Category: Wearables

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Apple Watch Series 5 has an always-on display and comes in titanium or ceramic finishes

Apple has just officially announced the next generation of the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 5. The latest model is very similar to last year’s Series 4, with a similar design and size. The big new feature this year is an always-on display option so you can see the time without having to move your wrist, something that has been asked for since the Apple Watch first debuted in 2015.

Apple says the Series 5 watch maintains the prior model’s 18-hour battery life, even with the new always-on screen, thanks to a new low-temperature polysilicone and oxide display and low-power display driver. Watchfaces and workouts have been redesigned to take advantage of the new display option. The screen will be in a low-brightness mode until you move your wrist, where it will switch to full brightness in a similar fashion to how the current model turns on when your wrist is moved.

In addition to the new always-on display feature, the Apple Watch Series 5 is now available in a recycled aluminum or titanium finishes. The stainless steel and ceramic options from prior models are also available. Apple says this is the widest number of finishes ever for the Apple Watch.

Other new features include a built-in compass and emergency calling for international countries. Interestingly, Apple did not announce first-party sleep tracking with the new model, which was something that was expected based on leaks and rumors.

Pricing for the Series 5 starts at $399 for GPS model and $499 for the cellular connected version. It’s available for order starting today and will be in stores starting on September 20th. Apple is also permanently dropping the price of the Series 3 to $199, matching the lowest sale price on that model we’ve seen. Last year’s Series 4 model has been dropped from the lineup.

The titanium Apple Watch Series 5

Source: The Verge

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Apple Watch Series 5: Hands on with the new generation smartwatch

Apple announced the new Apple Watch Series 5 today, bringing the one thing that many have wanted from the Apple Watch since its launch: an always-on display. In addition to the new screen, the Series 5 adds a new titanium finish option as well as the ceramic option that was available on prior models but disappeared for last year’s Series 4.

Aside from the new always-on screen and optional finishes, the Series 5 is a dead ringer for the Series 4, with the same 40 and 44mm sizes, same size screen with rounded corners, and same Digital Crown with the ability to measure EKG readings.

Of course, the ability to always see the time without having to do a convoluted arm gesture is a big deal, and it finally make the Apple Watch a competent time piece. It works just as you’d expect — you can see the full watch face at a dimmer brightness all the time, and then at full brightness when you lift your wrist up. The watchfaces are even able to show all of their complications and data in the always-on mode.

You can also just slap your hand down on the watch face to immediately dim it, which is some thing I do all the time and is weirdly more satisfying to do on the Series 5 than earlier models, since it changes the mode instead of just turning off the screen.

I was impressed with the compass mode, too, although a few of the models here in the hands-on area had a rough go making it work. When it does work, it has a really neat feature that’s like a “cone of confidence,” showing how you accurate the watch believes its directional reading it. That cone shrinks as it gets more accurate, and it works in both the compass app and in Apple Maps.

There are just a silly number of different types of finishes — aluminum, two Titanium, steel, and ceramic. I don’t go in for spending extra for all those finishes, so fortunately for me the matte finish on the basic aluminum model looks good.

The Series 5 Apple Watch is available for preorder starting today and will be hitting stores on September 20th. We’ll have more impressions to share, including how much the always-on display affects battery life, in our forthcoming review.

Source: The Verge

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Garmin Venu is a ‘true’ Apple Watch rival – but with far more fitness features

The Garmin Venu has just been announced at IFA 2019, packed with all the features you’d expect from a Garmin smartwatch, along with an AMOLED display.

That second point is worthy of note as it’s the first Garmin smartwatch with an AMOLED screen, and that 1.2-inch display promises more vibrant visuals than is typical of the brand.

Garmin also claims that the Venu has the broadest range of 24/7 health monitoring features available on the market. These include sleep and respiration tracking, abnormal heart rate alerts, stress tracking, menstrual cycle tracking, relaxation reminders, hydration tracking, and more.

The Garmin Venu also sports the brand’s Body Battery feature, allowing you to monitor your energy levels to help with planning when to work out and when to rest.

You also get 40+ on-device animated workouts, with the ability to download more and create your own. And the basics are covered here too, including GPS, a heart rate monitor, and support for tracking numerous sports, such as running, strength training, yoga, and more.

