Land (and Air) Rover: Drone-launching SUV will aid search-and-rescue teams

Why it matters to you

By launching a drone without even stopping — or getting out of — the vehicle, natural disaster teams can improve response times.

Land Rover is only a half-accurate description for Jaguar’s latest SUV designed for both land and air. Today at the Geneva Motor Show, the company unveiled Project Hero, a variation of the Land Rover Discovery that’s the first vehicle that not only has a built-in drone launching platform on the roof, but can also launch and land drones while in motion.

The SUV, designed by the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations team, uses a magnetic retention system to keep the drone on top of the vehicle until it’s ready to launch — or to allow the drone to land while the vehicle is in motion. Land Rover says that the fully integrated landing system is also self-centering.

More: Forget the Batmobile, this photo mobile launches a drone, stores camera gear

So why does Land Rover want to launch a drone from the roof — besides that fact that’s it’s incredibly cool? Project Hero is part of the company’s longstanding support of the Red Cross, a relationship that started in 1954 and has since resulted in 120 vehicles designed specifically for the organization’s work around the globe. The latest drone-launching vehicle is designed for search and rescue to get a pair of eyes up in the air faster when every minute matters.

Live footage from the drone assists emergency response teams, allowing groups to quickly search the scene from a safe distance. The drone is controlled from a panel inside the car and uses both a live camera and thermal imaging. The company says the latest Discovery will help speed up the response time at landslides, earthquakes, floods, avalanches and other natural disasters.

The drone-launching SUV is a variation of the TD6 engine in the Land Rover Discovery. Along with the rooftop landing pad, the rear cargo space floor slides out to become extra work surface. LEDs to aid in night searches and multiple plug- and equipment-mounting options also aim to make the vehicle more rescue friendly.

Beginning this summer, Project Hero will be tested in Erzberg and Vienna, Austria, and used in training and simulations before being integrated into the Red Cross emergency response efforts for natural disasters.

Get your WordPress site upgraded to the latest version to fix six serious bugs

Why it matters to you

WordPress self-hosted sites are vulnerable to attack and if you’re a WordPress administrator then you will want to get your site updated immediately.

We all have to deal with security patches and updates that try to keep our systems safe from the ever-increasing levels of cybercrime. If you’re a webmaster, then you have at least one more system than most other people that you need to keep up to date, specifically software that runs your website.

Most recently, one of the most popular web publishing systems around, WordPress, suffered some serious vulnerabilities and its developers published a new version to address them. Consider this a public service announcement — if you’re running WordPress, then you want to upgrade to version 4.7.3 immediately, WeLiveSecurity reports.

More: WordPress fixes huge security vulnerability, all users instructed to update

The six vulnerabilities that researchers identified are as follows:

• Cross-site scripting (XSS) via media file metadata.
• Control characters can trick redirect URL validation.
• Unintended files can be deleted by administrators using the plugin deletion functionality.
• Cross-site scripting (XSS) via video URL in YouTube embeds.
• Cross-site scripting (XSS) via taxonomy term names.
• Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) in Press This leading to excessive use of server resources.

Fortunately, the researchers first privately let the WordPress team know of the vulnerabilities early, allowing the development and rollout of a fix before the vulnerabilities were publicly disclosed. That fix is available now for all self-hosted WordPress sites and if your site is set to automatically update, then you might already have received it.

If your site isn’t set to automatically update, then you’ll want to back it up first. If you have a staging site, then you will want to test there first to make sure nothing breaks when the update is applied. Then, just go to the WordPress admin panel, select Dashboard > Updates, and follow the instructions. While you’re at it, you can check to see if any of your WordPress plugins need updating and get them current as well. Plugin vulnerabilities can be just as damaging as those in the core WordPress system.

If you’re running a site on WordPress.com, which is administered by Automattic, then your site will already have been updated and these vulnerabilities, at least, will have been patched. If not, then your job of webmaster just got another important task that you will likely want to check off sooner rather than later.

Emulator team gets ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ to run on Windows

Why it matters to you

Breath of the Wild is getting rave reviews, but it’s still only playable in 720p or 900p. With this emulator, it could potentially be playable in 4K.

Praised for its innovative game design and killer visuals, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild went from one of the most eagerly anticipated games of 2017 to one of the best reviewed games in recent memory. To celebrate the release of Breath of the Wild, the team behind the CemU Wii U emulator figured out how to get the game to run on a PC.

Partially, anyway.

Just two days after Breath of the Wild hit store shelves, the CemU team had managed to get it working on their Wii U emulation platform. Don’t get too excited — it’s still in very early stages, and most of the game is unplayable due to game-breaking physics bugs and other major issues.

