Best Replacement Watch Bands for Samsung Gear S3

What are the best third-party watch bands for Samsung Gear S3?

The Samsung Gear S3 is one of our favorite smartwatches, and a great alternative to many of the Android Wear watches out there. The Gear S3 supports standard 22mm watch bands, making it really easy to upgrade with something new.

Here are a few of the best third-party watch bands to consider once you pick up your brand new Samsung Gear S3!

• ArtStyle nylon strap
• EloBeth Milanese Magnetic Loop Strap
• Rerii leather band
• TRUMiRR Milanese stainless steel band
• Barton silicone band
• Ritche stainless steel watch band

ArtStyle nylon strap

Keep things simple, fun, and functional with the ArtStyle watch band made from a sturdy nylon material and a durable metal buckle! The ArtStyle nylon strap is easily adjustable and is hypoallergenic, making it the perfect band to wear if you have sensitive skin.

The material from this particular band is also breathable and waterproof on top of being extremely comfortable to wear day-to-day.

On top of the ArtStyle’s practical design, the watch strap comes in a ton of different, bright colors, including red, blue/yellow, black, black/gray, navy blue, gray, khaki, orange, army green, black/blue, black/green/red, black/gray/blue, black/gray/orange, black/gray/green, black/red for only around $9.

See at Amazon

EloBeth Milanese Magnetic Loop Strap

If you’re someone who struggles with putting on your Samsung Gear S3 with one hand, or if you simply want a little bit of additional security when you’re sporting your S3, then the EloBeth Milanese Magnetic Loop Strap might be a good option to take a peek at.

The strong, magnetic clasp keeps this around-$10 watch band tight around your wrist, and can easily be adjusted to fit almost any wrist type, so if you have especially larger or smaller wrists, this band might be a great option for you.

The EloBeth Milanese Magnetic Loop Strap is made out of a high-end stainless steel that’s perfect for day-to-day wear, and if there are any issues with the band, you have an 18-month warranty to fix any issues.

You can pick up the EloBeth Milanese Magnetic Loop Strap in black, gold, rose gold, or silver finishes.

See at Amazon

Rerii leather band

There’s nothing more simple and stylish than a classic leather watch band, and Rerii nails it with their affordable 22mm leather band that the Samsung Gear S3! Made from a high quality and sturdy yet lightweight and soft leather, the Rerii watch band comes with an easy-to-buckle stainless steel clasp, making it the perfect day-to-day band.

Unlike some other watch straps, the Rerii’s design is super simple and void of all logos, so it’s perfect for people who want a classic-looking smartwatch accessory.

The Rerii leather band also comes in a number of vibrant, eye-catching colors, like black, brown, coffee, black with white stitching, brown with white stitching, or coffee with white stitching for around $13.

See at Amazon

TRUMiRR Milanese stainless steel band

The Milanese look has been a staple with traditional watch designs for decades, so incorporating the TRUMiRR Milanese stainless steel band might be the perfect fit if that’s the particular style you’re after.

This 22mm watch band is designed with a mesh, woven, stainless steel wire, and is adjustable for a variety of wrist sizes, so you never have to be uncomfortable while sporting your Samsung Gear S3 — and for $21, that’s quite the steal!

To attach and detach your watch band, all you need to do is release a small spring bar, minimizing annoying tools. The TRUMiRR may not come in a ton of colors, but it does come in a shiny silver or a clean, classic black design.

See at Amazon

Barton silicone band

After garnishing its fair share of positive reviews online and coupled with an easy-release design, vibrant colors, comfortable feel, and much more, the Barton silicone band is a great option to check out while you’re customizing your Samsung Gear S3.

The Barton silicone watch band is designed with a textured back, making the slipping and sliding of most smooth silicone bands a thing of the past. The silicone design also makes it a great tool for working out, as you can easily remove and wash it if it starts to look dirty or stink.

To change your watch band, simply turn the band over and flip the switch — no tools are required! You can pick your Barton band from a number of vibrant colors, including black, white, turquoise, forest green, brown, gray, burgundy, yellow, navy blue, orange, peach, dark gray, and baby blue for around $17.

See at Amazon

Ritche stainless steel watch band

The Ritche 22mm stainless steel watch band is an affordable, high quality strap that keeps your Samsung Gear S3 looking classic and clean without any clutter or useless accents of other watch bands.

