Apple Releases First OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan Beta to Public Beta Testers
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.6 beta to public beta testers, just a day after releasing the first OS X 10.11.6 beta to developers and one week after releasing OS X 10.11.5, the fifth update to the OS X 10.11 operating system.
The new beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store for those who are enrolled in Apple’s beta testing program. Those wishing to join the program can sign up on Apple’s beta testing website.
Like many of the previous updates to the OS X 10.11 El Capitan operating system, OS X 10.11.6 appears to be minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements. No obvious outward-facing changes or bug fixes were discovered in the first developer beta.
Related Roundup: OS X El Capitan
Tag: OS X 10.11.6
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Apple CarPlay: A guide to connecting your iPhone to your car – CNET
Getting a new car is fun, until you get into the infotainment system. Car makers — whose expertise is in vehicles, not software — tend to build overly complicated systems that make you feel like a caveman using a smartphone for the very first time.
That’s not a good thing when you have other priorities. For instance, keeping your eyes on the road.
Carmakers aren’t necessarily changing their ways, but they are giving drivers another, more familiar infotainment option: CarPlay. It’s Apple’s way of applying its iPhone software expertise to the car, with Siri voice commands at the core.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
Why you want CarPlay
CarPlay is a stripped-down version of iOS designed for your car. With it, you can send messages with iMessage, play music, get directions, listen to podcasts, stream radio (Beats1, of course), and call people — without ever touching your phone.
The system relies heavily on Siri voice commands, so you can keep your eyes on the road, not on your phone’s tiny screen.
It sounds like it’s basically iOS for your car, but it’s not. CarPlay doesn’t replace the standard entertainment system — it’s just an app. So when you need to do car-specific tasks like adjust the temperature, view a backup camera, listen to SiriusXM or adjust your car’s general settings, you’ll exit CarPlay and go back to the standard interface.
Which cars does CarPlay work with?
As long as you have an iPhone 5 or newer, running iOS 7.1 and above, your phone will work with CarPlay. But that’s only half the equation. Let’s look at the cars that support Apple CarPlay.
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Apple has a complete list of compatible cars, broken down by make and model. You can look at the list in its entirety here. There are 24 different car makers on the list, with a total of 114 car models offering CarPlay support.
Don’t get discouraged when you realize all the cars on the list are 2016 models or newer — you can retrofit an older vehicle with CarPlay support through third-party solutions. Here are a few examples:
- Pioneer offers 11 different aftermarket options with CarPlay support. Pricing ranges from $700 to $1,400.
- JBL also produces an aftermarket CarPlay unit, which retails at $399.
- Alpine and Kenwood also offer their own CarPlay-equipped systems.
As long as you’re willing to swap out your car’s infotainment unit with a CarPlay-ready one, just about any car can be made compatible.
Setting up CarPlay
Grab a Lightning-to-USB cable, plug it into your iPhone, plug the USB end into your car, and you’re set.
The first time you plug in your phone, you’ll have to go through a quick approval process to let your car access your phone. (You’ll want to be parked, not driving.) From there on, all you’ll do is connect your phone and it’ll automatically go into CarPlay mode.
At this point, the CarPlay app will automatically launch, or you’ll select it from the infotainment system’s menu. The main screen is a grid of app icons that looks like an adapted version of your iPhone’s home screen. On the left side is the time and a cell signal meter. Just below the stats, you’ll see a digitized version of the iPhone’s home button. Tap on that at any time to go back to the home screen, or tap and hold to activate Siri.
Navigating the interface is done with the standard taps and swipes, but sadly, the second-nature pinch-to-zoom gesture is missing from Maps. Instead, you’ll need to tap on buttons to zoom in or out of a given map. That’s likely a design choice reflective of the car’s hardware, not CarPlay.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
About Apple’s CarPlay apps…
For safety reasons, not all apps are available through CarPlay, and what you see is what you get. You can’t add, remove or rearrange the icons, so the default setup — Phone, Music, Maps, Messages, Now Playing, Podcasts and Audiobooks — is fixed.
More about CarPlay
- Android Auto vs. Apple CarPlay
- Apple CarPlay review
- Chrysler and Dodge are getting CarPlay
There is one exception, though. Depending on your car manufacturer, you might see a shortcut to your car’s primary infotainment system within CarPlay, so you can do things like quickly switch audio modes or control climate settings.
