Siri on HomePod Correctly Answered 52.3% of Queries in New AI Test

In a new test shared today by Loup Ventures, Apple’s HomePod was put through its paces in categories including Siri, sound quality, and ease of use. For Siri, Loup Ventures’ Gene Munster reported that while the AI assistant understood 99.4 percent of queries asked of it, it answered only 52.3 percent of them correctly. Loup Ventures tested three separate HomePods and asked 782 queries total.

Compared to previous tests of rival speakers, HomePod is “at the bottom of the totem pole” in the AI assistant performance category. Google Home answered 81 percent correctly, Amazon’s Alexa answered 64 percent correctly, and Microsoft’s Cortana answered 57 percent correctly.

Munster broke this information down further, stating that Siri is good for “local” and “commerce” queries, like asking about nearby coffee shops or assisting in buying new shoes. In this area, Siri beats Alexa and Cortana but still falls behind Google Assistant on Google Home.

Despite the low percentage of correctly answering the 782 total queries asked of it, Munster said Siri’s overall performance rose above expectations “given the limited scope of HomePod’s music focus.”

Chart via Loup Ventures
The researchers explained that over time HomePod and Siri should grow to match, or surpass, rival assistants by simply adding query domains like calendar, email, calling, and navigation.

Some domains like navigation, calendar, email, and calling are simply not supported. These questions were met with, “I can’t ___ on HomePod.” Also, in any case that iPhone-based Siri would bring up Google search results, HomePod would reply, “I can’t get the answer to that on HomePod,” which forces you to use your phone or give up on the question altogether. Removing navigation, calling, email, and calendar-related queries from our question set yields a 67% correct response, a jump from overall of 52.3% correct.

This means added support for these domains would bring HomePod performance above that of Alexa (64%) and Cortana (57%), though still shy of Google Home (81%). We know Siri has the ability to correctly answer a whole range of queries that HomePod cannot, evidenced by our note here. Apple’s limiting of HomePod’s domains should change over time, at which point we expect the speaker to be vastly more useful and integrated with your other Apple devices.

As discovered in the research, where HomePod excelled was its “superior” listening skills. The HomePod allows users to speak at a normal volume, even when music from the speaker is particularly loud, and Siri will pick up on the voice and hear the user. “This was HomePod’s most stellar feature,” according to Munster.

Loup Ventures also favored HomePod’s sound quality, saying that “it sounds incredible.” Like other reviews and impressions of the device, Munster’s enjoyment of the HomePod’s audio quality was countered with the speaker’s lackluster Siri performance, which he thinks will be changing fairly soon.

Don’t be fooled by HomePod’s sound quality-focused first step into smart speakers; Apple has a grander vision than delivering a better sounding Echo. While not present in the first version of HomePod (i.e. you can’t even make a phone call with HomePod), we believe Apple’s goal is to make Siri a ubiquitous, ambient presence that connects and controls all your connected devices and services – and to make a leap forward in the transition to voice-first computing.

Visit Loup Ventures to read more of the information gathered from the HomePod “smart speaker gauntlet,” including the publication’s prediction for demand and market share of HomePod through the rest of 2018.

Related Roundup: HomePodBuyer’s Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)
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Staff at Russian nuclear facility caught using supercomputer to mine Bitcoins

Stealing staples and paper clips is minor league compared to what two Russian engineers are now facing after using one of the country’s most powerful supercomputers for their personal cryptocurrency mining gains. The incident took place at the highly secured Federal Nuclear Center in Sarov, western Russia, the same facility used by scientists to create the Soviet Union’s first nuclear bomb during the Cold War.  

To understand the significance of the facility’s unauthorized use of the supercomputer, you have to paint a picture of the surrounding area. In the past, you didn’t see the top-secret town marked on any Russian map. It’s currently cut off from the rest of the world by a barren no man’s land that is guarded by soldiers and barricaded with barbed wire fences. Getting in and out of the area requires a special permit. 

The Federal Nuclear Center residing within the isolated town employs around 20,000 people. It plays host to a supercomputer that performs around 1,000 trillion calculations per second (1 petaflop). This supercomputer, which went live in 2011, is typically disconnected to the internet for security reasons. That is where the two busted miners made their mistake. 

According to reports, the two engineers accessed the supercomputer to mine Bitcoins, which requires lots of processing power and an internet connection. Once they manually connected the supercomputer to the internet, the facility’s security system immediately reported the connection to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Agents promptly investigated the suspicious activity, catching the miners in the act. 