Unlike some other straps, the Ritche cannot be adjusted to fit individual wrists with a simple tightening system; rather, users will have to remove the links near the band’s clasps in order to make the stainless steel Samsung Gear S3 accessory smaller. You can pick up this band for around $48.

To remove the Ritche, you will have to use a small tool which comes with the band. The Ritche only comes in one color, silver, but if you’re looking for a watch with a similar style in a different color, then we suggest taking a peek at the Vetoo.

See at Amazon

Your pick?

Is there a third-party watch band that you think would be perfect for the Samsung Gear S3? Drop a link in the comments with a brief description of why you like it so that others can check it out as well!

Updated July 2017: This list has been updated to include the EloBeth Milanese Magnetic Loop Strap. If you have any additional suggestions, please let us know!

Ataribox will come in two suitably retro editions

Just over a month since its announcement at E3, Atari is offering a proper look at its first console in over 20 years. In an email to fans, the company reveals the Ataribox will come in two editions, both of which pair a recognizably retro aesthetic with contemporary design flourishes.

As revealed in the teaser vid, one version of the Ataribox draws its design cues from the brown wood found on the original Atari 2600. The other edition comes in red and black with a glass front panel. Both will include ribbed lines that flow around the console’s body and a raised back. A front-facing logo and four indicator lights complete the design. On the back are included a HDMI port, four USB ports, and SD card support.

Although the company is keeping tight-lipped about the console’s specs, it sounds like it will be more than just a NES Classic for the Atari set. The latest info has it that the Ataribox will boast a mix of classic and contemporary titles. Then again, it could do a lot worse than aping Nintendo’s money-raking nostalgia cash-ins.

There’s still no word on pricing, release dates or games — things that might help drum up hype for the new hardware. Atari has a decent library of titles, too, stretching from arcade classic Centipede to this year’s Rollercoaster Tycoon Touch. The company has also been tight-lipped on who, if anyone, it will work with in the wider development community.

Atari believes that keeping quiet is the best policy for now, however, saying that it wants to nail its first console in two decades. “We know you are hungry for more,” said the email sent to customers. “We’re not teasing you intentionally; we want to get this right, so we’ve opted to share things step by step.” Atari fans are definitely a patient bunch, that’s for sure.

Source: Atari email (via Reddit)

Blanca Li dances with robots to better understand them

Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking are deeply concerned about AI, but the tech and its ramifications are poorly understood by the public. That disconnect prompted Blanca Li and her dance company to create a choreography for eight dancers called Robot. Produced with Softbank’s robotics division and Japanese artists Maywa Denki, it attempts to explore “the interactions between [humans and robots], in an absurd and poetic way.”

While you may not recognize 53-year-old Spaniard Blanca Li, you’ve no doubt seen her work. She has collaborated with Paul and Stella McCartney, Coldplay, Michel Gondry and Daft Punk, having choreographed the latter’s Around the World music video. In her early career, she was one of the first choreographers to work with hip hop music, put out a successful rap album with the pop group Xoxones and wore a leather Flamenco dress at a Paris cabaret as “Sara the MC.”

Robot — which debuted at the Festival Montpellier Danse in 2013, and has played ever since — is loaded with technology. On top of the multiple robots, it features wearable tech, images projected onto dancers, and the “nonsense” musical device orchestra by Maywa Denki.

Many of the dancers (and even the NAO robots) sport Maywa Denki’s signature powder blue coveralls. “The costume is designed as a typical working uniform of Japanese electric stores, symbolizing small/medium-sized enterprises that had once supported Japan’s economy during its high-growth period,” Maywa Denki’s website explains.

At various points in the show, a robot transforms into a human via projection tech, a disembodied hand beats out a tune, and five NAO robots in blue overalls perform with five dancers in Lost in Space-style robot costumes. Perhaps in homage to Li’s previous Paris job, a NAO robot in a sequinned suit and pink feather boa even belts out a Spanish torch tune in a cabaret.

Each mise-en-scene tries to pose larger questions: “Where are the borders between ‘us’ and ‘them?’ What kind of society will arise from it?” asks Blanca Li. “Can a machine, even an evolved one, replace relationships [with] the living? Will they be a reflection of what humanity unconsciously wants to represent?” If the highly original Robot is any indication, let’s hope so.

