Against my better judgment, I'm dedicating this issue's feature topic to something a little offbeat.

That would be my growing obsession with--and collection of--mechanical keyboards. Unlike the cheap keyboards that come with most desktop computers (and laptops, for that matter), mechanical keyboards make typing seem joyous instead of obligatory, replacing the mushy feeling of a rubber membrane with spring-loaded keys that give off an authoritative clack. Mechanical keyboards are also more durable and more comfortable to type on than cheaper keyboards, and they just look cooler, especially with the right set of keycaps.

I first bought a mechanical keyboard in 2015--a clunky Rosewill keyboard that was clearly aimed at gamers--but the concept really clicked for me last year, when I started reading about much smaller and slicker options. After realizing that I could finally fit a nice keyboard and wireless mouse in the slide-out tray under my desk, and buying a Qisan Magicforce mini keyboard with Cherry MX Blue switches, I quickly understood why a lot of folks refer to mechanical keyboards as a rabbit hole.

Still, there are a few things I wish that I'd known before I bought my first mechanical keyboard. If you have any interest in joining me down the rabbit hole, here's what you should consider first:

Size up the options

I bought my 67-key Magicforce keyboard without quite realizing how many other sizes are available, from traditinally-huge keyboards to ultra-compact models with no number keys at all. If you want to save space without sacrificing more than the number pad, an 87-key layout such as the WASD Code keyboard is a good starting point, or you can get even more compact with an 84-key layout (which omits dedicated Insert, Scroll Lock, and Number Lock keys). The smaller you go from there, the more keys will require holding a Function button to access. My MagicForce omits the entire top F-key row, which I don't mind, but having a dedicated Print Screen key would be nice.

Consider a key switch tester

Different mechanical keyboards use different kinds of switches, which have a big impact on how typing feels and sounds. "Blue" key switches, for instance, feel light under your fingers and make a loud click as you press partway down, while "White" keys have a similar sound with more stiffness. "Brown" switches aren't nearly as noisy, but they still make a little bump under your fingers as you press them. "Black" and "Red" switches press straight down with no interference, with the former being stiffer than the latter. And those aren't even all the options.

I jumped straight into Cherry MX Blue keys, because they're the most popular switch if you want something loud, but only recently did I buy a $12 switch tester to see what other options feel like. I wish I'd done it sooner, not only for research purposes, but because fidgeting around with a cluster of dummy keys is great stress relief.

Don't cheap out on key quality

With mechanical keyboards, the brand of key switch is arguably more important than the maker of the keyboard itself. In my haste to buy a compact mechanical keyboard--and not spend a lot in the process--I picked one with generic "Blue" switches, only to discover that it sometimes failed to pick up every keystroke. I quickly returned it for name-brand Cherry MX Blue switches instead. Some folks do swear by certain Cherry imitators--mainly Gateron and Kailh--but steer clear of keyboards that only specify a switch color with no brand or use sneaky language such as "Cherry Red equivalent."

Plan for style ahead of time

Once you've actually bought a mechanical keyboard, you can have a lot of fun customizing it by swapping in alternative-color keycaps, with sites like Banggood and AliExpress offering many sets in the $20 range. But depending on your keyboard's body color and backlighting, some keycap styles may look better than others. You may want to consider your customization plans before picking out the keyboard itself.

Consider the connection

Nearly all mechanical keyboards use a USB cable to connect with your computer. The wired connection isn't a problem for desktops, but it can be mildly annoying for laptops, and may not work at all with tablets, especially if you can't disable the keyboard's backlighting. The Anne Pro 2 is a relatively affordable Bluetooth mechanical keyboard, but there aren't many other great options for wireless connectivity otherwise.

Why bother?

From the outside, I admit it can seem unusual to put this much thought into a keyboard. But if you do any significant amount of writing on a computer, you'll be interacting with your keyboard constantly. Buying a mechanical keyboard is akin to investing in a high-quality, long-lasting tool that you can take pride in using.

As for the aforementioned rabbit hole--buying multiple keyboards in different sizes, each with their own switch types and keycap colors--that's probably a little crazier. But don't be surprised if the thought crosses your mind once everything clicks for you.
 

On September 10, Apple will hold a press event where it'll likely announce new iPhones with much better low-light photography (among other things). But if you're not planning to spend upwards of $1000 on the rumored iPhone 11, you can still get better nighttime photos on your current iPhone with the $3 NeuralCam app. It's inspired by the excellent Night Sight mode on Google's Pixel phones, taking a series of long exposure shots and using algorithms to stitch them into one well-lit photo.

NeuralCam won't work miracles. You'll need to hold your camera steady for a few seconds to capture a good shot, and some lighting conditions will still leave you with too much noise or blurriness. Still, the results are a big improvement over the iPhone's stock camera app in low-light scenarios, as you can see from the image above. (See also: 9to5Mac's handy comparison between NeuralCam and other low-light camera apps, which didn't fare as well.)
 

