Hajime is a ‘white worm’ that infects and secures vulnerable IoT devices

Why it matters to you

Your IoT devices are vulnerable to yet another piece of code, only this time, it will help you lock things down.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been a source of some serious security concerns recently, with millions of IoT devices being vulnerable to attack and compromise. Mirai is perhaps the most famous of all IoT malware, and it was at the root of an attack in October 2016 that took down a significant portion of the Internet.

Now, there’s another piece of code that’s targeting IoT devices, and it’s growing. The strange thing, however, is that as far as anyone can tell, the so-called “Hajime” code isn’t doing anything bad, and in fact, it might be doing some good, as Symantec’s Security Response blog reports.

Researchers have known about Hajime since October 2016, and the software is like Mirai in that it targets IoT devices with open Telnet ports and secured with the factory default username and password credentials. Hajime, therefore, uses the same attack vector as the destructive malware that was responsible for the massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack last year.

What makes Hajime different is that it appears to contain no destructive code, and it’s actually even more stealthy and effective at hiding itself than Mirai. Hajime also utilizes a peer-to-peer network as opposed to relying on a single command and control (C&C) server. Oddly enough, the latter characteristic makes Hajime more robust and harder to shut down than Mirai, because there’s not a single server to locate and eradicate.

However, the only active thing Hajime does at this point is to display a message every 10 minutes or so, which is currently limited to saying, “Just a white hat, securing some systems. Important messages will be signed like this. Hajime Author. Contact CLOSED. Stay Sharp!” Researchers note that the message is cryptographically signed and requires a hardcoded key, and so it’s clear where the message comes from.

Perhaps more important, Hajime also takes steps to lock down the IoT devices it infects, blocking a few ports that have been identified as making devices vulnerable to attack. In essence, the Hajime code helps to secure IoT devices and given its fast growth rates is actively securing the internet at large.

Symantec

Of course, there’s no guarantee that Hajime’s author actually has good intentions. The reality is that Hajime is making things safer today, but it remains a piece of code that’s architected in such a way as to make it a relatively trivial matter to switch over to nefarious purposes.

In addition, these “white hat hacking” attempts and “white worms,” as they’re called, are temporary — reboot the device and they go away. They’re not like firmware updates that would have a lasting effect. Therefore, devices could be infected with Mirai one day, then “fixed” with Hajime the next, and then further “fixed” with one of the other white hack efforts that have attempted to clean up the IoT security mess.

In the long run, what’s needed is for IoT users to lock down their devices with strong passwords, and to shut off Telnet login and use SSH where they can. Router security can be strengthened by turning off Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), and all devices should be kept up to date with the latest firmware updates. Until users and manufacturers do their part to lock down IoT, however, it will remain something of a wild, wild west where black and white hat hackers battle for control.

ZTE Quartz review

Research Center:
ZTE Quartz

ZTE may not be a household name, but it’s working hard to change that. Case in point: The ZTE Quartz, the company’s  first smartwatch with the distinction of being the cheapest to ship with Android Wear 2.0, the latest version of Google’s wearable operating system.

The Quartz boasts a subtle, water-resistant design that’s easy on the eyes, and it packs a location-tracking GPS sensor with cellular connectivity, making it one of many new watches that can work independent of a smartphone.

The price point is the Quartz’s key selling point, and it allows more people to entertain the idea of owning an Android Wear smartwatch — most devices typically cost $250 and higher. Missing features make it clear why this smartwatch is so affordable, but if you don’t care much for tracking your heart-rate for intense workouts, or paying with your watch, the Quartz is a great choice.

Let’s take a closer look.

Minimal design, bulky size

There’s no getting around the ZTE Quartz’s size. No matter how you slice it, it’s a giant among smartwatches. The screen measures 1.4 inches, a full 0.2 inches larger than the Huawei Watch 2 Sport, and it’s even larger than the LG Watch Sport. The size increase may not sound like much, but it makes a world of difference on dainty limbs like mine. The watch body doesn’t quite overshoot my wrist, but the lugs come close.