Back to the default Apple apps. One thing you’ll notice is how basic they are. The Phone app, for example, doesn’t automatically bring up any sort of dial pad. Instead, you’re immediately prompted by voice to give the name of the person you want to call. You’ll need to tap on Show Contacts to view more options like Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keyboard and Voicemail.
The Messages app is similarly Siri-driven. A voice prompts immediately for the name of the person you want to message. If you have unread messages, Siri will ask if you want your unread messages read out loud or if you want to compose a new message.
If you try to use the Messages app like you do on your phone, you’ll be deterred. You can view your conversation list, but you can’t view the message thread the way you can on your iPhone. Instead, tapping on a contact’s thread prompts Siri to, once again, ask you who you want to message. The rest of the apps are similar — bare-bones and Siri-driven.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
Installing non-Apple apps
Non-Apple apps are what make CarPlay awesome. On the official CarPlay site, Apple lists some of the better-known music and radio apps like Spotify, Slacker and NPR News as being CarPlay-compatible. But if you want to see a complete list of compatible apps, search the App Store for “CarPlay.”
Any third-party CarPlay apps will automatically show up on the second page of the CarPlay screen; just like on your iPhone. Just know that in some cases, you’ll need to go finish any app setup on your phone before it’ll appear in CarPlay. For instance, with the podcast app Clammr, I had to follow the prompts to select favorite podcasts and news categories before anything would show up in the CarPlay app.
Right now, only third-party music and audio apps work with CarPlay, so don’t hold your breath for Google Maps to work with CarPlay anytime soon.
The best part: Siri
You can still use Siri as you normally do when your iPhone is in CarPlay mode. You can ask for things like sports scores and weather — basically, any commands but Web searches. For instance, you can say things like:
- Tell me the weather.
- Call __
- Get directions to __
- Play ____
- Send a message to ___
- Is ___ open right now?
Depending on your car’s setup, you can prompt Siri a few different ways. For vehicles with a Bluetooth button on the steering wheel, just press and hold the button until you hear the familiar Siri tone. Or, tap and hold the digital home button on the CarPlay screen (it’s on the left).
Finally, if you have “Hey Siri” set up on your iPhone, you can just say “Hey, Siri” and say your commands.
Mortal Skies 3: Excruciating difficulty on top of a fun game (Review)
Overview
There are a lot of things waiting to destroy your aircraft.
Mortal Skies 3: World War 1 puts you in the seat of your own aircraft, with only one goal in mind: to destroy all your enemies while avoiding your own death. Developer Erwin Jansen also added several elements to make the gameplay more fun and varied, such as power-ups, different types of ships and epic boss fights.
Features
The game’s premise is so simple that you don’t even need a tutorial for it. You control a plane in a top-down field that is constantly firing, and your goal is to destroy as many enemies as you can before they take away the three lives the game gives you.
Normal enemy planes come in packs of four. Fortunately for you, most of them never fire at you directly. When you destroy the whole group, they may drop either coins or power-ups. Coins are used to buy new ships and guns, while power-ups have a temporary effect on your ship. You can get gun upgrades, missiles, fireballs, and even a couple of friendly ships beside you blasting at enemies.
If you reach the end of a level (good luck with that), the game will show everything you’ve destroyed.
Ships can also drop some special items, like napalm (which creates two big fireballs that destroy everything they touch) and a bomb that annihilates everything in sight.
Sadly for you, planes aren’t the only things that want you dead. There are some towers hidden behind walls that are ready to take you down. Also, elements like tanks, helicopters, and bunkers are ready to help the enemy in case everything else fails. Some of these enemies even shoot missiles instead of normal bullets, making it really hard to survive if you don’t annihilate them quickly.
Also, at the end of the match, you may get experience points, which can be applied to specific parts of your aircraft. There’s no apparent way of getting these back, so you’ll have to use them consciously.
General Impressions
I will repeat what I said in the title: the difficulty in this game is out of this world. I’m pretty sure even the developer acknowledges it, since there’s a slider for increasing (hell no) and decreasing the difficulty. Power-ups definitely help, but you don’t get them all the time, so you’re mostly on your own.
Huge boss fights await you.
