Samsung’s smartwatch lineup now works with your iPhone

Did you sigh wistfully at Samsung’s Gear S3, knowing you couldn’t use it because you have an iPhone? Relax. Samsung has launched new Gear S and Gear Fit apps that bring iOS compatibility to all of its current wrist-worn devices, including the Gear S3 (both Classic and Frontier), the Gear S2 and the Gear Fit 2. You won’t see all the integration you would on an Android phone (let alone a Samsung phone), but you can receive notifications, manage apps and track your S Health data. Hardware features should work, too, so you can expect GPS and environmental sensors to play a part.

Is it worth springing for a Gear device over an Apple Watch, though? It’s a tough call. Samsung does have more traditional-looking watch designs, cellular data (on a couple of models) and other perks, but the Apple Watch is the only major smartwatch left standing that integrates tightly with iOS. Like it or not, you’ll forego a significant chunk of the Gear experience to use one without switching phones.

Source: Samsung Newsroom, App Store (Gear S), (Gear Fit)

Russia demands LinkedIn’s removal from iTunes and Google Play

Russia wants to scrub LinkedIn’s presence from the country completely. According to The New York Times, people in the country can no longer download the social network’s mobile application from the App Store or Google Play. Russian authorities required Apple and Google to kill the app from the local version of their software markets, a couple of months after a local court ruled that the service violated its data protection rules.

Russia’s data protection laws state that websites and service operating in the nation have to keep its citizens’ data on servers within its borders. Since the Microsoft-owned website doesn’t, the country started blocking it shortly after the ruling. Its apps stopped working properly after that, but that clearly wasn’t enough for the Federation.

While countries like China and Russia have been blocking their people from accessing various websites for a long time, forcing companies that run app stores to delete applications is fairly new. Just a few days ago, Apple pulled The New York Times’ app in China after the country decided it was in “violation of local regulations.” As New America’s Rebecca MacKinnon told NYT, “Apps are the new choke point of free expression.”

Source: The New York Times

Samsung Releases iOS Apps for its Gear Family of Smartwatches

Samsung today announced the first iOS apps for its popular Gear family of smartwatches, which were previously only compatible with Android phones.

The Samsung Gear S app brings iPhone connectivity to the company’s Gear 2 and Gear 3 wearables, while the Gear Fit app offers similar compatibility for Gear Fit2 watches. The apps allow device owners to monitor features and manage applications installed through the Gear appstore.

While features and functions will vary by device, iOS users will be able to enjoy the Samsung Gear S3’s timeless and stylish design, IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as the built-in GPS, Alti/barometer and Speedometer apps.

It is available in two bold models – the Gear S3 frontier, which takes inspiration from the active explorer with a rugged design, as well as the Gear S3 classic, featuring an elegant style with the balance found on luxury timepieces. Users will also be able to track their fitness by monitoring distance and route traveled, running pace, calories burned and heart rate.

Apart from being able to manage apps on their Samsung Gear devices, users can also adjust individual app settings, control update notifications and enable/disable automatic updates, as well as use the Find my Gear feature for lost watches. Syncing health and fitness data with S Health is also supported, as are iPhone notifications on the wearables.

Samsung Gear S and Gear Fit apps are available as free downloads for iPhone and iPad on the App Store.

Tags: Samsung, Samsung Gear
Discuss this article in our forums

What we love and hate about CES

The good and bad of everyone’s favorite technology-focused dog-and-pony show.

Our CES badges this year helpfully reminded us of how many years we’d walked the padded paths laid out in the Las Vegas Convention Center. As a six year veteran myself, I feel led to share some of the good and bad elements of the world’s largest technology trade show.

