Category Archives: Wearables

Apple Watch – The true differences between Apple Original and Third Party straps and bands

Apple, Wearables,

  

I really like my Apple Watch. However, it comes with a steep price tag as do the extra watch straps. But is there really any difference between the cheaper non Apple straps and an original Apple strap? 

Well since owning an Apple Watch in September 2015, I have visited my local Apple Store and tried on several times various watch straps. I also own the official blue sports band and the Milanese loop, both of which fit perfectly and are have not had any defects. 

So what about saving some money and using a third party watch strap or band for the Apple Watch. Well, firstly despite all the reviews you can read on Amazon, the quality, fit and finish in my findings shows that none of the third party alternatives are of the same standard as those sold by Apple. (Where possible text in bold is also a link to Amazon so you can read more about the item). Now, the balance is the cost. Third party straps and bands often cost a fraction of those sold by Apple. This means you can recreate that look for a lot less and often with more colour choices and different types of straps and or bands. 

The photo above shows a Pugo Top Euro Genuine Leather band for the Apple Watch. It got delivered on 4th January 2016, and as you can see is not lasting too well. Fortunately, I bought this via Amazon for £21 , so I can return this for a refund. Whilst the Pugo band looked identical to the Apple leather loop, it felt nothing like the Apple original. I doubt also that leather was used or I should say genuine leather in the Pugo band. 

However, I did buy a Snugg Leather strap in both red and black leather. This is more like a traditional watch strap and has proven to be a good buy. 

Now let’s take a look at something by Spigen. Below is photos of the Spigen Rugged Watch strap and the Spigen Watch case. I got the watch case out of curiosity and also because it was on offer. 

  
Spigen is a well known brand and consequently the strap fits really well. The watch case does too, but it’s not for my liking. The case also comes with 2 screen protectors. 

So the moral of the story is if you want original masterpieces by Apple you will have to pay the high price. Some third party straps and bands are poor quality while others are ok and other more choice too. 

Android Wear gets huge update – full details

Android, Wearables

You’re walking to meet a friend with coffee in hand. Or maybe it’s really cold outside, so you’re rocking a pair of mittens. Or maybe you’re in the middle of making dinner. There are plenty of times when you’ve got your hands full but still need to stay on top of reminders, messages, and calls. That’s why Android Wear includes things like voice actions and gestures. And today we’re expanding these hands-free options in a number of ways:

Navigate your watch with new gestures. Scrolling up and down your card stream is as simple as flicking your wrist. Starting today you can also expand a card, bring up your apps, or return home to your watch face with a push, lift or shake. You’ll be able to stay connected to what’s important, while keeping your phone (or other hand) in your pocket.

Send more messages with just your voice. With Android Wear, you’ve always been able to get answers to spoken questions. Now you can also use your voice to send messages from apps like Google Hangouts, Nextplus, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, and WhatsApp. Running late for lunch? Just say “OK Google, Send a WhatsApp message to Nathan: I’ll be right there.”

Make calls and listen to messages with speaker support. Screening calls from your wrist is a nice convenience that comes with Android Wear. Thanks to speaker support, you can now make and take calls over Bluetooth. And you can listen to audio/video messages with apps like Glide. All you need is a watch with a speaker, which today includes the Huawei Watch and the ASUS ZenWatch 2 (49mm).

These improvements are rolling out to all Android Wear watches over the next few weeks, including new watches like the Casio Smart Outdoor Watch and Huawei Watch for Ladies. It also wouldn’t surprise me if we see new Android Wear watches announced at MWC in a few weeks.

Source – Google

Note Tapper for Apple Watch – complete with keyboard

Apple, Tech News, Wearables, , ,

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. Note Tapper for Apple Watch came to my attention as a solution I needed when adding notes via Siri wasn’t private enough or suitable. 

What makes Note Tapper unique is that it takes notes using its own keyboard. So let’s step back. You first install the app from the App Store. Click HERE.

After installing the app on your iPhone it installs on your Apple Watch. If you open the app on your iPhone it provides instructions on how to use the app on your watch. 

  

Above and below are screen shots of the instructions. 