According to Kotaku Australia, you can’t get very far in the game, and performance is still a little rough. Running on an Intel Core i7-4790K, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 780, and 8GB of system memory, the emulation delivers predictably choppy performance. The real achievement here is that it’s running at all, the CemU team went from barely being able to access the menus in Breath of the Wild to having access to the full game in just two days.

More: ‘Zelda’ and ‘Nioh’ may look friendly, but look closer, and you’ll find a dark soul

Motherboard spoke to “Exzap,” one of the CemU team’s developers, and shed some light on the magnitude of their achievement, as well as their plans for the future.

“The goal is to get every game running 100 percent eventually. How we get there and how long it will take is difficult to answer. But in regards to [Breath of the Wild] I think we will see small incremental improvements in almost every future CemU release. It’s been this way for most other games so far,” Exzap said, speaking with Motherboard’s Jordan Pearson.

Eventually, the goal is to have a fully functional version of Breath of the Wild capable of running in CemU, which could mean you’d be able to play the game at resolutions beyond its native 720p or 900p. That is, unless Nintendo’s legal team manages to squash the project first, an eventuality which Exzap says he’s already preparing for.

Mozilla Firefox 52 beefs up security warnings, nukes old-school plugin support

Why it matters to you

This latest version of Firefox provides a more secure browsing experience by enhancing its warnings.

Mozilla has released version 52 of its Firefox browser for the desktop. The release adds several new features to the web browsing experience including a warning for non-secure websites, support for WebAssembly, and better support for touch-enabled Windows devices. The update will gradually roll out to existing Firefox installs starting on March 7 alongside the downloadable version. It can also be accessed from Mozilla’s public FTP right here.

First, Mozilla’s new warning in Firefox will display a “This connection is not secure” message when users click on a username and/or password text field on sites not using HTTPS. If you’re not familiar with what that means, HTTPS indicates that the transmission of data between the website and Firefox is encrypted so that hackers can’t grab the sensitive data as it travels the virtual highways.

More: Snooze tabs and report issues with two new Firefox experimental features

This warning extends Mozilla’s move to provide visual indications for secure and non-secure websites. Previously, Firefox 51 began displaying a grey lock icon with a red strike-through in the address bar to show that a website that was requiring a password wasn’t secure. Otherwise, all sites with HTTPS at the beginning of their address sport a green lock to indicate an encrypted connection. Eventually, Firefox will display the struck-through lock icon for all non-secure web pages.

Another added security measure is the Strict Secure Cookies specification. This will prevent non-secure HTTP-based websites from creating cookies with the “secure” attribute. This specification will also keep non-secure sites from creating cookies using the same name used in a “secure” cookie already generated by a site on the same base domain.

As for the new support for WebAssembly, this is an emerging programming language for executing applications within the browser on the client side. It’s supposedly better than JavaScript and creates smaller web-based app bundles for a faster delivery time. According to Mozilla, WebAssembly provides “near-native” performance to games, apps, and software libraries used within the browser environment.

As an example of using WebAssembly in browser-based games, Tanks is a multiplayer demo enabling two players to control their own tank using the same keyboard (blue uses WASD and red uses the arrow keys). A video of Zen Garden from Epic Games can be seen here showcasing a demo running in the new Firefox release. A hands-on version wasn’t available at the time of this publication.

Finally, one of the notable changes made to Firefox 52 is the removal of support for Netscape Plugin API plugins (NPAPI). Although Flash can still be used, Silverlight, Java, Acrobat, and similar plugins can no longer be enabled. This is old browser technology that first made its appearance in 1995 with the Netscape Navigator 2.0 browser. Plugins are non-secure attack vectors used by hackers, hence the general shift over to the safer HTML5 technology.

For more information about what Firefox 52 brings to the desktop, check out the release notes here. Firefox 52 is also available on Android, and the release notes can be accessed here.

WikiLeaks dumps documents on CIA’s alleged hacking tools

Why it matters to you

WikiLeaks’ latest publication allegedly details the extent of the CIA’s hacking tools.

WikiLeaks has published documents that it claims reveal the extent of the CIA’s hacking and cyber espionage tools.

The trove, called Vault 7, is the “largest ever publication of confidential documents” on the CIA and covers activity between 2013 and 2016. WikiLeaks said it published the release as soon as possible.

It details hacking tools believed to include malware that infects Windows, OSX, Linux, Android, and iOS as well as routers and smart TVs. The New York Times reports that the data dump is made up of 7,818 web pages, 943 attachments, and several hundred million lines of code, which “gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA,” according to WikiLeaks. Some names, email addresses, and external IP addresses were redacted from the leak.

“Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized “zero day” exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation,” explained WikiLeaks in its announcement on how the data was revealed.