Apple's new Siri stance: A couple issues back, I wrote about how Apple, Google, and Amazon have all been letting human contractors listen to recordings of voice commands for Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, respectively. The purpose was to grade the transcriptions for accuracy so the companies could improve their speech recognition, but it inevitably resulted in strangers listening to people's private moments, and none of the companies involved had been up-front with users about the practice. Apple and Google both temporarily suspended their programs in response to the outcry, while Amazon added a clear way to opt out.

Now, Apple's come out with an even stronger response: Starting this fall, it will seek opt-in permission to have humans listen to Siri recordings, and if you don't approve, Apple won't store the recordings at all. The company also says it will have its own employees do the reviewing instead of hiring contractors, and for users who've opted in, it will delete any recordings that don't sound like intentional voice commands.

By contrast, Google and Amazon will continue storing recordings of your voice commands whether you've consented to human review or not, and the only way to delete them all is manually through their websites. Apple's new Siri policy is more in line with its attempts to be a leader on privacy; don't be surprised if it eventually becomes part of the company's marketing for products like the HomePod speaker.

The big Apple hack: Security researchers from Google recently disclosed a nasty-sounding iPhone vulnerability: Just by visiting certain websites, users could have their files stolen, locations tracked, and private messages intercepted. These attacks apparently went on for two years, affecting thousands of users per day, until Apple patched the vulnerability in February. Sources later told Forbes that the attackers targeted Android and Windows devices as well.

Whether this hack will actually affect you is harder to discern. Google's researchers haven't disclosed which websites were hosting the attack, and TechCrunch reported that the main targets were Uyghur Muslims in China as part of a surveillance effort by the Chinese government. That would certainly be a human rights concern, but it wouldn't represent an imminent threat to iPhone users globally. We'll have to want and see if anything comes up to suggest otherwise.

Instagram's big hoax: A couple weeks ago, an image started making the rounds on Instagram, claiming that everything you've ever posted would soon become public. The only remedy, of course, was to copy and paste said image, which also included a "notice" that Instagram was forbidden from disclosing the content of the user's profile. The post was eventually shared by the likes of Julia Roberts, Judd Apatow, Usher, and US Energy Secretary Rick Perry, among others, giving credibility to what's actually a 7-year-old hoax.

For the record, no, Instagram is not about to make your posts public, though it's never a bad idea to visit your Instagram account privacy page and make sure the "Private Account" box is checked. That'll do more good than recirculating the modern-day equivalent of a chain letter.

Samsung's iMessage retort: If you're an Android user who's ever been chastised for ruining your iPhone-owning friends' iMessage conversations, Samsung's offering some relief in the form of humorous animated gifs. Watch in delight as the green bubbles absorb, destroy, or otherwise poke fun at those elitist blue iMessage bubbles, then send the gifs to friends and family whenever they give you a hard time over your smartphone preferences.

iPhone users do arguably have a reason to sneer: The green bubbles that appear when texting with Android users aren't just an eyesore, they also signify a degraded experience. Images and videos come through at lesser quality, certain features such as reactions won't look right, and group chats are limited to just 10 people. Still, those iPhone users could also move to group chat apps that are more inclusive, such as WhatsApp or Signal, and those other features either aren't essential or have workarounds. I'm of the mind that people shouldn't be punished socially for their choice of smartphone; at least now there's a way to send some mockery in the other direction.

Yelp gets personal: The popular local search app Yelp now lets you personalize its listings based on your dietary restrictions and culinary preferences. Just head to the "Me" tab in the app, then scroll down and select the "Your Preferences" button. You'll then get recommendations based on your selections (as noted with a "Because you liked..." descriptor) in search results. Sadly, this is of little use to me as someone who eats pretty much anything.
 

Given this issue's feature topic, it only seems appropriate to point out some mechanical keyboard deals. Right now, Banggood is selling the Anne Pro 2 Bluetooth mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches for $88, which is $12 off the regular price and only an $8 markup over the versions with imitation switches. Throw in these alternative keycaps and you've got a pretty slick-looking compact keyboard with wireless connectivity.

If you don't want to sacrifice as many keys, Corsair's K65 keyboard with Cherry MX Red switches is on sale for $80, which is only $2 more than the record low. It has an aluminum frame, customizable backlighting colors, and its own USB port so you can connect a mouse or other accessories.
 

Over at Fast Company, I enjoyed reading JR Raphael's list of Google Drive tricks, which made me realize you don't need expensive software such as Adobe Acrobat to edit a PDF file. Just upload your file to Drive, double click on it, then click the blue "Open with Google Docs" button at the top to edit it like any other document. You can then save it back to PDF afterwards by clicking File > Download > PDF Document.

Even if you're not using Google Drive, you can easily save any document as a PDF from your computer's print dialog. In Windows 10, just select "Microsoft Print to PDF" from the printer selection menu. You can do the same on a Mac by selecting PDF > Save as PDF from the bottom-left corner of the print menu.