Internet services are selling water to Cape Town residents facing Day Zero

The city of Cape Town, South Africa, expects to run out of water by April 12, better known as Day Zero. Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa and one of the top destinations for tourists. But the days of having free-flowing water are numbered, and instead of supplying residents with water out of the goodness of their hearts, many individuals jumped online to deliver water to anyone who can pay.  

“Water is our precious natural resource, we have all come into contact with the reality of receding dam water levels and the risk of not having precious water,” reads one advertisement. “We desire to help people become independent environmentally friendly, we are a turnkey solution provider and will take care of all the aspects of your needs.” 

What led Cape Town to the point where internet companies are circling above? It’s facing the worst drought in over a century, forcing the city to install water management devices, hunt down possible leaks, recycle water, and enforce a strict usage policy on all citizens to the point where having unwashed hair is a sign of responsible water consumption. 

“The people who are still wasting water seem to believe that Day Zero just can’t happen or that the city’s seven augmentation projects — set to produce around 200 million liters per day (52.8 million gallons) — will be enough to save us,” the mayor’s office states. “We can no longer ask people to stop wasting water. We must force them.” 

Adding to the drought is the city’s growing population, which hit the 4 million mark, and continues to rise. Even more, the overall change in the Earth’s climate is to blame. Cape Town recently served as the perfect example at the World Economic Forum, which focused on the need to change the way humans affect the environment. According to several speakers, other parts of the world are facing similar problems. 

Part of the city’s method of controlling water consumption includes positioning local law enforcement to monitor public water-gathering points and escorting water containers across the city. Meanwhile, water is limited to 13.20 gallons per person per day for at least 150 days. For households that use 1,585 gallons or more per month, the city will charge nearly three times the normal rate. 

What can you do with 13 gallons? Flush the toilet once, wash your hands once, fill the dog’s drinking bowl, take a 90-second shower, wash your hands, wash dishes, drink just over 60 ounces of water, and use the same amount while cooking food. But once Day Zero arrives, water won’t be available for any of these daily tasks. 

And that is where these online services come into play. For a fee, Cape Town residents can have water shipped to their house for at least $75 per 264 gallons. Still, many residents are leaving Cape Town to escape the drought, but there are those who simply can’t afford to uproot their families. Purchasing water online may be their only solution.

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20 major Kindle Fire problems, and how to extinguish them

The Kindle Fire range has been a success story for Amazon. It all started with the original Kindle Fire, but Amazon has upgraded and overhauled its Android offerings since then. With its most recent Fire tablets, Amazon has dropped the Kindle name altogether.

While feedback on the devices has been generally positive, even the most popular products have a downside and, beyond being limited to Amazon’s content offerings, problems can arise, whether you have a Kindle Fire HDX, the old Kindle Fire HD or a newer Fire tablet. Below we have some possible solutions and workarounds to try and help you get past them.

You may also want to check out our Kindle Fire HDX tips and Amazon Fire tablet tips for some ideas on how to get more out of your Amazon tablet.

Problems with battery drain, app loading, storage optimization, and more

Problem: Massive battery drain

Some Fire tablet owners have run into issues with sudden and unexplained battery drain. There’s a big discussion about this in the Amazon forum. Thankfully, there are several things you can try to alleviate the problem.

Potential solutions:

• Press and hold the Power button for 40 seconds or more until it restarts and see if it works normally.
• There’s a good chance that one of the apps you’ve installed is causing the issue. You could go to Settings > Apps & Games > Manage All Applications and try uninstalling apps one by one and testing to see if you can find the culprit. Or you could factory reset the device and install apps selectively, watching out for any changes in battery drain. If you do decide to factory reset, then make sure to back up any precious photos or other files first, as this will wipe your tablet, then go to Settings > Device Options > Reset to Factory Defaults.

Workarounds:

• Get into the habit of turning your tablet off when you aren’t using it. Hold down the power button until the Power off box pops up and then tap OK.
• If you don’t want to turn it off completely when you aren’t using it, then pull down the notification shade and tap to turn on Airplane mode. You can also go to Settings > Power and toggle on Automatic Smart Suspend.
• Another option for squeezing more battery life from your Fire tablet is Low Power Mode, found in Settings > Power, but it will dim your display. You can also set it to turn on automatically.

Glitch: Ebooks disappearing or not working

It seems that some people are losing their downloaded ebooks after rebooting their tablet and for others they’re not working offline, discussed in Amazon forum threads here and here. There are a couple of different ways to tackle this.

Potential solutions:

• If you have the Google Play Store installed on your Fire tablet, then it could be the source of your problem. Open the Play Store app, find the Kindle app page in it, and choose Uninstall. Now go back to the main Play Store page and tap the three vertical lines at the top left, then scroll down to choose Settings and tap Auto-update apps > Do not auto-update apps. You can still update apps manually by opening the Play Store tapping the three vertical lines at the top left and choosing My apps & games, then the Updates tab. Tap Update next to the individual apps you want to update, just avoid updating any Amazon or Kindle apps here.
• If you don’t have Google Play Store, then try syncing your books and then press and hold the Power button for 40 seconds or more until it restarts and see if it works normally.
• You might also try going to Settings > Apps & Games > Manage All Applications and find the Kindle app. Then, tap Force stop and Clear cache.