More: Wikileaks whips up furor after proposing a database of verified Twitter users’ info

The CIA has not confirmed the authenticity of the leaks. The U.K. Home Office, which is implicated in the dump for allegedly creating malware that targets smart TVs, has also declined to comment.

As people begin to pour over the data dump, some particular hacking tools and techniques are coming to light. The targeting of smart TVs has garnered attention. In a document code named “Weeping Angel,” there is a method referred to as “fake-off mode,” which affects Samsung TVs and causes the screen to appear as if it has been turned off. Instead, it is surreptitiously recording audio in the room. The document even includes a to-do list of ways to improve the malware, including video capture and disabling auto upgrade.

Furthermore, the leaks show that the CIA has “weaponized” 24 Android zero-days that WikiLeaks claims would allow for the bypassing of encryption on messaging apps. However this claim has been challenged and corrected since the release by numerous experts and cryptographers, as well as by Edward Snowden.

Another document details CIA efforts to compromise computer control systems in connected cars.

WikiLeaks is questioning the reason for the extent of the CIA’s ability to develop such hacking tools and whether its capabilities go beyond its mandate.

“There is an extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber ‘weapons’,” said Julian Assange. “Comparisons can be drawn between the uncontrolled proliferation of such ‘weapons’, which results from the inability to contain them, combined with their high market value, and the global arms trade.”

Since the release was published earlier today, Edward Snowden has chimed in to say that he was still working through the publication but it is “genuinely a big deal” and “looks authentic.”

WikiLeaks dumps documents on CIA’s alleged hacking tools

Why it matters to you

WikiLeaks’ latest publication allegedly details the extent of the CIA’s hacking tools.

WikiLeaks has published documents that it claims reveal the extent of the CIA’s hacking and cyber espionage tools.

The trove, called Vault 7, is the “largest ever publication of confidential documents” on the CIA and covers activity between 2013 and 2016. WikiLeaks said it published the release as soon as possible.

It details hacking tools believed to include malware that infects Windows, OSX, Linux, Android, and iOS as well as routers and smart TVs. The New York Times reports that the data dump is made up of 7,818 web pages, 943 attachments, and several hundred million lines of code, which “gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA,” according to WikiLeaks. Some names, email addresses, and external IP addresses were redacted from the leak.

“Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized “zero day” exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation,” explained WikiLeaks in its announcement on how the data was revealed.

More: Wikileaks whips up furor after proposing a database of verified Twitter users’ info

The CIA has not confirmed the authenticity of the leaks. The U.K. Home Office, which is implicated in the dump for allegedly creating malware that targets smart TVs, has also declined to comment.

As people begin to pour over the data dump, some particular hacking tools and techniques are coming to light. The targeting of smart TVs has garnered attention. In a document code named “Weeping Angel,” there is a method referred to as “fake-off mode,” which affects Samsung TVs and causes the screen to appear as if it has been turned off. Instead, it is surreptitiously recording audio in the room. The document even includes a to-do list of ways to improve the malware, including video capture and disabling auto upgrade.

Furthermore, the leaks show that the CIA has “weaponized” 24 Android zero-days that WikiLeaks claims would allow for the bypassing of encryption on messaging apps. However this claim has been challenged and corrected since the release by numerous experts and cryptographers, as well as by Edward Snowden.

Another document details CIA efforts to compromise computer control systems in connected cars.

WikiLeaks is questioning the reason for the extent of the CIA’s ability to develop such hacking tools and whether its capabilities go beyond its mandate.

“There is an extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber ‘weapons’,” said Julian Assange. “Comparisons can be drawn between the uncontrolled proliferation of such ‘weapons’, which results from the inability to contain them, combined with their high market value, and the global arms trade.”

Since the release was published earlier today, Edward Snowden has chimed in to say that he was still working through the publication but it is “genuinely a big deal” and “looks authentic.”

Everything you need to know about Android Pay

With Android Pay, you can start leaving your wallet behind, as anyone with Android Pay on their device can pay for goods and services with a simple tap of their phone against a compatible point-of-sale terminal with near-field communication, or NFC.

Here’s everything you need to know about Android Pay, including the places and banks that support it.

Support in the U.S.

All four major banks in the U.S. support Android Pay — that’s Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and Bank of America. Chase Bank grossly lagged behind the rest of the major U.S. banks, but as of September 2016, it has finally added support for Android Pay. Of course, plenty of other banks are also lagging behind, but now the likes of BMO Harris have finally added support for the service.

More: Google takes on India’s sanitation problems with toilet-finding tool

In addition to adding your credit and debit cards to the service, Bank of America is installing NFC-enabled ATMs around the country — this would allow you to access your bank account to withdraw cash just by tapping your phone.