Other than that, the game is really fun. There are very few moments where you can rest; most of the time, you’re just dealing with the increasing amount of things going on. There are planes coming from everywhere, helicopters shooting you consistently, and huge bosses. On top of that, you have to deal with towers, bunkers, missiles, and everything in between. All of these factors combined result in an immensely fun game that will not forgive any kind of mistake or oversight.
Another thing I want to point out is that the game performs really well. Even when there’s a lot of ships, missiles and bullets flying around, I never saw the game stutter or drop frames, so kudos to the developer for optimizing the game.
Options
There’s actually a slider to change the difficulty level.
As previously said, the biggest (and most peculiar) option is a slider to change the game’s difficulty level. It defaults at 100%, but it can go as low as 75% or, if you’re into masochism, as high as 250%. You can also change the music’s volume (but not the sound effects’ volume).
Graphics and Sound
The game itself has barely appropriate graphics. Enemies’ planes (and your own) are bright and sufficiently detailed, while the explosions are decent. The background looks a little blurry, but there’s the possibility that the developer did this on purpose.
The biggest problem lies in everything that comes before. The game tries to adhere closely to a very old-fashioned theme involving wood and bolts (which may sound good on paper), but it turns out looking cluttered and unpolished. Also, there are some resources that are not big enough for high-res screens, so they appear pixelated on my Nexus 6. Since there are several phones with the 1440p resolution the big ol’ Shamu boasts, it’s not something that can be overlooked.
There are several ships you can buy with coins.
Music in the game is very upbeat. When I first heard the tunes, my immediate thought was “these tunes would fit in a Pokemon game.” There are very few songs, and the ones available are rather short, so they may start to annoy you after a while. Fortunately, you can turn it off altogether in settings. A little thing that bothers me is that you can clearly hear the moment where the tune loops, since it’s not as seamless as it should be.
Sound effects are also adequate. For the most part, they are well done and add a lot to the atmosphere, but there are also some of them that sound really dull (like explosions you would hear on a SNES game) and are not believable at all.
What we like:
- Very easy to play.
- A lot of elements and twists.
- Several aircraft to choose from.
Room for improvement:
- Difficulty is sometimes too much.
- Some pixelated graphics and bad interface overall.
- A couple of sound effects are really bad.
Conclusion
Behind the torturous difficulty, Mortal Skies 3: World War 1 is an easy-to-play game that’s full of twists and surprises. Unfortunately, outside of the core experience, there’s an interface that’s bordering on unfinished, and the music + sound effects combo is nothing to write home about. If you are prepared to overlook some glaring flaws, like some pixelated graphics here and there, and a couple of really bad sound effects, then you can definitely get some fun out of Mortal Skies 3.
Download and install from the Google Play Store.
Twitter changes tweet rules to give you more characters, sort of
Twitter is making one of the biggest changes to tweet rules since the social network first launched. You will soon be able to tweet images, videos and like without them taking up part of the allowed 140 characters,
That means tweets will be more expressive, even when additional media files are attached.
In addition, names will not count towards the character limit in retweets. This will be especially useful for retweet chains where multiple accounts are included.
Other changes include the ability to retweet or quote your own tweets, so you can republish something from your archives with additional commentary. And any new tweets with a @name included will now be tweeted to all followers.
“One of the biggest priorities for this year is to refine our product and make it simpler,” said Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey. “We’re focused on making Twitter a whole lot easier and faster. This is what Twitter is great at – what’s happening now, live conversation and the simplicity that we started the service with.”
The changes will be rolled out over the “coming months” but they have been announced early in order to give developers a chance to update their third-party apps and devices. Twitter, TweetDeck and all of the first party products will be updated in time.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Classic: What’s the difference?
Pebble has announced an update to the humble Pebble, its first generation smartwatch, appropriately called the Pebble 2.
In many ways the Pebble 2 reflects the Pebble heritage, offering many of the same features and functions. But with a new focus on giving you a connected fitness experience, we’ve drilled through the details to sort out what’s what.
If you’re wondering what the difference is between the Pebble 2 and the original Pebble Classic, then read on.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble: Design and build
The original Pebble was notable for its fun plastic build. The Pebble 2 continues the cute story with a polycarbonate (plastic) body and a 22mm lug for the strap. It comes in five colours: black, white, aqua, flame and lime and measures 39.5 x 30.2 x 9.8mm, not including the lugs. The Pebble 2 weighs 31.7g.