Issue: Kindle Fire stuck on logo

Quite a few people have run into issues with their Kindle Fire HD tablet refusing to start up properly — it gets as far as the logo and gets stuck. Restarting the device simply takes you as far as the logo again. There are forum posts about this problem going back a few years now and some of our readers recently asked about it in the comments.

Potential solutions:

• Plug your tablet into a charger and let it charge for at least 15 minutes. Now, keep it plugged in, and press and hold the Power button until it restarts and see if it works normally. You may need to hold it down for 40 seconds or more.
• Try plugging it into your computer and see if the device is recognized.
• If it still won’t progress past the logo, then it’s probably a good idea to contact Amazon support.
• You could try and see if you can get into the recovery menu. Turn the tablet off, then turn it on and press and hold the Power and Volume down buttons simultaneously. Sadly, some tablets require you to use the Power and Volume up buttons, however, so if Volume down doesn’t work, then try Volume up. If you manage to get into the recovery menu, then you can use the volume keys to highlight options and the Power button to select them. You could also try performing a factory reset via wipe data/ factory reset, but be aware that it will wipe everything on your tablet.

Problem: App won’t load or keeps crashing

This issue has cropped a few times in forum posts. If you have a recurring problem with a specific app on your Kindle Fire tablet — perhaps it won’t load, or it keeps crashing or freezing — then here’s what to do:

Potential solutions:

• Go to Settings > Apps & Games > Manage All Applications and find the problem app. Then, tap Force stop and Clear cache.
• If that doesn’t work, then try uninstalling the app via Settings > Apps & Games > Manage All Applications > [App name] > Uninstall. Restart your device by holding down the Power button for 40 seconds, and then reinstall the app.
• You can find some additional advice in Amazon’s help section.

Glitch: Stuck on “Optimizing system storage and applications”

Some of our readers have found that their Fire HD tablet gets stuck on the message, “Optimizing system storage and applications,” or keeps showcasing the message repeatedly. This is a fairly common problem, which has been raised in the Amazon forums.

Potential solutions:

• Plug it into the wall using your original cable and charger, and give it half an hour or so to complete.
• If it’s still not working, then try holding down the Power button for 40 seconds to force a restart.
• There’s also a chance that this problem is related to your MicroSD card. If you have a MicroSD card in your tablet, then turn the tablet off and remove it, and then test to see if the issue is resolved. If your MicroSD card is causing the problem, then try plugging it into your PC or another device, copy your files, and wipe it. Afterward, copy them back over before reinserting it into your Fire tablet.

Not on my watch: How to fix the most annoying Apple Watch problems

It may be one of the most accessible smartwatches on the market, but the Apple Watch doesn’t always work as it should. We’ve been lurking on forums, digging through comments, and gathering opinions on a host of issues, glitches, and everyday annoyances. These are some of the most common Apple Watch problems. If you’ve been suffering, don’t let that Apple Watch wind you up — we’ve got workarounds and possible fixes for you to try. And once you’ve dealt with those, take a gander at our roundup of Apple Watch tips and tricks.

Issue: Apple Watch won’t connect to LTE

If there’s one issue that the LTE variant of the Apple Watch is known for it’s problems connecting to cellular. Apple publicly acknowledged this issue and said that it would push a fix in an update back in September 2017. Apple did officially address the issue in the WatchOS 4.0.1 update, explaining that it had to do with the Apple Watch having problems with the hand-off between Wi-Fi and cellular. The update prevented the Apple Watch from joining unauthenticated Wi-Fi networks. It was also reported to fix the LTE connectivity issues for some people, although for others the issue did not go away even after the update.

Solution:

• Update your Apple Watch software. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and go to General > Software Update.

Other potential solutions:

• You can try to set up your cellular plan again. Open the Apple Watch app and go to the My Watch tab, then tap the i next to Carrier and then Remove. You can then add your cellular plan afresh by tapping on Add a New Plan, reactivate, and then reboot the Apple Watch.
• Some folks have reported that the issue was with AT&T. People reported that their LTE data functioned normally once AT&T reinitialized their call service. They accomplished this through several phone calls to AT&T, going in person to AT&T, or a combination of both.
• If none of these solutions work, contact Apple.

Problem: No iPhone connection error

After turning the Apple Watch back on, or sometimes after using Airplane mode, the Apple Watch may give you a No iPhone error. If this happens to you the best way to deal with it is to let your Apple Watch and iPhone find each other again.

Potential solutions:

• Start by making sure that Airplane mode is turned off on both your Watch and iPhone, and that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on.
• To restart your Apple Watch, hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider. Slide the Power Off slider to the right and when the Apple Watch is off, turn it back on by pressing and holding the side button until you see the Apple logo.
• To restart the iPhone X, press and hold the side button and either volume button until the Slide to power off slider appears. To restart the iPhone 8 or earlier, hold down the sleep/wake button until the Slide to power off slider appears. The sleep/wake button is located on the right side or the top if you have an iPhone 5s or earlier.
• Use Control Center on your Apple Watch to check your connection.
• If all else fails, you can always try to unpair your devices and pair them again.

