Las Vegas expands its self-driving shuttle tests this week
Las Vegas’ initial self-driving shuttle trial clearly went well, as the city is coming back for another round. AAA and Vegas are launching a year-long trial on November 8th that will see one of Navya’s shuttles drive a half-mile circuit in the downtown Fremont East district. It’ll only make three stops each way, and it’ll putter about at typical speeds between 10MPH and 15MPH, but it’ll give you a chance to see how driverless mass transit works in real life for extended periods. The city has fitted traffic signals with wireless sensors to help them coordinate with the shuttle as it navigates the streets.
You’ll also have an incentive to board. AAA is promising to donate $1 to the Las Vegas Victim’s Fund for every passenger, with a minimum $100,000 pledge.
This isn’t a bold commitment to self-driving technology given the modest route. It’s going to be a long, long while before you can take a robotic ride to see a lounge show on the Strip. However, a successful test could make the case for more permanent rollouts both in Vegas and across the US. There could come a time where you can take an autonomous shuttle whenever you need it — not just when human drivers are available.
Via: The Verge
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Adidas’ first shopping app is also a personalized news feed
It’s hard to believe that Adidas hasn’t had its own shopping app, considering that we’re living in the age of the smartphone. But that’s all about to change. Today, the German sportswear giant is introducing its (aptly named) “Adidas” application, which will let iOS and Android users buy products without having to go to their web browser. Adidas says the app is designed to offer an experience tailored for every consumer, based on the type of gear you’re into or the sport you play. The main idea is for you to have personalized product recommendations, and the more you use the app with your account, the better it’ll be at knowing your taste.
Naturally, the Adidas app is going to allow you to checkout with ease, thanks to Apple Pay and Android Pay support. But the application isn’t only for selling you goods. You’ll also get blog posts, videos and updates on trends from Adidas-sponsored athletes — including superstars James Harden, Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba. In the future, you’ll be able to login with your Runtastic account, as part of Adidas’ plan to further integrate that 2015 acquisition into its ecosystem of apps.
Joseph Godsey, head of digital brand commerce at Adidas, said the company didn’t want to roll out an application until now because it first wanted to focus on an optimized web experience. He added that Adidas also needed to make sure it created an app that linked seamlessly with others, like the All-Day interactive health and fitness app it launched earlier this year.
Adidas rival Nike, for its part, has been changing the way people can buy highly coveted products through its apps, using technologies such as augmented reality to fight bots. Godsey said that Adidas doesn’t “see the need to leverage AR in this context,” noting that his team has found “even more streamlined ways to support the consumer in the journey without disruptions.”
He pointed to the Confirmed app and site, where sneakerheads can reserve models like Kanye West’s Yeezys, as examples of Adidas “investing heavily into the technology and security behind our experiences.” While Confirmed has been the go-to app for limited-edition drops, Godsey said the new Adidas app could be used for that as well down the road.
Right now, the app only works in the US and UK, but Adidas says the plan is to bring it to more countries during the first half of 2018.
The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio is a brutally fantastic EV supercar concept
By Alex Kierstein
Supercapacitors, not batteries, power this wild creation.Lamborghini isn’t known for bowing to convention. Ever since Ferruccio told Enzo Ferrari where he could stick his temperamental cars, and decided to build his own, it’s been going its own way. This car, the Terzo Millennio (“third millenium”), built in collaboration with MIT, is very much a Lamborghini approach to the EV performance car. To begin with, it is obviously nothing else but a Lamborghini. Wild concept car touches aside, it’s as wedgy and mean as anything to come out of Sant’Agata (and definitely anything to come out of Cambridge, MA!).
There’s some advanced tech here, too, as you might imagine with MIT’s involvement. The most notable is the supercapacitor energy storage technology. Supercapacitors aren’t ready for primetime yet, being very expensive and not quite as energy dense, although currently they’re used in a few niche automotive applications. But MIT and Lamborghini want to produce one that’ll work more like a main battery, but with greater ability to recharge and discharge quickly. That’s ideal for brutal, explosive acceleration. If Lamborghini and MIT can make a breakthrough here, it’d let the decidedly conventional Lamborghinis of today (naturally aspirated, non-electrified) take a leap into the future on Lamborghini’s own terms.
The company is also exploring carbon composite batteries utilizing nanotechnology, which the company claims would reduce weight and increase the discharge capacity of the batteries. So, it seems, the Terzo Millennio might combine the two power storage technologies into the same drivetrain.
Of course, like most modern Lamborghinis there’s all-wheel drive, although it’s in-wheel electric motor-based rather than the conventional mechanical type. It’d be easy enough to leave off the front motors for a Performante variant, perhaps. Or maybe in-wheel electric motors become the norm in the future. It’s too early to tell; for now, this concept is AWD.
The body is carbon fiber, and this concept previews some technology that can detect degradation in the carbon fiber early and potentially repair it with something called “nano-channels” utilizing a form of the technology that allows carbon composite materials to store energy. This technology deserves more explanation than we have room for here, and we’ll get a deep dive on it as soon as we can.
