Software and hardware I use and other tech things I'm into

For the fun of it, a list of my current workstation and the software I use on a daily basis as well as some of my favorite gadgets and other tech things I'm into.

Workstation

  • Lenova Legion Y740 Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU | 32GB RAM | GPU NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070

    I've been using this laptop for a few years now and it still does exactly what it says on the tin. I originally opted for the RTX for Unity VR development'. using the Oculus Rift. I often have multiple IDE's open at once as well as photoshop and this machine handles it all with ease. Great for gaming too!

  • APPLE Mac mini (2023) - M2 Pro, 512 GB SSD, Silver

    While I mainly use my PC's for most of my coding activity I have a Mac for working with Xcode and compiling and testing IOS apps. The range of mini's is great for keeping costs down while still having access to Apple's high end kit.

  • BenQ A510 32 INCH Monitor

    Thanks to the KVM switch I run both my PC and Mac through the same 32 inch monitor. I've been using BenQ monitors for years and they are great value for money. Lots of ergonomic options and advances features like dual view to work simultaeniously on OSX and Windows.

  • Varidesk Pro Plus 48

    Adjustable height desk to work seated or standing. Combined with a BenQ adjustable monitor arm this is a great way to work.

Development tools

  • IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate

    I'm a big fan of Jetbrains software suite and use IntelliJ for most of my development work. I also use Webstorm for web development and Rider for Unity development.

  • Firefoo

    This is a fantastic little piece of software build by a small team in the EU. It provides everything you need to manage Firebase Firestore databases and Authentication.

  • Unity3D

    The go to software for game development. I've been using Unity for years and it's a great tool for building games and other interactive experiences.

XR Kit

  • Meta Quest Pro

    Although it's being discontinued to facour production of the more affordable Quest 3, the Quest 3 is still a highly advanced professional VR kit.

  • Meta Quest 2

    Backup device for testing and development.

  • Oculus Quest

    Rarely used but included for completeness.

  • Oculus Rift

    Wired VR headset for use with Unity development. I rarely use it now as the Pro has superceded it in every way but it was a great device for it's time alongside a powerful PC.

  • Oculus Go

    Mainly for fun as it was so difficult to deploy anything to it with the Oculus SDK.

  • Google Daydream

    I was so disapointed when Google abandoned their VR SDK. I loved the Daydream headset and it was a great way to get into VR with a mobile device. Worked great with my Pixel Pro 3 XL back in the day.

Design

  • Adobe Creative Suite

    I've had the full Adobe Creative Suite for years and use Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier and After Effects on a regular basis.

  • Midjourney

    I was an early onboarder to Midjourney while it was still in it's beta phase. Still the best AI tool for generating ideas for images and illustrations.

  • Reallusion 3D

    I purchased a lifetime license for Reallusion 3D a few years ago and it's a great tool for creating 3D characters and animations.

Productivity

  • Slack

    Quite expensive for a team but it just does the job so well. I've tried alternatives but always come back to Slack.

  • Trello

    My favorite Kanban board. I've tried others but Trello is just so easy to use and has all the features I need.

  • Google Workspaces

    Cloud based productivity suite. I use Google Docs, Sheets and other tools on a daily basis with my professional workspace plan.