The Garmin Venu also has breathwork activities to help you relax, and it doesn’t skimp on the smartwatch side, as it can display notifications from your phone, lets you download songs and playlists to your wrist for phone-free listening, and supports contactless payments through Garmin Pay.

The Venu promises up to 6 days of life in smartwatch mode or up to 6 hours when using GPS and music – which is far lower than many other Garmin watches around at the moment, which use far less battery-hungry screens to save power.

It will be available starting at $399.99/£299.99 (around AU$540) from Q4 (so October-December) in black with gold hardware, light sand with rose gold hardware, granite blue with silver hardware, or black with slate hardware.

Source: TechRadar

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Apple Watch sleep tracking revealed: sleep quality, battery management, more

There’s been a lot of speculation about Apple Watch sleep tracking, especially after Apple acquired Beddit, manufacturer of the Beddit Sleep Monitor product and companion app.

Today, 9to5Mac has learned from sources inside Apple that the company is working on sleep tracking for the Apple Watch, which won’t require any special hardware to work. The new feature could be announced as early as next week when the company is expected to announce the next generation iPhones and possibly a revised Apple Watch with titanium and ceramic options.

The new feature — codenamed “Burrito” internally and called “Time in Bed tracking” — will allow users to choose to wear Apple Watch to bed. If the user has more than one Apple Watch, they can pick one to be their designated bedtime Watch.

While asleep, the Apple Watch will track the user’s quality of sleep using its multiple sensors and inputs, including the person’s movement, heart rate, and noises. Data about the user’s quality of sleep will be made available in the Health app and a new Sleep app for the Apple Watch.

One of the issues with wearing an Apple Watch during sleep is that many users choose to charge their Apple Watch at night. Apple thought about this and developed a feature that will remind users to charge their Watch beforehand so they can get through the night.

When wearing the Watch during bedtime, if the user wakes up and starts their day before their alarm goes off, it will automatically turn off the alarm. The alarm will also play only on Apple Watch, using the iPhone as a backup. There will also be an option to use a silent alarm that only vibrates the Apple Watch. The new bedtime system will enable Do Not Disturb automatically when the user goes to bed. There will also be a new complication available for sleep tracking.

It’s unclear whether the new sleep tracking features will require a new model of the Apple Watch to be announced on September 10, but given the current rumors about new watches being a minor revision, it’s likely it won’t require new hardware.

Source: 9to5mac

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Apple could add sleep tracking to the next Apple Watch

Apple is reportedly working on sleep tracking for its range of Apple Watch wearables. 9to5Mac reports that the feature could be unveiled as early as next week, and is called “Time in Bed tracking.” Codenamed Burrito internally, the Apple Watch sleep tracking is said to track quality of sleep, movement, heart rate, and noises. Like most Apple Watch data, sleep tracking will be available in the Health app and a new Sleep app for the watch.

Apple Watch sleep tracking will naturally require enough battery life, and for the device to be worn during the night. While Apple Watch owners typically charge their wearables overnight, 9to5Mac reports that they’ll get a notification to charge their watch before bed. Apple is also said to be altering the way alarms work with the Apple Watch, so that your regular daily alarm will be silenced if you wake up early and start using your Apple Watch.

Apple Watch sleep tracking has been available via a variety of third-party apps, but Apple has never provided its own sleep tracking feature. It’s not clear if the sleep tracking will be available on all Apple Watch models, or limited to potential new devices that we’ll likely hear more about on September 10th. Apple is expected to reveal minor hardware revisions for the Apple Watch next week, with new ceramic and titanium finishes and the company’s latest watchOS 6 software.

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Apple initiates screen replacement program for aluminum Watch Series 2 and 3

Apple is starting a screen replacement program covering the aluminum versions of the Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3. It addresses a crack that may develop along the rounded edge of the screen, starting from one corner and then potentially spreading along the entire perimeter, as shown in the example drawings.

Apple initiates screen replacement program for aluminum Watch Series 2 and 3

The affected models are both 38mm and 42mm sizes of the Series 2 and 3 with GPS-only and GPS+cellular versions of the latter. Nike+ versions of both generations are part of the program as well. It’s unclear what causes the crack to form and just what the “very rare circumstances” under which it could happen may be.