The Good

Surprisingly worth-it little gadgets

Trade shows like CES help us discover those niche gadgets we may not have otherwise considered having in our lives. For me, one of those particular gadgets was the Lofelt Basslet, essentially a subwoofer for your wrist. I like the idea of feelin’ my beats and the vibrahaptic abilities of the tiny little motor inside the wearable has more potential than the company lets on. I was also keen on the idea of the Withings-powered Kerastase smart hairbrush, though the current implementation is too proprietary, as well as the Tiny 1, an Android-powered astronomy camera discovered by our own Russell Holly.

Charismatic characters

CES is just as much as the cast of characters who show up as it is about the technology. This year included mega-celebrities like Michael Phelps, Nick Offerman, and Octavia Spencer, as well as tech-lebrities like Hugo Barra and John Legere.

So many booths!

I like walking by the various booths to witness how each of the major technology companies attempt to identify themselves to the public. For instance, Intel’s booth is typically a blanket of blue, while LG’s booth is always strung together by all of its best-looking OLED displays. There is always something fun going on, too, like demonstrations, celebrity appearances, and even engaging talks. But the absolute best part of any booth is the way that companies express themselves through the little details. This “ball of phones” I found at the ZTE booth is a true work of art despite its relative simplicity.

Innovation

Razer’s three-screened laptop. Self-driving cars. Robots powered by Amazon Alexa. There are a plethora of technologies that come to life during the week of CES and this year was no different. Even some of the more subdued product launches and announcements pointed to a bigger shift in various industries, like the way Samsung’s Chromebook Pro and Chromebook Plus both utilize a digitized stylus — who knew a Chromebook could become such a productivity machine? — and the quiet proliferation of Android TV in set-top boxes.

Weird demonstrations

There are so, so very many booths in various places around Las Vegas. I didn’t get a chance to roam the show floor in all of its capacity as much as the rest of my colleagues, but I did run into this strange demonstration for the Beam wheeled robot, which “fills in” for you at work when you can’t physically be there. In this particular situation, there were actual people on standby at various locales around the country remotely wheeling these things around and freaking out passersby. I stopped a second to check the messages on my phone and one of them rolled up to me. I felt uncomfortable and immediately took off, but I also thought it a clever way to show off the effectiveness of a product.

The Las Vegas sunset

I was walking through the halls like a tired zombie when I caught a glimpse of the Vegas sunset outside the window of the convention center. I took a second to pull over, put my bag down, and admire the sky bursting with reds, oranges, and yellows. I particularly love the way the sun’s dimmed rays peer through the strip’s skyline. It’s the little things in life.

The Bad

Hoverboards

Are we really still doing this? Hoverbords are unsafe and they’re rude to ride on the sidewalk.

Too many accessories

CES would require fewer hallways and less shuffling around of people if it would simply stop accepting applications for vendors attempting to merely sell things. Much of what is offered on the show floor — including phone cases, charging cords, and Bluetooth speakers in funny shapes — can be easily ordered in a pinch on Amazon, NewEgg, and MonoPrice, or purchased directly from the manufacturers themselves on Aliexpress. I would much rather see more attempts at innovative technology than row after row of copycat accessories.

The gimmicks

There is no CES without a few weird gimmicks and questionable technologies rising up through the ranks. I’m talking about things like Uber helicopter rides and levitating speakers. Those are just the obvious. The real gimmick is when a major type of technology takes off in a rampant manner, where it essentially spreads as quickly as cockroaches can multiply. In this particular instance, I’m thinking exclusively about the Internet of Things, which has managed to find its way into every thing without the consideration of whether it really is entirely necessary. Like, is it really necessary to don a pair of vibrating jeans to help you find your car? Hell no.

Samsung brings iOS compatibility to the latest Gear devices

The new Samsung Gear S app is available today in the Apple App Store.

Samsung has announced that they have extended iOS compatibility to the latest Gear family of devices including the Gear S3, Gear S2, and Gear Fit2. You’ll need to have an iPhone 5 or newer and be running iOS 9 or higher on it to use the new app, so most iPhones out there should be compatible.