The Pebble Classic also has that polycarbonate body and comes in black or red/black currently, although other colours have been available. The Pebble Classic measures 52 x 36 x 11.5 (including the lugs) and it weighs 38g. Again it offers a 22mm width strap.
The Pebble 2 has slimmed down, lost some of the bezel, for a more compact and lighter device, but the original Pebble was water resistant to 50m, now it’s water resistant to 30m in the Pebble 2.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble: Display
The Pebble was notable for its use of the E-Paper display, meaning much less battery drain than LCD smartwatch rivals. That’s not changed, with E-Paper still the display of choice on the new Pebble.
The Pebble 2 has a 1.26-inch display with a 144 x 168 resolution, sitting under Gorilla Glass 3 to keep it protected. It is black and white. If those specs sound familiar, that’s because it’s the same as the Pebble Classic, that also has a 1.26-inch E-Paper display with 144 x 168 resolution.
No change there then: if you’re a fan of Pebble, at least the display won’t have changed much.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble: Hardware
When it comes to the hardware, the Pebble 2 comes with an ARM Cortex M4 processor, whereas the original has an ARM Cortex M3. The M4 was in the Pebble Time previously, so is likely to give a slight boost in performance over the original model.
Pebble is all about battery life – especially when pitched against Apple Watch or Android Wear – and the Pebble 2 offers 7 days of battery life according to Pebble’s stats. The Pebble Classic offers 7 days of battery too, so we’d expect a similar experience.
There’s a big change on the hardware front though with the inclusion of an optical heart rate sensor on the rear of the Pebble 2. The old Pebble doesn’t offer this function. Both offer Bluetooth, but there’s no Wi-Fi or GPS on either.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble: Features
As our comparison of the hardware revealed, the big difference in features between the new Pebble and the old is going to be heart rate tracking.
Pebble 2 is now a bone fide fitness watch, offering to keep track of your steps, sleep and heart activity, using Pebble Health to collate your details.
The original Pebble offered apps for sports, but lacked the hardware for your heart rate, although it offered sleep and activity tracking. The Pebble 2 is definitely going to be an enhancement for sports fans.
The Pebble 2 will run the latest version of Pebble OS, with over 13,000 apps available.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble: Conclusions
The Pebble 2 very much sticks to the premise of the original Pebble it now betters. The design is more advanced, making better use of space, while adding the new heart rate sensor on the back.
That means the new Pebble 2 will expand its feature set and appeal to those interested in keeping track of their fitness, but the experience is likely to remain fairly close overall. At the end of the day, both the Pebble 2 and the Pebble Classic offer a compact black and white display in a polycarbonate body, bringing connected features to your iPhone or Android device through a range of innovative apps.
The original Pebble is currently selling for £79.99. The Pebble 2 will sell for $99 (£70) on Kickstarter, with the standard retail price set to be $129 (£90).
Pebble 2016 line-up: Pebble Core, Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 explained
Pebble has announced a trio of new products that enhance the company’s standing in the smartwatch and wearables sector.
The first couple are replacement devices for its Pebble and Pebble Time watches. Cunningly titled Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2, they each update the respective devices.
The Pebble 2 is similarly styled to the original Pebble and has a black and white E-Paper screen as before. It has a 168 x 144 screen resolution, is high contrast and covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to keep it scratch free.
What’s new about the Pebble 2 and Pebble 2 smartwatches?
An ARM Cortex M4 processor runs the show and battery life is claimed to last up to seven days between charging. It is waterproof up to 30 metres.
The most impressive new feature is a built-in optical heart rate monitor so the watch can double as a fitness tracker more capably.
Also coming with a heart rate monitor is the Pebble Time 2. It also looks similar to the previous generation device it replaces, although you will also be able to get it in a gold finish.
Pebble
The 64-colour E-Paper screen has a 228 x 200 resolution and is also covered in Gorilla Glass 3. The casing in this watch is made of marine grade stainless steel.
Battery life is claimed to last up to 10 days and it too is waterproof to a depth of 30 metres.
Where can I get the Pebble 2 or Pebble Time 2?
As with previous Pebble products, you can snag a Pebble 2 or Pebble Time 2 through Kickstarter initially, with starting prices on the crowd-funding site starting at $99 (£67) and $169 (£115) respectively. Full retail price is estimated at $129 and $199 respectively.