Lastly, Lamborghini wants a vehicle like the Terzo Millennio to sound like a Lamborghini. That won’t be easy, since there’s no V12 or V10 to be found. Frankly, the company doesn’t even sound like they’ve figured out how to solve that particular puzzle, stating that “[a] deep investigation is needed” to determine what it should sound like. That’s no easy task, and we suspect the engineers will be busy on that one.
Will you see a Terzo Millennio out on the road? Almost certainly not; this is a pure concept that shows the direction that Lamborghini will take in the future. At least we finally know where Sant’Agata’s head is at in terms of post-internal combustion powertrain tech.
iPhone X Component Costs Estimated at $357.50
Apple’s new iPhone X costs $357.50 to make, according to estimates sourced from TechInsights and shared today by Reuters. At an estimated $357.50 to produce with a price tag of $999, the iPhone X has a gross margin of 64 percent, higher than the iPhone 8’s gross margin of 59 percent.
Several of the components in the iPhone X are more expensive than their iPhone 8 counterparts, according to TechInsights. The 5.8-inch edge-to-edge display, for example, costs an estimated $65.50, compared to $36 for the 4.7-inch display of the iPhone 8.
Image via iFixit
The stainless steel chassis of the iPhone X costs an estimated $36, a significant premium over the $21.50 Apple shells out for the iPhone 8.
Following the launch of the iPhone 8, estimates suggested its raw component cost came in at $247.51, with the cost for the iPhone 8 Plus estimated at $288.08. Those estimates were sourced from IHS iMarkit, a research firm, while today’s come from TechInsights, a company that does device teardowns and analysis.
Component cost estimates from companies like TechInsights and IHS look only at the price of raw components and do not take into account other iPhone manufacturing expenses like research and development, software creation, advertising, and distribution. While interesting, these estimates are not an accurate measurement of Apple’s profit margin for the iPhone X, nor are they an accurate picture of the overall cost of creating the device.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, cost breakdowns are generally “much different than the reality.” “I’ve never seen one that is anywhere close to being accurate,” he said in 2015.
Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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iPhone X Case Review Roundup: Apple, Twelve South, Nomad and Speck
Case reviews aren’t often something that we do here at MacRumors because for the last several years, there’s been little variation in case design since there’s been little variation in iPhone design.
With the iPhone X, Apple introduced its first major design overhaul in years, so I thought I’d take a look at a wide range of cases from different manufacturers to see what’s out there. Given that the iPhone X features a highly breakable glass body and high repair costs, case usage is more important than it has been in past years.
For this review roundup (and subsequent roundups to come) I took a look at the general usability of iPhone X cases from several companies. Extreme drop tests and in-depth testing aren’t covered because those factors are less important than how a case works on an average day, and it’s often fairly easy to tell from design how protective a case is going to be.
Factors like bulk, button accessibility, grip, thickness, and appearance are what I focused on. With the removal of the Home button, button presses are more important, and there are a surprising number of cases out there that make the buttons a lot more tedious to press.
Many people are also curious about wireless charging. Unless otherwise mentioned, wireless charging works with all of the cases below, and that’s because almost all cases are compatible with wireless charging.
Apple
Apple makes three cases for the iPhone X: Silicone ($39), Leather ($49), and the Leather Folio ($99). I have the Silicone case on hand because that’s what I bought to use as my personal case for my iPhone X. Apple’s silicone cases are some of my favorite because they’re soft, offer solid grip, are easy to get on and off of the iPhone, and are always perfectly fitted without adding unnecessary bulk.
The Silicone cases provide a small lip of material around the display to keep it from getting scratched when the iPhone is facedown, and it protects the buttons without impacting their performance. I’ve been using Silicone cases for a few years now and have been happy with their level of protection when dropping a device (nothing’s ever broken). The one caveat is durability – without fail, these tend to start breaking down after about a year.
Apple’s Leather cases are similar to the Silicone as far as fit goes, but they’re more durable and will take on a nice patina over time. I haven’t yet gotten to try the Folio myself, but it fits like a Leather case while also adding a cover that can hold card slots. It’s bulkier, of course, but not as bulky as Folio cases from other companies.
Twelve South
Twelve South has designed iPhone X versions of several of its existing iconic cases, including the BookBook. Priced at $60, the BookBook case resembles an old leather book. It’s undeniably unique, but it adds serious bulk to the iPhone X.
From left to right: Relaxed Leather, Journal, BookBook
It’s essentially the size of a small journal, so not pocketable, but it includes several card slots and a place to store money, letting you do away with your wallet. It offers total device protection, but because there’s no latch for the cover, if the iPhone X falls, there’s still a potential for screen damage depending on how it falls (but there is a raised lip around the inside portion of the case).
The camera, buttons, and Lightning port are all accessible and easy to use, and the cover doubles as a stand for watching video. The inner shell pops out from the case so it can be used alone, but it’s kind of a hassle to do. This is, by the way, required to use wireless charging with the case.