Starting today, users can download the Samsung Gear S app for the Gear S2 and Gear S3 or the Samsung Gear Fit app for the Gear Fit2 on compatible iOS devices from the Apple App Store. Once the appropriate app is downloaded, users will be guided through steps to complete pairing with the user’s compatible Samsung wearable device.

On the functionality side, Samsung mentions that features will vary by device, the Gear S3’s built-in GPS, altimeter, barometer and speedometer apps are supported as well fitness tracking by monitoring distance and route traveled, running pace, calories burned and heart rate.

Samsung making their smart watches available to more users is a smart move — especially iOS users. Research shows that iPhone owners tend to have the most disposable income to buy luxury products with, and the design of the latest additions to the Gear family stand out in the sea of wearables. We’re not sure how many iPhone users wanted to use something like a Gear S3, but now every one of them can.

The Public Access Weekly: Jump in the line

As the first week of the new year ends, we’re still in full CES 2017 mode — and if you haven’t been watching our Live from CES 2017 feed then you have missed some truly amazing moments, like Managing Editor Terrence O’Brien drinking scotch with Nick Offerman and today’s interview with David Copperfield. Keep an eye on the home page for more interviews (Aisha Tyler tomorrow!), announcements and all the brand spankin’ new product talk you can shake a stick at. Now on to the community news and notes!

If you hang out in the comment section, you may have heard me say this a few times this week but it bears repeating: Don’t pick fights in the comment section. We know that people feel passionately about a variety of topics from Android to net neutrality, but the comment section is there for discussions not name-calling and taunting. If you want to pick a fight, join a boxing gym. If you want to participate in the comment section, we expect you to be respectful to your fellow community members.

Looking for something to read? Check out:

James Gerber rounds up the top trends he’s seen from CES 2017, eschewing the laptops and smartphones in favor of discussing the myriad of smart home and AI announcements that seem to be pushing their way to the forefront this year.

Meanwhile, Vikas Agrawal lists the seven most common smartphone repairs, some of which were to be expected (cracked and broken touchscreens, water damage) and some of which were a bit more surprising (lock issues, connectivity). The details about which components and functions may require repair was a nice touch.

Lastly, AJ Agrawal talks about best practices for companies who have been the victims of a cyber attack by listing the steps to take and how to make it right with affected customers. While it seems like sensible enough advice, it’s a lot harder to stay calm and collected in the middle of a breach.

Looking for something to write about? Mull over:

Since it’s still “all CES 2017, all the time”, here are a few prompts focused on the trade show: What has been the best CES 2017 announcement so far/what CES 2017 announcement are you most excited about? Alternatively, what has been the lamest announcement or most disappointing?

LGs G5 handset has struggled in the market and now the company is refocusing on “aesthetics and usability” — instead of on the modular feature of the smartphone. Is there a place in the market for a modular smartphone? If so, what would such a handset have to do to attract the attention of buyers and potential fans?

I’m told that with the start of a new year, many folks plan out “resolutions” to change their bad habits and improve their lives by say, eating better, quitting smoking, exercising more…. Being a realist, my “resolutions” are more mundane: Binge-watch Supernatural, eat all the Christmas candy, organize all my external storage and upgrade my security settings. Do you have any technology resolutions for the new year? Share them with us!

My quest to find the perfect rideable at CES

Electric vehicles are a huge part of CES this year. From the Honda NueV to the Faraday Future FF91, everyone’s attention is laser-focused on gas-guzzler replacements. While these are exciting, though, for me they pale in comparison to another, smaller form of transportation: rideables. Spanning skateboards, scooters and bikes, these little machines are perfect for a city-dweller such as myself. With a camera in hand, I’ve been scouring the show trying to find the very best. My mission: To find my dream rideable.