Problem: Digital crown not working

Sometimes, Apple Watch users report that the digital crown on the Apple Watch is unresponsive. There are a few things you can try to alleviate this problem.

Possible solutions:

• Try to follow Apple’s official guide on how to unpair your Apple Watch and then how to set up your Apple Watch. If you’re experiencing a software glitch, this can certainly help.
• If you’re having an issue where the crown feels stuck or can’t move smoothly, then it is possible that you need to clean the Watch. Follow Apple’s instructions on how to clean your Apple Watch.
• If none of these solutions work, contact Apple.

Glitch: Bluetooth won’t connect or frequently disconnects

There are a couple of different possible glitches at play here. Some people find that their Apple Watch will disconnect from their iPhone, even when they’re in close proximity. Others are having Bluetooth problems when they’re trying to use headphones for a run or a workout. There are a few different things you can try to get Bluetooth working again.

Workarounds:

• Proximity matters for Bluetooth, and different devices have different ranges. Some people report better performance after switching the device they were using to the same side of their body as the Apple Watch. You could also try switching your Apple Watch to the other wrist. Such a small change in distance shouldn’t really make a difference, but it’s worth a try.
• If the issue is with Bluetooth headphones and music streaming, then sync your playlist onto your Apple Watch and turn the Bluetooth on your iPhone off. This should allow your music to play seamlessly without annoying disconnections, and you can still sync data from a run or workout at the end of the session.

Potential fixes:

• If the issue is with your iPhone, then try turning Airplane mode on your iPhone on and off again. Alternatively, you can go to Settings > Bluetooth and toggle it off, then wait a few seconds and toggle it back on again.
• Press and hold the side button on your Apple Watch until the slider appears, then drag Power Off to the right. To turn it back on, hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.
• If the iPhone is giving you problems, try un-pairing. Open the Apple watch app on your iPhone. Tap on Apple Watch > Unpair Apple Watch > Unpair. It might take a while. Once it’s done, set the connection up afresh.
• Your final resort is to erase all content and settings on your Apple Watch. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Once it’s done, you’ll have to pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone and other devices again.

Annoyance: Poor battery life

Battery life is definitely one of the main weaknesses of the Apple Watch, but it should generally still get you through the day before needing a refuel. If you find that your Apple Watch battery is draining suspiciously fast, then you may have a problem.

Workarounds:

• You can choose to put your Apple Watch in Power Reserve mode, so it only shows the time. Press and hold the side button on your Apple Watch until the sliders appear, then drag Power Reserve to the right.
• Open up the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and go into Notifications and turn off anything that you don’t need.
• Go to Settings > Brightness & Text Size on your Apple watch and reduce the brightness.
• On your Apple Watch go into Settings > General > Wake Screen and toggle off Wake Screen on Wrist Raise. You can also do this in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone via General > Wake Screen.
• Buy an Apple Watch strap with a battery in it.
• Turn off the heart rate sensor by opening the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tapping Workout, and then toggling Power Saving Mode on.

Possible solutions:

• Try updating your watch to the latest version of WatchOS. Apple Watch owners reported good battery life with WatchOS version 4. The latest version is WatchOS 4.2.2.
• If you’ve signed up for the WatchOS beta, that could also be the culprit. Some have said a simple re-pairing has fixed this issue.
• Simply turning it off and on again. Press and hold the side button on your Apple Watch until the slider appears, then drag Power Off to the right. To turn it back on, hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.
• Maybe an app is causing problems. Try uninstalling everything you don’t need. Tap and hold on the Apple Watch screen until your app icons begin shaking, then pick the app you want to get rid of and tap Delete App. Don’t worry, it won’t uninstall the app on your iPhone. You can also get rid of apps on your Apple Watch by opening up the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap on any app you don’t want and toggle Show App on Apple Watch to off.
• The last thing to try is to erase all content and settings on your Apple Watch. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Once it’s done, you’ll have to pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone and other devices again.

Problem: Apple Watch won’t charge

If you find that your Apple Watch won’t charge up, then you’re not alone. Remember that it can take a few seconds for the charging icon to pop up when the Apple Watch is completely drained. Here’s what you should check before you start to panic:

Potential solutions:

• If it’s brand new, then make sure that you don’t have any plastic still attached to the Apple Watch or the charger.
• Use the Apple Magnetic Charging Cable and the USB Power Adapter that came with your Apple Watch. If you were using those when the problems began, consider using a different charging cable, stand, or dock.
• Check that both surfaces are clean and remove any case or anything else you might have on your Apple Watch.
• Try plugging the cable into your laptop, computer, or another power adapter in a different socket.
• Hold down the side button on the Apple Watch and swipe Power Off to the right. Hold down the side button again to turn it back on.
• Once again, hold down the side button on the Apple Watch and swipe Power Off to the right. This time, hold down the side button and the Digital Crown together for at least ten seconds until you see the Apple logo.
• The last thing to try is to open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and go to General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
• If none of this works, then it’s time to contact Apple.

