Apple Refreshes ‘Start Something New’ Campaign in Multiple Countries
Apple has reintroduced its “Start Something New” campaign ahead of New Year’s Day in Australia, India, New Zealand, South Korea, Vietnam and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The campaign will likely be expanded to the U.S., Canada, Europe and other regions soon.
“Start Something New” features a gallery of nearly a dozen paintings, photos, drawings, short films and other pieces of creative work made by artists using Apple products and apps, ranging from the Apple Pencil, iMac and iPad Air 2 to Adobe After Effects, Darkroom and Procreate.
Apple has also shared individual profiles for each new work and artist on its website:
– Painting fluid landscapes by Lu Jun, China
– Painting with dots by Lieu Nguyen, Vietnam
– Chasing wild vistas by Emma Phillips, Australia
– Illustrating nature through its details by Tiffany Bozic, USA
– Drawing with light by Darren Pearson, USA
– Shooting from a new perspective by Bernhard Lang, Germany
– Visualizing the power of gravity by Greg Barth, UK
– Cultivating a different kind of rose by Kahori Maki, Japan
– Composing a sense of wonder by Jake Sargeant, USA
– Seeking color in the streets by Brian Lotti, USA
– Capturing the texture of movement by William Hundley, USA
Apple ran a nearly identical campaign in December 2014, starting in Japan and later expanding to the U.S. and other countries.
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Samsung Bio-Processor enters mass production
Back in November Samsung unveiled its new Bio-Processor, an all-in-one low power solution to cater for growing demand for health tracking products. The company has now announced that its integrated SoC has entered mass production, paving the way for the first products to land sometime in the New Year.
The Bio-Processor is the industry’s first all-in-one chip designed specifically for the health wearable market. The SoC contains everything that developers need to design new products, including eFlash memory, power management, an MCU, and digital signal processing capabilities.
“With improvements in smart, fitness devices and an increase in consumer health consciousness, more and more people are looking for ways to monitor various personal bio-data, or fitness data, to constantly manage their health” – Ben K. Hur, Samsung Vice President of marketing
The chip has five analog front ends for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), photoplethysmogram (PPG), electrocardiogram (ECG), skin temperature, and galvanic skin response (GSR), which measures body fat, and skeletal muscle mass, heart rate, heart rhythm, skin temperature and stress level, respectively. Samsung’s design can fit into an 80 percent smaller form factor than using these components separately and can consume around 50 percent less power.
Samsung has a small selection of reference wearable platforms available to demonstrate how its new SoC can be used and to aid developers when prototyping their products. Samsung has wrist band, board and patch type reference devices to showcase some of the different possibilities.
The first products powered by Samsung’s Bio-Processor are expected to arrive in the first half of 2016.
Samsung Addresses a Growing Mobile Health Market with Industry’s First Smart Bio-Processor
Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced that it is addressing the growing trend of quantified health with an all-in-one advanced system logic chip for the health-oriented wearables market, the Bio-Processor. The Samsung Bio-Processor, now in mass production, is specifically designed to allow accelerated development of innovative wearable products for consumers who are increasingly monitoring their health and fitness on a daily basis.
“With improvements in smart, fitness devices and an increase in consumer health consciousness, more and more people are looking for ways to monitor various personal bio-data, or fitness data, to constantly manage their health” said Ben K. Hur, Vice President of marketing, System LSI business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s Bio-Processor, which can process five different biometric signals, is the most versatile health and fitness monitoring chip available on the market today and is expected to open up many new health-based service options for our customers.”
Samsung Bio-Processor: Small in size; Big on Versatility
Samsung’s Bio-Processor is the industry’s first all-in-one health solution chip. By integrating not only Analog Front Ends (AFE), but also microcontroller unit (MCU), power management integrated circuit (PMIC), digital signal processor (DSP), and eFlash memory, it is able to process the bio-signals it measures without the need of external processing parts. Even with its integrated design, the Bio-Processor is particularly innovative thanks to its incredibly small size. When compared to the total area of the discrete parts, the Bio-Processor is only about one fourth of the total combined size, which is ideal for small wearable devices, offering a bounty of options when designing new devices.