Onewheel+

First up was the Onewheel+. Its creator, Future Motion, is no newcomer to CES, having unveiled its first prototype at the show in 2014. The company has come a long way since then, fine-tuning the design with its first production model 12 months later. Now it’s back with the Onewheel+, a souped-up version with a revamped motor and deck design. The underlying concept is unchanged, however: a single tire sits in the middle, while two wooden panels — similar to the nose and tail of a skateboard — rest at the front and back. You stand sideways and lean on the nose, which hides a pressure sensor, to push the strange contraption forward.

The experience is exhilarating. The first time I stepped on, I just couldn’t find my balance. It’s like learning a bicycle: When you’re starting out, the hardest part is taking off and stopping. Once you have some forward momentum it’s monumentally simpler to stay upright and change direction. Turning is another matter entirely, however. You need to push down on your toes or heels, just like a skateboard, to start a frontside or backside carve. At first my turns were slow and wide as I struggled to commit and lean into the board. After a few minutes, however, I was snaking around the car park like a pro. (Or rather, not a total newbie.)

I was impressed. I wanted one.

The new motor inside the Onewheel+ offers a smoother and more predictable ride than its predecessor. That’s important because you can take this rideable on tracks and other unstable surfaces, thanks to its wide, chunky tyre. Rocks and branches will still pose a problem, but it’s now easier to avoid them or bounce along with precision. The company’s custom “Hypercore” has also increased the wheel’s top speed from 15 to 19 miles per hour. Unwanted motor heat is pushed out through the axel, and regenerative braking can recover up to 30 percent of its power output.

URB-E Sport

I was impressed. I wanted one. But I couldn’t declare Future Motion the winner without knowing what else was out there. My journey led me to the URB-E Sport, a foldable electric vehicle that looks a bit like a scooter. The tiny wheels and stunt pedals certainly give that impression from afar. But there’s no deck for your feet to stand on, merely stunt pedals that attach to the bottom of its unusual V-shaped frame. The way it unfolds is reminiscent of a Brompton bicycle, with just a single button that triggers the release. Pop the two handlebars down and you’re ready to go.

The original URB-E started as an Indiegogo project in 2014. It was sold as “the ultimate last mile vehicle” with a top speed of 15MPH. While impressive, the $1,500 price-tag meant it was well out of most people’s price range. After shipping the first production models in late 2015, the company has returned with a new “Sport” model. The name is a bit misleading, however. It’s actually a little slower than its predecessor (the top speed is now 14 MPH) and can only hit 16 miles on a single charge. But in exchange, you get a drastically reduced price of $899.

I had a blast nipping around the Engadget trailer, standing up on the pedals and scooting past bemused colleagues.

It was still plenty quick for me, and I was able to ride immediately. You just sit on the saddle, engage the motor and twist the throttle like a motorcycle — it’s really that simple. I had a blast nipping around the Engadget trailer, standing up on the pedals and scooting past bemused colleagues. While there are some advanced maneuvers, including one where you engage the throttle, plant your foot and quickly turn on a dime, I felt like I had mastered the Sport within a few minutes. It was still fun to use, but I missed the sense of skill and progression offered by the Onewheel+.

That’s not to say the URB-E Sport doesn’t have its perks. A nice saddle and pushrod suspension system should make it comfortable for longer stretches than the Onewheel+. In a first for the company, you can also take the battery out and use it to charge other devices. The removable “Eddy” power pack, named after Thomas Edison, has four USB 2.0 ports and one USB-C socket, and can charge an iPhone 40 times over before running out of juice. Of course, that doesn’t take into account the charge you’ll need to ride the URB-E Sport to your final destination. It weighs 30 pounds, so you don’t want to get stuck in the middle of the city with no juice.

Zboard 2 Pearl

I left the URB-E Sport behind feeling a tad conflicted. It was zippy and practical, but I missed the adrenaline rush I had experienced with the Onewheel+. I wanted something that could sit somewhere in the middle, providing speed and flexible, expressive riding in a somewhat sensible form factor. Determined to succeed, I made an appointment with Ben Forman, a mechanical engineer and founder of ZBoard. His company has been working on the ZBoard 2 electric skateboard for almost two years now. With $900,000 in Indiegogo funding, the team has produced multiple versions and tested them with its most passionate backers.