If you’ve got one of the eligible watches and you wish to proceed with the replacement you have three possible courses of action – find an Apple Authorized Service Provider, go to an Apple Retail Store, or arrange with Apple Support to send the smartwatch in the mail.

Source: GSM Arena

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Apple Watch 5 may have been revealed thanks to a leaked photograph

The Apple Watch 5 is likely to land in September and yet, unlike the iPhone 11 – which has leaked extensively – we haven’t seen much of it yet. But that might be starting to change, as a leaked photo may have given us our first real look at the wearable.

Uploaded on a currently private Instagram account and shared by SlashLeaks, the image shows a close-up of the screen of an Apple Watch, complete with information on the software and model, and it’s this that makes us think it might be the Apple Watch 5.

That’s because not only is it apparently running the not-yet-released watchOS 6, but, more importantly, it has the model number A2157, which isn’t attached to any current Apple Watch.

It is however a model number that was recently filed with the Eurasian Economic Commission, as spotted by MacRumors. Being filed there suggests that it’s a real model and coming soon, so this photo could be the real deal.

Looks familiar

Having said that, the image could easily have been altered, and if it is real it doesn’t give away much, as what we can see of the design looks a lot like the Apple Watch 4.

That’s not totally surprising though, as Apple changed up the look a bit for that model, so likely wouldn’t be making any major physical changes again this year.

Indeed, rumors so far point to the possibility of new ceramic and titanium casings, but are otherwise focused on software and less visible features, such as sleep tracking and a microLED display. So even if this image is fake, it might be close to how the Apple Watch 5 will look.

We should find out for sure soon, as the new wearable is likely to be announced alongside the iPhone 11 range, which is currently rumored to land on September 10.

Via Wareable

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watchOS 6 assets reveal new Apple Watch models coming in titanium and ceramic cases

Apple is continuing its asset leak spree. We already saw an iPhone asset in iOS 13 beta 7 that seemingly confirmed the date of the iPhone event, and now iHelpBR has found assets that show new Apple Watch models is on the way.

The images indicate Apple is about to launch a new ceramic Apple Watch, and a new titanium Watch. Apple has sold ceramic watches in the past, but did not offer a ceramic Series 4, and titanium is a wholly new direction for Apple Watch case materials.

If you don’t recognize the imagery, the Apple Watch firmware plays an animation when the watch is first set up, which mimics the back design of the watch featuring the model name and the iconic ‘Designed by Apple in California’ signature.

The pictured assets are clearly destined for the 44mm watch screen, but iHelpBR has also found equivalent assets for the 40mm watch. This confirms what we expected; the new watches have the same chassis size as the Series 4 lineup.

At the start of the year, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple would launch a new ceramic Apple Watch this year, and these assets back that up sincerely.

Apple debuted the ceramic Apple Watch Edition line with the Series 2, offering it in a white color. For the Series 3 generation, Apple sold a gray ceramic colorway too. For the Series 4, ceramic was removed from the lineup completely.

And now it very much appears to be making a comeback, alongside a brand new titanium casing. Apple hasn’t really used titanium in any of its recent products, except for the just-released Apple Card: the physical swipe card is made of titanium. Maybe Apple thinks titanium is back in fashion, after years of glass and aluminium alloys.

It’s not clear if the stainless steel casing would be replaced by titanium, or offered alongside it. Presumably, the low-end aluminium Watch will continue to be offered for cost reasons.

The question is, though, are these new watches a general leap — Apple Watch Series 5 — or just new color and case options for the existing Apple Watch Series 4 models. It is possible that the internal components of the watch haven’t changed, and Apple is just mixing up the colors for the holiday season. Unfortunately, these assets do not tell us either way.

Source: 9to5mac

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Snap launches Spectacles 3 with dual HD cameras and 3D, coming this fall for $380

Snap today has announced the Spectacles 3, the latest version of its glasses with built-in cameras designed specifically for Snapchat. The Spectacles 3 feature dual HD cameras and a “strong, lightweight steel frame design with circular lenses and adjustable acetate tips.”

Snap says that because of the new dual-camera design, the new Spectacles 3 are well suited for augmented reality. The company explains that having two cameras allows Spectacles to process depth, with support for digital assets interact with real-world objects in a scene. The dual-camera setup provides a “rich 3D canvas for self-expression and a suite of new 3D Effects on Snapchat,” Snap says.