While heart rate monitoring alone may have been compelling in the past, the ability to measure a variety of fitness data is expected in today’s wearable products. To meet such demands, Samsung has designed its Bio-Processor to integrate five AFEs including bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), photoplethysmogram (PPG), electrocardiogram (ECG), skin temperature, and galvanic skin response (GSR) into a single chip solution that measures body fat, and skeletal muscle mass, heart rate, heart rhythm, skin temperature and stress level, respectively. In addition, combinations of these fitness inputs can be considered for a variety of new use cases.
To speed product development and better understand Samsung’s new Bio-Processor, several wearable reference platforms are now available to demonstrate various uses cases. For example, wrist band, board and patch type reference devices exhibit the Bio-Processor’s potential by demonstrating its ability to measure multiple fitness variables on an extremely small device.
Samsung Bio-Processor is currently in mass production and will be available in fitness/health devices within the first half of 2016.
Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 (64GB) sells out in under a minute
Last year, Xiaomi released a tablet, fittingly called the Mi Pad. The device was apparently enough of a success that a sequel was in order, and so last month the Mi Pad 2 released. Priced at 999 Yuan (approximately $156) the device had only 16GB of storage and ran Android. Today, Xiaomi released a 64GB variant that has Android or Windows 10 on-board, for a very reasonably 1299 Yuan ($203). The biggest surprise however? The new variant sold out in under a minute.
The Mi Pad 2 features a 7.9 inch, 1536 X 2048 pixel display, a 2.2GHz Intel Atom X5-Z8500 SoC, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 and a 5-megapixel front facing camera, a 6190mAh battery, and USB Type-C.
The sudden sell out
The sales surge for this particular product is quite a curious one to say the least. Given that the 16GB Mi Pad 2 failed to generate such a sell-out, it begs the question of what was the cause today? Three potential explanations are plausible:
- Xiaomi underestimated demand and there were not enough of the 64GB variants to meet it. This is certainly a possibility assuming that the OEM didn’t understand the impact increased storage would have on its tablet, but is probably unlikely.
- Customers had been waiting and were overwhelmingly interested in the larger storage option.
- Windows 10.
As global tablet sales have begun to plateau, it is possible the presence of Windows 10 gave the Mi Pad 2 a greater sense of allure than its Android compatriot. While it would ultimately require Xiaomi to provide specifics as to the sales breakdown across all three of the devices, should it be revealed that Microsoft’s platform earns the majority of sales, the relatively new Chinese OEM might conceivably have a viable future in making an entire range of Windows products.
The workings of Windows
Interestingly enough for a growing company like Xiaomi to potentially see success with Windows might not only help out its overall profit picture, but also begin to alter the Chinese OS situation. Android is currently extremely popular there with Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, and various other OEMs all making use of Google’s platform.
If Windows becomes more relevant however, there would seemingly be little reason not to also see an adoption of Windows 10 mobile devices, or at the very least resources that would have been spent entirely on Android product development split between the two.
Given that Xiaomi has already released Windows 10 on one of its phones, and now a tablet as well, clearly there is more than a mild amount of curiosity as to the potential of such products.
Deal: get an extra 15% off already discounted eLearning courses
Taking that next step in your career is not only time-consuming, but it tends to be expensive if you go the traditional route. A good education is no longer something as exclusive, though. People can learn a lot from the comfort of their homes, thanks to the Internet. And the AA Deals Store has plenty of eLearning courses at amazingly steep discounts.
Interested in any of them? Today is the day to take your skills and knowledge to the next level. The AA Deals Store is offering an additional 15% discount over the already low prices on all its courses. All you need to do is use coupon code “LEARN15” during checkout.
The only real trick here is that you can’t use it on any of their “Pay What You Want” bundles, for obvious reasons. The AA Deals Store eLearning section is mostly crowded by technology-based courses. From coding to robot building and marketing, there is something for everyone here.
You can go through the whole eLearning section by clicking the button at the bottom of the page. But here’s a list of our very favorite courses.
Our favorite eLearning courses:
Samsung rolling out a battery-improving update to the Gear S2
The Samsung Gear S2 may not be at the same level as the Pebble Time when it comes to the battery department, but perhaps the Tizen-powered wearable will inch closer to the 7-day mark after its latest update. Samsung is now pushing out a small update to the Gear S2 that brings with it battery life optimizations. The software update comes in at version R730TUVU1AOL3 and weighs only 4.85MB. Battery life optimizations are the only thing present in the changelog.