Now, Forman has a board which he’s confident will be the final model. It comes in two versions, Blue and Pearl, which will retail for $1,299 and $1,499, respectively. Both have a top speed of 20 miles per hour, but the similarities end there. The Blue has a range of 16 miles, while the Pearl can hit roughly 24 before needing a top-up. However, that added endurance means the Pearl weighs a little more and takes four and a half hours to charge. You also get a darker rosewood deck, rather than the Blue’s Canadian maple, and a wider set of wheels that can better absorb the impact when you hit bumps in the sidewalk.

There are many electric skateboards (hello, Boosted) but the ZBoard is unusual because it doesn’t require a handheld controller. Normally, a rider needs this to accelerate, check their battery and switch between modes. Not so with the ZBoard 2, which uses pressure-sensitive footpads instead. Leaning on the front sensor will cause you to accelerate, while hammering the back one brings you to a stop. Each pad has a sweet spot and it took me a while to understand how I should be standing and pressing with the balls of my feet. Gliding around a half-empty car park, I would find myself struggling to move forward, only to suddenly lurch into top gear.

After five minutes, however, Forman declared that I was ready for the streets. (Gulp.) We both ventured out on our Zboard 2s and cruised around some of the quieter roads near Downtown Container Park. At first I was nervous, but the sensation quickly gave way to joy. The ZBoard’s acceleration is wild, especially when you ramp it up to the higher “expert” and “ludicrous” modes. We were flying (within the speed limit, of course), creating long, arching turns when the opportunity arose. I’ve always been a fan of board sports, so this feeling of joy didn’t come as a great surprise.

If I had the money, I would gladly own them all. But as I waved goodbye to Forman, I knew my quest had come to an end. Of all the rideables that were shown at CES this year, the ZBoard 2 Pearl was my favorite. It’s fast, maneuverable and, just like surfing or longboarding, it gives you a chance to express yourself while riding. You can keep your Toyota Concept-i and Chrysler Portal. There’s only one electric vehicle for me, and it doesn’t need an AI assistant, selfie cam or autonomous driving mode to impress.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Tell this robot to graffiti a wall for you

We’ve seen our fair share of weird things at CES this week, but there was one thing outside the Las Vegas Convention Center that surprised even us Engadget editors. As we were walking toward the building, we came across an unattended (and seemingly unnamed) robot that takes voice commands to show off its spray painting skills. While it’s obviously no Banksy, it’s yet another example of how Bluetooth devices are being used to control stuff around you. Sure, this isn’t the most practical use for voice commands, but you can’t deny how neat the project is.

A video posted by Edgar Alvarez (@edgaralvarezb) on Jan 7, 2017 at 10:23am PST

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Watch HTC Vive’s wireless VR adapter and object tracker in action

Virtual reality has plenty of hurdles to surpass before it reaches mainstream acceptance, among them is the need to be tethered to a computer for high-quality VR. So it’s no surprise that wireless VR tracking is a big focus for the HTC Vive this year. And on top of that, the Vive Tracker will also let developers easily bring just about anything into VR worlds. We had a chance to test out both new devices at CES this year, and while they’re in fairly early stages, it’s clear they’ll fundamentally change the VR landscape this year.

I tried out TPCast’s Vive wireless adapter, which will be available globally in the second quarter of this year for $249, and came away mostly impressed. It’s a small device that attaches to the top of the Vive’s headset and completely replaces the need for the Vive’s clunky umbilical cord. While you can use the TPCast’s adapter completely wirelessly for about an hour and a half, I tested it with a large battery pack that had to sit in my back pocket. And yes, that meant I had a cable once again, but it still provided more freedom than the typical Vive setup.