The Journal, priced at $70, is similar to the BookBook but has a slimmer spine, which I preferred to the BookBook. It has the same card slots for wallet replacement, and the same stand functionality, but it doesn’t have the removable inner shell that needs to come out for wireless charging.
The case covers the buttons on the side and it does make them harder to press, and I found it incredibly difficult to get my iPhone out of this case. Both the BookBook and the Journal look great and are going to age nicely over time thanks to the leather, but neither of these are suitable for someone who doesn’t want a bulky case.
Twelve South’s final iPhone X case, the $50 RelaxedLeather, is its slimmest and does not feature a folio design. Priced at $50, the RelaxedLeather reminds me a bit of Apple’s Leather case. It’s slim and doesn’t add a lot of extra weight to the iPhone X, and it’s one of those cases that’s going to take on a nice patina over time. It has two card slots on the back to serve as a wallet replacement and it looks stylish and high-quality.
As with Twelve South’s other cases, the buttons are harder to press in this case, but that’s potentially something that will change over time given leather’s propensity to become worn and soft. The RelaxedLeather is the Twelve South case I’d recommend for general use for those looking for something simple, elegant, and not overly expensive.
Nomad
Nomad has several cases that are all similar in design, combining leather with polycarbonate and a rubber bumper. Aesthetically, the mix of materials means these cases aren’t as sleek and professional looking as something like the leather-only case from Twelve South, but the distinctly rugged design is appealing.
From left to right: Leather Folio, Wallet Case, Clear Case, Rugged Case
The rubber bumpers on these cases are thick and rigid, and it’s clear these are going to offer a good amount of protection should the iPhone X be dropped. The bumper wraps all the way around the phone, including over buttons, and it comes up over the edges of the display a bit to provide a barrier. The Nomad cases are bulkier than cases from Apple, but not so bulky that they’re not pocketable.
Materials wise, all of the Nomad cases were a little bit slippery in terms of grip and harder to hold one handed because of the thicker bumpers.
The Rugged Case ($44.95) and the Wallet Case ($39.95) are close to identical, but the Rugged Case has better drop protection (according to Nomad) and the Wallet case has a couple of card slots. Side buttons are harder to press on both of these cases.
I’m not a fan of the design of the Clear Case ($39.95) with its mix of leather and clear plastic, but it does let a little of the iPhone X’s aesthetic peek through, and it has the same protective bumpers as the other Nomad cases. On the plus side, it has much better buttons that are a lot easier to press.
Nomad’s Leather Folio ($49.95) is fairly slim for a folio-style case, with the same bumper style and several slots for holding cards and money. It’s the only case that leaves the volume and power buttons exposed. Since it’s a folio, it’s adding a lot more bulk, but that may be worth it to users who also want to replace a wallet.
Speck
Speck has several Presidio cases available for the iPhone X, most of which are fairly similar in design with a polycarbonate shell, rubber lining for shock absorption, and raised lip for display protection. Speck’s Presidio cases are protective without being too bulky, but they’re not as slim as some other offerings because of the thick bumpers.
From left to right: Presidio Wallet, Presidio Grip + Glitter, Presidio Clear + Print, Presidio, and Presidio Grip.
These cases all feel well-made and thick enough to protect from serious drops. Speck says they’ve been tested with drops of 8 to 10 feet (15 feet in the case of the Ultra).
The standard Presidio case ($39.95) is your basic, plain, run-of-the-mill iPhone case. It’s pretty rigid and since it’s made from a smooth plastic, it’s hard to grip. The buttons are a nice, soft rubber so they’re super easy to press, which is a major plus. The Presidio Clear is basically a Presidio case with a clear shell, which is a decent choice if you want to see the glass of the iPhone X. These come plain ($39.95) or with print ($44.95).
Speck’s Presidio Grip cases ($39.95) are similar in design, but have a soft rubber design on the back that, as the name suggests, is for grip. These are my favorite of the Speck cases, both for the design and the added grip. It really makes a difference.
The Presidio Wallet ($44.95) also features the same design, but it has a hard plastic wallet opening at the back. I’m not a fan of this case at all because it doesn’t support just one or two cards — the card slot is too big and when used with just a few cards, they slip out. It also adds a lot of unnecessary bulk to the case.
While most of the Presidio cases are similar, Speck’s Presidio Ultra ($49.95) is the company’s thickest, most protective case. It actually consists of a standard Presidio case with an added thick rubber bumper, and it’s the case to get if your iPhone X is going to be exposed to dust or is at extreme risk of damage should it get dropped. It protects all of the buttons and the Lightning port, but it does make the buttons more difficult to press, and it makes it tougher to swipe up from the bottom of the display.
For most people, The Presidio Ultra is more protection than is needed on a day to day basis, but this is the kind of case that’s got such a thick bumper that it’ll be next to impossible for the iPhone X to break when it’s dropped. It also comes with an extra back piece for clipping it to your pants or bag, ideal when using the iPhone X at a job site where your hands are needed. Because it introduces issues with swiping and button pressing, this isn’t an ideal case if you don’t absolutely need this level of protection.