Dubbed as the “Mountain Miners” by the media, the names of the two engineers were not disclosed. Both were released from custody but cannot leave the country. 

“Mountain miners were detained by competent authorities,” reads a translated statement from the Federal Nuclear Center. “As far as we know, a criminal case has been initiated against them. We draw attention to the fact that such attempts have recently been registered in a number of large companies with large computing capacities. At our enterprises, they will be severely suppressed. This is a technically unpromising and criminally punishable occupation.” 

The Bitcoin digital currency platform consists of multiple parts, such as generating coins and keeping track of transactions. There is no central point, like a bank, that manages these components. Instead, the platform depends on anonymous individuals and their PCs. Mining is a method of creating coins without paying for them, which requires loads of processing power. Russia’s supercomputer was unquestionably a prime candidate for mining Bitcoins.  

Cryptocurrency is reportedly on the rise in Russia. The government is considering the CryptoRuble for mid-2019, according to President Vladimir Putin’s economic advisor, Sergei Glazyev. These state-generated digital coins would be a means to settle sanctions and accounts with other nations. 

Meanwhile, residents and businesses are jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, such as one individual who purchased two power stations just for mining purposes. Even more, an overheated electrical grid recently caused fires in residential apartment buildings due to large amounts of cryptocurrency mining. Other industrial industries are used for mining as well. 

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This homemade 8-bit computer could finally pose a challenge to Intel’s 8008 CPU

By today’s standards, an 8-bit CPU isn’t all that impressive considering all of our devices use 64-bit architectures. What is impressive, however, is when someone builds their own 8-bit computer using a plethora of wires and what is known in the do-it-yourself hardware programming community as a breadboard.

That is exactly what YouTube user Paulo Constantino did from the comfort of his own home in a video that was uploaded last June and is only now beginning to garner the attention it deserves. Resembling an Intel 8008 processor of the 1970s, Constantino’s project might seem rudimentary to us now, but it’s a much more arduous feat to pull off than, say, building a gaming PC with today’s components.

Because all of its data traffic is bused in eight sets of ones and zeroes, this breadboard-based CPU is a lot slower than our computers, which is why it is so intriguing that Constantino was able to get his to play even an off-key rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme song.

Breadboards are typically used for circuitry prototypes, which is what makes this story so bizarre to begin with. Pair that with the fact that the song itself was programmed by flipping a bunch of DIP switches rather than being wired to any inputs, such as a keyboard, and it becomes considerably more of a head-scratcher.

So, of course, the 8-bit breadboard CPU that Constantino devised here isn’t perfect, but it’s safe to assume this is only the beginning. After being designed over the course of two days using the old-school pen-and-paper method, the computer itself was assembled in a matter of a week.

In addition to being able to play a classic gaming melody, the hardware also supports a program that can be used to count from one all the way up to the number 255. It’s curious where Constantino plans to take this experiment now. For the time being, however, he assures us that a keyboard will soon be added for the sake of more straightforward programming techniques.

In the meantime, you can build your own computer (albeit the 64-bit kind) using our handy how-to guide.

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Inbox full of spam? Here’s how to block an email address in Gmail

Email is a powerful tool in the modern world. It can not only be used for professional correspondence, but for a variety of other purposes as well, including messages from your school or university, keeping in touch with distant friends or family, sending digital files, marketing for your business, contacting multiple people at once, or just generally keeping track of your online accounts and purchases. The ease of sending email, and the fact that most people have more than one email address, means your inbox(s) can quickly fill with spam.

While you can unsubscribe from mailing lists through Google, you might still find emails in your inbox that you’d rather not see. Gmail users who want to shut out this noise will be pleased to know they can do so with just a few clicks. Here’s how to block an email address on Gmail.

Blocking a particular email address through Gmail means you will no longer receive messages from that account in your inbox. It’s an all-or-nothing kind of thing. If you want to receive certain messages from that address, but not others, you’ll have to put up with deleting a few emails every now and then.

If you are on a computer

First, navigate to your Gmail Inbox and open an email from the sender you would like to block.

In the upper-right corner of the email — on the same horizontal plane as the sender’s name and address — is a small arrow.

Click on that arrow to open a drop-down menu. From this menu, select Block [sender’s name], which should appear near the middle of the list.

It’s that easy! Now, any messages that address sends you will automatically be directed to your spam folder.

