Apple Watch’s has sensors on the back.
This means the device can tell when it’s being worn and when it has been taken off.
When you first put the watch on, you must enter a code. When the watch is removed from your wrist, the watch locks itself and can’t be used for payments unless the code is entered again.
Pretty simple right? Unless the thief chops your hand off, of course, but that’s a different story.
So buyer be warned as they say!
Source – http://www.cultofmac.com
The LG G Watch R looks fantastic. Android Central went hands on and took some great photos, so well worth heading over to their post http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-g-watch-r-hands.
The next episode of Gav & Dave’s Tech podcast is due out this Sunday.
However, due to the Apple Keynote speech a few days later on the Tuesday, Dave and I have decided to postpone the podcast for a week.
This means we will have all the latest gossip on all the new hotness that has been announced in the last few weeks. And there is a lot of new stuff to cover.
Via cultofandroid.com –
“Asus CEO Jerry Shen has confirmed that the company’s new ZenWatch, which will get its official unveiling at IFA 2014 in Berlin this week, will cost under $199 when it goes on sale in October. Asus has also promised that the device will be the most attractive Android Wear watch to date, and that it will have built-in voice controls.”
The most attractive Android Wear watch is a bold claim. Let’s hope this is the case.
Grainy photos obtained via androidcentral.com give a glimpse of the next iteration of Wearables from Sony. Until we know the detailed specs and pricing on these it is difficult to make a call on whether these will be winners or losers in the next round of Wearables.
And now SonyUK twitter account tweeted the above shot. Clearly waterproofing is going to feature more on any new hardware.
Gavin’s Gadgets is just over 18 months old. And therefore I thought it would be appropriate to highlight all the content written within my blog. In fact there is over 2,500 posts.
1) First up over 20 smartphones have been reviewed, from all the current flagships of 2014, 2013 and budget offerings. Also some oddball phones like the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom. Link below –
https://gavinsgadgets.wordpress.com/review-links/
2) Next up is the Accessories / Wearables reviews. This covers smart watches, Gear Fit, camera smartphone accessories, app enabled accessories, headphones, cases, power and so much more. Probably around 50 reviews or so. Link below –
https://gavinsgadgets.wordpress.com/reviews-accessories/
3) We all like the cameras on our phones. But even it you’re not fussed have a look at this 20 phone camera shootout. It includes all the flagships from 2014 across 3 different operating systems. Link below –
I have one favour to ask you all. As you will have noticed there is no advertising so I take the full burden of the costs involved in running and producing the content and receive no income in return.
So please could you help me by recommending my blog to your friends. And if you want to throw a bucket of ice water over your head when you have done so, that is entirely optional.
A few of you have sent a small donation which was incredible and appreciated. If you wish to make a donation to my paypal, please use gavinfabl at gmail dot com. Just think of all the coffee I need at 3am whilst writing the next day’s posts 🙂
And finally, have a great day whatever you are planning and keep smiling.
So another day and a whole raft of news.
1) Nokia announces HERE Maps for Samsung smartphones and Gear watches. Don’t worry, the service will come to all android phones later on in the year.
2) The iPhone 6 processor will be A8 that will have be a dual-core 20nm 64-bit CPU that will clock in at 2GHz or higher, screen resolution may be 3 x retina. Rear shell should look like photo from techcrunch.com. NFC chip from NXP.
3)
Look familiar. Some companies have a sense of humour. Lenovo.
4) There’s still life in handheld consoles. Nintendo updates the 3DS and 3DS XL with an extra analogue controller.
5) Samsung Gear S comes with Nike+ app
6) OnePlus will have a normal pre order system in October, instead of the stupid invite system for the OnePlus One. By October newer and better phones will be available.
7) Chrome Web browser gets account switcher across all desktop operating systems. Chrome for Mac now gets 64bit support.
8) Pixlr comes to the desktop for free.
9) BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Dalian Wanda group and Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) said on Friday they would set up a 5 billion yuan ($814 million) e-commerce joint venture with Baidu Inc (BIDU.O), as the firms push into the high-growth e-commerce sector.
10) Cyanogen – It is being reported by The Information that Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, and Yahoo have all been keeping an eye on Cyanogen with an acquisition or at least a partnership in mind.
So far there have been a number of new smart watches announced and IFA 2014 has not even started. Apple has not yet launched the iWatch either.
There are several types of smart watch. One that looks like its from another planet as it’s clearly geeky. Second – the next phase that look like real watches but are in fact smart watches and lastly the smart watch that is also a phone.
The problem with all these devices is why buy one. Why would Joe Blogs on the high street spend £100 – £400 on a watch? At the moment all these watches are luxury items. If I want to read a text, I will just use my phone screen which is larger and easier to read. The next problem is who wears a watch now? I have stopped wearing a watch years ago. If I want to know the time, I just look at my phone. But what about the watch with a sim card inside that makes it a phone. Hmmm I don’t think squinting on a 2 inch screen is ideal. So really, all these watches are are luxury items.
Wait you say, they are also fitness devices. Sure some of these watches are just that but then you would be better served by a dedicated fitness tracker that can have battery life from a week to a month. And lets not forget some smartphones have a pedometer built in anyway.
The new phase/fad of smart watches is not going to be an easy sell as at the moment it simply does not solve a problem.