Bottom Line
You can’t go wrong with Apple cases, but they have a plain design and may not offer as much protection as some people are looking for. If you want a full wallet replacement and don’t mind the bulk, Twelve South’s selections are worth checking out, especially the Journal, while the RelaxedLeather is stylish while offering more utility than Apple’s leather case.
I suspect many MacRumors readers will like the rugged design of the Nomad cases and the level of protection offered by the thicker bumpers. The same goes for Speck’s cases — these are your average protective cases that offer solid protection without too much bulk.
Since this was a brief look at the cases available from several different companies, I’m happy to provide additional photos and answer questions about any of the cases listed down in the forums.
This is the first case roundup of several, so stay tuned for additional case reviews that we’ll be sharing throughout the week.
Note: Speck, Nomad, and Twelve South provided MacRumors with iPhone X cases for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
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Garmin vívosport review
What happens when you take one of the best fitness trackers on the market and add a new color display, all-day stress tracking, strength training, and more in a thinner form factor? You get the vívosport, the latest feature-packed fitness tracker from Garmin.
Even if you’re familiar with Garmin’s current fitness band lineup, you might still be confused as to where this device fits. I sure was. It’s basically a cross between the vívosmart HR+ and the vívosmart 3, which released earlier this year, even though it has a new name. Don’t worry, we’ll go through all the differences in this review.
Has Garmin successfully combined these two trackers? Is it worth the high price tag? Find out in our full Garmin vívosport review.
Review notes: I’ve been using the Garmin vívosport as my main fitness tracker for roughly three weeks. The HTC U11 and Google Pixel 2 XL have been my smartphone companions of choice for the duration of this review.Show More
Design
Despite sporting an all-new name, the vívosport is almost aesthetically identical to the vívosmart 3— It looks very sporty.
You might be asking, aren’t fitness bands supposed to look sporty? Yes and no. It certainly doesn’t look out of place when you’re out on a jog or at the gym, but it’s not the most classy design ever, especially compared to the more jewelry-like designs of the Fitbit Charge 2 and Alta HR.
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The majority of the device is made of silicone that feels less rubbery than the strap on the vívosmart HR+. It’s not as grippy, which means it’s less likely to collect hair and get stuck on your sleeve. It still has that familiar diamond pattern throughout, as well as a smooth finish which stretches from the bottom of the display to the end of the strap.
The fitness tracker itself blends in more seamlessly with the rubber band, making the vívosport look like one solid piece of rubber. There’s no more giant plasticky bezel around the display.
Perhaps my favorite part about the design is how thin and light it is. Measuring just 10.9 mm thin and weighing only 27 grams (for the large model), it feels more like a lightweight bracelet than a fitness tracker with a ton of sensors built in. I forget I’m wearing it most of the day, which is exactly what a fitness tracker needs to accomplish. Once you start noticing how big and bulky a wearable is, the more it gets in your way, and the more you want to take it off— and when you take your fitness tracker off, it can’t track anything.
As is the case with many other Garmin devices, the vívosport has a water resistance rating of 5 ATM. It can survive in the shower or pool, even though it’s not capable of swim tracking.
The biggest change in design from the vívosmart 3 is the addition of an always-on Chroma color touchscreen display, which measures 0.38 inches by 0.76 inches (9.7 x 19.3 mm) and features a pixel density of roughly 189 ppi. It’s perfectly visible outdoors, and I’ve had no trouble viewing the display in direct sunlight.
I have two gripes about the display. For starters, it’s a bit too small for my liking, and it’s difficult to navigate around the UI and see important information at times. When you’re in one of the many sub-menus, it can be hard to tap the little back arrow at the top of the screen. While it would have disrupted the seamless design, I think the vívosport would have benefitted from a physical home button à la vívosmart HR+.
My other main qualm with the display is that it registers taps way too often. Shirt sleeves, blankets, or pretty much any other soft material that rubs up against the display will trigger it, resulting in a short vibration followed by the backlight turning on. It gets pretty annoying when you’re trying to sleep.
What’s especially annoying, however, is when the display is accidentally triggered in the middle of a workout. I was at the four-mile mark of my run when I reached behind my back to scratch an itch. The back of my shirt triggered the display, which paused my workout. I didn’t notice it until I arrived back home, only to find the last mile of my run wasn’t recorded. Great.
You have the option to turn the display to auto-lock during activity, during inactivity, or all the time, but unfortunately it’s not enabled by default.
Features and performance
Before we go any further, let’s talk about how the vívosport fits into Garmin’s lineup. You can think of the vívosport as a “vívosmart 3+”. It has the same slim design of the vívosmart 3, with a much better display, longer battery life, more sport profiles, auto-pause, LiveTrack, and automatic activity start. If for any reason you held out on purchasing the vívosmart 3 for a more powerful device, the vívosport is it.
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The vívosport is an activity tracker at its core, so it will keep track of all the metrics you could possibly want. It’ll track your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, floors climbed and descended, intensity minutes, heart rate, and sleep.
It can also track plenty of different sport profiles, including walking, running, cycling, cardio, and strength training. As noted before, it doesn’t support swim tracking.