  

So let’s have a look at how the app looks on the Apple Watch. Below are screen shots from the Apple Watch. 

  

Nice and bold. Just press the plus to add a new note. Above are your existing notes. 

   

And the keyboard continues by sliding up or down the screen to reveal the other keys. 
 

Adding text or numbers is a breeze. Instead of squinting at a small keyboard, the developer decided to make it easier to enter text by sliding up and down to reach other aspects of the keyboard. It makes for more accurate data entry. 

  

Adding a date or part date to a note is possible too. Tap on the field(s) required and use the watch crown to rotate to your desired selection. 

And that is it. A simple, easy and private way of taking notes. Currently, notes are only stored on the watch. I did get in contact with the developer and he informed me that iCloud sync is being planned for the next update. 

For 79p this is a no brainier app for the Apple Watch. 

Note Tapper for Apple Watch

Response from MyFitnessPal regarding issues with the Apple Watch

Apple, Tech News, Wearables,

I am currently experimenting using the Apple Watch and FitBit Charge HR with MyFitnessPal.

I was seeing a difference in steps taken on the MyFitnessPal app versus steps used and converted as extra calories for the day when using the Apple Watch. The FitBit Charge HR doesn’t have any problems.

So I emailed MyFitnessPal support and below is the response received.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We’re sorry for any inconvenience you’ve come across. When you connect your Apple Watch, the steps are recorded throughout the day on your homepage as you have observed. When our program updates your adjustment in your diary, we pull the data from your Homepage periodically. Therefore, as your steps increase over time, the steps in your diary will not reflect that unless they are updated. We are definitely working to improve this aspect of the program and appreciate your understanding.

Well I hope this is fixed as the variance can be as much as 200 steps adrift to 5,000 steps adrift. I am also trying an alternative app to MyFitnessPal called MyNetDiary. It is still early days with this app so don’t have any conclusions yet.

Apple iPhone 6S – Apple Watch versus FitBit Charge HR – Part 2

Apple, Tech News, Wearables, ,

A few days ago I mentioned I was going to try and see whether using the Apple iPhone 6S with the Apple Watch or Fitbit Charge HR would work as a better solution for fitness.

This is an interesting exercise as my wife is using her iPhone 6S and I am using my iPhone 6S Plus. We are both testing the Apple Watch and Fitbit Charge HR to see which one works best.

We are both syncing data from the Apple Watch to the Apple HealthKit app which in turns syncs the steps to MyFitnessPal. My wife noticed that MyFitnessPal under the home tab showed the correct step count value synced across from the Apple Watch. In the Diary tab at the bottom, the number of steps shown was up to 50% inaccurate meaning the total number of extra calories created that day were down by a fair amount. This can make a lot of difference if you needed extra calories for a snack in the evening.

So as I had the same issue, I did some investigation and noticed in the Apple HealthKit app it displayed my wife’s Apple Watch twice. So a call to Apple Support and I was advised to wipe the phone clean and restore from iTunes. What was scary was the guy from Apple Support did not know the to save your HealthKit data you need to backup to iTunes using encryption. Restoring a backup from iCloud will not bring back historical health data. This is not good as not everyone uses a PC/Mac so therefore backing up to iTunes is impossible.

I also emailed MyFitnessPal re the inaccurate steps showing in the Diary tab and whilst I have not had an email back yet from MyFitnessPal it now shows different text in the Diary tab. My wife opened the app on her phone, and it had the previous text entry under the Diary tab. MyFitnessPal had done something to my account.

So how is the FitBit Charge HR going. In one word, it just works and really well. For pure fitness it is far simpler and easier to use. It also syncs really smoothly with MyFitness Pal.

So how does the Apple Watch compare? To be honest it is a totally different device that can do so much from paying for goods, controlling my weather station and more. As a fitness device is works fairly well but it is not perfect. Activity is minus the GPS map tracking. After a workout you can’t read your heart rate scores taken throughout the time exercising. All you get is a heart rate summary. On the other hand I do like how the Apple Watch makes you stand up every hour and also displays your activity.

If I had to choose just one device for fitness, currently the winner goes to FitBit.