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

The Quartz is fairly thick, too. It clocks in at 0.57 inches thick, which falls just short of the LG Watch Style (0.61 inches), but that doesn’t make it any less conspicuous.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Quartz boasts a simple, but appealing design with thoughtful touches. The stainless steel body, which is speckled with tick-mark etchings meant to evoke analog timepieces, boasts a bright, big, Gorilla Glass 3-shielded circular touchscreen (400 x 400 pixels). The edges and lugs even slope outward in graceful, uninterrupted curves.

The body is IP68-rated, like the LG Watch Sport and the Huawei Watch 2, meaning it can withstand up to 1.5 meters of water for about 30 minutes.

The textured power button on the top right is the Quartz’s only button. Unlike the LG Watch Style and Watch Sport, it lacks a rotating crown that can scroll through menus and navigate apps. That’s a shame – we found the the digital crown on the LG Watch Sport a pleasure to use.

The Quartz boasts a subtle, water-resistant design that’s easy on the eyes.

The Quartz’s underside is a little more minimalist. It’s made of a hard, smooth plastic that fits snugly against the wrist. Short of a three-prong charging port and a ZTE logo, there isn’t much to see.

Sadly, the watch band is one of the worst we’ve seen on a smartwatch. It’s made of a thick, solid silicone that’s tough to secure and even tougher to bend around your wrist. Securing the band too tightly pinched my skin and nearly cut off my circulation, so I kept it loose. That was a little more comfortable, but caused the watch to jostle about during more vigorous workouts — that can’t be good for fitness tracking.

Thankfully, there’s an easy remedy — buy your own band. The Quartz supports any 20mm snap-and-swap bands, and ZTE even said it expects most people to buy a third-party replacement. That’s a pretty poor excuse for cutting corners.

Similar flagship specs

In the Android Wear hardware ecosystem, there isn’t much variation when it comes to specifications. Every new generation of smartwatch ships with roughly the same chips inside, and the Quartz is mostly no exception.

It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, the same internals as heavy hitters like the Huawei Watch 2 and the LG Watch Sport. It’s thanks to that hardware that the Quartz zips through menus and apps like a pro.

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

The LCD screen certainly isn’t the brightest we’ve seen, nor the most saturated – it’s not as nice as the more colorful OLED screen on the LG Watch Sport. Still, it’s good enough that it’s easy to make out what’s on the screen on a sunny day.

One distinction the Quartz can hold over its competitors is that it packs one of the largest batteries we’ve seen on a smartwatch to date. A 500mAh battery that ZTE claims can deliver 36 hours on a single charge.

That claim is a little optimistic, but it’s close to our test results, and more importantly it’s far better than the battery life on most flagship Android Wear smartwatches. After spending a full week with the Quartz on-wrist with GPS and Wi-Fi enabled and the screen set to maximum brightness, I can safely say that it runs at least a day without needing a recharge – and sometimes then some.

Mountains of emails, chat messages, and notifications from apps like Trello drained the battery to about 60 percent. By late afternoon, when things tended to calm down, the watch usually hovered between 30 and 40 percent. By the time I reached my apartment, cooked dinner, did a little light reading, and got ready for bed, it was around 10 percent.

Some days, I managed to stretch it further. During the weekend, when work emails slowed to a trickle, I eked out a day and a half — after stumbling back to my apartment around 2 a.m. on a particularly eventful Saturday, the Quartz’s battery indicator read 20 percent.

That’s much better than we managed with the LG Watch Sport, which frequently fell short of the 20-hour mark. It’s on par with the Apple Watch and Samsung Gear S3, both of which last about a day. Again, keep in mind we had the brightness on max, and GPS was turned on all the time — if you lower the brightness and only turn on GPS when you need it, the Quartz will undoubtedly last longer than a day.

We’re not fans of magnetic chargers for watches, because docks make so much more sense. Sadly, the Quartz opts for the former, which uses proprietary PIN connectors to juice up the watch’s battery. It’s a little flimsy and tricky to align with the watch’s rear cover.