But do you agree with me?
Here we go again. It’s been a busy few days and is likely to explode soon.
1) Sony are teasing with the below video. But look carefully there are lots of clues. 3 new devices. Z3 Compact tablet, Z3 and Z3 Compact phones.
2) Dyson, yes Dyson has a big launch on 4th September. This new product has taken 16 years to develop, 200 engineers and a £28m investment. Maybe a robotic Hoover controlled via your smartphone? Below is the video teaser from Dyson.
3) iPhone news – via Wired.com – the next iPhone will have a payments solution that will incorporate NFC technology.
4) Nokia are about to launch HERE Maps for Samsung Gear smart watches. The official announcement will be later today.
5) Huawei Ascend Mate 7 – leaked photo below.
This is a 6 inch phone, with thin bezels and a 13mp camera. Source Weibo via GSM Arena.
6) The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is available for pre order now in the UK ahead of the smartphone’s expected launch of September 10th. The Carphone Warehouse joins EE, Phones 4u and Clove by kicking off the ability to pre-order the new smartphone. Clove link http://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-alpha
7) Apple goes official with the 9th. If you look closely at the invite below there are several clues hidden away. The event will take place at 10:00 AM Pacific Time at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of De Anza College in Cupertino. Expect the new iPhone 6 and wearables from Apple to be announced. However, the latest rumour suggests there is no 5.5 inch iPhone.
8) Continuing the Apple Event, it has been noted that a large 3 storey building is being built at the Flint Center. Should be a lot of new hardware inside!
9) LG’s new round smartwatch will cost 299 euros.
10) Food for Thought. Samsung Gear S smart watch has identical specs to an iPhone 4S except the storage. The Gear S only has 4gb storage, whereas the 4S has 8gb. Just shows you what a feat of engineering Samsung has achieved, unless of course Apple show the world what really can be done.
11) Apple updates iOS 8 terms and conditions. Disallows developers to sell health kit data.
12) Google releases info on Project Wing.
Google has built and tested autonomous aerial vehicles, which it believes could be used for goods deliveries.The project is being developed at Google X, the company’s clandestine tech research arm, which is also responsible for its self-driving car.Project Wing has been running for two years, but was a secret until now.Google said that its long-term goal was to develop drones that could be used for disaster relief by delivering aid to isolated areas. More info at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28964260
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today unveiled the Samsung Gear S, the next generation smart wearable device that expands the smartphone experience to the wrist. The new Samsung Gear S delivers an up-to-date smart wearable experience with 3G connectivity and wearable optimised features to meet the evolving needs of consumers.
The Samsung Gear S features a 2-inch curved Super AMOLED display, providing a richer view with a beautiful and easy-to-use user interface. It allows users to read messages and notifications at a single glance with features such as conversation view and condensed font. The Samsung Gear S’s chic, curved design fits comfortably around the contours of the wrist, while its customizable screen options and changeable straps empower users to express their own taste and style.
The Samsung Gear S extends its communication capabilities to include 3G as well as Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, allowing users to stay informed with seamless notifications from social networks, calendars and applications even when away from their phone. It lets users to instantly reply to incoming messages using the onscreen keyboard, or utilize enhanced S voice functionality to ensure tasks can be completed immediately. Finally, with Samsung Gear S, people can seamlessly make and receive calls directly from their wrist, or get calls forwarded from their smartphones.
The Samsung Gear S allows consumers to control how they want to connect, switching easily between 3G and Bluetooth connections, and automatically synchronizing information when paired to a smartphone.
The Samsung Gear S provides easy access to relevant information through essential widgets and combined notification boards. Its powerful features include turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation provided by HERE, a 24-hour news and views service from The Financial Times ‘fastFT’, works together with advanced-reading technology from Spritz, and the ability to see and respond to important social notifications instantly with Facebook. Together, these features allow users to be live and actionable while on the go.
The Samsung Gear S is also a perfect health and fitness companion with more enhanced multi-sensors, built-in GPS, and robust S Health features. In addition, applications such as Nike+ Running allow users to track their runs and stay motivated while on the move, without their smartphone.
Samsung Gear S Product Specifications –
– Network -900/2100 or 850/1900 (3G) 900/1800 or 850/1900 (2G)
– Display -2.0” Super AMOLED (360 x 480)
– APDual core 1.0 GHz OS
– Tizen based wearable platform
– Audio Codec: MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ Format: MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC, OGG
– Features Communications: – 2G, 3G Call, Bluetooth Call
– Contacts, Notifications, Messages, Emails, QWERTY Keyboard
– Health & Fitness: – S Health, Nike+ Running
– Information:- Schedule, News, Navigation, Weather
– Media:- Music Player, Gallery
– Others:
– S Voice, Find My Device, Power Saving Mode IP67 Certified Dust and Water Resistant
– Samsung Services
– Samsung Gear Apps
– Connectivity WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, A-GPS/Glonass Bluetooth®: 4.1 USB: USB 2.0
– Sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, UV, Barometer
– Memory
– RAM: 512MB Storage: 4GB Internal Memory
– Dimension 39.8 x 58.3 x 12.5T
– Battery 300mAh Li-ion
– Typical Usage 2days
This looks like a solid offering from Samsung, just a shame it runs Tizen and not Android Wear.
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