Apple Watch Series 2 Nike+ Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Apple and Nike partnered 10 years ago for a special edition iPod — the Nike+ iPod — to get you running to the beat. The music player came bundled with a wireless sensor that could be placed in select Nike sneaks and used to measure pace and distance when running.

The two companies have buddied up once again for a special-edition Apple Watch. The Apple Watch Nike+ edition combines all of the features found in the Apple Watch Series 2, but adds new features that would appeal to runners.

The Apple Watch Nike+ is available now in 38 mm and 42 mm sizes for $369, £369 or AU$529, and $399, £399 or AU$579, respectively. That’s the same price as the Series 2.

James Martin/CNET

What’s different

• The Nike+ Run Club app comes preloaded on the watch and works with exclusive Siri commands, such as asking her to start a workout. The app also offers daily motivation through run reminders, challenges with friends and alerts for when the weather is sunny.
• The watch comes with a lightweight, breathable (i.e. it has holes in it) two-tone silicon strap that’s exclusive to the Nike+ model. Color options include black and silver bands with accents in either gray, white or yellow-green (which Apple calls “Volt”).
• It also features two exclusive Nike watch faces that can be personalized to show activity data and heart rate, or provide quick access to the Nike+ Run Club and weather apps.

What else can it do?

Other than the features listed above, the Nike+ model is identical to the Apple Watch Series 2. It’s the same size and weight, and it can be used to make phone calls (when your iPhone is connected) and run apps.

It also features the same ultra bright display, dual-core processor and swim-proof design as the Series 2. You can even download and use the Nike+ Run Club app on the Series 2 model, which also includes GPS, but you won’t have the Siri integration and run reminders from the Nike+ model.

We’ll have a full review of the Apple Watch Nike+ edition in the coming weeks.

Kwikset Kevo Bluetooth Deadbolt (2016) review – CNET

The Good The Kwikset Kevo is a uniquely convenient smart lock that can let you in with a single touch. The second-gen model is designed better than before, with a smaller interior footprint, easier installation and resistance against brute-force attacks. 24-hour guest “eKeys” are now free and unlimited.

The Bad The second-gen Kevo no longer includes the helpful key fob accessory, but it still costs more than generation one. Kwikset also still charges you $2 each time you want to give someone full access to the lock.

The Bottom Line This is a very solid smart lock that offers a true convenience upgrade for your front door.

In 2013, Kwikset teamed with Unikey to bring touch-to-unlock smarts to your front door. The product was the Kwikset Kevo, a Bluetooth-enabled deadbolt that pairs with your phone and unlocks with just a tap when it detects you standing outside. It was a legitimately cool glimpse at a key-free future, but a high price tag and concerns about the physical security of the deadbolt made it tough to recommend.

Three years later, Kwikset is back with a second-gen Kevo. It’s essentially the same touch-to-unlock smart lock as before, albeit with a couple of subtle yet important improvements. For starters, it’s sturdier and more thoughtfully designed, with an interior housing that’s much smaller than last time. It’s stronger, too — you can’t force it open with the same brute attack that works on version one.

All of that makes for a better Kevo, but at $230, it’s even more expensive now than it was three years ago. On top of that, the second-gen smart lock also excludes a $25 key fob accessory that originally came included — so you’re getting less hardware for more money. The Kevo is still legitimately cool, but you need to really want that touch-to-unlock convenience in order to justify buying one.

Tap to unlock with the second-gen Kwikset…
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First impressions and key considerations

Before you buy this smart lock or any smart lock, you’re going to want to take a good look at your door. Lock it and unlock it a couple of times. Did you need to push or pull on the doorknob in order for the bolt to turn smoothly? If so, you’ll need to realign the door, because smart locks can’t hold the door in place as they turn the lock like you can.

You’ll want to make sure the Kevo will work with your door before buying one.

Chris Monroe/CNET

You’ll also want to take a look at your door’s design. If it’s cut to hold a mortise-style lock, for instance, then the Kevo won’t fit. Most more traditionally-styled doors should work, but download the Kevo app and check your measurements before buying just to be sure.

If everything checks out, then rest assured that installing the Kevo is a pretty simple process. In most cases, all you’ll really need is a screwdriver and about 15 minutes. The app is helpful here, with detailed, step-by-step instructions and easy-to understand animated illustrations. The second-gen lock is also designed for an easier installation than ever, with color-coded insides and a single-cable connection between the interior and the exterior. Credit to Kwikset.

Once it’s installed in your door, the Kevo looks more or less like any other standard deadbolt you might use. It’s plain and inconspicuous, only lighting up when you touch it. I’m a fan of the low-key design, as the thought of bolting flashy, expensive-looking tech to the exterior of my home gives me pause. And, with three different finishes to choose from, you shouldn’t have any problem picking a Kevo that’ll blend in with your home’s decor.