Other U.S. institutions, integrations

Google has added 46 new banks to its roster, but they’re names many will not recognize except for Fifth Third Bank. Some of the others, according to Android Police, include the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, Greenfield Banking Company, and the Peoples Federal Credit Union. You can check to see if your bank supports the service here.

Most banks that already support Apple Pay will back Google’s service since both use similar NFC technology for payments — other top institutions include PNC, Capital One, TD Bank, HSBC, American Express, Ally Bank, and USAA.

In mid-December, the company added support for 31 additional rural banks and credit unions across the contiguous United States. They include Allegacy Federal Credit Union, the Bank of Walterboro, Canyon State Credit Union, First Piedmont Federal Savings, Jackson Community Federal Credit Union, Northeast Georgia Bank, San Francisco FCU, USC Credit Union, Verve, and Washington Trust Bank.

The expanded support comes on the heels of 19 additions earlier in December 2016. These include 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union, ACU of Texas, Alpine Credit Union, Alternatives FCU, Bank of the Ozarks, Union State Bank of Fargo, and Valley Federal Credit Union.

MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover support Android Pay. Sites that support Visa Checkout and Masterpass will soon be able to handle Android Pay as well, thanks to a strategic partnership. You’ll be able to use your fingerprint to confirm payments as well, and Visa Checkout and Masterpass customers will be able to link their accounts with Android Pay as well. The integration will roll out in early 2017.

International release

Android Pay made its debut on the global stage when it launched in the U.K. in May, and the service has slowly continued to expand since. It’s now available in Japan, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Poland.

Belgium

Google is officially bringing Android Pay to Belgium. The company announced the news in a blog post, which highlights that the service will be usable in as many as 85,000 institutions. It will work with both MasterCard and Visa and supports three major banks — BNP, Fintro, and Hello Bank. Not only that, but the company says that CBC, KBC, and KBC Brussels are all on the way.

Japan

Contactless and mobile payments are already widely used in Japan, and on December 12, Android Pay becomes the latest option for shoppers. However, it has launched with Rakuten Edy, an eMoney service accepted in more than 470,000 locations, rather than local banks. Operated through the usual Android Pay app, you create an Edy card or use an existing one, ready to use in supporting stores.

In 2017, Google says to expect more payment options, including Visa and Mastercard, through its cooperation with local payment specialists FeliCa Networks.

Ireland

On December 6, Android Pay made its way to Ireland, and it promises compatibility “at thousands of retail locations throughout Ireland that accept contactless payments.” From McDonald’s to supermarket Tesco to book retailer Eason, there are plenty of places in which Europeans can now use Android Pay. Here is a list of places where Android Pay is now accepted in Ireland.

New Zealand

In November, New Zealand received access to Android Pay, and according to Google, it will be available at a number of common locations, including The Warehouse, Domino’s, McDonald’s, etc. As of right now, it only supports the BNZ Flexi Debit Visa card, but it will expand to more services as time goes on.

Poland

Poland got Android Pay in November, and Google says it’s available at more than 400 retail locations such as Costa Coffee, Carrefour, and Rossman. You can add your Mastercard or Visa debit or credit cards from the following Polish banks: Alior Bank, Bank Zachodni WBK, and T-Mobile Banking Services. Google says support for mBank will come soon, as well as other banks in the coming months. The payment service will also be available in various apps soon, including Allegro, Ceneo, Fancy, iTaxi.pl, and Uber.

Hong Kong

In October, Android Pay launched in Hong Kong, with a related blog post announcement noting that the service would be accepted “at over 5,000 locations in Hong Kong where contactless payments are accepted, including stores such as at 7-Eleven, Circle K, Fortress, Mannings, Maxim’s Cakes, MX, McDonald’s, Pacific Coffee, ParknShop, SmarTone, Watsons, Wellcome, and more.” Moreover, it also works in several apps including Boutir Collect, Deliveroo, Kaligo, Klook, Snaptee, and coming soon, Uber. You can check here to see all the supported banks in Hong Kong, including Hang Seng Bank, DBS Bank, Dah Sing Bank, the Bank of East Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, and more.

Australia

In Australia, Google has listed an impressive number of supported banks — more than 25 including ANZ, Beyond Bank, and Macquarie. Unfortunately, ANZ is the only one out of the top four banks in Australia to support the payment service. To see the list of supported Australian banks, check here.

More: Apple responds to Australian banks’ attempt to charge people for choosing Apple Pay

Aussies will also soon be able to use Android Pay within select apps such as Catch of the Day, Deliveroo, Domino’s, EatNow, Hotel Tonight, Kogan.com and more. That means speedier checkout times in apps as you won’t have to type out all your credit card information.

