TrackR Bravo Review: Hands-On With a Coin-Sized Bluetooth Tracker for Lost Items [iOS Blog]
Launched as an Indiegogo project in the middle of last year, the TrackR Bravo is a follow up product to the StickR TrackR, a small coin-sized Bluetooth-enabled device designed to attach to valuable items so they can be located using the TrackR app.
As of today, the TrackR Bravo, which is smaller and lighter than the company’s previous-generation products, has begun shipping out to customers. Like the original TrackR products, the TrackR Bravo attaches to items and gives out alerts via an iPhone app when an item is misplaced, preventing keys, cameras, and other small objects from being lost.
Ahead of the product’s launch, TrackR sent MacRumors a TrackR Bravo to review, so read on to see how it works and what we thought of it.
Design
The TrackR Bravo is slightly larger than a quarter, and approximately as large as two quarters stacked on top of each other. It is circular in shape, with a small loop at the top that allows it to be attached to a keyring for fastening to keys, pet collars, and more.
It has a colorful anodized aluminum housing, and it’s small enough to fit comfortably in a purse, wallet, or camera bag.
How it Works
The TrackR Bravo has built-in Bluetooth 4.0, with a 100 foot range. It works in conjunction with the TrackR app, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store.
After registering for a TrackR account within the app, the TrackR Bravo can be activated by choosing “Add a New Device” and pressing the Bluetooth activation button on the TrackR. The app supports 10 different TrackR Bravo devices, so multiple items can be tracked at the same time.
Read more 
Apple Watch Makes First Australian Magazine Appearance Inside ‘Elle’ [iOS Blog]
Elle is the first magazine to feature the Apple Watch in Australia with a fashion shoot starring the publication’s in-house fashion editor Sara Smith. The multi-page style guide in the latest April issue offers women tips on how to make the Apple Watch work with different wardrobes depending on the time and place, such as during the weekend, at a cocktail party or in the workplace.
Apple continues to carefully curate the Apple Watch’s image and exercise control over the way it’s portrayed in magazines, positioning the wrist-worn device as a fashion item first and a technology device second. Apple wants the Apple Watch to be seen as trendy and sporty, perhaps in an attempt to avoid the device being viewed as overly technical and unfashionable as some people have opined about other wearables.
“For a cocktail party: Wear with a tuxedo suit and sexy heels (think Le Smoking Saint Laurent style with Alexander Wang black heels), or if you have the legs for it, a killer cocktail dress. Mix statement jewels with your watch. Try a fabulous cocktail ring and Cartier’s Love Bracelet would look great sitting side by side with your Apple Watch. It will be the perfect conversation starter at a party.”
Apple Watch has been featured in several fashion and fitness magazines worldwide in recent months, including Self, Vogue, Style, East Touch, YOHO and Fitness Magazine. The wrist-worn device will be available April 24, with pre-orders starting April 10 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Apple Watch starts at $349 for the Sport model, while the 18-karat gold edition will retail for upwards of $10,000.
Apple Collected Over 18,000 Hours of Health and Fitness Data for Apple Watch
ABC was recently invited to Apple’s top-secret health and fitness lab for the Apple Watch for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the testing facility, accompanied by Apple executives Jeff Williams and Jay Blahnik. The network shared a preview of its visit on Good Morning America earlier today, and has now provided a closer look at the facility on the latest episode of late night show Nightline.
The five-minute interview behind closed doors revealed that Apple collected over 18,000 hours of health and fitness data based on over 10,000 workout sessions that Apple employees participated in over the past two years at the company’s secretive fitness lab. Blahnik, director of fitness and health technologies at Apple, also confirmed that the company tested the Apple Watch outdoors based on a variety of activities.
Apple Watch will be available April 24, with pre-orders starting April 10 in the first wave of launch countries: United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. The wrist-worn device starts at $349 for the Apple Watch Sport, while the stainless steel models will retail for between $549 to $1,099 and the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will cost up to $17,000.
Buyer’s Guide: Deals on iMac, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, Apple Accessories and More [Mac Blog]
As we head into April, deals are starting to pick up. Some iMacs are at the lowest prices we’ve seen, and Best Buy is offering steep discounts on a few select iPad Air 2 models. Best Buy is also discounting its entire stock of iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 tablets, and there are some solid deals to be had on older MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
We’ve also got discounts on a range of Apple accessories like Mophie battery cases, Beats headphones, and the Pebble Steel smart watch, plus we’ve found some of the best app sales of the week.
iPad Air 2
Best Buy is offering the lowest prices we’ve seen on a few select iPad Air 2 models. The 16GB Cellular iPad Air 2 is available for $499.99, $130 off its regular price. The 128GB Cellular iPad Air 2 is priced at $699.99, also a $130 discount.