T-Mobile Digits and Calling

The Quartz, like the LG Watch Sport, packs a SIM card and cellular antenna. Thanks to improvements in Android Wear 2.0, you can ditch your smartphone– the Quartz handles calls, text messages, and more untethered.

Calls are made better by the Quartz’s built-in loudspeaker, which ZTE said uses technology adapted from the Axon 7 to boost clarity and quality. It’s certainly no replacement for a smartphone, but it’s loud enough to make out in a crowded subway station – and that’s an achievement. Despite the occasional crackle, my calling partner’s voice came through crisp, loud, and clear.

You’ll need a data plan to use those features without a phone, though, and that’s where things get a little tricky — Quartz-compatible plans are only available from T-Mobile. The Quartz’s SIM card, unlike the LG Watch Sport’s, isn’t removable – you can’t pop it out and replace it with your own.

The Quartz packs one of the largest batteries we’ve seen on a smartwatch to date.

Existing T-Mobile customers will eventually be able to take advantage of the carrier’s Digits service, which lets you sync your personal number with the number associated with the SIM in the Quartz — meaning you can text and call with your personal number even when your phone isn’t near your watch. This feature is still in beta, though, so we were unable to test it.

You can dictate messages, swipe the keyboard to pair letters into words, or tap text out letter-by-letter on Android Wear 2.0’s tiny keyboard. Alternatively, a nifty handwriting feature turns letters you doodle with a finger into text.

There’s also Smart Replies, which use on-device machine learning to generate short, contextually relevant message replies. When you get a text message from a friend asking if you’re free this evening, for example, you’ll options like, “Sounds good,” or, “Can’t make it.”

I relied heavily on Google’s predictive Smart Replies. Voice dictation worked great in quiet environments like my apartment and the office, the watch struggled to make out my words over the roar of rush hour commuters. Plus, I found it less awkward to tap replies rather than talking to my watch in public.

Android Wear 2.0

The Quartz is the cheapest smartwatch yet to ship with the newest iteration of Android Wear 2.0. That’s a big deal – Android Wear 2.0 is a complete, top-to-bottom reimagining of Google’s wearable operating system, and some of the changes are pretty extensive.

Version 2.0 focuses on simplicity. A downward swipe from the Quartz’s watch face brings up Quick Settings, which comprises toggles for things like muting notifications, adjusting brightness, and a shortcut to the settings menu. An upward swipe surfaces recent notifications, and a tap of the physical button pulls up a scrollable list of installed apps.

Navigating through apps is just as intuitive. A swipe to the right acts takes you to the previous screen in any app, and a tap of the Quartz’s physical button brings you home to the watch face.

The watcc face options are vastly improved as well. Apple Watch-like Complications – animated widgets for watch apps – show updates and notifications in real time. By default, the Quartz offers the choice of a battery indicator, step counter, event reminder, and weekday planner, but third-party apps add their own Complications.

Swiping left lets you customize the layout and appearance of Complications, or swap watch faces entirely. The Quartz ships with ten that run the gamut of design. Some, like “elements digital,” boast swappable styles and background images, while others can’t be tweaked at all. Annoyingly, there’s no way to tell the difference until you dive into each watch face’s settings menu.

The ZTE Quartz may be cheap, but it sacrifices a lot to get there.

The Quartz lacks a heart-rate monitor, ambient light sensor, or near-field communication sensor — three notable omissions that ZTE described as “cost-saving measures.” No heart-rate sensor means the Quartz can’t track the intensity of your workouts as closely as the LG Watch Style or Huawei Watch 2 Sport. The lack of NFC means touchless payments, a headlining feature of Android Wear 2.0, won’t work. A missing-in-action ambient light sensor means the Quartz can’t automatically adjust screen brightness to changing lighting conditions.