If you are on a smartphone

The process works the same on smartphones, although the interface looks a bit different. First, open the email from the sender you want to block.

In the upper-right corner, there will be a button marked with three vertical dots. Select this to open the drop-down menu.

Next, choose Block [sender’s name]. You’ll now no longer receive messages from the email address.

What if you change your mind and want to unblock someone? You can open that same drop-down menu in either interface and select Unblock [sender’s name]. You can also view and unblock any previously blocked addresses from the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab in your Gmail settings.

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Need a Valentine’s Day gift for her? Here are the best, most stylish smartwatches

This Valentine’s Day, we’re encouraging you to give the special woman in your life an item that doesn’t melt away or die within days. That’s where smartwatches come in — both hybrid and touchscreen. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, be sure to check out our hybrid smartwatch guide. Both types of smartwatches are not only stylish and customizable, but are something she’ll be able to use on a daily basis, whether it’s for tracking health and activity, staying on top of alerts and notifications, or keeping up with her busy schedule.

Overwhelmed with all of the options? Don’t panic, we’re here to help. Regardless of fashion preferences or lifestyle, we’ve got the perfect picks for all the ladies out there (or check out our guide to the most stylish smartwatches for men). Here are our top selections for the best smartwatches for Valentine’s Day.

Fossil Q Venture Smartwatch, from $255

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

On first glance, the Fossil Q Venture looks like a bit much with its all-around gemstone detail and rose gold color. But this 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen smartwatch packs a lot of features into a thin, lightweight device that looks flattering on the wrist. Running Android Wear 2.0, the Q Venture syncs to your special someone’s smartphone via Bluetooth, which allows her to receive app notifications, as well as answer calls, text messages, and more. With both Google Fit and Google Fit Workout built-in, she can also track her steps and calories burned, and log a variety of different workouts. We enjoyed the pre-installed games, like Bold Bot and Maze, which can become weirdly addicting if she’s ever bored.

If you know she’d rather have a more casual-looking watch than a glamorous and glitzy one, you’re in luck. Fossil’s Q Venture comes in a lot of different colorways to suit anyone’s style. There’s a ton of stainless steel options in silver, gold, and rose gold without the gemstones. There’s also rose gold with a sand leather watch strap and an all-black model with a silicone watch strap. The smartwatch is also interchangeable with any 18mm straps from Fossil’s collection, in case she wants to change up her look. To tailor the watch even further, Android Wear 2.0 comes with preset watch faces that she can customize based on color and settings.

See on Amazon See on Fossil

Kate Spade Scallop Smartwatch, from $295

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Launched in January, the Kate Spade Scallop is certainly the quirkiest option on our list. This doesn’t come as a surprise, since Kate Spade is known for never shying away from bright colors and playful prints — and this smartwatch is no different. The name originates from its design, which features a scalloped edge on the bezel — a unique change from what other designers are doing. The smartwatch features a 1.9-inch touchscreen — bigger than most watch faces available for women — and a slim case that could easily fit under her sleeve without looking too bulky.

Kate Spade’s Scallop smartwatch runs Android Wear 2.0, which means she’ll be able to use Google Assistant, count steps and calories, play music, keep track of social media, and more — all via her wrist. If she’s heavily into fashion and color coordination, she’ll enjoy Kate Spade’s micro app, which allows her to easily match her smartwatch to her outfits. By selecting the color of her jewelry, dress, bag, and time of day, the app will generate a custom watch face using complementary colors. Perhaps the coolest features are the animated watch faces. There’s one with a New York City taxi that zips across the screen with the words “In a New York Minute,” or one with disappearing flower petals that reads “Love Me Not.”

As for color variants, the Scallop comes in three different options. For $255, you can choose between a black or tan leather watch strap, which both come with a rose gold case. If you’re looking to splurge a bit more, there’s also the rose gold stainless steel option for $325.

See on Kate Spade

Apple Watch Series 3, from $330

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Even though Android Wear is compatible with iOS, you’re still limited in your capabilities. If your significant other is a loyal iPhone user, you can’t go wrong with an Apple Watch — especially the latest model, the Apple Watch Series 3. It holds our No. 1 spot as the best smartwatch out there so far. With an easy-to-use interface and the ability to receive all her app notifications, as well as answer text messages, she won’t feel as restricted.  If you really want to be the ultimate Valentine’s Day hero, you can opt for the Apple Watch Series 3 with 4G LTE which has a built-in eSIM. That means she’ll be able to connect to a cellular network and use the smartwatch to make phone calls and answer incoming ones. But with LTE, there’s also the additional $10 monthly charge from your carrier.