You have the option of choosing either indoor or outdoor workouts for all of of these sport profiles with the exception of cycling and strength training. If you’re biking indoors and would like to track your workout, Garmin expects you to choose the cardio option.
When you begin a workout and forget to manually start it on the device, that’s okay—the vívosport features automatic activity recognition (Move IQ) for running, walking, and cycling. It won’t record any GPS data in this case, so your distance might be a little off in the end.
For being such a small device, you’d think Garmin wouldn’t have room to pack in a GPS, but that’s not the case. Because the vívosport has a built-in GPS, you’ll get accurate distance and pacing data when you’re running or cycling outside.
In day-to-day use, I’ve found the vívosport’s GPS to be just as accurate as the GPS on the fenix 5 and the Fitbit Ionic. It doesn’t take more than 10-20 seconds to activate either.
Related: Garmin fenix 5 review
The addition of a GPS also means the vívosport comes with Garmin’s LiveTrack feature, which allows your friends track your activity in real time with the Garmin Connect app. For instance, if you’re going out on a run at night, your friends or family will be able to track where you are at all times.
When you’re out on a run, the vívosport gives you quick and easy access to useful information like your total running time, distance, pace, calories, heart rate zone, steps taken, and even music controls. Since the screen is a tad small however, it can be difficult to see each one of these data fields unless you keep your wrist still.
You’ll want to open the Garmin Connect app after your run to get the nitty gritty details. Aside from the metrics listed above, Garmin Connect will show you details on elevation gain/loss, a map of your run, what the weather condition was like, as well as even more granular details on pacing, speed, timing, heart rate, cadence, and detailed lap information.
If you’re performing an indoor exercise, such as cardio, the device will give you all the same information that’s listed above aside from distance and pace.
Strength training mode still needs a lot of work.
Garmin introduced a new strength training feature to the vívosmart 3, and it’s back again with the vívosport. When the strength training mode is activated, the vívosport will do its best to count reps and automatically recognize which exercises you’re performing. It’s not always that accurate, which can pose a problem when you’re at the gym.
Whether you’re doing leg presses, push ups, or chin ups, the vívosport will attempt to automatically recognize these workouts and count your reps. But when reps don’t register, most people will want to edit their rep counts right away to ensure they don’t forget how many they did for each set. That means you’re going to be standing around at the gym staring down at your wrist rather than focusing on the workout at hand.
I believe our own Adam Sinicki said it best in his vívoactive 3 review:
That’s my problem with this entire concept, really. Unless it works perfectly and without any input from the user, it’s only going to take your head out of the game.
Garmin makes it easy to edit rep counts both on the device and in the Garmin Connect app after the fact, however. You can also edit which workouts you performed if the tracker didn’t recognize them properly.
Even though it’s not perfect right now, Garmin is one of the only companies including strength training profiles on its fitness trackers, so we have to give credit where it’s due. I just hope Garmin keeps improving it over time.
Garmin’s Elevate heart rate monitor also makes a return, and will track your resting and active heart rate throughout the day. In my experience, Garmin’s heart rate sensors are normally spot on when it comes to resting heart rate, and that’s still the case with the vívosport.
Garmin’s heart rate sensors are normally spot on when it comes to resting heart rate, and that’s definitely the case with the vívosport.
Active heart rate monitoring is a little off, as is usually the case with wrist-based HR sensors. The technology is still limited at this point. That’s because there are so many variables involved that can throw off the sensor, such as skin type, hair, and how loose/tight the sensor is on your body.
Throughout my testing, I’ve compared the vívosport with the Wahoo TICKR X chest strap, which I’ve found to be very reliable in the past. Most of the time, for lower-intensity workouts, both the vívosport and TICKR X keep up with one another. During some higher-intensity workouts, the vívosport is a little slower to rise and slower to fall than the TICKR X, however.
Unfortunately you can’t pair the vívosport with an external heart rate sensor if you want more accurate data.
Using your heart rate data, the vívosport will also attempt to estimate your VO2 max. to help make sure you’re improving over time. VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen your body can consume per minute at your maximum performance. It’s a good indicator of your overall athletic performance.
Related: How to use your fitness tracker to actually get fit
The vívosport will also use your heart rate data to help determine an estimated “fitness age” for you. Fitness age is meant to estimate how your current fitness level correlates to your overall wellness. The lower your fitness age compared to your actual age, the better. Garmin says my fitness age “is that of an excellent 20-year-old”. I’ll take that!
Whenever you’re not moving, the vívosport will attempt to measure your stress levels, too. Garmin says your stress score relies on heart rate variability, meaning it’s measuring the variation in time between heart beats. There’s not an easy way to test the accuracy of the stress levels, but it can still be useful if you find yourself getting a little flustered at times.
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Fitness trackers are legitimately excellent tools for getting into shape. While they can’t magically turn you into a lean, mean, healthy-eating machine, they do encourage an increased mindfulness when it comes to calories consumed and …Tapping on the stress widget on the tracker will give you stress data for the past hour, as well as the option to start a relaxation timer. The relaxation timer will walk you through short breathing exercises that will hopefully help calm you down in stressful situations.