The lack of heart rate monitor has us miffed. Without a beats-per-minute (BPM) as a point of reference, it’s a lot harder to judge the effectiveness of jogs and workouts. Google Fit, Google’s activity platform, does a decent job of estimating calorie burn with accelerometer and gyroscope data, but not always accurately – in a jogging comparison between the Quartz and Fitbit Alta HR, for example,, the Quartz recorded about 300 calories burned compared to the more accurate Alta’s roughly 200.

Also on the watch is Google Assistant, Google’s Siri-like artificially intelligent helper. Pressing and holding the Quartz’s physical button or saying, “OK, Google,” wakes it from sleep. It can recommend restaurants, supply movie times, place phone calls, and even tell jokes and stories. It’s not as capable as Apple’s Siri assistant on the Apple Watch because it can’t control smart home devices or toggle settings like Airplane mode and Wi-Fi. But it’s generally quick and responsive, and handled my mumbled commands like a pro. I was especially impressed by how consistently it responded to the “OK Google” hotword.

ZTE Quartz Compared To

Huawei Fit

LG Watch Sport

Apple Watch Series 2

Motorola Moto 360 (2015)

Martian Passport MP100WSB

Garmin fenix 2

LG G Watch R

Netatmo June

Neptune Pine

Motorola Moto 360

Martian Notifier Watch

Samsung Gear 2

Phosphor Touch Time

Samsung Gear Fit

Basis B1

Google told Digital Trends that Android Wear 2.0’s version of the Assistant will eventually support third-party actions “like turning on/off the lights (through Philips Hue) and making a restaurant reservation (through OpenTable).” Unfortunately, it didn’t provide a timeline.

Android Wear 2.0 also packs a standalone app store: The Google Play Store. It’s where you’ll find new apps and manage new updates, and it packs loads of information into the Quartz’s tiny screen. You can see descriptions, ratings, and a gallery of screenshots.

You can use the Play Store without a smartwatch, but I preferred to use the Google Play Store on the web or a paired Android phone to install apps – both of which afforded much more real estate than the Quartz’s cramped circular screen.

Warranty, availability, and pricing

ZTE provides a standard one-year limited warranty on the Quartz. It offers replacements and repairs on Quartz units that are found to be “defective in material or workmanship,” and if the company can’t repair it, you can get a refund. It doesn’t cover unauthorized modifications made to the Quartz, and accidental damage is similarly out-of-bounds.

The ZTE Quartz is available now only from T-Mobile starting at $192. A data plan is not required, so you can buy it even if you’re not on T-Mobile’s network.

Our Take

The Quartz is the cheapest Android Wear 2.0 watch to date. If you’re interested in smartwatches, but thought they were expensive, the Quartz might be the watch for you — especially if you’re not a fitness buff, or think paying with your watch isn’t cool. It also has a decently-long battery life compared to some of its more expensive competitors — no one wants to end up with a dead smartwatch.

Is there a better alternative?

No. While there are better, more feature-packed Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches, ZTE’s Quartz stands alone at its $192 price point. The LG Watch Style is a close competitor with almost the same functionality, but it’s $50 more.

The DT Accessory Pack

Songmics Watch Bo

$23

Tairacy storage case

$2.89

Creatov Table Melting Time Flow desk clock

$14

If you’re looking for the cream of the crop, go for the Huawei Watch 2 Sport or the LG Watch Sport, both of which boast better screens, a heart rate monitor, and support for Android Pay. The Huawei device starts at $300 and does not have cellular connectivity in the U.S.

How long will it last?

The ZTE Quartz should get regular software updates that’ll improve it over time. A number of older Android Wear watches, for example, have received an upgrade to Android Wear version 2.0. But smartwatches aren’t like traditional watches, and there will eventually come a time when they’ll no longer get updates. Don’t expect to keep one for more than two or three years.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It’s a great entry smartwatch that will stay powered for longer than a day, and it offers all the basic features you’d most likely use in a smartwatch. If you do get it, make sure you buy a different strap because there’s no doubt you won’t like the one included.

Google Play Music is now the default music service on new Samsung phones, tablets

Why it matters to you

Are you a fan of Google Play Music? Thanks to a new agreement, it will be the default music player and streaming service on all new Samsung phones.