Glitch: Apps crashing or freezing

There have been a few reports of Apple Watch apps crashing and freezing up, especially the Nike app. If you find that your Apple Watch crashes frequently or locks up and won’t respond at all, there are some things you can try.

Potential solutions:

• The first thing you should try is checking to make sure the problem app(s) are up to date. If they aren’t, update them and try the apps again.
• If you’re able to, then hold down the side button on the Apple Watch and swipe Power Off to the right. Hold down the side button again to turn it back on. This might only be a temporary fix.
• If your Apple Watch is locked up and unresponsive, try holding down the side button and the Digital Crown together for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo.
• Open up the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, go to My Watch > General > Software Update, and make sure it’s up to date. You should be on WatchOS 3.2.2.
• Try removing and re-installing the app(s) having and causing issues. Open up the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap on the problematic app and toggle Show App on Apple Watch to off.
• Sometimes a factory reset will get rid of glitches like this. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings to try it, but you will have to set your Apple Watch up again.

Problem: Apple Watch isn’t tracking activity

Some users on Apple’s forums have stated that their Apple Watch has failed to properly track their exercises, routes, or heart rate. Fortunately, there are a few things you can check to try to fix this.

Potential solutions:

• On your iPhone (that’s paired to the watch), launch the Watch app, and then go to My Watch (tab) > General > Wrist Detection. Turn this on if it isn’t already. Additionally, make sure Bluetooth is turned enabled on your iPhone at Settings > Bluetooth.
• Make sure your Apple Watch isn’t too loose on your wrist. Adjusting the band may help the watch better track your activity.
• Keep your personal information, such as your height and weight, updated as the Apple Watch uses this info to determine things like how many calories you burn. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch > Health > Edit.
• When it comes to tracking your routes, try opening the Workout app and changing the settings from Quick Start Walk to Outdoor Walk. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and have Apple Watch Faces set to While Using, then scroll down to System Services and enable all settings related to location and distance tracking.
• Your watch may need re-calibrating. Start this process by opening the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap My Watch > Privacy > Motion & Fitness > Reset Calibration Data. Then follow Apple’s calibration instructions.

Issue: Apple Watch won’t turn on

There have been multiple threads on the Apple forums containing reports of Apple Watch devices not turning on, not booting past the Apple logo, and the screen not responding when touched.

Potential solutions:

• If you’ve enabled Power Reserve, the watch won’t respond to wrist movement or tapping. Try pressing the side buttons to see if the watch will turn on.
• It may sound silly, but try charging your Apple Watch. The battery may have simply run out.
• Press and hold the Digital Crown and side button for at least 10 seconds to trigger a forced restart. You’ll know you did it right if you the Apple logo appears.
• If the watch comes on after the restart, but never fully starts, or if you’re met with a red exclamation mark, reach out to Apple Support, as you may have run into a hardware issue that can’t be fixed on your end.

Annoyance: Notifications don’t appear on Apple Watch

You’re used to seeing and checking notifications on your iPhone, and they’ll continue to appear there when your iPhone is unlocked, but when it’s locked or asleep you should get those notifications on your Apple Watch. If you’re wondering why you aren’t getting notifications on your Apple Watch, it’s probably because your Apple Watch is locked, Do Not Disturb is enabled, or you turned off Wrist Detection.

Solutions:

• If you set a passcode for the Apple Watch (this is done on your iPhone), it’ll lock automatically when you’re not wearing it, when it loses contact with your skin, or while it’s charging. Consider removing the passcode, or tightening the watch band. If you forgot your passcode, you’ll need to erase the Apple Watch. To do so, launch the Watch app, tap My Watch > General > Reset > Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings, and tap to confirm. If you don’t have your iPhone paired with your Apple Watch, follow the steps on this page to erase everything on the watch.
• If Do Not Disturb is the culprit, there will be a moon symbol on the watch face. Turn this on/off by swiping up on the watch face, swiping to the Settings glance, and tapping the crescent moon icon.
• If you believe Wrist Detection is no longer enabled, open the Watch app on your iPhone and go to My Watch > General > Wrist Detection.

Problem: Apple Watch won’t update

Some users have been unable to update their Apple Watches to the latest version of WatchOS. This has become such a common problem than Apple has published official steps outlining what you should do.

Official solutions:

• Restart — not force restart — the Apple Watch and the iPhone paired to it. Try updating the Apple Watch again.
• If the install won’t download or start, open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, and go to General > Usage > Software Update. Then, delete the update file and try to download and install the update again.

Annoyance: Lines on display

A few Apple Watch owners took to MacRumors to share their stories and pictures revealing the vertical lines plaguing their watch displays. The lines are very faint and difficult to see, though, they have affected both the Apple Watch Series 2 and Apple Watch Nike+.