The Pebble 2 will start to ship in September, while the Pebble Time 2 will ship from November. Both devices will be available on Pebble.com and from other retailers from early 2017.
READ: Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: What’s the difference?
What is the Pebble Core?
The Pebble Core is a departure for the company in that it’s not a watch at all. Instead it is a wearable device you clip onto clothing or even pop into a pocket.
The Core can still be hooked up to your iPhone or Android phone, but also has a Micro SIM card slot, so can work independently.
Pebble
It has built-in GPS, so can track running pace and distances without needing to take a phone with you running, for example. It also syncs with Runkeeper, Strava, MapMyRun, Google Fit and Under Armour Record so you can make sense of the data gathered.
Spotify streaming on the run
It can stream music through Spotify if you have a premium account and a headphone socket means you can have your headset connected directly. There is also the option to capture voice notes using the Core’s built-in microphone.
If you do connect it wirelessly to your phone, you can also use it to activate Pebble apps, such as ordering an Uber. An SOS button can be set to automatically send an emergency notification to friends and family.
The battery lasts up to nine hours and features wireless charging through a Qi charger or the included cable. There is 4GB of internal storage and Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity is on board.
The Pebble Core comes in two colours – white or black – and starts at $69 on Kickstarter. The estimated full retail price is $99. It will ship from January 2017.
READ: Pebble 2 vs Pebble: What’s the difference?
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: What’s the difference?
Pebble has announced a trio of new devices comprising the Pebble 2, Pebble Time 2 and the Pebble Core.
The Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 are both successors to the original Pebble and the original Pebble Time, but how do they differ from each other?
Read on to find out how the Pebble 2 and the Pebble Time 2 compare.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: Design and build
The Pebble 2 measures 39.5 x 30.2mm and has a depth of 9.8mm. It hits the scales at 31.7g and it looks very similar to its predecessor. It is made from polycarbonate with TPU buttons and it comes in black, white, aqua, flame and lime colour options.
The Pebble Time 2 is a little larger than the Pebble 2, measuring 40.5 x 37.5mm with a depth of 10.8mm. It weighs 64.6g, making it over twice as heavy as the Pebble 2, but it is made from 316L Marine Grade Stainless Steel instead of polycarbonate. The Time 2 comes in black, silver and gold PVD finishes.
Both the Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 have standard 22mm bands that will fit wrists with a minimum diameter of 62mm and a maximum diameter of 80mm. The Pebble 2 has a quick release silicone strap with a polycarbonate buckle, while the Pebble Time 2 has a quick release silicone strap with a stainless steel buckle.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: Display
The Pebble 2 has a black and white E-Paper display like the original. It has a 1.26-inch screen with a resolution of 144 x 128 for a pixel density of 153ppi.
The Pebble Time 2 has a colour E-Paper display, again like the original Pebble Time, so everything will pop a little more on the Time 2 than the Pebble 2. The Time 2 also has a slightly larger screen at 1.5-inches with a resolution of 200 x 228 pixels. This means the Time 2 has a higher pixel density of 202ppi, which should deliver slightly crisper, sharper images in comparison to the Pebble 2.
Both devices are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 so they should both be able to withstand scratches.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: Features
The Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 are both swim, shower and rain-proof up to 30-metres. They also both come with a built-in optical heart rate monitor, an accelerometer and a microphone.
Neither offer built-in GPS or Wi-Fi but they do come with Bluetooth 4.1 and the Pebble OS. They also both offer music control, work with iPhone and Android smartphones and they will both track sleep and steps, alongside heart rate.
They are also both charged via the standard Pebble USB charging cable so in terms of features, the Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 are identical.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: Hardware
The Pebble 2 comes with a ARM Cortex M4 processor under its hood, while the Pebble Time 2 features an ARM Cortex M7 chip, meaning it is likely to be a little faster.
The biggest difference comes in the battery life however. Pebble claims the Pebble 2 will last for up to seven days before it needs recharging, like the original. This is of course much longer than most smartwatches and one of the reasons Pebble watches are appealing.
The Pebble Time 2 takes the battery life up to 10 days, like the Time Steel, which again is great for a smartwatch, especially with a coloured display.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: Price
The Pebble 2 has an estimated retail price of $129, with a Kickstarter price of $99.
The Pebble Time 2 is a little more expensive with an estimated retail price of $199 and a Kickstarter price of $169.