In our full review, we told you that the Samsung Gear S2 was quite impressive in terms of battery life. It only has a 250mAh cell on board, but that doesn’t stop the watch from lasting as long as two full days on a single charge in certain circumstances. Prior to this update, you’d need to turn off ambient mode and turn down the brightness on the watch to reach 48 hours of use. We’re hoping to see this number grow after we receive the new update on our unit. It’s still probably in your best interest to charge your Gear S2 every night on the handy wireless charging dock. If you forget, though, it’s entirely possible to make the battery last for a second day.
Still, that’s not bad considering the Android Wear competition. Some of the latest Wear devices on the market have trouble reaching two days of use on a single charge, which we hope will be improved when the next wave of smartwatches comes out in the new year.
Have you received this battery-improving update on your Gear S2? If so, be sure to tell us what you think, and if you’re seeing any changes!
CES 2016: what to expect
Every January the massive CES tradeshow kicks off in Las Vegas, showcasing a wide variety of technology from televisions to washing machines, headphones to smartphones, wireless charging, smart homes, and so much more. For fans of mobile technology, the show might not be nearly as exciting as MWC, but it is still significant in a number of ways.
First, CES represents where we are heading in tech for the years to come. Second, CES often has a few mobile-related surprises from cool new wearables to even flagship-level devices like last year’s LG G Flex 2 and the ill-fated Saygus V2.
CES represents where we are heading in tech for the years to come.
This January Android Authority will be at CES 2016 in full force, and while mobile tech will be our primary focus, we’ll also be checking out cool developments in the world of automotive, smarthomes, virtual reality, and more.
Although CES doesn’t officially begin until January 6th and ends on January 9th, there are often press announcements days before the official event begins. Due to just how much goes on at CES, and how much is kept under wraps until the show kicks off, it’s hard to give our readers a full breakdown of what to expect. That said, we’ll do our best to highlight some of what we might expect to see at CES this year:
Huawei at CES 2016
Huawei has been really taking things up a notch over the last year or two, but 2015 has seen the company rise to new heights with the creation of the very first Chinese-made Nexus, the Huawei-built Nexus 6p. Towards the tail end of 2015, we also the company’s new flagship Huawei Mate 8 debut in China.
At CES we expect the company to show off the Mate 8 to the western world.
At CES we expect the company to show off the Mate 8 to the western world. There are even rumors that Huawei may be planning to bring its flagship Mate 8 to the United States, while its predecessors only saw launches in Europe and Asia. In addition to its plans for the Mate 8, sources “familiar with the matter” have asserted that Huawei’s Honor brand will also be making a US debut at CES. Some of the products expected include the Honor 5x, Honor 6 Plus, and Honor 7.
Finally, a Huawei smartwatch is also expected at CES, though not necessarily a full-fledged sequel to the Huawei Watch. It’s unclear whether this rumored watch will arrive under the Huawei or Honor brand.
Samsung at CES 2016
With the Note 5 behind us now, the next big thing from Samsung will be the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Rumors of these devices are already starting to trickle in. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, as it is pretty much guaranteed that we won’t see this one at CES, though it’s certainly possible the phone could be shown off to select industry partners behind closed doors.
So what can we expect from Sammy at CES? Last year, Samsung’s CES show was almost entirely revolved around smart appliances, the Internet of Things, and television sets. In fact, there were hardly any mobile-related announcements at all. This year, we’d expect more of the same, but it is certainly possible we could also see some new tablets, some mid-range Galaxy A-series phones, and other lower-tier mobile products.
Samsung will also be showing off camera tech, including its new BRITECELL camera technology.
See also: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review
Sony at CES 2016
You can pretty much safely bet Sony will primarily focus on TV sets, Playstation-related announcements, and other general consumer tech products. As for mobile, CES 2015 saw the Xperia M4 Aqua and the Z4 Tablet. This year could see similar mid-tier products.
It’s also conceivable that Sony could use CES as a launching ground for the Xperia Z5 in select western markets such as the US and Canada, but we wouldn’t hold our breath for that.
LG at CES 2016
Last year LG brought the world’s first Snapdragon 810-powered handset, the LG G Flex 2. Initially the handset looked quite impressive, though its actual performance left some to be desired. At this year’s CES, we are led to believe that the G Flex series will not being seeing a third iteration, with LG instead focusing on creating a followup to the reasonably successful LG V10. Unfortunately, we don’t expect to see this follow-up either, at least not until sometime around MWC.