For the times you need to catch up on sleep, the vívosport will be there to track that, too. If you go to bed with the tracker on your wrist, the vívosport will automatically record your sleep data. Once you wake up, you’ll be able to check your total time asleep, amount of deep and light sleep, as well as total time awake. You’re also shown a timeline of your sleep levels during the night, as well as a movement graph.
Garmin Connect is good at laying out this information, but it doesn’t go far beyond the data itself. It won’t give you recommendations on how to get a better night’s sleep, nor will it offer recommendations on how much sleep you should be getting.
Garmin devices have always been great at delivering smartphone notifications, and the vívosport is no exception. The vívosport will be able to notify you of your incoming calls, texts, emails, and basically any other notification you receive on your smartphone. Just remember that the vívosport’s screen is very small, which isn’t optimal for reading long notifications.
You can’t interact with any of the notifications when they come in, but they are nice to have around if you don’t want to take your phone out of your pocket all the time.
While we’re on the subject of smart features, the vívosport also features a seven-day weather forecast, music controls, and a handy “find my phone” feature if you misplace your smartphone.
We also see the return of Garmin’s Move Bar, which is a clever way to help you get up and move a little bit every hour. I definitely see the value in move reminders, but the vívosport has a tendency to remind me to move even after I’ve run a few miles.
On the battery front, Garmin says the vívosport can last up to seven days in smartwatch mode and eight hours in GPS mode. During normal use, I’ve been able to achieve roughly five days of battery life on a single charge. That’s pretty impressive considering some of that time was taken up by exercising with the GPS turned on and the heart rate monitor constantly going.
The charger is proprietary, but it’s the same super-strong one Garmin included with the fenix 5 and vívoactive 3.
| Display | 9.7 x 19.3 mm Chroma Display color touchscreen 72 x 144 pixels |
| Battery | Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days GPS mode: Up to 8 hours |
| Memory | 7 timed activities, 14 days of activity tracking data No music storage |
| Materials | Case: polymer Strap: silicone Display: chemically strengthened glass |
| Sensors | GPS Garmin Elevate heart rate monitor Barometric altimeter Accelerometer |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ |
| Notifications | Call, text, calendar, email, music control and much more |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS, Windows |
| Dimensions and weight | Small/medium: 21 x 10.9 x 122-188 mm Large: 21 x 10.9 x 148-215 mm Small/medium: 21.4 g |
| Colors | Slate, Fuchsia Focus, Limelight |
Software
I’ve written a lot about Garmin Connect in the past, and I’m happy to say it’s finally improving. It’s still not the most approachable or easy to use fitness app out there, but it’s definitely getting better.
Garmin Connect is finally improving.
The main improvements are in the new My Day screen, which greets you every time you open the Garmin Connect app. You can see your recent workout activity at the top of the screen, and below that you’ll find the current day’s heart rate data, steps, stress levels, and other activity stats throughout the day. In the past, you’d need to horizontally swipe through an endless amount of screens, which was annoying and very hard to understand at times. I’m very thankful Garmin has finally made improvements here—it just makes the whole experience that much better.
It’s worth noting the My Day screen is still in open beta, but I’d definitely recommend trying it out if it means not having to go back to the older, more cumbersome layout. If you don’t like it, you can always revert back.
There’s still a navigation tab at the bottom which gives you quick access to Challenges, Calendar, News Feed, and Notifications. Challenges lets you connect with friends and participate in different exercise challenges. The Calendar section gives you an easy way to look back at a previous day’s activity, while the News Feed section shows your recent activities from the past 30 days.
Garmin Connect also lets you sync activity data to third-party apps such as MyFitnessPal and Strava. That’s a huge benefit for folks already using those services. However, the list of services compatible with Connect isn’t nearly as long as Fitbit’s.
Gallery
Should you buy it?
The vívosport is available now in Slate, Fuchsia Focus, and Limelight color options from Amazon and Garmin.com for $199.99.
The Garmin vívosport is a great fitness tracker and an obvious alternative to the Fitbit competition. It’s slim, light, has a GPS and a heart rate monitor, and features plenty of improvements over the vívosmart HR+ and somewhat lackluster vívosmart 3.
The strength training features aren’t completely hammered out yet. It’s not the prettiest tracker on the market, either. But for $200, you probably won’t find a more feature-packed fitness tracker out there.
The Garmin vívosport is a great fitness tracker and an obvious alternative to the Fitbit competition.
Though $200 may seem a little high, there’s good news. One of the best things about buying Garmin devices is that their prices fluctuate every couple of weeks. I’m assuming we’ll see a price drop on the vívosport sometime soon. Keep an eye on that Amazon listing over the next couple weeks. You might get lucky.
Facebook Messenger’s money transfer tool is heading to the UK
Back in 2015, Facebook introduced the ability to send money to friends through Messenger and now it has brought that capability to UK users. It’s the first time Facebook has launched the feature outside of the US.