Pebble 2 vs Pebble Time 2: Conclusion
The Pebble 2 is cheaper, more colourful, smaller and lighter than the Pebble Time 2. That said, it will probably look a little cheaper given its polycarbonate build and it has a black and white display over a coloured display.
The Pebble Time 2 is a little more expensive than the Pebble 2 but with that you get a larger, coloured display, longer battery life, more premium design and a faster processor.
Both the Pebble 2 and the Pebble Time 2 have the same features on board so the decision between these two smartwatches will come down to your budget and which you prefer in terms of design.
OnePlus 3 specs leak revealing core hardware
The OnePlus 3 is coming, due to be launched in glorious VR, with the company recently offering free Loop VR headsets to enjoy the show.
That announcement confirmed that the phone would be called the OnePlus 3 and that we can expect the launch some time soon – just as soon as The Loop headsets have been delivered.
Back on the rumour side of the OnePlus circle, Evan Blass has been playing his part, not only revealing the tempting design of the OnePlus 3, looking like the offspring of the iPhone 6 and HTC One M9, but now we have specs to accompany it too.
In a tweet, Blass shares a screenshot from the OnePlus 3 running Android N, but also equipped with OxygenOS.
OnePlus 3 basics: 5.5-inch 1080p, Snapdragon 820, 64GB storage, 16MP rear camera, NFC. SS from an N preview build. pic.twitter.com/u1a0hQoEIP
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 24, 2016
Accompanying the screenshot are a collection of specs. Firstly, as we’ve previously heard, the OnePlus 3 is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset. That means power to match the best flagships out there.
Rumours (not confirmed by Blass) suggest it could have up to 6GB of RAM. That might sound a lot, but if OnePlus is serious about the VR experience, perhaps that RAM is aimed at making that as slick as possible. The storage is given as 64GB, perhaps suggesting that there’s no microSD, although we’d expect different storage models to be offered.
Secondly Blass reports that it will have a 5.5-inch 1080p display. That’s not such new information, as we’ve heard plenty of previous suggestions that this will be the size, with Blass himself saying previously that it would be an AMOLED display.
Thirdly, Blass says that the camera is going to be 16-megapixels. The OnePlus 2 was 13MP, so this is perhaps an incremental step up, but likely to be a newer generation of sensor hardware. We’ve seen some great 16MP smartphone cameras recently, such as on the Samsung Galaxy S6, but there’s always more to a camera than just the resolution.
With the OnePlus Loop VR headsets due to ship from 6 June, we’re expecting to learn a lot more about the OnePlus 3 very shortly.
READ: OnePlus 3: What’s the story so far?
Pebble Time 2 vs Time Steel vs Time: What’s the difference?
Pebble has announced successors to the original Pebble, as well as the Pebble Time. The company revealed three new devices in the form of the Pebble 2, Pebble Time 2 and the Pebble Core, the latter of which is a fitness tracker.
You can read all out how the Pebble Time 2 and Pebble 2 compare in our separate feature, as well as how the Pebble 2 and original Pebble compare. This feature is all about the Pebble Time 2 compares to the original Time though, as well as how it stacks up against the Time Steel.
Read on to find out the differences and similarities between the Pebble Time 2, Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel.
Pebble Time 2 vs Time Steel vs Time: Design and build
The Pebble Time 2 measures 40.5 x 37.5mm and features a depth of 10.8mm, excluding the built-in heart rate monitor. It weighs 64.6g and has a casing made from 316L Marine Grade Stainless Steel that comes in black, silver and gold finishes.
The original Pebble Time measures 46.1 x 37.5mm, making it a little larger than the Time 2. It is slightly slimmer though at 9.5mm and lighter at 42.5g. The Pebble Time comes in black, red and white colour options and like the Time 2, it has a 22mm standard silicone band.
The Pebble Time Steel is the largest of the three smartwatches being compared here, measuring 47 x 37.5mm, with a depth of 10.5mm, which is ever so slightly slimmer than the Time 2. It weighs between 62.3g and 116.3g, depending on the model, and it comes in gun metal, stainless steel and gold finishes.
All three Pebble smartwatches are swim, shower and rain-proof up to 30-metres.