Official solution:

• Reach out to Apple and get a replacement Apple Watch, or have the screen on your watch replaced. According to other users in the aforementioned thread, the lines on the display are often the result of a laminating issue.

Problem: Apple Watch goes into Airplane Mode on its own

A rather odd issue has been discussed on the iMore forums about how the Apple Watch will suddenly switch into Airplane Mode without any input from the user. Others have said their watch will occasionally activate other features as well, such as Night Mode.

Potential solutions:

• A future WatchOS update may deal with this problem.
• Un-pair your Apple Watch, restart it, and re-pair it with your iPhone. Then, continue using it to see if it triggers Airplane Mode, or any other feature, again.
• Factory reset your Apple Watch by opening the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and going to My Watch > General > Reset > Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings. 

Issue: Screen pops off

A number of people on these MacRumors threads have had the displays on their Apple Watches come off. Their watch will continue to work just fine, but, understandably, no one wants to walk around with the display on their watch hanging off.

Official solution:

• Reach out to Apple Support and see about a replacement watch or repair. According to some, prior to the display coming off, the battery on their Apple Watch became hotter than usual, which may have caused some internal damage. Others have also noticed a bulging battery, which can result in the display being pushed out.

Workarounds:

• You could try pushing the display back into place, but if the cause is related to the battery, we recommend talking to Apple before things get worse and while you’re still under warranty.

Update: We added LTE connectivity issues, the “No iPhone connection” error, and a problem with the digital crown.

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Japan’s Coincheck loses $400 million in cryptocurrency to hackers

Coincheck, one of Japan’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, reported that about $400 million worth of NEM tokens, a cryptocurrency, were stolen by hackers. More specifically, the cryptocurrency exchange reported that 500 million tokens were illicitly transferred to an unknown party.

It’s currently unknown exactly how the coins were stolen, but Japan’s Financial Services Agency is investigating the transfer. In the meantime, Coincheck froze all deposits, withdrawals, and trading of NEM coins.

“After hours of speculation, Coincheck Inc. co-founder Yusuke Otsuka said during a late-night press conference at the Tokyo Stock Exchange that the company didn’t know how the 500 million tokens went missing, but the firm is working to ensure the safety of all client assets,” Bloomberg reports.

According to Cointelegraph, the coins were stolen via a few transactions from a “hot wallet” in the early hours of the morning on Friday, January 26. The hackers reportedly secured the private key for the wallet which allowed them access to the NEM coins in question.

If you’re unfamiliar, a hot wallet is like a checking account for cryptocurrencies — it’s designed to facilitate transfers, it’s not designed for long-term storage. As such, they make more appealing targets than higher-security cryptocurrency wallets.

Cold wallets are designed for long-term storage, and they’re typically not connected to the internet, which means physical access to the cold wallet should be carefully controlled — it’s your only way into those funds.

The Coincheck theft is just one of many high-profile cryptocurrency heists we’ve seen in the past few months. The spike of interest bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are enjoying has attracted a huge number of new investors, and that influx of cash has made cryptocurrency exchanges an appealing target for hackers.

“In Japan, one of the world’s biggest markets for cryptocurrencies, policymakers have introduced a licensing system to increase oversight of local venues, seeking to avoid a repeat of the Mt. Gox exchange collapse that roiled cryptocurrency markets worldwide in 2014,” Bloomberg reports.

The theft comes after Coincheck applied for a license to operate as a cryptocurrency exchange in Japan. The new regulations come to one of the most popular markets for cryptocurrency, at a time when cryptocurrency exchanges are poorly regulated worldwide.

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Kayak wants to inspire wanderlust from your desk with a photo-based app

Data suggests many travelers plan their getaway on their lunch break — so Kayak is launching a way to dream about that escape while in the middle of that 9-to-5 workday a bit more discreetly. Kayak, the travel-booking platform, recently launched Desktop Escape, a program that turns your desktop into a travel vista, complete with booking links to actually go there.

Kayak says the web platform sees a search spike around 11 a.m. to noon while many are on a lunch break — a trend that inspired the company to launch Desktop Escape. With options for both MacOS and Windows, Desktop Escape turns the desktop background into a slideshow featuring over 90 popular travel destinations, offering a change of scenery from inside the office cubicle.

The images largely come from Kayak’s list of top 2018 destinations, a list generated based on search data from the platform. Those destinations include the locations with the biggest travel increases and the most-searched, along with lists by category such as beaches and budget-friendly.

Desktop Escape isn’t just about free desktop backgrounds though. A small icon lists Kayak’s best flight costs from a selected home airport. The app also offers easy access to that location’s current weather, in case you are watching snowflake flurries outside that office window and need a warm destination.

The Desktop Escape app also houses travel tips. Clicking on the “Escape” icon will take users to the full Kayak platform for additional resources, including car rentals, cruises, and vacation packages.

Kayak points to a recent study that suggests that 40 percent of millennial determine where to travel based on “Instagrammability.” That data suggests that seeing some of the best views from that location is a good way to determine where to head next. The same study listed the availability of alcohol as the second most popular reason to choose a destination, followed by personal development.