Instead, we’d say it is more likely LG will focus on entry-level and mid-range offerings. Last year at CES, LG gave us several new phones in this category, after all. Beyond this, expect LG to show off audio equipment, accessories, TVs, smart appliances, and other general consumer technology.
Asus at CES 2016
CES has been the launching ground of the ZenFone series since the debut of the ZenFone 4, 5, and 6. While the first three phones never saw a true US launch, the ZenFone 2 debuted in early 2015 and has had a ton of success in the western world, resulting in a variety of spin-off products under the ZenFone 2 banner.
Will we see a ZenFone 3? It’s hard to say. While history tends to suggest the answer is “yes”, rumors have been few and far between and so it’s possible Asus could wait off, considering products like the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser are still fairly new and so the need for a next-gen successor is arguable at this stage. If we do see a ZenFone 3 at CES, we can expect an Intel processor to likely be at the helm again and options with up to 4GB RAM (or higher?), though Qualcomm variants of the ZenFone 2 did exist later in its life, so anything is possible.
Asus also has a history of producing great laptops, tablets, and other similar tech products, and so we’d expect to see some of this at CES. It’s also possible we could see some lower-end smartphone entries too.
ZTE at CES 2016
There have been some whispers about ZTE’s CES plans, which have been said to include the launch of the Nubia Z11, which reportedly will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor. Whether this is true or not remains anyone’s guess, but we wouldn’t get our hopes up. While it’s possible that they could debut a flagship-level product as CES, it’s just as likely that they will focus on their entry and mid-level products.
It’s also possible we could see some more in the way of smart projectors, given what we saw at CES 2015.
HTC at CES 2016
HTC tends to use CES as a launching ground for its entry and mid-level products, and we expect to see a similar presentation this year. There haven’t been many rumors on what to expect from the company exactly, at least not on the mobile front.
Instead, it’s likely that HTC will focus on the Vive VR headset, with its commercial launch just around the corner. After all, the company has already teased that it will be making the Vive a central part of the show. That means hopefully more details on the launch date, pricing, and PC requirements needed for the Vive to work.
Other mobile players at CES 2016
Above we listed some of the bigger players in the mobile space, but you can also expect to see Alcatel release a number of lower end smartphones, LeTV may have a presence (possibly even an 820 powered phone), and players like Vivo and Acer are also expected to show off new products.
Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Intel, and other processor makers at CES 2016
CES was the launching ground of the NVIDIA Tegra X1, and so it’s certainly possible we could see yet another new high-end processor from NVIDIA. It’s also possible that we could see more tablets and devices using the X1, in addition to the recently launched Pixel C. As for Intel, we imagine they will have a few new chips up their sleeves, though whether or not any of them will be mobile focused, remains unseen.
Qualcomm can be expected to show off the first smartphones and tablets running on the Snapdragon 820. As to who will make these first 820-powered phones? That’s less clear, though Chinese players like LeTV, Vivo, ZTE, and others are some of the most rumored candidates.
Smartwatches at CES 2016
Will any company use CES as a launching ground for new smartwatches? Absolutely, though it’s less clear if there will be any new watches running the Android Wear platform, aside from whatever Huawei is allegedly planning.
2015 has not only seen a number of new watches from Motorola, LG, Asus, and Huawei, but even from traditional watch makers like Tag and Fossil, this means CES could see one of these companies create a new entry, or even introduce a new manufacturer or watch maker to the Android Wear game.
VR at CES 2016
As already mentioned, we can expect the Vive to likely show up at CES. Additionally, we will see the Oculus Rift, and hopefully even learn more solid details about when the commercial version will launch and maybe even how much it will set us back. It’s also possible we’ll even see Sony’s Playstation VR. And of course there will be plenty of smaller players attempting to stir the pot, with companies like IonVR and CastAR both confirmed to be present at CES 2016.
Bottom-line, expect VR to make a pretty big splash this year.
Auto tech at CES 2016
From self-driving cars to better mobile integration, we expect a lot of cool mobile tech at CES 2016. There’s even rumors that Blackberry’s QNX will be showing off its own concept car, and Ford is allegedly preparing to announce a partnership with Google for self-driving cars and perhaps better Android Auto integration.
Wrap up
That’s just a brief look at some of the big stuff we’ll be looking at during CES, and admittedly much of this is speculation. CES-related leaks tend to be fewer and further between when compared to shows like MWC and IFA, which can be seen as a good or bad thing, depending on whether or not you like surprises.