Pebble Time 2 vs Time Steel vs Time: Display
The Pebble Time 2 has a 1.5-inch colour E-Paper display that offers 64-colours. It has a resolution of 200 x 228 for a pixel density of 202ppi.
The Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel both have a slightly smaller display compared to the Time 2 at 1.25-inches. Again there are 64-colours on board and they have a coloured E-Paper display.
The resolution on both of the older Time devices sits at 144 x 168 for a pixel density of 177ppi, meaning the Time 2 should offer a slightly sharper, crisper image.
All three Pebble Time devices have Corning Gorilla Glass protection to resist scratches.
Pebble Time 2 vs Time Steel vs Time: Features
The Pebble Time 2 has several features on board including a built-in optical heart rate sensor, an accelerometer, microphone, Bluetooth 4.1 and music control.
It will track sleep, steps and heart rate through a new feature called Pebble Health and it runs the latest version of Pebble OS with access to 15,000 apps. Neither Wi-Fi or GPS are on board.
The Pebble Time and Time Steel offer most of the same features but miss out on heart rate monitoring. They too run on the Pebble OS, no surprises there, and all three devices are charged via the standard Pebble USB charging cable. They also all work with Android and iOS smartphones.
Pebble Time 2 vs Time Steel vs Time: Hardware
The Pebble Time 2 features the ARM Cortex M7 chip under its hood, along with a battery that Pebble claims will last up to 10 days.
The original Pebble Time and the Pebble Time Steel both come with an ARM Cortex M4 processor, so the new smartwatch should be a little faster and more capable.
The Time has a battery life up to seven days, while the Time Steel has a battery life up to 10 days like the new Time 2 meaning the Time 2 should offer the same endurance as the Time Steel, but a little more than the Time.
Pebble Time 2 vs Time Steel vs Time: Price
The Pebble Time 2 has an estimated retail price of $199 and a Kickstarter starting price of $169.
The Pebble Time costs $149.99 and the Pebble Time Steel starts from $249.99.
Pebble Time 2 vs Time Steel vs Time: Conclusion
The Pebble Time 2 has a larger, sharper display than both the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel.
It also offers a faster processor than both previous models and a longer battery life than the original Time.
The Pebble Time 2 is more expensive than the original Time, but less than the Time Steel, placing it in the middle. It also brings heart-rate monitoring with it, as well as extra fitness features.
Brian May makes any smartphone VR ready with his Owl Stereoscope
Brian May is a legend for being Queen’s lead guitarist, but Doctor Brian May is an astrophysicist and former maths teacher with a passion for 3D. This love has birthed his Owl Stereoscope that holds any smartphone, allowing it to become a 3D virtual reality device. We went along to his launch event to find out more.
If you think this sounds like something you’ve already heard of, that’s because it is. The Owl is essentially another variant of the Google Cardboard device that uses two lenses to turn a dual-image into a three dimensional one. Move your head and the view in the virtual world, created by the phone’s app, moves as if you’re really there.
Brian says: “Telling a story in VR is a challenge. You can miss a lot, as in real life. It’s a very young technology and there’s a fantastic amount of room for people to use their ingenuity to create experiences.”
Google created a modernised version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody for viewing and hearing in virtual reality. Even the audio was in three dimensions as Brian says: “The audio, very cleverly, stays in one place so as you turn your head not only the imagery stays but the sound does too.”
The Owl Stereoscope recognises that the Victorians, who cracked 3D way back in the 1800s, got it right first time. Brian says: “Owl gives you very good focus and geometrics. A lot of people haven’t looked at the experience of the Victorians. This should stop headaches and sickness. It makes it light easy to hold up.”
This flat plastic unit folds up to allow for a lens-to-phone layout that’s conducive with 3D. A magnetic strip attaches to any phone and the magnetic back plate on the Owl holds any sized device in place, be it Android, iOS or whatever. The stickiness of this strip gave up half way through our demo so how this would work long term, especially if you don’t always want it on your phone, is puzzling.
The Owl Stereoscope is just £25 and will be available from mid-June. There will also be an Owl Light model which is essentially just the lenses in one piece, which you can hold to your eyes for viewing 3D images anywhere.
Brian finished the launch event reflecting on a VR experience he had at NASA: “Ultimately VR will change the world as it’ll be a place where there’s everything you want and can love and cherish. Eventually people may not want to come out.”
READ: Best VR headsets to buy in 2016, whatever your budget
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