Desktop Escape is similar to @Work, the travel app that Kayak launched in 2017. The app disguises the Kayak platform as a spreadsheet so that, if you happen to plan your next getaway at your desk, a glance at your screen makes it look like you are actually working.

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Fossil Q Commuter hybrid smartwatch review

Take a long, hard look at the Fossil Q Commuter, and you’d never guess there’s a boatload of smart features under the face of this watch. That’s the beauty of hybrid smartwatches — they’re easily disguised as traditional, mechanical watches, but they have Bluetooth connectivity that enables a variety of other functions. The Q Commuter is a particularly exceptional hybrid, because not only does it look stunning, but it also adds the ability to check what time you’ll get to work.

Gorgeous and comfortable

The Q Commuter is the most stylish hybrid watch we’ve seen from Fossil to date. Our review model has a white face, with a sturdy and thick brown leather band. Choosing a watch relies heavily on personal preference, and we fell in love with the Q Commuter’s design immediately. The lugs slope down, meaning there’s hardly any gap between the watch strap and your wrist. It sits comfortably, and the experience is the same as wearing a traditional watch.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The 42mm watch is perhaps a hair thicker than most traditional watches, but it’s hardly noticeable. There’s a small sloped bezel around the watch face, and there are three buttons on the right edge; they’re all clicky. We’ll get to these buttons soon, but they essentially act as the trigger key to certain functions.

There’s only one subdial on the watch face, and it serves two functions. One half of the subdial measures the steps you’ve taken to a preset goal. The left half of the subdial is split into four partitions, and they each are different categories the subdial’s hand moves to when an action takes place. If you get a notification, for example, the orange subdial hand will move to “Alert” for a few seconds. The watch’s hands and minute indicators also glow in the dark, which is helpful when checking the time at night.

The Q Commuter is the most stylish hybrid watch we’ve seen from Fossil to date.

Our favorite part of the watch may be the leather strap. It doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap. It’s thick, easy to buckle, and breathable. In the few weeks we’ve worn the watch, the band aged well — that hasn’t been the case for most leather bands we’ve seen on smart or hybrid watches. If you’re not a fan of the look, you can easily swap out the strap for any other 22mm watch bands.

If the white face and brown leather Q Commuter doesn’t appeal to you, Fossil has a number of other variants you can choose from. These include a black face with a black stainless-steel link strap, a navy blue face with a blue leather strap, and more.

It’s not all great news, though. You’ll want to be careful with swinging your arm about, because we’ve already noticed a scratch on the glass.

Your commute, at a glance

Fossil churns out a lot of hybrid smartwatches, and considering there are several fashion brands under the Fossil Group — including Skagen, Misfit, Kate Spade, and Emporio Armani — it’s easy to find another hybrid watch with the same exact features. The Q Commuter distinguishes itself with the ability to quickly find out how long it will take to get to work.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The Commute feature is our favorite feature on this watch. Simply add in a destination address into the connected app — like your work — and the watch will use Google Maps to show you the time you’ll arrive at your destination. We’ve mapped this function to the bottom button, so as soon as we press it, the hour and minute hands move to the estimated time of arrival. It’s always been accurate for us, even with New York City’s frequent train delays.

Assigning notifications to numbers will require memorization work from you.

What else can the Q Commuter do? There are several other functions the app allows you to set to each of the three buttons. If you’re not interested in the commute function, you can set the top button to play or pause music from your phone; you can ask for the time in London with the middle button; or you can have your phone ring in case you can’t find it with the bottom button.

There are several presets you can switch through on the app, so if you’re out on a run, switch to the music preset and the buttons will now let you  play and pause your music, as well as choose the next or previous track.

Once paired with the Fossil Q Android or iOS app, you can start setting either a contact or an app to each of the 12 numbers on the clock. You can bundle multiple apps together, group contacts to one number, or even mix apps and contacts together, though that may get confusing. This method of assigning notifications to numbers will require some work from you, because you’ll have to memorize the configurations. If you don’t, these alerts will be pointless. It takes a few days, but once you get the hang of it, the notifications are certainly useful.

The vibration feedback is strong enough to make you glance at your watch. We set numbers one through four with personal contacts — so the watch’s hands will point to those respective numbers for any calls and texts from these contacts. The rest of the numbers are tied to notifications from apps. If we get a notification from Twitter, the hour and minute hands will move to 7. At that point, it’s up to you to determine if you want to open your phone to see the notification.

Fitness and sleep

The Q Commuter also tracks your steps, like a very basic pedometer. You can add a goal, like 10,000 steps a day, and the orange subdial hand will slowly move from 0 to 100 the more you walk.

Once you hit your goal, it will stay at 100 until the next day. Open the app and you can see the actual number of steps you took, as well as distance traveled and calories burned. We compared the results of the step counter with the Apple Watch and found them to be close. The fitness tracking feature is rudimentary, but we appreciate it being available.