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are finally available and, as usual, you can expect to find a good number of Samsung apps pre-installed. Like last year with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, though, you’ll find no Samsung Music app — that honor goes to Google Play Music, thanks to a partnership agreement between the two companies.

Google Play Music is a streaming service like Spotify and Apple Music, and while there is a free version, a subscription will get you full access to more than 40 million songs. Going forward, Google and Samsung said that Play Music will be the default music player and streaming service on all new Samsung phones and tablets. That’s huge news for Google — Samsung is the largest Android smartphone maker, and this partnership could give a big boost to subscriber numbers.

Owners of new Samsung devices will get some extra perks: The free music upload limit has been upped to 100,000, rather than the 50,000 songs a regular paying or nonpaying subscriber can upload, and new Samsung phones and tablets will offer a free three-month trial of Google Play Music. Subscribing to Google Play Music means you are signed up for YouTube Red, which offers ad-free access to YouTube, as well as special programming. New Samsung device owners will be able to take advantage of this as well.

As announced at Samsung Unpacked, where the company debuted the Galaxy S8, Google Play Music will also work with Bixby, Samsung’s new artificially intelligent assistant. Only a handful of Samsung apps work with Bixby, so Google Play Music integration will likely open the door to other third-party services. This will launch later in the spring alongside Bixby Voice.

If you don’t want to use Google Play Music, Samsung’s music-playing app is still available on the Play Store for download. Again, these Samsung-exclusive features are only available for new Samsung phones and tablets, and it does not affect existing devices.

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money, and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

Bill Assistant

With this app, you can see which bills are due soon, see how much you are due to pay, keep a record of your payments and have Bill Assistant remind you when your bills are due.

Available on:

iOS

DayCostPro

Three seconds a bill. This app promises to be fast, secure, and easy to use, and will help you keep your finances in order.

Available on:

iOS

EXIF Viewer

EXIF Viewer is beautiful app for professional photographers who are serious about their work. It’s a universal app, buy once, use on all your iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch).

Available on:

iOS

Total Returns

This app is specifically built to bring out one of the most important dimensions of asset returns: Total Returns. This includes dividends or bond interest, which when excluded, can cause ranking inversion and under-allocation to low volatility assets.

Available on:

iOS

YConvert Pro

YconvertPRO offers you a solution with the new currency-conversion feature. The built-in calculator lets you easily use YconvertPRO without the need to exit the application for calculations.

Available on:

iOS

Extreme Week Calendar

This app gives you a 7-day week view and inline day view to add great features not found in the default calendar.

Available on:

iOS

Amazon’s Echo now does Google better than Google itself does

Why it matters to you

While Google Home has been trying to play catch up to Echo for a while now, it may be getting harder as Amazon’s device out-Googles Google.

If you’re an Amazon Echo user, the device’s new feature could be a big step in helping you plan your days and weeks. The smart home hub has just unveiled an even deeper integration with, of all things, Google, by introducing an integration with your G Suite calendar (not just your personal calendar).

While this innovation in and of itself may not be all that shocking, as Amazon first allowed users to add new calendar events via their voice last April, it’s interesting to note that this isn’t something that you can do with even Google’s own smart home hub — Google Home.

Now, as soon as you’ve connected your G Suite account to your Amazon Echo profile, you can have Alexa add meetings, meals, and other events to your work calendar, or read off a day’s agenda. Already, Alexa plays nice with Gmail, Outlook, and Office 365 calendars, so this is just the latest step in the race to total control of your life.

To set up any of the calendar features, all you have to do is head to the settings section of the accompanying Alexa app and hit the “calendar” button, then follow the on-screen instructions. As part of the process, you’ll obviously have to link your Google account (or other accounts) in the Alexa app, if you haven’t already.

A number of recent updates to Alexa, the software inside of Amazon Echo, have been aimed at improving how Echo acts with other smart home devices. And while Google Home has also been stepping up its own game, its relatively new status (at least, when compared to the Echo), certainly puts it at a disadvantage. Especially when it doesn’t work with its own company’s products as well as its competitor does.