There’s also tons of personalization options when it comes to the Apple Watch. For starters, she’ll be able to choose from a large variety of watch faces — including several new ones that were added to the Series 3 model such as Toy Story and other Disney characters. She can change around the watch straps as well, with plenty of options from Apple itself or third-parties. We personally like the Coach Apple Watch Strap with Rexy for $150 — its brown leather is not only traditional, but that cute little dinosaur will make anyone smile.

The Apple Watch Series 3 offers several different models. For the basic aluminum model with GPS only and a regular Sport Band, it’ll cost you $330. If you choose to get the same model with GPS and cellular, along with the Sport Band or Sport Loop strap, it’s a bit more expensive at $400. These prices apply to the 38mm, so you’ll be paying an additional $30 for the larger, 42mm model. The watch becomes more pricey for the other two models — the stainless-steel with a sapphire crystal watch face will run you $600, and the ceramic case starts at $1,300 and is available only with cellular.

See on Apple

Skagen Signatur T-Bar Hybrid Smartwatch, $123

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

The Skagen T-Bar Hybrid is the perfect option if you want to buy her a classic and traditional-looking watch. Skagen is well-known for its devotion to minimalist watch designs that look clean and sophisticated. The T-Bar comes in several different color options — rose gold steel-mesh, silver steel-mesh, gray leather, and black leather. While the wrist straps aren’t interchangeable, each colorway is simple enough to easily match with any type of style, so it won’t be difficult for her to match it with both casual outfits and evening wear.

Our review model had the stainless steel gold case and black watch strap, and we loved how thin and lightweight it felt. We especially liked that while other hybrid smartwatches tend to have larger bezels, Skagen’s 36mm watch face looks almost bezel-less. To add to the elegance and airy feel, the T-Bar’s crown is replaced by a large, flat button along with two smaller flat buttons. With a watch face made of mineral crystal, she’ll also be happy to know that it’s scratch-resistant — giving her the green light to wear it more often than not.

For this hybrid smartwatch, she’ll be able to use the Skagen Connected app available for iOS and Android, which allows her to track her fitness and activity. As for notifications, she’ll have the option of choosing six notifications and/or apps to assign numbers to. Whenever she receives an alert, the watch dials will automatically point to the number she’s assigned, so she won’t have to check her smartphone each time she has a notification.

See on Amazon See on Skagen

Michele Hybrid Smartwatch, $495

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

Michele is known for producing luxurious watches, and its Michele hybrid smartwatch is no different. While it’s one of the more expensive choices on this list, that’s the price you pay for a high-quality device. With a watch face made of sapphire crystal, the Michele hybrid is highly scratch-resistant and durable, so it’ll last her for years. Each watch face is also attached to an alligator strap with an inner silicone lining, which — unlike some other straps on the market — doesn’t easily crack or look worn out after consistent wear. The silicone lining on the inside of the watch strap also adds to the comfort. If she wants to switch it up, the straps are interchangeable with any other 18mm strap from the Michele Collection.

We reviewed the all-black model, which did look a bit sportier than others, but it still easily transitioned between day and night wear. Other color options include two-tone white and navy, navy and gold, and rose gold tone with gray. The 38mm stainless steel case is much bigger than most women’s smartwatches on the market — which also means it’s also heavier and thicker. But we liked the bulkier look since it made the watch look less delicate and like more of a statement piece. Our favorite part of the smartwatch design was the splash of red on the rotating watch crown and on the watch face, which subtly ties in Michele’s signature logo.

Similar to the Skagen T-Bar Hybrid, the Michele hybrid runs on its own Michele Connected app for iOS and Android. It’s also capable of tracking health and activity, as well as alerting you when you receive notifications.

See on Amazon See on Michele

Fossil Q Neely Hybrid Smartwatch, $155

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

The Fossil Q Neely is the smallest hybrid smartwatch in Fossil’s lineup. If you’re looking for a watch that isn’t too bulky and heavy to fit a smaller wrist, the Q Neely is is a great choice. With a 36MM case and a thickness of 12MM, it’s the same size as the Skagen T-Bar but has thicker bezels that look stunning under the light. For such a thin, lightweight smartwatch, she might find it hard to believe that it has smart features.