Sleep tracking is surprisingly accurate, as well. The watch isn’t too uncomfortable to wear to bed, and it accurately recorded the amount of time we were asleep. In the app, you can break the data down between the amount of time awake, in restful sleep, and in light sleep. Like the fitness tracking it’s fairly basic, but it does the job.

Never worry about charging

The best part of a hybrid watch is that it does not require daily charging. In the almost month we’ve used the Q Commuter, our battery is around 85 percent. The watch uses a coin cell battery, and it will likely last for 6 months to a year. There’s an easy way to remove the back of the watch to replace the battery, which you can do for cheap.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The watch is also water resistant up to 50 meters, which means you never have to worry about jumping in the pool with the Q Commuter on.

Price and availability

The Fossil Q Commuter starts at $155, but if you want a stainless steel strap, the price can jump to $175. For all its good looks and genuinely useful smart functions, it sure is a bargain. You can nab one from Fossil’s website now.

DT Editors’ Rating: 4.5/5

Editors’ Recommendations

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• At CES, Fossil shows off smartwatches that are both useful and stylish

Mueller investigation interviews Facebook staff in Russia probe

As Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election continues, Wired reports the team interviewed “at least one member of Facebook’s team that was associated with President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.” There’s no word on what was discussed or implication of what this means, but it comes just a day after the Senate released Facebook’s statement that it found “insignificant overlap” between Russian propaganda ads and the Trump campaign. Facebook hs reportedly handed over those Russian ads to investigators, but where things go from here remains to be seen.

Source: Wired

A closer look at Apple’s new HomePod

The first time I got close to one of Apple’s HomePods was in a secluded meeting room at WWDC. Sonically, at least, it blew away the competition. After seven months — not to mention the introduction of other impressive smart speakers — Apple invited me to spend another hour with a near-final HomePod, and it still sounds like the one to beat. There’s much more to the HomePod than just its stellar sound quality, though, and my time spent with Apple’s new speaker provided answers to some key lingering questions. But first: the basics.

What is the HomePod?

Here’s a quick refresher if you aren’t up to date. The HomePod is Apple’s first smart speaker, and it looks like a 7-inch-tall Mac Pro covered in mesh fabric. It’s highly understated in its design; unless your home is particularly rustic, it’s hard to imagine a place where this rounded, low-key body would attract much attention. And, more important, it’s packed to the gills with high-end audio components: A series of seven tweeters are arranged around the bottom, while a 4-inch woofer pushes out meaty mids and lows from the top. Throw in the brain of an iPhone 6, which helps acoustically analyze the speaker’s surroundings to optimize sound based on what’s around it, and you’ve got a surprisingly powerful little speaker.

Apple

How do you set it up?

This is pretty sweet: As with the AirPods, all you have to do is hold an iOS device (running the latest version, of course) up to the HomePod. From there, the iDevice will recognize there’s a HomePod in front of it and begin the setup process. You’ll be asked (among other things) whether you want the HomePod to take phone calls, access your messages and so on. These are “personal requests,” and they work only when the iOS device used to set things up is on the same WiFi network. Once you’ve zipped through Apple’s questions, you’re just left waiting for setup to complete. From start to finish, the process took about a minute.

How does it sound?

As mentioned, there’s a ton of components crammed inside the HomePod, and they come together for an audio experience that’s almost shockingly good. Apple ran the HomePod through a handful of test tracks, ranging from Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” to the Hamilton soundtrack, and each of them sounded remarkably warm and crisp. More impressive is how the HomePod seemed to layer and highlight different components of each song; it always seemed to emphasize vocals, but I could easily make out the attack of a pick on guitar strings and the warm, lingering sound of a bass being plucked. For me, musical quality often takes a back seat to convenience, but there’s something special about picking up on fresh nuances in a favorite song or being reminded that they were always there, waiting to be heard. The HomePod is especially good at this.

And since it adjusts the way it blasts out music depending on where it is and what’s around it, I was able to wander around a room and hear a song sound the same no matter where I was standing. With most speakers, there’s a sweet spot where everything sounds just right. The HomePod, however, endeavors to build a sweet zone. There are some exceptions, like when you’re standing near a wall the HomePod has its back to, but the sound in those cases is still well worth listening to. This intelligent approach to audio playback isn’t exactly new, though: Google’s Home Max has a feature called Smart Sound that also adjusts audio playback depending on where it is in the room.

Apple

What’s the catch?

For one, Apple Music is the only music service the HomePod natively supports; you’ll have to use an AirPlay connection if you’re a Spotify or Pandora person. Features like stereo pairing and multiroom audio won’t be available until software updates get pushed later this year. Other smart speakers, like Sonos’ new One, can sound almost as good at times (and are on sale at the moment). And, of course, there’s Siri.

How well does Siri work?

About as well as it does on your phone. Depending on your feelings about Siri, though, that might be a deal breaker for the HomePod. Throughout my demo, Siri did most of the things you’d expect an assistant in a tube to do: It played back a handful of news stories from NPR (though Fox News and CNN are also available) and quickly unfurled and retracted connected blinds in front of a window.