I didn’t have any synchronization or delay issues while wearing the TPCast adapter, even as I tried to move my head around a lot. Together with a large gun accessory (which had the Vive Tracker attached), I was able to move around a decently sized space, shoot baddies and dodge bullets. While the gun had some synchronization issues (remember, these are all early demos), I was surprised by how well the head tracking worked. I expected some nausea-inducing stuttering, but it was all as smooth as the tethered Vive experience.

In a mixed-reality demo for First Contact’s Rom, the Vive Tracker was also attached to a hefty gun, which did a decent job of following my movements as I ducked behind virtual barricades. From my perspective, it was a fairly straightforward shooter, but observers were able to see how I was moving around the virtual space from external monitors. At this point, expect plenty of developers to slap the Tracker on gun accessories. It’s a lot easier than attaching a full-sized Vive controller, which was how many companies previously handled virtual tracking.

The Vive Deluxe Audio Strap, which I wore during that demo, was also surprisingly comfortable. It makes it easier to slip on and tighten the Vive to your noggin. The strap also moves much of the Vive’s weight to the back of your head, which was a big help for me (I’ve always felt it was way too front-heavy). The built-in headphones sound great, and they’re a lot easier to manage than a standalone pair of cans.

You can also expect the Vive Tracker to lead to all sorts of new ways to interact with VR worlds. Master of Shapes, who developed the Castrol Virtual Drift experience last year, is using it to let people use their smartphones to join in with their friends’ VR gaming. You can actually see the VR environment through your smartphone, which allows you to quickly team up with your buddies. It looks ridiculous, but it’s also a wonderfully unique (and necessary) way to extend VR experiences out of the headset.

The Vive Tracker isn’t just useful for guns either: Manus is using them together with a pair of their prototype gloves to accurate track your finger and arm movements. We’ve seen finger tracking before, but the ability to track the articulation of your arms and elbows seems unique. The tracking data their gear collects could be used to analyze athlete performance and handle virtual objects (something enterprises are increasingly interested in).

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Nintendo mini NES modders figure out how to add new games

There was no doubt Nintendo’s miniature NES Classic Edition was going to be a hit, especially around the holiday season. The affordable retro console hit all the right nostalgic notes, but there’s a consensus Nintendo missed a trick by omitting any way to add new games to the system beyond the 30 preinstalled titles. Also, it shouldn’t be that hard — the mini NES is just an emulator in a pretty package, after all. Well, leave it up to the internet to do what Nintendo wouldn’t. The modding community has successfully cooked up ways to load additional games onto the system, and all you need is a PC and a micro-USB cable.

Though no specialist equipment is required, a certain amount of technical knowhow is recommended. A post on the NESClassicmods subreddit links to an English translation of a method discovered by a Russian hacker (a Japanese modder has also published a guide) if you’re confident enough to give it a try. But be warned, you could irreparably fry the little console if anything goes wrong.

The step-by-step is a little complex, but if you’re interested, you first need to have created a save file in Super Mario Bros. Then you have to hook the console up to a PC and boot it into special “FEL” mode while running an interfacing tool on your computer. You then have to copy data off the mini NES, unpack it, modify it, add any game ROMs you’ve downloaded — most of which are illegal if you don’t own the original cartridge, just FYI — before zipping it all back up again and overwriting the data on the console with this new package. The added games should then be listed in the regular UI if everything went to plan.

It’s not the simplest of hacks and as it’s early days, there’s no definitive list of what ROMs will work (or not) when side-loaded onto the NES Classic Edition. But apparently, storage isn’t an issue, with the bravest of souls reporting smooth sailing after adding tens of extra titles to the little box.

While the modding community is adding longevity to the NES Classic Edition, perhaps even persuading more people to give the hardware a look, Nintendo might have something to say about these hacking efforts. The company is notorious for taking issue with anything outside of its control, whether that be using its hardware in unintended ways or fan-made homages to classic characters.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Reddit (NESClassicmods)