Fossil’s Q Neely runs on the Fossil Q app and includes the exact same features as the other hybrid smartwatches on this list. Its new Commute feature is the one differentiating factor — which she’ll love when traveling to different destinations. By adding her address into the Fossil Q app — such as work or home — she can assign it to one of the three buttons on the side. Whenever she pushes the button, it will use Google Maps to calculate her arrival time or how long her commute will take, which the watch hands will show.

The Q Neely is available in three color variants — a rose gold case with a bone leather or cabernet leather watch strap and a silver case with a black leather watch strap. It’s also interchangeable with any other 16mm watch strap in Fossil’s collection, which could make for a great add-on if you’re looking to give more than one gift.

See on Amazon See on Fossil

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• The best smartwatches you can buy

A man’s Apple AirPods allegedly exploded while he was working out

We’ve just barely recovered from the ordeal of the spontaneously combusting Galaxy Note 7s from Samsung, but now, we may have yet another fiery electronic on our hands. According to local news reports, a man from Tampa, Florida realized that his Apple AirPods — those wireless earbuds from the iEmpire — began smoking in his ear. And yes, he was wearing them when it happened.

“It’s the craziest thing I ever went through,” Jason Colon told his local NBC news station. The AirPods owners says he was listening to a dance mix while at a gym in St. Petersburg when he realized that there was “white smoke … billowing out” of his headphones. He immediately removed them from his ears (thank goodness) and left to get help. By the time he’d returned to his equipment, he claims that the right earbud was already damaged beyond repair.

“It was already like this. It was already popped. I didn’t see it happen, but I mean, it was already fried!  You can see flame damage,” Colon said.

The likely culprit at fault is the lithium ion batteries contained in many of today’s electronics. They were, after all, to blame in the now infamous Galaxy Note 7 debacle, and were also the reason that so many hoverboards were catching on fire a few years back. And now, it looks like AirPods might have issues too.

To be fair, reports of malfunctioning AirPods aren’t nearly widespread enough to warrant any sort of panic. But of course, Colon will likely be thinking twice before he puts another headset in his ears. “I don’t know what would’ve happened to my ear,” Colon added. “But I’m sure since it hangs down, it could’ve been [my] ear lobe. Ear lobe could’ve been burnt.”

He seems to believe that the battery was at fault, and noted to local news affiliates that others ought to be warned. “Just because it happens to me doesn’t mean it won’t happen again,” he said.

According to an Apple spokesperson, the company is already investigating what may have gone wrong, and will be reaching out to Colon for further information.

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Script hopes to make school permission slips a thing of the past

School systems, like many government organizations, are slow to make use of new technologies, though we have seen several counter-examples of this. Many schools still use physical forms for things such as permission slips, which can be a headache for everyone involved. A startup called Script hopes to alleviate those issues with its Script app, which allows parents to digitally sign permission slips and pay fees from the convenience of their smart devices.

The Florida-based company was founded by Aaron White and Patrick Cahill, who serve as CEO and CTO respectively. Cahill has spent several years working as a software engineer in the fields of healthcare and banking. White’s background working as an IT administrator for a charter school and a technician for the Pinellas County school system provided the genesis for Script. He said he often found teachers and administrators to be frustrated by the sheer amount of paperwork involved in their jobs. He once saw a teacher break down in frustrated tears while dealing with the paperwork required to set up an activity for her classroom.

Ultimately, the company’s goal is to allow educators to spend more time teaching and less time dealing with tedious paperwork.

“Our heart is to empower teachers and educators to teach more and manage less,” White told Tech Crunch.

School employees aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit from reducing the amount of paperwork involved in field trips and other classroom activities. In the hassle of daily life, it’s easy to lose track of permission slips or simply forget to sign them until the last minute. Paying for field trips can also be a problem, as parents will often have to send the money by way of their children. This probably isn’t a problem for older children, but you can imagine it can be worrisome to trust elementary-age students with that responsibility.

The Script app aims to solve all of these problems by allowing parents to digitally sign permission slips and pay via the app. Script’s apps also make it easier for school officials to manage and create events.

The app allows teachers to create events and submit them to administrators for review. Once the event is approved, the administrators send a notification to the appropriate parents, who can then sign their children up and pay for the event via their smartphones.