Article originally published April 2016. Updated 04-21-2017 by Lulu Chang: Added news of Echo’s deeper integration with G Suite. 

Samsung will roll out an update to fix Galaxy S8’s red tint issue

Galaxy S8 and S8+ OTA update will bring better color optimization and increase the color range of the displays.

Earlier this week, a few Galaxy S8 users noticed a red tint on their displays, to which Samsung responded by stating that the issue can be resolved by changing the color balance in the display settings. To further assuage customers, the South Korean manufacturer has mentioned that it will roll out a software update next week that will deliver increased color range and better optimization of colors to eliminate the red tint.

In a statement to The Korea Herald, Samsung said:

Because there are some complaints about the red-tinted screens, we decided to upgrade the software next week for all Galaxy S8 clients.

We will upgrade the software because of some dissatisfied customers although there is no problem in the phone itself.

The company also reiterated that the reddish tint was a software glitch and that there are no quality issues on the Galaxy S8 or S8+. Samsung’s flagships are under intense scrutiny following the company’s tribulations last year, and the company is going out of its way to ensure that it addresses these issues.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint

Moto G5 Plus video review: The best cheap Android phone!

A good, cheap smartphone. That’s been the MO of the Moto G series since the very beginning — a phone that doesn’t cost the earth, but also doesn’t come with a bunch of nasty compromises. This year, the line is led by the Moto G5 Plus — and it might just be the best inexpensive Android phone you can buy.

In the Moto G5 Plus, Motorola has finally arrived at an almost perfect balance of features and price. For £250 in the UK and $229 in the U.S., you’re getting a phone that nails the fundamentals and exceeds expectations in other areas, like battery and camera. And that’s all powered by a proven chip — Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625, with has a well-earned reputation for efficiency and performance.

Check out our video review to learn more about Motorola’s latest lean, mean handset.

• Android Central on YouTube
• Moto G5 Plus written review

ZTE Quartz review: A 3G-connected watch that gets the job done

The ZTE Quartz is a great value if you’re simply considering dipping your toes into Android Wear 2.0.

There are a mass plethora of Android Wear 2.0-connected smartwatches available right now. Choosing between the dozens of varieties can be really overwhelming, especially if you don’t even know where to start. But I think the ZTE Quartz is a fantastic option for people in this particular conundrum. It’s not the most exhilarating smartwatch, in the sense that it doesn’t exactly push the wearables industry forward, but it’s basic enough and cheap enough that it can be appealing for those who are merely looking for an entry point into Android Wear.

The ZTE Quartz has a massive battery, too, so for those of you in need of something more utilitarian, it may be worth the consideration. It’s also got some extra features you won’t get with other wearable devices for under $200, like 3G-connectivity. Overall, it has only a few drawbacks, including the fact that it’s achingly plain and that it’s presently limited to use on T-Mobile’s network.

Plain smartwatches require a little imagination

The ZTE Quartz has an AMOLED display.

The silicone band on the ZTE Quartz isn’t the most comfortable to wear.

ZTE doesn’t seem to have major plans for the Quartz other than it exists solely as a showcase of what it’s attempting with wearables. The result of this is a decidedly plain-looking smartwatch that’s 46mm in diameter and 14.5mm thick. The Quartz is a little big, by which I mean that it’s only incrementally larger than the LG Watch Sport. If you didn’t consider the latter too honking for your wrist, you’ll be fine with the Quartz.

The ZTE Quartz has removable watchbands.

Unlike the Watch Sport, however, the Quartz has removable watchbands, which you’ll want to swap out immediately after you take the device out of its box. This is the stiffest watch band I’ve ever worn — that I can remember, at least. But I’ve been around Android Wear devices since their inception, and I don’t remember the first-generation LG Watch being this uncomfortable to wear.

