Uses This

Who are you, and what do you do?

I'm Aarthi Ramamurthy, and I'm the founder of Lumoid - we are a try-before-you-buy service, starting with photography and video gear. We rent and sell gadgets to consumers who are looking to try them before they decide to buy it, or want to rent items from us for a one-time use, like going on a vacation. I started Lumoid because I wanted to be able to try different gear that my friends were using or from reviews that I'd read about, but often, I'd buy it and then realize that it wasn't the best gear for me, and deal with having to re-sell it or return the gear.

I live in San Francisco, CA. In my spare time, I'm into photography and running.

Before I started Lumoid, I built products at Microsoft, such as Xbox LIVE, and worked at Netflix on the video streaming software.

What hardware do you use?

I am a self-confessed gadget lover, which partially explains why I work at Lumoid. I'm one of those people who backs gadgets on Kickstarter at least about once a month. It's a problem.

I use a 17-inch MacBook Pro at home - this model has been discontinued by Apple, but it's by far, my favorite configuration, as long as I don't have to move the giant laptop from my home. At work, I use a 11-inch MacBook Air and I'm still not entirely convinced that I like the setup at work.

I have a white iPhone 5, an iPad mini and a Kindle Paperwhite.

For photography, I currently use a Leica M9 and a Voigtlander 35mm lens. The rangefinder takes a little time to get used to, but I love the image quality. You can't go wrong with a Leica.

When I run, I wear my Nike Fuelband and Soul Transform On-Ear headphones.

And finally, I own a Chumby, a Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch and Bose QC15 headphones.

And what software?

I love Siri on my phone and use it nearly everyday to compose messages, emails, find restaurants etc. This almost always surprises people around me.

When I run, I use the Nike+ app and Spotify. I also use dailymile.com to track miles and share with friends.

I use Lightroom 5 to edit my photos from the Leica. I use Instagram and VSCO for processing and uploading photos on my phone.

I use Fidelity.com to trade stocks, and am a fan of the content on wealthfront.com.

I use Firebug, Sequel Pro, Balsamiq, Pivotal Tracker, Google Analytics and Sublime Text for prototyping/development/analytics purposes.

What would be your dream setup?

I'm considering getting an Apple 27-inch display at home, and maybe upgrade to a 13-inch MacBook Pro at work.

For running, I'm considering getting the Misfit Shine (especially the new Coca Cola Red) because I've heard good things and because Nike Fuelband is getting discontinued.

I get to try new photography gear all the time at Lumoid, so it's hard to decide what I really want to buy. I love the Fuji X100S but I'd only get one if I didn't already have my Leica.