Singapore

In late June, Singapore became the third country to get Android Pay. It’s compatible with any contactless terminal in the country and supports loyalty cards and credit card rewards programs. The service is compatible with MasterCard and Visa cards from many of the country’s largest institutions, including DBS Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, OCBC Bank, POSB Bank, and UOB. You can check the full list of supported banks in Singapore here.

United Kingdom

Google’s first financial partners in the U.K. are the Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Nationwide, MBNA, and M&S Bank. The search giant recently added Santander, RBS, Ulster Bank, and NatWest to the list. Both MasterCard and Visa debit and credit cards from co-operating banks will work, and TSB customers should know only selected account types can use the service.

Even though it supports Apple Pay, it doesn’t look like Barclays will ever support Android Pay. The second-largest U.K. bank launched its own NFC payments service called Contactless Mobile. You can check this list to see which banks support Android Pay in the U.K.

Retailers that will accept Android Pay payments include Costa Coffee and Starbucks, Boots, Waitrose, Aldi, Superdrug, and KFC. Plus, like Apple Pay, transport for London’s ticketing system will support it. Various shopping apps such as Deliveroo, Fancy, Kickstarter, Zara, Takeaway.com, and Hotel Tonight will offer Android Pay as a payment option.

The contactless payment restriction of £30 remains in place, but in some situations, you’ll be able to spend up to £100 provided you authorize the transaction using a fingerprint or PIN code.

Compatible devices and security

To use Android Pay, you’ll need an NFC-enabled smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat and above. It will work at stores with NFC contactless payment terminals.

Like most NFC payment systems, Android Pay comes with all the necessary security, including a way to shut down devices that have been stolen so nobody can use your card. The system uses tokenization, which processes transactions via individual random account numbers, rather than your actual credit or debit card account number. In-app purchases are as safe as its NFC contactless counterpart.

Rewards and loyalty

As Android Pay is meant to replace your wallet, it’s expanding to include all those other cards you would typically have on you as well — gift and loyalty cards.

Google has been expanding its partnerships, and as such the company says Android Pay is the first mobile wallet to “deeply integrate” with Uber’s Payment Rewards program.

More: Why you might want to wait until 2017 to buy an Android smartphone

Walgreens says its Balance Rewards members can now apply their loyalty account via Android Pay at checkout. If you’re a member, all you need to do is add your Balance Rewards card to the Android Pay app. When you’re at the register, hold up your Android smartphone to the NFC terminal to apply your rewards information — when you’re ready to pay, hold the smartphone up again at the same place. You’ll have to add your credit or debit card beforehand to complete the purchase, of course.

In-App and mobile web purchases

Although you’ll probably use Android Pay mostly in shops, it will also let you make in-app purchases. When you’re about to purchase something in an app that supports the service, you’ll see a button to pay using Android Pay, eliminating the need to get your wallet and pull out your credit or debit card. At the moment, Google has listed more than a dozen apps that support in-app purchases with Android Pay including Lyft, OpenTable, Hotel Tonight, and Instacart.

If you make purchases via the Chrome Browser app on your phone, you’re in luck. Google is adding support for Android Pay for certain sites, making the checkout process less of a hassle. It currently works with a handful of sites such as Groupon and 1-800-Flowers. The integration with Visa Checkout and Masterpass is sure to boost the number of sites that support Android Pay as well.

“Just like in stores and in apps, Android Pay does not share actual account numbers with merchants, so users can shop online with confidence, knowing that Android Pay keeps their card number secure,” according to the Android blog.

Stores with NFC terminals support Android Pay

Like all other forms of NFC payment, Android Pay will be accepted in more than one million stores across the United States, including Toys ‘R’ Us, GameStop, Subway, Whole Foods, and more. Walmart does not accept contactless payments, yet.

More: Five Android Nougat problems and how to deal with them

Limited support for NFC payments is the main hurdle systems like Android Pay and Apple Pay face in the United States and elsewhere. However, Apple Pay has managed to increase the amount of interest in contactless payment, which in turn helps Android Pay to be accepted at all of these stores. As more stores switch over to the EMV standard in the United States, NFC adoption could rise as well.

Competitors

There are a lot of big players in mobile payments these days, the most iconic of which are Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Google’s Android Pay competes with both services, but it is quite similar to Apple Pay in its implementation and reliance on NFC technology.

Related: Everything to know about Samsung Pay

In contrast, Samsung Pay uses a unique system that is capable of manipulating regular card registers. The MST technology, which Samsung acquired for $200 million, allows the payments service to be compatible in every store that supports credit cards with magstripes. As such, Samsung Pay has a much longer reach than Android Pay and Apple Pay, though it is limited to Samsung phones and the Gear S2/Gear S3 smartwatch only.

We’ll keep you updated as more partners and details are announced.