B&H Photo is offering a discount on all of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB WiFi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459 and the 64GB model is priced at $569.
iPad Air
Best Buy is also discounting cellular versions of its iPad Air stock, dropping the price on the 16GB Verizon Space Gray model to $379.99 and the price of the 32GB Verizon Space Gray model to $429.99, two of the lowest prices we’ve seen on those tablets.
Both Best Buy and B&H Photo have deep discounts on their remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.
– iPad Air Wi-Fi Space Gray 128GB – $529
– iPad Air Wi-Fi Silver 128GB – $529
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $549.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $549.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $532.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $599
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $599
iPad mini
Best Buy has a sale on its original iPad mini stock, discounting the 16GB tablet by $50, which drops the price to $199.99. It’s available in Silver and Space Gray.
iPad mini 2
Best Buy is discounting its stock of iPad mini 2 tablets by $50, dropping the prices on the 16GB WiFi only model to $249.99 and the price of the WiFi only 32GB model to $299.99.
Best Buy and Amazon also have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you’re looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $479.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $479.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $444.16
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $479
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $534.99
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $396.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $421
iPad mini 3
Best Buy is discounting all of its iPad mini 3 stock by $50, dropping the price of the 16GB WiFi only model to $349.99 and the 64GB WiFi only model to $449.
Apple TV
In case you missed it, Apple dropped the price on the Apple TV from $99 to $69 last week. It’s available from Apple.com and from Best Buy at that price point.
Adorama is offering a $10 mail-in rebate on an Apple TV purchase from the site, which can be found here. With the rebate, the price drops to $59.
iMac
– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,189, $110 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $1,329, $170 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,794, $205 off
– 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $2,349, $150 off
Mac mini
– 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $464.99, $34 off
– 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) – $649.99, $49 off
– 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (MacMall) – $934.99, $64 off
MacBook Air
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB – (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall)$789, $109 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $919, $180 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $819, $180 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $1029, $179 off
Retina MacBook Pro
– 2014 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,799, $200 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (B&H Photo) –$2,249, $250 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,098, $201 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (B&H Photo) – $1,249, $239 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,588.99, $210 off
Apps
There are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We’ll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.
Talking cat app Tom Loves Angela for iPhone and iPad is available for free, as is C.H.A.O.S Combat Copters. Modern Combat 5: Blackout is free this week. Geekbench 3 is also available at no cost, down from $0.99.
Dark Echo was named Apple’s app of the week this week, and it will be available to download for free for the next six days.
Apple Accessories
DailySteals has Beats urBeats in-ear headphones for $45 until midnight on 3/20, down from $99.95. The Lifeproof nuud Case for iPad 2/3/4 is available from Groupon for $34.99, down from $129.99. Groupon is also selling the 3.3ft Apple Lightning to USB cable for $9.99, $10 off its regular price.
Woot is selling the Distil Union Leather Wallet Case for iPhone 5/52/5c/6 for $14.99 to $21.99, down from $39.99 to $49.99. Woot is also selling the Mophie Helium battery cases for the iPhone 5/5s for $29.99, down from $79.95.
Groupon has the Beats by Dre Pill speaker for $159.99, down from $199.95. LivingSocial has Apple EarPods for $13.99, down from $29.99. Best Buy is discounting the Pebble Steel smart watch by $30, dropping the price to $169.
Automatic is offering a coupon code to MacRumors readers that will take 20% off all orders through their site. Use this link to have the code applied automatically or enter code MACRUMORS at checkout.
SkinIt, a site that makes custom skins for a wide range of devices from the iPhone to the MacBook, is offering a special buy one get one 50 percent off deal for MacRumors readers. With the code MACRUMORS, you can get 50% off a second skin after purchasing one skin.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
Apple Stops Supporting Windows 7 in Boot Camp on New MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Models
Apple’s newly refreshed MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models no longer support running Windows 7 with Boot Camp, according to Apple’s Boot Camp support document. Boot Camp on the new notebooks only works with Windows 8 or later, so it is impossible to use Boot Camp to install Windows 7 on the machines.
For those unfamiliar with Boot Camp, it is Apple’s software designed to allow Mac users to install Microsoft Windows on their machines.
Apple also dropped Windows 7 Boot Camp support in the 2013 Mac Pro, suggesting the software would cease to be supported by future Macs, but Macs released in 2014 continued to offer Windows 7 installations. The 2014 MacBook Air and the 2014 MacBook Pro will be the last Apple notebooks that support Windows 7.