Via: The Atlantic

Source: Blanca Li Dance

UK to enforce porn site age checks from April 2018

For years the UK government has toyed with the idea of introducing compulsory age checks for online pornography. In May, all of that talk finally came to a head with the Digital Economy Bill, which forces websites hosting adult content to snuff out under-18s. (Or at least try to, because there’s always a way around such things.) Today, digital minister Matt Hancock announced that the new rule will come into effect next April. The exact implementation is still unclear, however. Forms that require your credit card details, or a check against the electoral roll have all been discussed, but we’re still none the wiser about how it will actually work.

In a written statement, Hancock admitted the scheme was “complex.” He also formalised the powers needed to appoint a regulator for the new law. The watchdog, which many assume will be the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), will be able to fine providers up to £250,000, or up to 5 percent of the turnover reported in their “most recent complete accounting period.” In a statement to the BBC, a BBFC spokesperson said: “We are already working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to ensure the effective implementation of the Act.”

Opinions are, unsurprisingly, split. Will Gardner, chief executive of internet safety charity Childnet said: “Steps like this to help restrict access, alongside the provision of free parental controls and education, are key.” The Open Rights Group, however, has warned about the privacy issues that could arise as a result. “The Government has repeatedly refused to ensure that there is a legal duty for age verification providers to protect the privacy of web users,” executive director Jim Killock said. “Age verification could lead to porn companies building databases of the UK’s porn habits, which could be vulnerable to Ashley Madison style hacks.”

Source: GOV.UK

Fly over Pluto and Charon in the latest NASA footage

The New Horizons spacecraft may have moved on from Pluto, making a long march to the Kuiper Belt, but we’re still deep in the process of analyzing the data it sent back. Now, for the spacecraft’s one-year anniversary of its Pluto flyby, NASA has released two new videos based on digital elevation models and New Horizons’ data of both Pluto and Charon.

The Pluto flyover begins in Sputnik Planitia, a nitrogen ice field bordered by craters on one side (Cthulhu Macula) and mountains on the other. It moves north to Voyager Terra, which are rugged highlands, and then sweeps over the pits and craters of Pioneer Terra. The flyover ends over Tartarus Dorsa.

The Charon flyover, meanwhile, surveys the canyon Serenity Chasma, before sweeping over Dorothy Gale crater and Mordor Macula, the dark polar hood of Charon. The flyover then moves south, covering an area called Oz Terra before ending at the Vulcan Planum plains and Clarke Montes mountains.

It’s important to note that the topographic features have been exaggerated in these videos to really give you an idea of what the landscape of Pluto and Charon are like. Additionally, NASA enhanced the colors of both dwarf planets’ surfaces.

Source: NASA

US Cyber Command may be splitting off from the NSA

It sounds as though the United States’ Cyber Command will break off from the National Security Agency and be more aligned with the military in the future. The move would “eventually” cleave Cyber Command from the intelligence-focused NSA and instead align it more with the military, according to the Associated Press. “The goal is to give Cyber Command more autonomy, freeing it from any constraints that stem from working alongside the NSA,” AP reports. The NSA’s core task of intelligence gathering sometimes is at odds with military cyber warfare operations, hence the proposed separation. Prior to this, the two had clashed on getting intel from Islamic State networks (the NSA’s task) and attacking (Cyber Command’s).

But there are concerns that splitting off from the NSA could come at a cost. Specifically, Cyber Command’s access to the intelligence agency’s resources including some of the top mathematicians in the country and a “gigantic” super computer, according to AP’s sources.

The moves to start the separation had begun under President Obama, and now the nitty gritty of how the “divorce” (our word) will proceed is up in the air. The result of that is uncertainty over staffing, resources and leadership.

Currently both groups are led by the same person, Admiral Mike Rogers, but the shift could see new leadership for the NSA transfer to a civilian. Cyber Command may remain under military leadership under the Army’s Lieutenant General William Mayville. Mayville served as director of operations for the Joint Staff.

This comes after the Cyber Command has gained a bigger seat at the table during military operations and an increased focus on using cyber warfare in places like Russia and the Middle East.

