OCT.11.2025 - #44

Hi all 👋, this week while writing clicks 'n clacks I was re-watching the previous two Tron movies in anticipation for the third instalment of the series, Tron Ares, which I am watching later today. I also finally got around to playing last year’s GOTY, Astro Bot, and I was excited to learn about recent leaks and announcements surrounding the next-generation of gaming consoles. I was delighted to hear from heads at both Marvel and DC Comics that AI will have no place in the creation of their comics books—a win for slop-haters everywhere. It was quite the week for transparent tech, with users transforming a brand new iPhone Air and Nintendo Switch 2 into see-thru creations with a little DIY magic.

Right after last week's newsletter release, I had the chance to visit some local keyboard shops which got me excited to test KeyBay's new Cheese v2 switch in an upcoming build, while also patiently waiting for their new tactile switch. In other keyboard news, gaming gear brand Wooting launched a new online store to get refurbished, dead stock, or discontinued products at a discounted rate.

Buckle up, and let's jump into this week’s issue!

→ Ever since the release of iOS 26, I've been looking for ways to spruce up my iPhone homescreen. I am currently using Lokki's Liquid Glass Icons and always searching for more gems in the Widgy community. Now, I have another app to add to my customization portfolio—Koco Widgets by Niko. Packed with tons of widgets, live activities, dynamic island add-ons, and icon packs, I find it much more accessible and easier to use than Widgy, which can quickly become overwhelming. The plethora of themes, styles, and colours of widgets (Horizon Series is my fave with pastel colours and a minimal theme) are easy to browse through and it’s simple to further customize if needed. It has a plentiful free version, but the premium offering (annual for $9.99 and lifetime for $19.99) is a great deal in my opinion for anyone looking to change up their phone’s appearance and/or wanting a Widgy alternative.

→ I talked about MagSafe and my love for the ecosystem a few weeks ago, so when this came across my feed it certainly piqued my interest. OpenCase is trying to solve two of the most frustrating issues with Apple's magnetic accessories—the first being how easily the two magnets slide apart, and the second is the bulk added to your device with MagSafe items attached. Their main product, The OpenCase, provides a cut-out on the back of the phone so accessories attach directly to the phone while a slight lip prevents accidental removal. Along with this case, they also sell their own suite of wallets, grips, chargers, and car mounts. However, they took special care to ensure the cut out was designed so that a majority of products (both Apple and third-party) fit perfectly with the case. They had a successful Kickstarter about a year ago and are now selling their cases on their website—I hope to see more new accessories and case colour variants soon.

→ Next up is Retropia, a new-ish brand that seems to be hopping on the ever-growing trend of bringing film looks, vintage vibes, and old-school aesthetics to modern digital cameras. They do this with re-purposed disposable lenses for a number of camera brands, an optical waist-level viewfinder, a flash attachment, filters, and LUTs (Look-Up Table). Other brands like Pocket Dispo, DispoStudio, or any number of Etsy storefronts sell very similar items, but what intrigued me about Retropia were their viewfinder and bundle deals. I'd love to try out some of their products—I am not entirely convinced if they are worth their cost yet, but as I mentioned there is loads of competition so I am always searching for more options.

→ This is a truly exciting board I have been waiting for since its initial announcement this past July—the Soleil, made and designed by Cannon Keys and Gondolindrim. It is a tenkeyless layout board, inspired by nature, and powered by the sun. That's right—thanks to a mini solar panel above the arrow key cluster and ZMK firmware (last seen in the Photon from #09), the Soleil can run for over 12 months in even the dimmest of environments. The case of the board has three colourway options (black, white, and a newly added green) and features natural wood accents, giving each board a unique look with variations in knots and wood grain patterns. The group buy for this board runs from Oct 10th → Nov 11th—international link to this product can be found here.

→ Another long-awaited feature! GMK CYL Gorp (aka “Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts”) is a keycap set inspired by the “Gorpcore” style or more specifically the outerwear collabs between Japanese clothier Beams and Canadian sporting gear brand Arc’teryx. With beautiful beige alpha-numerics and muted but striking blue/green pastel modifiers, this is such good-looking set. Designer Evan (aka extrapriusplease) made a great video about the process and creation of these caps which I recommend giving a quick watch. Additionally, Evan partnered with US vendor Omnitype along with other regional vendors to secure enough stock of keycap sets to hit MOQ (minimum order quantity) which will ideally mean Gorp gets onto users’ boards quicker. This is something usually not done in this hobby—usually it goes IC → GB → wait to hit MOQ → if hit, order placed with manufacturer → orders sent to vendors → then finally vendors send to customer. You can see it's a tedious process, but I am noticing more people “skipping” the group-buy phase and instead making it a “pre-order” option (with over/under orders sold as in-stock or in subsequent future batches).

→ I've heard of ceramic keys before—they provide a rich, thocky sound profile—with manufacturers like CeraKey offering plethora niche options. However, I've never before seen what Keychron has done with their newest board, the Q16 HE. They've gone and made the entire board out of ceramic material. Interesting in theory, but as evidenced by the sound test, I don't think it was the right move. It sounds cheap, rattle-y, hollow but at the same time foam-filled, and in my opinion just straight up not good (that spacebar sound gives me shivers). I wanted to bring this up not to hate—I quite like Keychron and their boards (many I recommend to people just getting into mechanical keyboards)—I just think this is a slight misstep for them. Let's leave the ceramics to the already highly regarded professionals like CeraKey.

That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it, and now it’s time to hear from YOU 🫵. I want to know your opinion—what you liked, what you loved, what you didn’t like, what you skipped. Reach out at mail.clicksnclacks.com (or reply to this email!) and have a great weekend!!