As you can see in the image above, the two cameras are housed on either side of the frames. When you tap either button on the glasses, they will start recording and can record continuously up to 60 seconds. Everything you record is saved to the Snapchat app.

Tap either button for video (up to 60 seconds continuously) or press and hold for a still. Spectacles 3 supplements high-definition videos with high-fidelity audio from a 4-microphone array. LED indicator lights notify people when recording, and users will see a light as well.

Spectacles 3 are available in two color options, Carbon and Mineral. The former is described as a “classic, monochromatic black with a semi-matte finish and high-gloss details.” The Mineral option is described as “a tone inspired by cosmetic hues with a hint-of-gold frame.”

The Spectacles 3 are available for pre-order now for $380 on the Spectacles website and will launch to the public this fall. Snap notes that this will be a limited production run, so availability might get tight. The Spectacles 2 are available on Amazon for $199.

Read the full press release below:

Snap Inc. Unveils Spectacles 3

New Spectacles Capture the World in 3D

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) today unveiled Spectacles 3, the latest version of Spectacles sunglasses delivering innovative design with dual HD cameras to empower creativity in 3D.

Shipping in fall 2019, Spectacles 3 capture depth and dimension the way our eyes do. This new ability provides a rich 3D canvas for self-expression and a suite of new 3D Effects on Snapchat.

Features

Spectacles 3 are equipped with two HD cameras to capture Snaps in 3D and transform them with 3D Effects, inspiring creativity like never before.

Snaps captured using Spectacles 3 seamlessly transfer in HD to Memories within Snapchat to add new lighting, landscapes, and other magical effects to an entire scene with a swipe. Snaps can also export to Camera Roll as circular, horizontal, square and virtual reality formats for saving, editing, sharing, and reliving, anywhere.

Design

Spectacles 3 feature a strong, lightweight steel frame with circular lenses and adjustable acetate tips.

Spectacles 3 come in two color options:

Carbon: a classic, monochromatic black with a semi-matte finish and high-gloss details.

Mineral: a tone inspired by cosmetic hues with a hint-of-gold frame.

Functionality

Tap either button for video (up to 60 seconds continuously) or press and hold for a still. Spectacles 3 supplements high-definition videos with high-fidelity audio from a 4-microphone array. LED indicator lights notify people when recording, and users will see a light as well.

Accessories

Spectacles 3 charge on-the-go in their included Charging Case, which can store up to four charges. The full-grain leather case folds flat when not in use and comes equipped with a standard certified USB-C charging cable.

Also included is a 3D viewer to relive memories and bring Snaps to life.

Spectacles 3 will ship this fall and are available to pre-order now for $380 at Spectacles.com.

About Snap Inc.

Snap Inc. is a camera company. We believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. We contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. For more information, visit snap.com.

Source: 9to5mac

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Here’s our first look at the upcoming Fitbit Versa 2

The Fitbit Versa, which was launched in March last year, is arguably the best smartwatch that the company has made so far. Press renders showing Fitbit’s second-generation Versa have now leaked, courtesy of reliable tipster Evan Blass. Leaked press renders of the Fitbit Versa 2 suggest the upcoming wearable will look nearly identical to the first generation Versa. It will have a similar square-ish display as its predecessor, along with an anodized aluminum casing and a “PurePulse” heart-rate monitor on the back. One of the renders also reveals the upcoming smartwatch will have Alexa support. However, instead of the three physical buttons on the first-generation model, Versa 2 will only have a single physical button. Fitbit has gotten rid of the two buttons on the right side.

The second-generation Versa is expected to retain all the key features of the original model, although there is still no information available on the major upgrades that it will bring to the table. There is no word on the release date either.

Thanks to its lightweight design, excellent battery life, and a ton of great features, the Versa proved a hit among consumers. Fitbit shipped over 1 million units of the smartwatch in just the first two months. Unfortunately, the Versa Lite, which was launched in March this year as a more affordable version of Versa, failed to achieve similar success. Fitbit recently confirmed while announcing its Q2 2019 earnings that its smartwatch revenue dropped by 27 percent over last year, as a result of weak Versa Lite sales.

Source: Android Central