It is not surprising that Apple has opted to phase out support for Windows 7, given its advanced age. Windows 7 first became available to the public in 2009 and was followed by Windows 8 in 2012. Despite being six years old, Windows 7 continues to be the most heavily used Windows-based operating system.
Mac users were not happy with Apple’s decision to cease Windows 7 support in the Mac Pro, and it’s likely the dropped support in the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro will also be met with resistance. Windows users have not yet embraced Windows 8 due to both its cost and its interface, which deviated significantly from the design of Windows 7.
Windows 10, coming later this year, may encourage stalwart Windows 7 users to upgrade, as it melds Windows 7 design elements with Windows 8 design elements for a happy medium that might satisfy a wide range of tastes. Windows 10 pricing has not been unveiled, but it will be a free upgrade for Windows 8.1 users.
(Thanks, Daniel!)
MacRumors Giveaway: Win an ‘Automatic Link’ Connected Car Adapter [iOS Blog]
For our next giveaway, we’ve partnered with Automatic, maker of the Automatic Link car adapter and companion apps to monitor your car’s performance and usage. The Automatic Link adapter and apps debuted in 2013 and the adapter currently retails for $99 while the companion iPhone app is free. [Direct Link]
The Automatic Link plugs into a car’s OBD-II diagnostic port and works with most gasoline car models sold in the US since 1996 (car compatibility can be checked here). Data is transmitted to a paired iPhone (or Android smartphone) via Bluetooth and requires an iPhone 5 or newer. The Automatic system can decode engine fault codes and track gas mileage and offer feedback to improve it. A Crash Alert feature can also reach out to emergency services or designated contacts through a paired smartphone in the case of an accident. The Automatic system can also keep track of where you parked your car.
To enter to win the Automatic Link adapter, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter your email address. Your email address will not be given to any third party and will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner. You can also earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, following MacRumors on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. You must be age 18 or older and located in the United States to enter.
This contest will run from today (March 20) at 12:00 pm Pacific time through 12:00 pm Pacific time on March 27. The winner will be chosen randomly on March 27 and will be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address. The Automatic Link adapter will be shipped to the winner for free.
Automatic is also offering a coupon code to MacRumors readers that will take 20% off all orders through their site. Use this link to have the code applied automatically or enter code MACRUMORS at checkout.
Apple TV revamp coming in June with Siri and App Store
Apple’s criminally ignored set-top box is finally getting a major upgrade. The company is reportedly planing to announce a new Apple TV at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June, according to Buzzfeed. And yes, sources say it’ll pack in just about everything you’ve been hoping for: a real App Store, Siri-powered voice commands, and the usual spec bumps (including the new A8 processor and more storage). Nothing’s confirmed just yet, but it certainly makes sense that we’ll see a new Apple TV at WWDC, especially since we’re hearing Apple’s planning to debut its long-awaited TV service and Beats-powered streaming music service soon. Apple’s also made it clear that its set-top box will play a big role in its HomeKit platform — the new Apple TV might include additional hardware to make that possible.
Given that the current Apple TV was just discounted to $69, it’s not a huge surprise to hear that a new version isn’t far off. And even though it’s powered by 2012-era hardware, the Apple TV still manages to hold its own against the likes of Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV. It sounds like Apple is aiming to catch up to its competitors in a big way with its new model, though. The Fire TV already has fast and accurate voice commands, and Roku has built up quite the app collection. It’d be hard to resist an Apple device that combines both of those features.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Source: Buzzfeed
Apple to Debut New A8-Based Apple TV Box With App Store and Siri at WWDC
Apple plans to announce its next-generation Apple TV set-top box at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, according to BuzzFeed News. The report, citing sources familiar with the plans, claims that the new Apple TV will be a “significant overhaul” of the streaming TV box, featuring both Siri and an App Store with an SDK available for developers to create apps.
The new Apple TV will feature Apple’s latest A8 system-on-a-chip and a “dramatic increase” in internal storage, well beyond the 8GB included in the current third-generation set-top box. The addition of Siri will enable Apple TV owners to control a wide selection of HomeKit-enabled home automation devices through the set-top box, according to the report.
‘Good Morning America’ Goes Inside Apple’s Secret Apple Watch Fitness Testing Lab
ABC News this morning revealed an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of Apple’s testing facility for the upcoming Apple Watch, showing off dozens of Apple employees covered in various sensor-tracking technology used to gather data for the health and fitness areas of the wearable device. Apple executives Jeff Williams and Jay Blahnik accompanied ABC on a tour of the facility.