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The best, most stylish smartwatch to buy for him this Valentine’s Day

Whether given by a parent to a child, an employer to an employee, or girlfriend to boyfriend, the wristwatch has long been a safe gift choice that most appreciate. The sheer volume of choice available makes decisions difficult, a problem multiplied by the emergence of smartwatches, which add confusion over tech and compatibility into the mix.

It’s Valentine’s Day, and you decided to get your significant other a connected watch. Which one is right for you? Here is our choice of the best smartwatches generally; but maybe you want something that puts looks before features? That is what we are helping out with here. These are the best smartwatches for Valentine’s Day because they are about making an impression and making them feel special, not about how long the battery lasts or how many apps they run.

Apple Watch Series 3 Hermés $1,300

Why the Hermés version? It’s undoubtedly the most special Apple Watch available, going that step beyond the Watch Edition due to the custom watch faces and genuine Hermés strap. We’re opting for the stainless steel Watch with a particular strap — the noir gala leather single tour rallye. A bit of a mouthful, but we adore the rally-style hole-punched black leather strap, which really suits the Apple Watch anyway, but when matched with the simplicity of the Hermés watch faces, it really comes together. Apple doesn’t sell this strap separately, plus it all comes in an attractive presentation box, so you are getting something very special.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is currently our top pick out of all the smartwatches available. It has the best user interface, smooth and fast performance, adequate battery life, a strong feature list –including the ability to make calls if you choose a cellular model — and a wealth of aftermarket accessories. He won’t be disappointed with the Apple Watch and the beautiful Hermés version is our personal pick.

If the significant price tag of the Apple Watch Hermés, or even the Series 3 watch is more than you want to spend, consider the still current Apple Watch Series 2 — it has almost all the same features, after all — and match it with a third-party strap. There is even a $100 rally-style strap from Burkley on our list.

Buy it now from:

Apple

Diesel OnFull Guard from $325/Skagen Falster from $275

No, we’re not being indecisive with our two Android Wear 2.0 selections. They both represent two very different styles, helping you choose the right one based on personal style preferences. The Diesel OnFull Guard is a bold, tough-looking, and incredibly masculine watch. It’s also heavily influenced by Diesel’s mechanical watch style, right down to the clever iridescent color effect over the watch face, highlighted by the large and high-resolution screen.

We reviewed the black model with a brown leather strap, which is probably the most restrained. We love the black model with the black steel band, and there is even a gold model with a gold metal band for those who feel the need to really stand out. While the watch isn’t packed out with features — and that is a good thing — the design makes us love it. However, it’s not for everyone, which is where the Skagen Falster comes in. Danish brand Skagen is known for its minimalist, restrained designs, and the Falster — its first full Android Wear smartwatch — continues that trend.

Simplicity of design doesn’t mean boring and the bars attaching the strap to the body really give the Falster visual fizz, as do the mesh metal straps. It’s these mesh straps that make the Falster so versatile, as they are suitable for day and evening wear, casual and smart. While the Diesel On Full Guard looks best with clothes you may buy from Diesel — by which we mean casual — the Falster can bridge the gap better between smart casual and smart. The features are basically the same as the Diesel, as both are Fossil-owned brands, and use the same platform and app.

Watches show off our personal style, which means it’s not one-size-fits-all. The Diesel and Skagen Android Wear watches do the same thing but will be worn by different types of people.

Diesel onFull Guard Skagen Falster

Alpina Horological Seastrong Hybrid 595 Swiss francs/$630

Maybe a smartwatch with a touchscreen isn’t what you want. How about a hybrid instead? Hybrid smartwatches give you the basic necessities such as fitness tracking and notifications, all wrapped up in a traditional watch body. Alpina, an established name in the watch world, has selected its gorgeous Diver 300 Automatic watch as the inspiration for the Seastrong Hybrid, bringing the cool and desirable diver watch look to the hybrid world.

In addition to the connected features, all synced up with a dedicated smartphone app, the Seastrong boasts sapphire crystal glass for durability, water resistance to a depth of 100 meters, a Swiss movement, and a choice of colors and straps. We adore the black-on-black look. Yes, it’s expensive for a hybrid watch, but most watch connoisseurs will recognize its value and be very happy to receive it. What’s more, the battery life is rated for an astonishing four years, depending on use, so you’re not buying yet another device to charge each day.