Judging by the sheer presence of vendors related to VR, auto tech, and smarthomes, we can tell you that this will likely be the biggest focus at CES 2016
Aside from mobile tech, there will also be plenty of out-of-the-box gadgets, wireless charging innovations, headphones and audio equipment, and the list goes on. Judging by the sheer presence of vendors related to VR, auto tech, and smarthomes, we can tell you that this will likely be the biggest focus at CES 2016 for most general tech publications. That said, mobile tech and wearables will continue to play a crucial role as well, and will be an obvious primary focus for Android Authority – alongside a little bit of everything else that’s hot in tech.
What do you hope to see at CES 2016 this year, both in regards to mobile and when it comes to general tech? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.
Disney’s robot car drives up walls
As clever as robotic cars may be, they have one obvious disadvantage over flying drones: their journey stops the moment they run into a wall. Disney Research and ETH Zurich have a clever workaround, however. Their prototype VertiGo robot uses two tilting propellers to drive up walls, adjusting its thrust to stick to the surface even if it has to travel over uneven surfaces like bricks. The result, as you’ll see below, is uncanny — all it takes is a quick push from the propellers to have this machine defying gravity.
Disney hasn’t said how close the VertiGo is to becoming a real-world product, although it’s easy to see the practical uses. Besides being a ton of fun for a remote-controlled car, it could be vital for rescue robots, recon and other situations where both flat ground and open spaces are in short supply. You might one day see wall-crawling robots finding people that might otherwise go undetected.
Source: Disney Research
Spotify is on the hook for $150 million in class-action suit
A class-action lawsuit filed this week claims that Spotify knowingly and willingly distributes songs without obtaining the proper, mechanical licenses, Billboard reports. The suit, filed by the band Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery on December 28th, seeks $150 million in damages. The artists launched a class-action suit because Spotify’s actions affect more than 100 people, according to the complaint.
Spotify recently penned a blog post that lays out the complicated music-licensing landscape, noting that it’s paid out more than $3 billion in royalties since launching. It has a store of money set aside to pay outstanding fees, too — Billboard says this reserve fund contains between $17 million and $25 million.
“When we confirm the rightsholder, we pay those royalties as soon as possible,” Spotify writes in its blog post. “To put this all in context, the royalties we have set aside amount to a fraction of one percent of all the royalties we have paid.”
Spotify is working to settle a similar suit with the National Music Publishers Association.
[Image credit: Flickr/Björn Olsson]
Source: Billboard
The best gaming headset (for most people)
By Dennis Burger
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read the full article here.
After more than 100 hours spent researching and testing 37 gaming headsets in all, plus more hours of long-term comfort testing than could reasonably be counted, we think the Kingston HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset is the best gaming headset for most people. It’s beautifully built, comfortable on a wide variety of heads, and excellent in sound performance, especially for the price. In fact, you won’t get find much improvement unless you spend more than double what the HyperX Cloud costs. This model is also incredibly comfortable—you can easily wear it for hours on end without any appreciable cranial distress. It’s a clear winner.
How we tested
Testing one of our top picks, the Sennheiser GAME ONE.
In reading user reviews of gaming headsets, you’ll note that even the most highly rated model will usually have some number of one-star reviews proclaiming it to be the single worst headset in the history of ever, so our primary goal was to find a headset that no one could reasonably hate. As such, our testers agreed on a veto system: If any of us outright loathed a particular model due to issues of comfort, construction, or sound quality, we cut it from the running with no further discussion.
With that agreed upon—and considering that 87 percent of Wirecutter readers who responded to our recent survey about gaming headsets are primarily PC gamers—we began digging through all of the headsets in three large chunks grouped by price (below $100, $100 to $200, and $200 and above), setting aside models that fell egregiously short in any significant way as compared with others in their price range. Once we had our potential top picks in each category, we went on to use them in extended gaming sessions with two different PCs, during which we sometimes wore the same headset for as many as nine hours at a stretch.
Our pick
Goodies like swappable velour ear pads, as well as mobile and airplane adapters, make our top pick that much sweeter.
Our testers agreed that the Kingston HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset is the right headset for most people due to excellent long-term comfort, great sound quality for the price, a light weight, and exceptional build quality. It simply offers the best combination of comfort and performance for the money of any headset we tested.