Employees of the company, from engineers to managers and developers, have volunteered to participate in the tests for nearly two years, not knowing of the reason behind the facility until recently. Wearing masks that measure changes in breathing and other various statistics, the volunteers were put through various workout regimens including rowing, yoga, and running, in order to collect data for the Watch.
“[The employees] knew they were testing something, but they didn’t know it was for the Apple Watch,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of operations. “We hooked them up with all the masks and so forth, but we would put on an Apple Watch covered up.”
The lab even included “climate chambers”, which allowed Apple to simulate varying environments, from hot to cold, without having to physically leave Apple headquarters for testing. The company did so anyway, visiting drastically different locations around the globe to put the Watch through the most strenuous environment testing they could.
“We have traveled to Alaska and gone to Dubai to really test Apple Watch in all those environments, but we also wanted to be able to have a controlled environment here where we could see those extremes,” said Jay Blahnik, Director of Fitness and Health technologies at Apple.
“I think we’ve amassed already what may be one of the world’s largest pieces of data on fitness,” he said. “Our view is, we’re just beginning. We think there’s a lot to this fitness thing…the impact on health could be profound.”
Dr. Michael McConnell, a professor in cardiovascular medicine at Stanford Medicine, told ABC News the Apple Watch has great potential to drastically change the cardiovascular technology field. He points to the ease-of-use in Apple’s product to take measurements and surveys, thanks to the help of Apple’s new medical-focused ResearchKit as well as HealthKit, which would offer them “a new way to do medical research.”
The pre-launch buzz surrounding the Apple Watch only continues to grow as the April 10 pre-order date, and official launch on April 24, draw closer. Most recently the wearable has been spotted in numerous fitness and fashion magazines, with third-party manufacturers announcing everything from charging stands to carrying cases to secondary battery options for the wrist-worn device.
The segment, which premiered earlier this morning on Good Morning America, is a small preview for a larger piece airing tonight on Nightline at 12:35 AM ET.
New Interview Offers ‘Inside Look’ at Potential Origin of ResearchKit
ResearchKit, Apple’s new open-source medical framework, was one of the unexpected announcements during the company’s Spring Forward media event. Dr. Stephen Friend, one of the key members of the ResearchKit team, talked about the potential genesis of the project in a new interview with Fusion (via iMore).
In September 2013, nearly one and a half years before ResearchKit was unveiled, Friend was at Stanford’s MedX conference giving a talk about the future of medical research. He explained how he envisioned an open source system where users could upload their medical data to the cloud for researchers to use in trials.
Sitting in the audience that day was Michael O’Reilly, M.D., the former Chief Medical Officer and EVP of Medical Affairs at Masimo Corporation, a pulse oximetry company. O’Reilly had just left Masimo to join Apple, and wanted to build something that could “implement Friend’s vision of a patient-centered, medical research utopia and radically change the way clinical studies are done.”
After Friend’s talk, O’Reilly approached the doctor, and, in typical tight-lipped Apple fashion, said: “I can’t tell you where I work, and I can’t tell you what I do, but I need to talk to you,” Friend recalls. Friend was intrigued, and agreed to meet for coffee.
Shortly after his meeting with O’Reilly, Friend started making frequent trips to Apple’s HQ in Cupertino, meeting with scientists and engineers. He also organized a DARPA-funded workshop exploring how biosensors could potentially help doctors and scientists understand Parkinson’s Disease.
Euan Ashley, a Stanford University investigator behind the myHeart app, told Fusion that Apple largely acted as a “facilitator”, building the ResearchKit framework in the background as the researchers designed and built the first ResearchKit apps by themselves. However, Apple did go meet with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration three months before the Spring Forward event to talk about medical research and smooth over any potential regulatory concerns.
Friend noted that even though his open-source ideals didn’t totally mesh with Apple’s view on open source at the time, he wanted to work with them rather than competitors like Google and Microsoft because Apple is a hardware company that doesn’t need to sell data, and that he believed Apple when the company said it wouldn’t look at the data being used in ResearchKit.
However, both Apple and Friend decided not to make the true origin of ResearchKit clear to Fusion. It’s unknown whether the idea was Friend’s or if Apple was developing it before Friend joined the team.
Thus far, ResearchKit has been a success for Apple, receiving thousands of sign-ups less than 24 hours after it was unveiled. In that time frame, 11,000 people signed up for one of the ResearchKit apps, myHeart Counts.
The rest of the interview also provides a good look at ResearchKit and can be read at Fusion’s website.
AIVAnet 