Buy it now from:

Alpina Amazon

Emporio Armani Connected Hybrid $295

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Emporio Armani Connected hybrid watch has always attracted compliments, probably more so than any other hybrid we’ve worn. The black metal strap and minimalist watch face, complete with the EA logo at the 12 o’clock mark, just looks so damn classy. Match it with the right outfit, and it’s stunning, plus it’s equally at home with casual weekend gear as it is with a suit. Putting on the EA Connected feels special and that is what you want from a watch.

It provides the same degree of functionality as most other hybrid smartwatches, so it delivers notifications from your phone, tracks your steps, and has programmable buttons for features like a remote camera shutter release. The battery inside is a simple coin cell, and should last a year before it needs replacing. However, you don’t really buy this for the features. You buy it for the style, and we think it’s gorgeous.

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Fossil Q Commuter Hybrid from $175

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It’s the splash of color on the Q Commuter hybrid’s watch face that makes us love this design. It’s fairly minimalist, and already has some visual flair thanks to the bars attaching the strap to the body, but the red tips on the hands, and the red hand showing step count, set the whole thing off perfectly — especially on the smoke stainless steel model with the mesh metal band. Like the Skagen Falster, the Q Commuter has a restrained design, meaning it will suit most outfits.

Functionality covers the basics — notifications, alarms, step count, customizable buttons, and music controls. The Q Commuter’s unique feature is its ability to show you what time you will arrive at a preset destination — like your work — at the push of a button. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters, and the battery should last for about a year before it needs swapping. Even then, it’s a simple and cheap coin cell. The price is another reason we recommend the Q Commuter, it’s great value for the design and functionality.

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Editors’ Recommendations

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• Make some time for the best smartwatch deals this Valentine’s Day

A weekend comments thread for a mid-week Valentine’s Day

This week brings warm hearts and cold Olympic temperatures; and the brave souls who are part of each.

This weekend and the next will be filled with hearts and flowers for a lot of people because Valentine’s Day hits in the middle of the week. It’s apparent that whoever invented the holiday was single or it would have been like other occasions that get shifted around to come up on the weekend and I wouldn’t be trying to find a good place to eat that will still get me home in time for bed because Thursday is another holiday, called Get Up and Go to Work Day. Not as fun to celebrate, that one.

In any case, you can’t go anywhere to escape Valentine’s Day goodies designed to show your appreciation of a loved one or potential loved one and to exchange money from your bank account to a merchant’s bank account. It’s the American way. Though I have to say the local grocery store has some incredible-looking tulips.

And of course, some of us will not be celebrating Valentine’s Day for one reason or another. It’s cool, there are plenty of Olympics to fill the space. Around here we’ll be doing both and I’ll try not to be jealous of Pita Taufatofua (AKA Mr. Tonga) with his oily and perfect physique when network television shows his grand entrance over and over. And over. (But seriously, look at the guy. Wowza. And an accomplished athlete in multiple sports, too!) and instead, marvel at how anyone can do anything when it’s that cold and do it so well. Please, do not be that cold Wednesday night when I’m out with my sweetheart.

What are y’all up to this weekend? Celebrating the big V day, watching some winter games, or both? Jump in the comments and share!

How to use PlayStation gift cards

Have a gift card or game code and you’re not sure how to enter it? Here’s how.

It’s your birthday and for one your great aunt Lucille got you something that you can actually use. She got you a PlayStation gift card. The world is your oyster, you’re a kid in a candy shop, and various other idioms. One quick look at your PlayStation 4 and you are flummoxed. There does not seem to be any slot to slide your gift card through. You think that you probably shouldn’t slide it into the disk slot. I am going to let you in on a little secret; don’t put your gift card into the disk slot of your PS4.

Not matter how you end up with a gift card or game code, entering them is a breeze. Here’s how you do it.

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From your PlayStation home screen, go to the PlayStation Store.

Once you’re in the PlayStation Store, scroll all the way down until you find Redeem Codes.

On the Redeem Codes screen, you will be presented with a box in which to enter your code or PlayStation gift card number.

It’s a simple as that. You are now on your way to downloading a brand new game to help you get through another year and inevitably another birthday where you will hopefully end up with a few more gift cards to spend

And if you have a gamer in your life and you’re looking for an easy gift that they will love, then you might want to consider picking up a PlayStation gift card. You could spend hours trying to find the perfect gift to make them happy, or you could get them a gift card and let them pick the perfect present themselves.

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Why are we reviewing PlayStation 4 games on Android Central? Let us explain.

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

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