Not quite keyless

In addition to locks at the CNET Smart Home and the CNET Smart Apartment, I installed a second-gen Kevo on the back door at my own home in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s the door I go in and out of each day when I leave for work and when I come home, and I wanted to get a sense of what the Kevo could offer my day-to-day.

I started by pairing it with my phone. With the app running in the background on your Android or iOS device, the Kevo will detect when you’re outside. Then and only then will touch-to-unlock let you in.

The Kevo will flash blue when you tap on it to let you know it’s thinking. When it decides to unlock the door for you, it’ll flash green.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Except it didn’t. At the start of my tests, I had just upgraded to the newly released iOS 10, and iOS 10 launched with tweaks to how devices connect over Bluetooth. As a result, iPhone users needed to have the app open in the foreground before the lock would let them in. I stuck with the key.

Fortunately, subsequent iOS updates corrected the Bluetooth issue, and within a few days I was able to start using touch-to-unlock like normal. It worked reliably well over the rest of my week of tests, and never failed to let me in. The only exceptions were a handful of times where I had to tap on the lock two or three times before it’d open — it’s picky about your phone’s specific location.

The reason for that is a good one. It’s not enough just to be in wireless range of the lock — the Kevo needs to know that your phone is outside of the door. Otherwise, anyone could tap to unlock your door any time you left your phone, say, sitting on a table just inside.

The downside is that the lock takes a few seconds to think before letting you in, and sometimes, won’t let you in on the first touch at all. And, of course, you won’t be able to tap your way inside if you leave home without your phone, or if your battery dies. For these reasons, you’ll still want to keep the key on your keychain.

What about fob?

For an extra $25, you can pair the lock with a keychain fob accessory instead of your phone.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Your other touch-to-unlock option is to use the Kevo’s fob accessory. It’s a small bit of black plastic that clips to your keychain, and it houses its own Bluetooth radio. Pair it with the lock, and you’ll be able to use it in place of your phone to get touch-to-unlock working.

I like the fob. In fact, I prefer it. With the fob, there’s no worry about a software update messing things up the way iOS 10 initially did, and no concerns about other paired devices interfering with your connection, either. It’s a dedicated link between you and the lock, and in my tests, it worked just as well as my phone did.

Shortcut Labs FlicSingle Smart Button review – CNET

The Good The FlicLights Smart Button is affordable, well-designed and has a lot of power packed into a small body.

The Bad The button is tied to your phone, so the app always needs to be running and the phone always needs to be nearby.

The Bottom Line For the price of $20, the FlicLights Smart Button is a great entry point for users wanting an easier way to control their smart LEDs.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

The device that best captures the spirit of the smart home might just be the smart button. It’s affordable, simple, and makes all your digital silos cooperate. One of the best smart buttons on the market is the $34 Shortcut Labs Flic, which works magic with over 40 devices and platforms — from controlling Philips Hue LEDs to IFTTT recipes. The big appeal of a device like Flic is the combination of its flexibility and affordability.

But Shortcut Labs is experimenting with a new smart button — one that cuts the original Flic’s price to $20, and cuts the flexibility out almost entirely. The FlicSingle series of buttons includes five products: FlicMusic, FlicLights, FlicSelfie, FlicFind, and FlicLocation. These gadgets use the same basic mechanisms to perform actions — triggering the IFTTT-like Flic app on your phone via Bluetooth using button taps. Unlike the original Flic, however, these buttons are made to perform only one function or set of functions.

The best FlicSingle so far is easily FlicLights. It keeps just enough customization in place to make the button feel smart, but its focused purpose and reliable performance lend it an elegant simplicity.

Flic has a whole new family of smart buttons
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The FlicLights button is basically an affordable connected light switch for your home. I like that the FlicLights button hasn’t abandoned all flexibility: you get to map three personalized commands to the three separate button press patterns (press, double-press, long hold). That means you’re not restricted to the on/off capabilities of a typical switch, but can also customize a third setting. This variety of commands works well with colored bulbs or preset scenes from the lighting apps.

Two problems impede an otherwise impressive device. First, you have to already own connected LEDs. Unlike hard-wired smart light switches, FlicLights won’t turn your dumb lights smart. Second, because it relies on the Bluetooth connection with your phone, you have to always have the app running and the phone nearby. This is a minor drawback for the most part — except if you have multiple people in the same house planning to use the button. It can only pair with one phone at a time.

View full gallery Tyler Lizenby/CNET

But such imperfections aren’t surprising with a device that costs $20. In fact, what makes FlicSingles cool is their lower price of entry. They let you try out a new smart-home gadget without breaking the bank, which is rare in the industry. Plus, they add simple labels to the face of the buttons so you know which ones perform which actions.

The FlicLights button fuses the simplicity of a conventional light switch with the smarts of app-connected LEDs, leaving users with a device much like the Philips Hue Tap, but at less than half the price.