That said, I still didn’t mind the style of the Quartz, despite its masculine sway. I can get away with wearing it with a sportier outfit, just as it will pair nicely with a suit or ripped up jeans. It’s a plain, silver smartwatch, but nothing that a MODE watchband from Google can’t spruce up.

Big battery means more playtime

The ZTE Quartz runs on a Snapdragon 2100 processor, which is made especially for wearable devices. It’s packed with 768MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard storage for music and the like, and a whopping 500 mAh battery. The charging dock it comes with may make it feel antiquated, however, with its outdated Micro-USB connection. But the tradeoff is substantial battery life, which should help keep you from grumbling.

This is how the Quartz charges — with magnetic pins on the back.

On standby, the watch managed about two days before I had to plug it back in. While actively wearing it, it lasted from morning to morning without too much worry, though it’s not comfortable to wear to sleep. It’s also worth noting that I keep notifications to a minimum, and I tend to use Theater Mode during work hours. I also had GPS set to rely on the phone’s location, rather than the watch’s. However, you should be able to make it through a comfortable day of hiking before the watch needs charging with its GPS turned on.

Use the watch to make phone calls or navigate the trail without your phone in hand.

I like the Quartz’s 1.4-inch AMOLED display, too. Colorful watch faces appear nice and vibrant on screen, and I actually like that the bigger screen helps make Android Wear 2.0’s font and icons more legible. Bear in mind that the display doesn’t have an ambient light sensor, so you will have to adjust the brightness as you see fit for the situation. It’s not the easiest to see outside in direct sunlight.

Perhaps the most compelling feature of the ZTE Quartz is its built-in 3G connectivity. You can use the watch to make phone calls or navigate the trail without your phone in hand with the aid of T-Mobile SIM. And while it’s nice to have the watch take on the bulk of the cellular work the phone would normally do during an outdoor expedition, I personally feel silly carrying on a phone call with the watch out in public.

It’s a pretty good deal

And it looks nice, too, even if it is a little plain.

The ZTE Quartz does require you to compromise on a few technological advancements that have since come to wearables. For instance, you won’t have NFC capabilities with this Android Wear device, which means no Android Pay without your phone. It also doesn’t have a heart-rate sensor, which doesn’t make it the best smartwatch for fitness buffs, though I didn’t find it comfortable enough to wear while sweating it out anyway.

Still, at $192, with the inclusion of other specifications you don’t normally get at this price point, it’s a worthy consideration for anyone curious about what it’s like to wear an Android Wear 2.0-powered watchphone on their wrist.

See at T-Mobile

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

HTC wants you to pay ₹92,990 ($1,440) for the Vive VR headset in India

HTC once again shows that it doesn’t care about the Indian market.

In the latest instalment of HTC’s long-running series of blunders in India, the Taiwanese manufacturer has launched the Vive VR headset in India. Before we get to the astronomical price, a quick primer on the Indian electronics scene. In an effort to get local manufacturing off the ground, the Indian government is incentivizing local assembly efforts, and has hiked duties of electronics that are imported into the country (which constitute a vast majority).

That translates to a $150 – $200 increase in the cost of a flagship phone like the Galaxy S8, which is retailing for ₹57,900 ($900). That’s a $150 hike from what the phone costs in the U.S..

Now, back to the HTC Vive. The VR headset will retail for an astounding ₹92,990 ($1,440), making India one of the costliest markets for the headset. The Vive costs $799 in the U.S., so we’re looking at a markup of $640, and in that price differential you can pick up a GTX 1080.

The Vive will be up for pre-order on Amazon India starting tomorrow, April 22, and HTC is setting up experience zones all around the country for people to try out the headset. Considering that PC gaming in itself is a nascent market in India, it’s hard to see the Vive gaining any traction here. Even if you were to pick up a Vive, you’ll need a decent machine to drive the headset, and that will cost at least ₹50,000 ($775) if you’re starting from scratch. I’ve waited a year for the Vive to come to India, but I should’ve done the sensible thing and imported it from the U.S. Even accounting for customs duties, it’ll run lower than what HTC is charging for the headset.

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