Source: Associated Press

This iOS app makes creating and editing guitar tabs a breeze

One of the more tedious tasks of playing in a cover band is managing lyric and chord sheets. When you play a typical four-hour gig in a local bar, memorizing all that music is not always going to happen. You’ve got to study each song and learn your particular parts, sure, but having a cheat sheet with the verses and the chords on an iPad can really help keep you on track while you also manage your guitar, pedal effects and vocal performance. Gathering all this song data from the internet (or writing it out yourself) can take time. For me, the process usually involves finding the right transcription of the chords in the correct key online, copying the relevant bits from the web page and then creating a PDF on my computer for upload to Dropbox and my iPad so everyone can access it. An upcoming app called TabBank, currently in beta and set to release on July 27th, aims to simplify this process quite a bit, with a simple way to create and import chord sheets and tab right on an iPad or iPhone.

Launching the app, you’ll see a fairly basic interface without any clutter to get in the way. You’ll get the option to create a new chart or read through the Getting Started guide, which explains that TabBank uses its own version of the ChordPro standard file type to edit your sheets. If you’re typing out your own music, you simply enter the chord name in brackets in front of the word you want it to appear over on the final product. You can even define new chords the app doesn’t already know with a line in the file that tells the app what strings and frets to use when previewing, like Cm7b5: x3434x. Tabs can be created with rows of dashes that represent the guitar strings; they will be formatted a bit more nicely when you’re done, and you can add hammer-on and pull-off notes as well. You can also format the font size into small, medium or large styles, and choose the from three different styles used for chords and lyrics.

What makes TabBank extremely useful for me, however, is the way it pulls in tab and chord sheets from the internet. You’ll need to install a mobile Safari extension, and then navigate to any of your favorite portals, like Ultimate Guitar or E Chords. Once you find the version of the song you want to import, you hit the Share button in Safari and TabBank will pull in just the relevant portion of the music, ignoring all the ads and other cruft usually found on such sites. The song will then appear below the Create New Chart section in the main screen. You can tap the title and get a nicely formatted tab or chord chart in seconds, and you can edit it right in TabBank, as well.

You can tap on any chord or tablature and TabBank will play it back with a basic MIDI guitar sound paired with a visual of the notes on a guitar neck. It might be helpful for newbies who need to know how to play a given chord, but it’s fairly bland when you’re trying to figure out a solo or rock riff. I pulled up AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” and, while accurate, the playback only sort of sounded like it should. This is more a limitation of MIDI and written tablature, though, and not a problem with the app itself.

Once you’ve written out your chord sheet or imported one from your favorite website, you can export either a PDF or ChordPro file, which you can then share out to any other apps you like. It was incredibly easy to send a PDF to the app I use to manage lyric sheets and set lists on stage, Deep Dish’s GigBook.

So far, TabBank seems like a great tool to use if you want to manage your guitar tab and chord sheets on your iPhone or iPad. Being able to get music from the web, edit it on my device and then send it to the setlist app I use saved me quite a bit of time; I look forward to using the app from here on out. The app should be out on the App Store July 27th, where it will be a free download with some in-app purchases to add printing and exporting PDFs and saving tabs from the web.

Former Apple Executive Says Company Stalling in Design Innovations Following Death of Steve Jobs

A recent report by The Wall Street Journal has taken a look into the smartphone design war happening between Apple and Samsung, suggesting that the latter company has begun edging out the former with the design of the Galaxy S8.

According to Hugh Dubberly, formerly of both Apple and Samsung, Samsung isn’t ahead of Apple because it has “gotten better” at designing smartphones, but because Apple has “fundamentally changed” following the death of former CEO Steve Jobs.

Some design experts wonder if the Galaxy S8’s visual leap says more about Apple and its chief executive, Tim Cook, whose operational skills contrast with the visionary talents of his predecessor, Steve Jobs. “It’s not so much that Samsung has gotten better, but Apple has fundamentally changed,” said Hugh Dubberly, a former Apple creative director and former member of Samsung’s global design advisory board. “The pipeline that Steve [Jobs] started is over.”

While smartphone innovation has “plateaued” over the last few years, analysts said that consumers are focusing more on the aesthetic of a smartphone to determine if they will buy the device or not.