A number of companies have begun working peer-to-peer payment abilities into their services. Skype lets users in nearly two dozen countries send cash within its mobile app via PayPal and PayPal has a bot that let’s you send money within Slack. In May, the encrypted messaging app Telegram began supporting payments through chatbots, as did Facebook last year. Facebook Messenger also lets you send payments through PayPal and introduced a group payment option earlier this year. Apple is also in on the money transfer game, allowing iPhone and iPad users to send money within iMessage via Venmo or by telling Siri to send cash via Square Cash, Monzo or PayPal. Additionally, Apple has its own Venmo-like money transfer service in the works that’s due to be released sometime this fall.
Transfers through Facebook Messenger will work in the UK as they do in the US. Users will need to link a debit card to their account before sending or receiving money. The feature is rolling out to UK users in the next few weeks.
Via: Bloomberg
Photographer Austin Mann Lauds iPhone X’s Telephoto Lens and Size in Camera Review
Travel photographer Austin Mann often goes hands-on with new iPhone models to test their camera performance in real world situations, and with the iPhone X, he went to Guatemala to evaluate its new features and its capabilities compared to previous iPhone cameras.
Mann loved the size of the iPhone X as a photography device. Previous Plus models, he says, have been “a bit unwieldy” and tough to operate with one hand, a problem solved with the iPhone X.
As for image quality, Mann was impressed by the improved telephoto lens, which features optical image stabilization for the first time and an improved aperture for better performance in low light situations. Mann says he noticed less noise, faster auto focusing, and better shutter speeds for reduced motion blur.
The lens specs for the iPhone X are 28mm @ f/1.8 and 52mm @ f/2.4 (previously, the Plus was 56mm at f/2.8.) This little tweak means the lens is half a stop faster and can let light in more quickly in low light scenarios, reducing motion blur and minimizing noise.
In a test of slow shutter effects, the iPhone X was able to significantly outperform the iPhone 7 Plus, which was two seconds slower when focusing and and capturing a moving object in low light.
Display improvements made it much easier to shoot on the iPhone in direct sunlight compared to the iPhone 8 Plus, and Mann said “colors pop, blacks are truly black, and the contrast feels just right.” Mann also saw microphone improvements, and Apple told him that while it’s the same microphone hardware, it’s been tuned to better capture dynamics.
All in all, Mann said the upgrade to the iPhone X was the “most exciting” since he switched from the Blackberry 7230 to the original iPhone back in 2007. Mann’s full review can be read over at his website.
Separately, DxO also published its iPhone X test results this morning, giving the iPhone X’s camera a score of 97. That beats out the iPhone 8 Plus at 94, but comes in just under the Pixel 2’s score of 98.
The iPhone X received what DxO says are the best results so far for still images, with better exposure, color, texture, noise, and artifacts than competing cameras. Broken down, the iPhone X received a photo score of 101, but a video score of 89 because it struggles with under exposure, visible luminance noise, and irregularities in autofocus in poor lighting conditions.
DxO has been criticized for the subjectivity of its overall scores, but some of its category comparisons can offer up useful information when it comes to determining the best smartphone camera.
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Not feeling that spark? Here’s how to test a car battery
When it comes to car problems, nothing is ever convenient. It seems like your vehicle plots the perfect moment to give you grief, and the majority of the time, it involves a dead battery. While it’s true the starter motor, alternator, or spark plugs could be behind your vehicle’s refusal to start, it’s most likely that your battery is zapped. In this article, we’ll cover how to test a car battery, specifically its voltage, and also break down what each reading means.
Testing
Diagnosing a car battery is a breeze, but you will need a piece of equipment called a multimeter. These can be picked up for cheap either at your local auto parts store or online, and will quickly tell you whether or not your battery is out of juice. Though you can find analog multimeters, we’d recommend investing in a digital unit so there’s no misinterpreting the readout.
Finding your vehicle’s battery should be a cinch, but some automakers put them in odd places such as the trunk or under the rear seats. The vast majority can be found under the hood however, to the right or left of the engine. You can identify the battery by the positive (red/plus sign) and negative (black/minus sign) terminals that either route to a rectangular housing box or directly to the exposed battery.
Once you’ve located the unit, make sure your vehicle is turned off. If you’re using a digital multimeter, set the dial to DC voltage. Next, take your multimeter’s black lead to the negative battery terminal and the red lead to the positive terminal.
At this point, your multimeter will give a voltage readout. Here are some guidelines, courtesy of yourmechanic.com:
12.66+ volts
100% charged
12.45 volts
75% charged
12.24 volts
50% charged
12.06 volts
25% charged
11.89 volts
0% charged
If you’re seeing 12.45 volts or higher, your battery is in good shape and it’s time to check other common culprits. If you’re below a 75% charge, your battery might still bring the car to life, but not reliably. Below this threshold, your battery may need recharging or even replacing.
Final thoughts
If you struggle with any part of this process, take a trip to your local auto parts store and ask for help. Most shops are happy to help test, remove, recharge, and replace your car’s battery. You get a free hand, and they will (hopefully) earn your business in the future.