It is also worth noting that FitBit has just had a Class Action lawsuit taken against them that alleges that the heart rate tracking in the Charge HR and Surge, are inaccurate and by a significant margin.

CES 2016 – 24 Hours of Crazy Tech Announcements – Best of including My Viewpoints

Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Tech News, Wearables, Windows, , , , , , ,

CES 2016 in Las Vegas is in full swing along with some exciting and crazy tech announcements.

Fridges – Samsung displayed a fridge with an android tablet built in to the front fridge door. Well that’s what it looked like. So now you can read your tweets on your fridge. On the other hand LG decided it would scan your body and if both hands were full, it would automatically open the fridge doors. That’s a bit more useful.

Fitbit – And along came the FitBit Blaze. A smart watch attempt by FitBit. Just a shame they left out GPS. All for $199. The stock market didn’t react well, and knocked 12.5% off the share value. I personally think the shape of the watch is odd.

1 fit

Samsung – not to be left out of the luxury watch market announced 2 new finishes for their Gear S2 Classic. The new Gear S2 classic will be available in Rose Gold case with an Ivory Genuine Leather Band and in Platinum case with a Black Genuine Leather Band beginning in February. If you need to know the price, you can’t afford it!. The bigger news is iOS support is coming for the Gear S2 later this year!

Samsung also announced new sexy curved TV’s and lots more including the TabPro S tablet running windows 10 and not android. It also had a cool keyboard case. The whole affair was rather slim too. The Samsung Chromebook 3 got announced too.

1 tabpro

1 Samsung Gear

Chinese Phones – I lost count of all the mid market and budget Chinese phones being announced. All slight spec bumps of the previous models with more storage and ram, more premium builds, finger print sensors and more. In the end, it just becomes a blur.

Casio – The Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 is its first Android Wear device with sport watch styling and a typical Casio style rugged design. In monochrome mode the battery can last a month. Expect to pay around $500. Ouch!

1 casio

Weird but True News – Facebook sabotaged its android app to crash to see how loyal its users would be. Rumour is FaceBook is looking to leave the Google Play store. Just how significant a blow would this be for android ? Then Twitter announced its looking at allowing up to 10,000 words per tweet. I hope not. 200-300 is enough.

HTC and Under Armour – A partnership with the announcement of the Healthbox. This contained a fitness band, heart rate strap and scales. Functional and well designed too.

Parrot – unveiled the Parrot Disco, a new drone prototype that’s actually a full-blown fixed wing plane that can travel at 50mph.

HTC – HTC Vive Pre – HTC showed off its second generation VR headset. This is really looking amazing. The second generation has built in cameras and new controllers.

Huawei – Huawei held a big press conference and launched the Mate 8 and a new tablet that came with a stylus. New Huawei Watch models designed for women were also announced.

There were hundreds more products released and announced at CES, but the above are my personal favourites. Was there anything else that caught your eye?

Honor – The Honor 5X got announced. A 1080p 5.5 inch display, Snapdragon 615, 3000maH, 13mp rear camera and well built as usual and low cost phone.

1 honor-5x-multi

Snapdragon 820 Phones – LeTV Le Max Pro – this is a beast of a phone from LeTV. A 6.33inch 2K display, 3,400mAh battery, Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB ram, Android 6 with LeTV’s own skin, 21 MP OIS rear camera that takes incredible shots and really fast.

Sources – HTC, Huawei, Parrot, FitBit, Casio, Samsung, LG, AndroidCentral, Pocketnow, Verge, Engadget, Pocketlint

Apple Watch versus FitBit Charge HR – Editorial

Android, Apple, Reviews, Tech News, Wearables, Windows, ,

Last year I wrote a review on the FitBit Charge HR using it with MyFitnessPal. My review is here – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/02/17/fitbit-charge-hr-review-including-using-it-with-myfitness-pal/

I used my FitBit Charge HR to monitor my sleep, activity and compete with a few friends to keep me motivated. I also linked my FitBit with MyFitnessPal to coordinate the food intake with my fitness and weight loss. The two pieces of technology together were very successful and a joy to use.

Both FitBit and MyFitnessPal have updated their software to provide a better experience. However, since last year the Apple Watch has arrived and I have linked this up to MyFitnessPal as well.