How a smartphone looks now accounts for about half a consumer’s purchase decision, with the assessment formed in roughly one second, according to Charles L. Mauro, president of MauroNewMedia, a product-design research firm that has done consulting work for Apple and Samsung. Mr. Mauro says peer-reviewed research reveals aesthetics matter much more than previously believed, as older surveys pegged looks as influencing only 7% of a phone purchase.

The report cites recent data accumulated by Consumer Reports, which compared 2016’s iPhone 7 to 2017’s Galaxy S8. The newer Galaxy S8 bested the iPhone 7 in categories like battery life and design, while most of the iPhone 7’s shortcomings are rumored to be addressed in the iPhone 8 later this year.

According to analysts, the iPhone 8 needs “a new distinguishing feature,” with The Wall Street Journal referencing a fingerprint sensor embedded under the display as a potential game-changing addition — although recent rumors have suggested Touch ID could be nixed from the iPhone 8 altogether.

The S8 is nudging the bar higher as Apple seeks to impress with its 10th anniversary iPhone this fall. For Apple to outdo Samsung on design, analysts said, it would need a new distinguishing feature, like a fingerprint sensor beneath the display rather than a physical home button.

Apple and Samsung’s smartphone design war has been raging for years, heating up in 2011 when Apple sued Samsung and accused the company of copying the design of the iPhone and iPad and committing patent infringement in the process. Last December, the Supreme Court reversed a decision to award Apple $399 million in damages related to the case, which it was originally awarded by a lower court, and the case will now returned to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

For the next devices, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 8 in the traditional September timeframe, and the smartphone is believed to include a 5.8-inch OLED screen with an edge-to-edge display, glass body, wireless charging, facial recognition, and no physical Home Button. Samsung is rumored to announce the Galaxy Note 8 in August, potentially launching with a curved display that is “marginally larger” than the 6.2-inch display of the current Galaxy S8+, while also including two rear cameras.

Tag: Samsung
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Pioneer’s Rayz Lightning-Equipped Earphones Gain ‘Hey Siri’ Support

Pioneer today announced that its Rayz line of Lightning-equipped earphones designed for the iPhone are receiving a major update that adds “Hey Siri” functionality along with other new features.

Enabled through new firmware and an update to the Rayz app that’s being released today, the earphones can now activate Siri with the standard “Hey Siri” command even while the iPhone is tucked away in a pocket. That means Siri can respond to requests without the need for users to take the iPhone out of a purse, bag, or pocket.

“Today we are pleased to announce that users can say ‘Hey Siri’ while using Rayz earphones to easily make a call, send a message, listen to music and much more, even when iPhone is in their pocket,” said Munenori Otsuki, CEO of Pioneer & Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation. With support for Siri, Rayz Lightning Earphones automatically recognize “Hey Siri” commands and allow our users to do so much more using just their voice.”

First announced in February, the Rayz Plus earphones feature a built-in Lightning port for charging an iPhone while listening to music, smart noice cancellation, smart buttons, sensors for auto play/shutoff, and a smart mute function that was added in June.

Today’s update also introduces AutoPause improvements, status beeps that indicate when Smart Mute is active, and native language support for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Pioneer’s Rayz Plus earphones can be purchased from Amazon for $149.95 in Bronze and Graphite. Apple also sells the Pioneer Rayz Plus in Rose Gold and Black. The slimmed down standard version of the Rayz, priced at $99.95, is not yet available for purchase.
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Apple Highlights New Batch of Emoji Coming to iOS, macOS, and watchOS Later This Year

After first giving iTunes an emoji-themed makeover, Apple is continuing its celebration of World Emoji Day with a preview of all-new emoji characters coming to iOS, macOS, and watchOS later in 2017.

The new emoji previewed today by Apple include Woman with Headscarf, Bearded Person, Breastfeeding, Sandwich, Coconut, T-Rex, Zebra, Zombie, Elf, Star-Struck, Exploding Head, and more. All of the emoji shared today were previously included in the new Unicode 10 standard released in June.

The new emoji make it easier for users to express themselves with greater diversity, additional animals and creatures, new smiley faces and more.

Apple didn’t specify a launch date for the new line of emoji characters coming to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches this year, but it’s expected that they will arrive sometime around the public launch of iOS 11 this fall, or soon thereafter. World Emoji Day celebrations are also extending to the iOS App Store, where Apple said that it has highlighted apps that showcase fun things to do with the smartphone characters.

Tag: emoji
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