Article originally published in 2015 by Andy Boxall. Julian Chokkattu, Rob Nazarian, Malarie Gokey, Christian de Looper, and Kyle Wiggers have all subsequently contributed to this report. Updated on 03-07-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added news that Android Pay is now available in Belgium.

Huawei Fit review

Research Center:
Huawei Fit

Fitness bands are the winning wearable at the moment, with smartwatches stalled while we all wait for Android Wear 2.0, better looking models, and ultimately, a real reason to buy one. Among fitness wearables, it’s either Fitbit and its expensive bands or cheap bands like those from Xiaomi that people are buying. Further confusion comes when you look at Fossil’s excellent range of hybrid smartwatches, which represent a strong reason to splash out on something more attractive than a Fitbit.

With all this in mind, we’ve been wearing the Huawei Fit, a $130 activity tracker that also has a selection of basic smartwatch-style features. It’s more Fitbit than Fossil, and four times the price of a Xiaomi Mi Band 2 — so is it worth strapping on your wrist?

Design and comfort

The Huawei Fit looks quite a lot like the Huawei Band, which was released at the beginning of 2016, and also quite a lot like the Honor Band Z1, which is basically the same as the Band. It has a circular, subtle, 1-inch screen with a 208 × 208 pixel resolution, surrounded by a bezel engraved with hour markings. Oversize bezels are rarely heaped with praise — shudder as we remind you of the Pebble Time Round — but here it’s rather attractive, and catches the light pleasingly.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Fit has a metal, IP68 water-resistant body that comes in gunmetal grey only. Our review watch came with a black silicone strap, but blue and orange ones are also available and can be quickly changed over if the mood takes you. The strap isn’t tapered, and it’s quite thin. Combined with the small face, the strap ensures the Huawei Fit will suit most wrist sizes. It’s attached to the body with a quick release system, and any compatible aftermarket strap with the same fixings should quickly and easily fit.

The Fit is a great workout buddy.

Although made of a soft material, the strap did get a little sweaty underneath, and it would often painfully catch the hairs on my wrist when undoing it too. Otherwise it was comfortable, but the Huawei Fit doesn’t go unnoticed by the wearer in the same way a lightweight, super-slim fitness tracker does. It’s made to be worn 24-hours a day, but it took a few nights for me to get used to wearing it while I slept, and it would often just end up on the bedside table. This isn’t the Fit’s fault, as I have the same issue with any watch-like fitness tracker. It’s something to consider if you’re the same at night, however.

There are six digital watch faces to choose from, with two providing more information than simply the time and date, although only one actively shows your step count. The rest are variations on a basic watch face, and aren’t very inspiring. This rather encapsulates the Huawei Fit’s look overall. It’s attractive in a safe way, doesn’t take any design risks, and is therefore a little forgettable.

Watch operation

It’s all touchscreen control on the Huawei Fit; there are no buttons at all. The menu system is navigated using up and down, and left and right swipes, much like Android Wear. However, the Fit uses Huawei’s own proprietary operating system, and it’s not the fastest or most responsive we’ve tried. Swipe up from the standard watch face and you cycle through your step count, workout plan, heart rate measurement, training plan, and a “More” option for all the settings. Tap an option to explore it, and you swipe left to return to the main menu, then finally the watch face.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Yes, there’s a lot of swiping, and no, that’s not always a bad thing, but the Fit needs a little care to make sure those swipes register, and its slight lack of responsiveness can be frustrating. I found this especially annoying when using it on the move, something you may want to do often, seeing as it tracks running, walking, and cycling. More than once I gave up trying to get a heart rate reading while on the treadmill, because I just couldn’t get the screen to react. You can set it to move through menus with a wrist flick, but I could only get the menus to move in one direction, and it always stops at the heart rate measurement screen, which made it pointless if you wanted another option.

It’s unfortunate, because the Fit is a very good workout buddy. The heart rate measurement matched the Apple Watch to within a few beats each time, and will take a reading every so often, ensuring you get a great overview. This is illustrated in the app itself, or on the watch’s screen, and is an important metric for serious fitness types. It’s one of the Fit’s winning features, and we’re pleased to see the active measuring doesn’t drastically reduce battery life. When compared to a Fitbit Charge, step count was always consistent between them.

Ideally, the Fit wants you to start a workout plan on the watch before you actually start moving about. Get that done, and you have a live timer, step count, and heart rate measurement on your wrist; and it’s very useful. Flick your wrist and the display illuminates, then swipe the screen (if you can) to get more data including calories burned and total time. We have no complaints about the Fit once it’s going, but getting there isn’t as slick as we’d want.