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Here’s how to rotate your tires, and why it’s important
If you want your tires to last, you’re going to have to rotate them. Knowing how to rotate your tires is as essential to your car’s regular maintenance routine as changing the oil. It’s also a relatively simple process, although it does require some preparation and the right tools. Here’s how it’s done.
Why rotate?
Rotating tires is one of the most straightforward car-maintenance tasks, but it’s also one of the most essential. Tires wear at different rates, and switching their position periodically ensures that they wear more evenly. That means you won’t have to buy new tires prematurely. If tires all wear at the same rate, it also means they respond the same way, ensuring your car’s handling characteristics stay safe and consistent.
Tire rotations should be done once every 6,000 miles or so, and it’s a good idea to check the tread and pressure while you’re at it. You can time tire rotations to correspond with other maintenance like oil changes, and have them done while the car is in the shop. That’s probably the more convenient route, but it’s a snap to rotate your own tires.
Know your tires
The way tires are rotated varies depending on the vehicle, so consult your owners’ manual to find the exact procedure. You may want to mark the tires with chalk to help keep track of them.
Assuming all four wheels are the same size and the tires are non-directional, you’ll want to rotate the tires in a “rearward cross” pattern for rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive/all-wheel drive cars. In this pattern, the front tires move diagonally, so that the left front tire is mounted in the right rear position, and the right front tire is moved to the left rear position. The rear tires are moved to the front, but stay on the same side.
The pattern for front-wheel drive cars is the opposite. You do a “forward cross” where the rear tires are moved to the front and change sides. Alternatively, you can shuffle the tires in an “X” pattern, where each tire is moved diagonally, regardless of which wheels are driven.
Some cars have directional tires (you can usually tell by the V-shaped tread pattern), and these can only be rotated back-to-front, front-to-back, not side-to-side. If your car’s front wheels and rear wheels are different sizes, you can only rotate side-to-side. If your tires are directional and the wheels are different sizes, the tires have to be removed from the rims and remounted, which is not really something you can do at home unless you have a tire-mounting machine.
Most modern cars have four full-size tires and a compact spare tire, typically called a “donut.” That donut tire should only be driven on in emergencies, but you can use it as a placeholder while rotating your tires. If your car has a full-size spare (meaning it’s identical to the four tires you drive on), you might want to institute a five-tire rotation so that it wears at the same rate as your other tires.
Finally, dually pickup trucks — which have two sets of rear wheels — have their own rotation pattern. Again, this can vary if the front and rear wheels are different sizes, so check your owners’ manual for specific details.
Getting started
First, prepare to jack up your car. Find a flat piece of ground to work on, apply the parking brake, and place chocks in front of the front wheel and behind the rear wheel on the opposite side of the one you’re working on (the wheels on that side will be off the ground).
You’ll need something to hold up the car while you’re moving tires around. Jack stands are the most straightforward solution, but you can also mount the spare tire on any hub that’s currently missing a tire as a placeholder. If your car has a full-size spare, you may want to rotate it anyway.
Seeing stars
Before jacking up the car, you’ll want to loosen the lug nuts, without removing them completely. The ground will provide resistance, allowing you to get them off more easily. If you try this while the wheel is in the air, it will be much more difficult, and because the drive wheels are free to spin, you could strain the transmission.
Most modern cars have a five-lug pattern. The correct way to loosen them is in a “star pattern,” meaning you should start at the top and loosen them in a pattern that draws a star. This prevents the rims from getting warped, and is especially crucial for aluminum or magnesium wheels, which are more fragile than steel rims. If your car has a four-lug pattern, just loosen the nut diagonally across from the one you just loosened.
Lug nuts can be difficult to loosen. One trick is to place your foot on the handle of the wrench and kick it once to crack the lug, then loosen it the rest of the way in a normal manner.
With the lugs loosened but still on their threads, place the jack in the correct position under the car. Every car has specific locations where a jack can safely be placed. Consult your owners’ manual to find the jacking point, and do not place the jack in just any old spot. A seemingly solid surface may not be able to support the weight of the car, or may allow the car to slide off the jack.
Remounting tires
Once the tire you want to remove is in the air, you can remove the lug nuts with your fingers. If you’re using the spare tire as a placeholder, get it mounted. Two lug nuts, tightened enough to keep the wheel seated on the hub, should be sufficient, since you won’t be driving on it. Move on to the next wheel and repeat the process.
When you’re putting a wheel back on for real, reinstall all lug nuts and tighten them enough to keep the rim seated on the hub. Then lower the car back onto the ground and tighten them some more. Strictly speaking, you should use a torque wrench to ensure the lugs are tightened to the specific torque specifications listed in the owners’ manual. But doing it by feeling with a conventional wrench should work fine. Tighten the lugs until the level of resistance sharply increases. Don’t over-tighten them, as that can damage the rims. Again, this is especially important for aluminum or magnesium rims.
Once the tires are in their new, correct, positions, you’re all set. Since you’re already playing with your tires, this is a good opportunity to check their pressures and tread depths. Other than that, you should be good to go!
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