, and here are the main criteria I had before the purchase:

• Small phone a must-have; can't cope with the huge slabs that seem to be all the rage these days
• Reasonable power and a good screen. I don't play games but can't do without a smooth user experience either
• Decent battery life
• Preferably at least some protection against the elements
• Top of the line camera
• Headphone jack - yes, please!
• Price that doesn't break the bank

The 4a looked like a very decent overall compromise; perfect size, great camera, nice price - but, unfortunately, no weather protection. The headphone jack is truly a great bonus and the phone is also surprisingly light.

Looking back these two years I must say I've had no problems whatsoever with my 4a and I've been really happy with it. Obviously, I've been careful not to get it wet! Right from the start, I also bought a protective and super slim Spigen Thin Fit sleeve and it has definitely saved the phone and thereby my day on several occasions. From now on - meaning winter of 2023 - there are apparently no additional system or security updates available from Google and that is really too bad. This is actually my main gripe with Google and Pixel phones; looks like things will take a positive turn in the future though.

My Pixel 4a is still in pristine condition. I will absolutely keep using it, hoping that the AdGuard software will deal with most of today's abundant malware threats. Battery life, of course, is not stellar (it never was, actually) so I don't get anything close to a full day of use anymore. However, I'm fully aware that the always-on apps I'm using - AdGuard, Orbot, GravityScreen - also increase battery drain. My BT Pixel Buds A-series (my review here) and the 4a are a good match for sure but the headphone jack is also super, especially when hard wiring the phone to my Zoom PodTrak P4.

There is a problem on the horizon, however: how to find a good replacement for the 4a, when the time comes? It looks like there are no small form factor phones coming from Google any time soon and they are a rare breed from other manufacturers as well. Asus Zenfone is an interesting option but the price tag looks anything but nice to me.

The Cool Gear scale is just barely enough to accommodate the Pixel 4a. This is an old budget phone that still today in many respects matches the competition. That's Super Cool.   

  

Ice Fishing

 

This one sure looks a bit frozen - and it is! The October ice wasn't thick at all, roughly a bit more than one inch, and there was hardly any snow. It definitely made good sense for us, being careful during our very-close-to-the-base skating fun! Some more pics and video clips here - from my Pixel 4a (that doesn't get any more updates from Google, unfortunately).

Ingen pizza - men toppengod!

 

Oemotståndligt smarrigt!

Bläddrade i COOPs kundtidning - oftast blir det faktiskt att jag bara bläddrar igenom den - och råkade fastna på ett litet recepttips om 'Äppelpizza på tortillabröd'. Att kalla något man gör med (inköpes-)tortillabröd för 'pizza' är förstås att ta i ordentligt men detta verkade ändå lockande. 

Sagt och gjort, vi hade hemma både tortillabröd, crème fraiche, äpplen, kardemumma och såklart (svensk!) honung så det var bara att testa. På med ugnen 225C, smeta crème fraiche på ett tortillabröd, fixa flortunna äppelskivor med mandolin, strö på med kardemumma, smälta honung i vattenbad och ringla över - och in i ugnen med hela härligheten.

Riktigt gott blev det, jamen! Härlig konsistens med det lite sega tortillabrödet, tillsammans med syran från crème fraiche och äpplen och sedan som pricken på i:et kardemumman och honungssötman.

Några ytterligare funderingar:

• Mandolinen är verkligen grejen i många sammanhang. Tunt, tunt blir ofta så suveränt gott! Klart man kan fixa detta med kniven men det gäller verkligen att vara stadig på handen.
• Jag tar mycket (mortlad) kardemumma! Helt magiskt. Lite kanel därtill fungerar ypperligt bra också.
• Flytande honung från utlandet - som beklämmande ofta är fejkad honung - finns det ingen anledning att köpa. Det finns gott om väldigt god svensk honung som blir flytande på någon minut i vattenbad.
• Vi testade också med Chavroux getost, blandad med lite crème fraiche eller grekisk yogurt - fullträff!
• Råkade ha lönnsirap i skafferiet vid ett annat tillfälle och jag måste säga att det var inte alls dumt, det heller. Fast minst lika gott blir det med honung, egentligen.

Denna snabba anrättning går att variera hur mycket som helst, såklart, och härmed har vi en ny favorit till gofikat. Enkelt, snabbt och supergott - kanske läge att testa med päron nästa gång? 

   

This Is How: To Skip Dessert

 

Yes, I did skip dessert

It was a sunny winter day and it felt just right to skip dessert - and, actually, lunch as well. This Is How brewery is, surprisingly, not located in the US but in a very northern town of Piteå, Sweden! I checked the How To Skip Dessert can one more time and sure enough, there is not a word anywhere to be found about the origin of the beer. Everything on the can is in (American) English! Strange. I had the impression that the good folks in Piteå town are not the least ashamed of their home turf!

The very dark goodness of this chocolate stout is definitely extremely tasty - and filling. Super delicious and I'd guess it is as close a beer gets to chocolate, without a complete transformation. Yup, you can definitely skip dessert and choose How To Skip Dessert instead. Perhaps not such a great idea to skip lunch though. 

Apparently This Is How will also open a 'taproom' in (even more northern) Luleå; interesting for sure!