Ultimately, the Fit is simply overcomplicated. It doesn’t need a touchscreen, it doesn’t need so many options and menus, and it definitely doesn’t need notifications, which look messy and confusing. Strip the Fit back to basics, keep the design, and it would be a far better fitness tracker.

App

The Huawei Wear app works with both Android and iOS, and you’ll need to sign up for a Huawei account to get started, regardless of the device you use. The app remained stable, without any problems on either operating system, throughout our time with the Fit. It’s easy to use, and informative up to a point.

It’ll send notifications from your phone to your wrist, including SMS, emails, and WhatsApp messages, but they’re not formatted very well. They bend around the circular screen’s shape, making the text awkward to read, and the large font means a line or two needs several swipes to read completely. They don’t auto-dismiss either, so will show on the screen when you raise your wrist. That’s not good for privacy, or for quickly checking the time. We quickly turned the feature off. A Bluetooth disconnection alarm is handy though, warning if your phone gets left behind somewhere.

The app’s main screen displays daily steps, the previous workout, sleep, and any active training plans, and a tap brings up graphs, historical data, and more information. Data can be shared and imported from HealthKit on iOS or Google Fit on Android, plus MyFitnessPal. There’s also a heart rate tracking screen, building a complete picture of your heart activity over the day, week, month, and eventually the year. We’ve heard stories of how monitoring heart health in this way can pre-warn the wearer of problems, making it a considerable benefit, and it’s performed effortlessly and accurately here.

The Huawei Fit doesn’t go unnoticed by the wearer.

However, the data you’re presented with is just that: Data. There’s no advice, no feedback, and no motivational messages. The app doesn’t analyze the data it collects, it simply takes in information and presents it — prettily — but leaves the rest to you. The Huawei Fit has access to our heart rate, activity, and if we set one up, training program as well. That’s got to be a comprehensive picture of our wellbeing, so what does it tell us? Nothing.

This problem isn’t unique to the Huawei Fit either, it’s an issue with all fitness trackers. Except we’re supposed to want to wear these devices each day all day, and our own motivation only goes so far. A silent partner soon gets forgotten — even a gym buddy.

Battery and charging

Heart rate monitors are notorious battery hogs, especially those that work in the background on a consistent basis. Huawei has done a smart job balancing this feature with sensible battery life. The Fit will happily keep going for at least a week, based on normal use without notifications, before it needs a recharge. Activate the notifications and you can expect a slight reduction, probably down to around six days, which is Huawei’s official estimate. Charging involves placing the Fit on a rather sad looking plastic plinth, which magnetically secures itself to the watch. It’s ready to go in about 90 minutes from an almost flat battery.

Huawei Fit Compared To

LG Watch Sport

Nixon Mission

Pebble 2 + Heart Rate

Apple Watch Series 2

Huawei Watch

Motorola Moto 360 (2015)

Asus ZenWatch 2

Martian Passport MP100WSB

Garmin fenix 2

LG G Watch R

Netatmo June

Martian Notifier Watch

Phosphor Touch Time

Samsung Gear Fit

Garmin fenix

Price, warranty, and availability

The Huawei Fit is yours for $130, or at least 150 British pounds. Huawei offers a two-year warranty on its equipment, but that doesn’t include the battery or the charger, which gets six months coverage. It’s a repair-or-replace scheme, but if you’ve damaged the Fit by abusing it, then it won’t be covered at all.

Our Take

The Huawei Fit is another activity tracker with a swish design and the right features — one that lacks even the most basic feedback and motivational elements to encourage the wearer to put it on every day. Is that a good thing? Meh.

Is there a better alternative?

The Huawei Fit’s price is competitive. It’s cheaper than our preferred fitness tracker, the gorgeous Samsung Gear Fit 2, but it doesn’t have the same level of polish or functionality. However, it still faces considerable competition, from the Misfit Phase to the Garmin Vivomove, and a whole host of Fossil Q hybrid watches. Worse news for the Fit is Xiaomi’s Mi Band 2, as it almost matches the Fit for functionality, is more preferable to wear 24 hours a day, yet costs less than $50.

The DT Accessory Pack

Nike Air Max 2015

$82.48

United Watchbands silicone replacement watch band

$13

Jabra Move wireless bluetooth stereo headset

$100

Sadly, there’s nothing about the Huawei Fit that makes us want to recommend it over any of the others. Android phone owners should check out the Samsung Gear Fit 2, it’s worth the extra money, while iPhone owners would be wise to try the Misfit Ray if they don’t want to splash out for an Apple Watch. Alternatively, save your money and just buy the Xiaomi Mi Band 2, which works with both operating systems.

How long will it last?

The Huawei Fit is very solidly built, with a metal body, an easily replaceable silicone strap, and an IP68 rating for use in water. You’ll have to go out of your way to physically break it. Provided the app is continually updated, there’s no reason the Fit won’t last for many years.