After several months I will update you with my thoughts on whether the Apple Watch really is a decent fitness device that takes on FitBit and the FitBit Charge HR. My goal is weight loss.

Now don’t scream at the screen and say they are different devices and prices. Of course they are but I want to try and document my thoughts in this process.

Keep tuned and have a good weekend.

You’ve eaten a million calories – now check out my reviews on over 15 fitness, smartwatches and wearables devices!

Android, Apple, Reviews, Tech News, Wearables, , ,

If you have survived the plate of roast potatoes and turkey or whatever combination you had on Christmas Day, you might be sensing your waistline needs trimming. Heck you may even be stuffing yourself today and tomorrow.

Whatever your indulgences over the festive period, 2016 is the time to get healthier. Below are all the reviews I have written covering wearables, fitness trackers, and smartwatches which should help guide you on your way to a new you.

Apple Watch – One Month Review

Samsung Gear S2 – impressions

Huawei Watch – review

Xiaomi Mi Band – First Impressions

LG Watch Urbane – master review

Samsung Gear VR – Virtual Reality Headset – Review

FitBit Charge HR review

Acer Liquid Heap Smartband review

LG G Watch R – review
LG G Watch – 9 Part Review

Samsung Gear S – 9 Part Review
Samsung Gear Neo Impressions
Samsung Gear Fit review
Samsung Gear 5 Part review

Pebble Smartwatch review

If you are buying anything on Amazon, please use the link below. This will help support Gavin’s Gadgets with all the running costs and more and won’t be any different in cost. Thanks in advance.

GavGadgets@Amazon

Review Catalogue updates plus new section – updates on Gavin’s Gadgets

Amazon, Android, Apple, Audio, BlackBerry, Historical Reviews, Reviews, Tech News, Wearables, Windows

Every day  several articles or review go live. The back catalogue of reviews and information is extensive. If you want to find if there is information on a particular topic use the search option (magnifying glass icon) near the top right. 

  
Now if you’re browsing on your PC, Mac, iPad or tablet you should see the above screen layout. Tapping on Menu, Reviews will open up the review menu structure. 

Now if you’re using a mobile device like an iPhone , the mobile version is as below. 

  

 As you will see there are now 8 review sections. These have been updated to include all the latest published reviews. A new category has been started called “Photography”. 

In the Photography section will be reviews covering mobile photography accessories and or related camera attachments. There are several reviews in this section already. 

The Audio section covers Bluetooth headphones and systems, headphones of all types, amps, DACs and other cool audio gear. As there are over 30 plus reviews I have reorganised this page to make it easier to find exactly what you need. 

The Phones section covering mobile phone reviews across every operating systems , tablets, laptops and more now has over 80 reviews. 

Smart wearables section is expanding and again there are reviews across a number of different platforms. So far there are over 15 reviews. 

Internet of Things is an expanding review section too. 

Accessories is self explanatory. 

The HTC One M7 and M8 section is a dedicated section which is for all the fans who keep reading this content. 

And if you fancy some nostalgic reviews from the post, take a look at the historical reviews. Some real gems in there. 

Going forward in 2016 there will be plenty more reviews too. 

Thank you all for visiting Gavin’s Gadgets. 

Tag Heuer cannot keep up with demand for its new Android Wear smartwatch! – details

Android, Tech News, Wearables,

“Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer will increase production of its smartwatch in coming months after receiving requests from retailers, agents and subsidiaries for some 100,000 timepieces, according to LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE’s watch chief.

TAG Heuer aims to make 2,000 pieces per week, up from a current 1,200, Jean-Claude Biver said in an e-mailed response to questions. Online sales of the Connected Watch will be suspended probably until May or June to give priority to physical stores, he said.

The LVMH watch brand is one of the few high-end luxury competitors that has sprung up in response to the Apple Watch. The watchmaker unveiled the $1,500 smartwatch, modeled after the classic Carrera model, last month, in a partnership with Google Inc. and Intel Corp.”

At $1,5000 the demand of this watch is surprising, but it does go to show just how popular Tag Heuer is and maybe $1,500 is a bargain!

Source Bloomberg