Overall, the Hyper X Cloud didn’t suffer from the bass problems that so many of the other tested models did. Its frequency response is as accurate and true to life as you could hope for from a headset that costs less than $100. Perhaps most important, we found it less fatiguing for long gaming sessions than any other headset in its price range; in fact, only the much more expensive Sennheiser GAME ONE seriously outmatched it in that regard. The HyperX Cloud features genuine viscoelastic memory foam in its ear pads, not the cheaper foam found in many headsets and headphones. Plus, when we fitted it with its mobile adapter cable and paired it with an iPhone 5s, it performed admirably.
If the Kingston HyperX Cloud is unavailable, our runner-up pick is the updated HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset, which offers several upgrades but costs a bit extra.
For audiophiles and marathon gamers
Sennheiser’s GAME ONE isn’t as feature packed as other headsets, but its performance makes it the best pick for audiophiles (Alduin the World Eater not included).
If you’re more discerning when it comes to sound quality (with movies, music, and games alike), or if your gaming sessions run a little longer than the norm, check out the Sennheiser GAME ONE, which was by far the favorite headset for all our testers thanks to its stellar audio performance, exceptional long-term comfort, and fantastic noise-cancelling microphone.
Note that the GAME ONE benefits from a good bit of extra amplification, which means it may not be the best pick if you game only on consoles. In our tests it didn’t truly reveal all of its nuances, especially its powerful bass capabilities, until we connected it to a Sound Blaster DAC/amp—in other words, the more power you give it, the better the GAME ONE sounds. If you don’t want to add a sound card to your rig, or if you aren’t a PC gamer, we recommend the Sennheiser PC 363D instead.
For gamers on a budget
A compact folding design, sturdy construction, and strong performance make Creative’s Draco HS880 the best pick for gamers on a tight budget.
If our top pick costs a little more than you’re willing to spend, consider the Creative Draco HS880 Gaming Headset. All of our testers agreed that it’s an absolute steal at its MSRP, and it’s positively irresistible at its current $45 price on Amazon. The Draco HS880 is not quite as great-sounding as our top pick, but it is hard to beat in comfort and build quality.
If you must have wireless
Although none of our testers could find a single wireless headset that they would willingly spend their own money on, the SteelSeries H Wireless Gaming Headset stood out for having the best sound of the wireless models we tested, along with solid construction and virtually zero latency. Unfortunately, it suffers from a terrible microphone.
Wrapping up
The gaming headset market is incredibly contentious, and one person’s favorite is likely to be another’s least favorite. That said, we can’t imagine anyone disliking the Kingston HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset, especially for the price. If you’re willing to spend a little more money, the Sennheiser GAME ONE is an absolute revelation. For gamers on a tight budget, the Creative Draco HS880 Gaming Headset performs better than any cheap gaming headset has a right to. And although our testers couldn’t find a wireless headset that they would own personally, we recommend the SteelSeries H Wireless Gaming Headset if you hate wires, despite its overly sensitive microphone.
This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
Fossil Q Founder review: Maybe next time
I’m a big fan of Fossil watches. In fact, the last time I wore a watch prior to Android Wear, I had a pair of Fossil models that I alternated between. Suffice it to say, I was extremely excited to learn that Fossil would be getting into the smartwatch space. And not just a smart fitness band or activity tracker, but Android Wear at that! The concept of Android wear inside of a solidly built watch simply fascinated me. I could no wait to get my hands on one of these.
Backing up for a moment, this is not to suggest that other smart watches are not designed with quality components or put together with fine craftsmanship. Rather, I was looking forward to something that came from a watch brand first. To date we’ve only had smartphone makers getting into the space and trying their hands at a wearable. This, the Fossil Q Founder, would be the opposite. How does Fossil fare with its first Android Wear unit, the Q Founder?
First Impressions
Upon first removing the watch from its box I was immediately impressed with the hardware. I felt the weight of the watch and was reminded of my other Fossil watches. If you’ve never had one of these or worn one, they are heavy. And, being this is a 46mm watch, it’s big, too. Indeed, it’s a large display that feels very manly.
There is some serious weight to the Fossil Q Founder and it’s exactly what I wanted. Moreover, from the side and other angles, it looked exactly like you would expect from Fossil. On all outward appearances it mimics the look of standard Fossil models you’ll find department stores and jewelers.
READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW AT SMARTERWATCHING
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AIVAnet 