Should you buy it?

No. The Huawei Fit doesn’t overcome the most common problem faced by activity trackers in general: motivating and encouraging its wearer through feedback based on the data it collects. Not doing this increases the chances you’ll abandon the Fit quickly. This wearable already wasn’t compelling enough to make putting it on everyday a habit – combine those two facts and you’ve got a wearable you won’t want.

Getting Google Assistant to play nice with … Google Assistant

Google Home is a control freak and that means it doesn’t play well with Assistant on your phone.

Now that Google Assistant is coming to more phones than just the Google Pixel a lot more people are going to be able to have it on their phones. A lot of those people (maybe you’re one of them!) will also have a Google Home, which also works by using Google Assistant. Getting the two of them to co-exist can be a little tricky.

Just like people with a new Android Wear 2.0 watch, which also has Google Assistant, you’re going to soon find that Assistant acts differently depending on what hardware it’s on; sometimes one thing with Assistant would be a better thing to work with than the other, and that friendly-voiced computer isn’t sure what needs to be done on which. And there’s no way for you to tell it where to do anything.

Assistant needs to get smart and figure out which of your things to answer from. In the meantime, we have to be smart and work around it.

Google Assistant is really cool. It’s uncanny how it can answer some things and native device control, as well as IFTTT support, means it can control just about every other smart device on the planet. We don’t want to sound negative or make you think you might not want all this smart stuff because we love it. But like a lot of things — especially things from Google — there are growing pains when they are new.

But a couple tips can make your life a little easier when you want the right information, at the right time, from the right device.

Use the same Google account on both your phone and Google Home

When you set up Google Assistant, whether you’re doing it from your phone or through the app for a Google Home, part of the process is linking it to your Google account. Right now Assistant can’t handle multiple accounts, so the temptation to use your account on one thing and a family member’s or roomie’s account on the other is there. But it just doesn’t work.

Everything you need to know about the Google Home app

The AI assistant who can work for more than one person first will be the “winner”.

Remember, you can’t say, “OK Google, tell me what’s on my calendar for Monday, but do it on my phone.” You say you want to know your agenda for Monday and Assistant will answer from Google Home every time, as long as it’s within earshot of you. If your spouse is signed into the Google Home, it can’t tell you what you want to know unless both accounts have the same information. Your phone will tell you it’s “answering on another device” and won’t be any help.

We’ve heard rumors that Google is working on some solution for multiple people to use the same Google Home, but nothing’s official. For now, keep everything that can hear you on the same account, so no matter where you get an answer, it will be the right answer.

Know how to shut the microphone off

This is the ugly and inelegant solution for forcing Assistant to communicate through your phone when you’re somewhere a Google Home can hear you. And one of the things Google Home does really well is hearing you from distances you didn’t think it could.

Who knew an off button could turn out to be a lifehack?

Like I said above, as long as Google Home is around, it will take in everything you ask Assistant to do, even if it can’t do it. Asking Assistant to call someone and having the thing which can’t make phone calls (yet) take the reigns and fail is comical at first but can quickly get old. And there are other things that work better on one or the other, like playing music or looking at Google image results.

• When you need or want Google Home to listen and do the thing you’re asking, just make sure it can hear you.
• When you want Google Assistant on your phone to do something while a Google Home is in the room, shut off the microphone on the Google Home.

You can shut the mic off two different ways. There’s a button on the back of Google Home that toggles the mic on and off, or you can tell Assistant to turn the mic off for you by saying “OK Google, turn off your microphone.” Of course, you’ll have to walk over and press the button to turn it back on.

Google seems committed to Assistant and surely is aware of the small issues, like getting more than one thing using it to play nice with others. We can also think of some easy fixes for this behavior, so we’re confident Google can do a great job keeping the experience great while working out these kinks. We’re looking forward to it just like you are!

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Everything you need to know about the Chromecast Ultra
• Chromecast vs Chromecast Ultra: Which should you buy?

Google Wifi:

Google
Amazon

Google Home:

Google
Best Buy

Chromecast Ultra:

Google
Best Buy

Nintendo Switch vs PlayStation 4: Which should you buy?

Will your next console be a Nintendo Switch or a PlayStation 4?

Not all game consoles are created equally, which you can guess just by looking at the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch side by side. But both of these consoles have a similar message in separate attempts to sell these unique experiences. Nintendo and Sony claim to have an intense focus on us, the players. That includes offering features we want, with games we want to play, and an overall desire to change or add features when users say that’s what they want.

If your next console needs to be something that focuses on you as a gamer, are you going to go with a Nintendo Switch or a PlayStation 4? This guide should help you decide!

Read more on iMore!