‘Click’ Aims to Introduce Apple Watch Band Adapter in Upcoming Crowdfunding Campaign
Ahead of the Apple Watch’s launch, accessory makers are already hoping to create solutions that will allow the device to be used with a wide array of existing watch bands. Click, for example, is an upcoming watchband adapter that will slide into the band slots of the Apple Watch, allowing the Apple Watch casing to be used with any existing 24mm watchband.
According to Click’s creators, the adapter is a spring bar that will attach to a watchband, which will then fit into the Apple Watch’s grooves, much like one of Apple’s own watch bands. It appears to use the pin that comes with an existing watchband rather than shipping with one of its own.
Click takes advantage of the sliding and locking mechanism on both sides of the watch to hold the adapter in place just like one of Apple’s watchbands. Click allows customers to truly personalize the Apple Watch to match their style and at a fraction of the cost of Apple’s Watchbands.
Click is currently in the prototype stage with only 3D printed versions of the adapter available to show off, but the team behind Click is planning to introduce it via a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in the next two weeks.
It’s possible, however, that Click will never make it out of the prototype phase and into the hands of consumers. Click is not the first Apple Watch watchband adapter as it claims to be, but the second. Earlier this year, a designer introduced a crowdfunding campaign for another strap adapter designed for the Apple Watch. The campaign was shut down shortly after it launched, presumably by Apple, in an effort to prevent people from circumventing the specific design aesthetic the company has in mind for the Apple Watch.
Apple’s distaste for adapters that will allow the Apple Watch to be used with any watch band is not surprising given the amount of work that went into developing the six custom bands for the Apple Watch: the Link Bracelet, the Sport Band, the Leather Loop, the Modern Buckle, the Classic Buckle, and the Milanese Loop. Jony Ive has called the Apple Watch “one of the most difficult projects” he’s ever worked on, and in multiple interviews, he’s detailed the extensive amount of time that the company put into design of the Apple Watch.
It’s possible Apple will relax its stance on third-party Apple Watch bands and adapters in the future, and it’s even likely that the company will form partnerships or design guidelines for those wishing to create bands for the device, but at this early stage, Apple likely wants to keep a tight rein on the bands the watch is worn with given its position as the company’s first fashion accessory.
Watchdog says spyware violates human rights guidelines
If you think that commercial software designed to spy on computers is problematic, you’re not alone. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s UK contact has determined that Gamma International’s approach to selling its FinFisher spyware violates human rights guidelines. The developer not only doesn’t have a human rights policy, but doesn’t investigate clients for the possibility of abuse — there’s little stopping it from selling FinFisher to an oppressive government. The contact couldn’t confirm that Gamma sold its software to Bahrain, which used the surveillance tool to target the political activists who prompted the investigation (shown here). However, the OECD isn’t shy about pressing for change. It wants Gamma to take evidence of abuse and government advice into account whenever it sells software, and to cooperate when there are signs that someone is using FinFisher for nefarious purposes.
Whether or not anything comes out of the findings is another matter. The OECD can’t force Gamma to mend its ways, and the company repeatedly “raised obstacles” that stalled investigators. If nothing else follows from this, Gamma could easily dig in its heels and refuse to improve its ethical standards. However, the hope is that this public pressure will either lead to legal action or convince spyware outfits like Gamma that their reputations are at stake if they don’t shape up.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham]
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Verge
Source: Privacy International (PDF), Gov.uk
[New Android Wear App] AutoWear is a complete automation tool for your smartwatch
Android Wear smartwatches are pretty cool as they are, but if you are looking to step up your automation game, then look no further than AutoWear. It’s a Tasker plugin that will allow you to automate just about anything you can think of. It was developed by João Dias (joaomgcd) who also created AutoRemote and AutoVoice.
By utilizing Tasker, AutoRemote, and AutoVoice, the possibilities are endless. You can open up a voice command screen to send voice commands directly to AutoVoice or you can use predefined Google Now commands to do whatever you want. You can utilize floating icons that you can access from any screen. You can even set a particular task to start when shaking your watch. Like I said, the possibilities are endless, and he put together a video (see below) showing you a slew of examples.
The app is free to try for the first seven days, and if you like it, you can own it for good with an in-app purchase.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here if you want to learn how to do all the things in the above video.
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