Thanks to the metadata embedded into Apple Music tracks, Siri was also great at playing playlists for specific moods and offering up information about songs and artists we listened to. Since the HomePod also works as an extension of your phone, I could ask it to read messages I’d just received or start writing one to send to a friend. For paranoiacs concerned about having yet another intelligent microphone at home, it’s easy enough to get Siri to stop listening — just ask. More important, Siri was always quick to react to commands, even when the HomePod was blasting tunes at 90 percent volume. With rare exceptions, Siri interpreted and responded correctly to every request on its first try. That’s a good sign.

Chris Velazco/Engadget

How does Siri compare with Alexa and Google Assistant at home?

That’s a tricky question, considering the limited time I spent with the HomePod. Based on first impressions, though, Siri often felt limited as compared with its rivals. It can’t, for instance, tell your voice apart from others. Sure, that means anyone at your next party can change up the music. It also means people talking to Siri can influence the stored musical preferences Siri uses to choose tracks for you. (Thankfully, you can disable this in settings.)

On a broader level, I’ve been spoiled by the wide variety of actions and skills available for competitors like Google Assistant and Alexa. Google and Amazon have had a tremendous head start in getting developers to build experiences around their connected speakers, and Apple could have trouble making up ground. Encouraging developers to embrace SiriKit is a start, but so far Apple hasn’t confirmed which third parties are working to make their apps HomePod friendly.

Making the switch from another smart speaker could be problematic for other reasons. I spend more of my life talking to Alexa and chatting up Google Assistant than I do interacting with Siri. How could I not? Amazon and Google made it to market much sooner than Apple did, and you could trick out an entire home with a handful of Echo Dots or Home Minis for the same price as one HomePod. They’re everywhere, and ubiquity breeds familiarity. Some people might not be willing to trade the assistant they know and appreciate for something new and different, no matter how much better that hardware may sound. That’s totally valid, and I see that being the case for a lot of people.

Lenovo’s VR Classroom kits come with Daydream headsets

Lenovo will soon release its VR Classroom setup, which will let teachers guide their students through virtual field trips. Each kit comes with the first standalone Daydream VR headset, Lenovo’s Mirage Solo with Daydream, which arrives preloaded with over 700 Google Expeditions VR field trips as well as three exclusive Jane Goodall “Wild Immersion” videos. The VR field trips allow classrooms to explore the world and in order to help facilitate the learning experience, the videos include stopping points during which teachers can add more information or answer questions as well as talking points for teachers. Additionally, online lesson plans will be available to assist teachers in getting the most from the kit.

Along with headsets and software, the kit comes with a Lenovo Tab 4 PLUS 10-inch tablet, a Ruckus R510 commercial router, a cart or case depending on the size of the kit being purchased, training videos, expert consultation and monthly webinars.

Google Expeditions got started in 2015 as a limited-release learning platform, and it saw a wide release the following year. Last year, Google debuted a solo mode that made it easier for people to experience Expeditions outside of a classroom setting.

Lenovo’s VR Classroom will be available this April in the US and the fall for Canada. There are three kit tiers — a three-student pack, a 10-student pack and a 24-student pack — with the lowest tier starting at $2,899.

Source: Lenovo

Researchers create tiny robots powered only by moisture

Tiny robots that can move on their own stand to have a variety of uses in fields ranging from medicine to the military. But having to supply them with constant power is a bit of a hindrance, especially when that power poses a safety hazard — you can’t really have robots running around a human body if their batteries are at risk of exploding. However, in a new study, researchers turn to plants in order to get around this problem and the result is a tiny, inchworm-like robot that runs on humidity.

What inspired the researchers behind these little robots were plants like Pelargonium carnosum, the seeds of which can screw themselves into the ground, and pine cones that open and close depending on the humidity in order to ensure their seeds spread as far as possible. These plants are able to do this because they have multiple layers of cells, some of which are affected by moisture and some of which aren’t. When the plants come in contact with moisture, those layers that are responsive to it tend to stretch or swell and since other layers don’t, it results in some sort of useful motion — either a spinning motion that can drive seeds into the ground or an open and close motion that can keep seeds in place until conditions are optimal for dispersal.

The researchers mimicked these plants by developing a dual-layered material made from nanofibers. When that material came in contact with moisture, one layer swelled while the other stayed the same, causing the material to move. When it dried, the moisture-responsive layer shrank back to its original state, resulting in movement in the opposite direction. And with that motion, the team was able to create tiny robots that can move along a surface kind of like an inchworm or wriggle like a snake. They researchers say such devices could be used for military or industrial applications or even in the medical world. To demonstrate, they loaded one of these “hygrobots” up with an antibiotic and had it inch across a petri dish filled with media. Afterwords, when most of the dish’s contents were covered with bacteria, the strip along the bot’s path was completely bacteria-free.

The research team is now working on giving these robots a greater range of motion and equipping them with sensors that will let them respond to particular gases. The study was published this week in Science Robotics.

Images: Shin et al., Sci. Robot. 3, eaar2629 (2018)

Via: The Verge

Source: Science Robotics