2016 Toyota Camry Hybrid review – Roadshow
The Good The 2016 Toyota Camry Hybrid’s gasoline-electric drivetrain operates quietly and delivers 200 horsepower, while the car’s Entune App integrates online destination search and popular third-party apps with the dashboard.
The Bad While 40-plus mpg is very good for a midsize sedan, the Camry Hybrid falls behind direct competition from Chevrolet and Ford. Toyota does not offer Android Auto or Apple CarPlay integration.
The Bottom Line The 2016 Toyota Camry Hybrid makes a solid midsize sedan choice for its fuel economy and power, but it will need a generational update to catch up to the competition, which is beating it in fuel economy and cabin tech.
When driving a car like the Jaguar F-Type, I want to be involved in the experience, hearing the exhaust note at every launch and feeling how it grips the road in hard cornering. But sometimes, I’ve got other things on my mind while traveling, like what’s for dinner or an upcoming vacation, with as little intrusion from the driving experience as possible.
For completely carefree driving, the 2016 Toyota Camry Hybrid cocoons me, making my mode of transportation the last thing I need to think about.
The Camry Hybrid operates silently, with naturally quiet electric propulsion and a gasoline engine that only sounds off under full throttle. The gearless transmission makes acceleration smooth and linear, while the cockpit presents an uncluttered, ergonomic design with intuitive placement of controls. Considering its 40 mpg average fuel economy and 17-gallon tank, stops for gasoline come few and far between.
Amidst all the intentioned blandness, I was amused that the shifter, really just another electronic control, looked worthy of a manual-transmission sport coupe.
As this generation of Camry was introduced in 2011, it is getting long in the tooth, its technology falling behind more recent competition.
Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow
Camry is, of course, Toyota’s midsize sedan, and as the most popular passenger car in the US for many years running, most people have been in one at some point in their lives. For the Camry Hybrid, Toyota takes the same gasoline-hybrid drivetrain technology it developed for the Prius, gives it a bigger engine, and puts it into play.
That means a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, similar to that found in the base level Camry, putting its 156 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque to work. In concert with the engine, a 105-kilowatt motor and nickel-metal hydride battery pack bring total output up to 200 horsepower, ample for a midsize like the Camry Hybrid.
Hybrid Toyota Camry a 200-horsepower…
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Even with that power and its sporty shifter, the Camry Hybrid doesn’t offer much in the way of engagement with the road. Suspension and steering all feel tuned for comfort, making for an easy driving experience. That’s not to say the steering wasn’t precise, it just wasn’t tuned to communicate any road feel.
The Camry Hybrid mixes power from its gasoline and electric sources seamlessly.
The Camry Hybrid mixes power from its gasoline and electric sources seamlessly. If I wanted to know what was going on with the hybrid drivetrain, I could watch a power animation on its dashboard LCD, or just check if the green EV icon was lit on the dashboard. Impressively, that green EV light showed up even when I was cruising along at freeway speeds.
I find braking in the Camry Hybrid, and most hybrids for that matter, rewarding. Instead of burning up brake pads and bringing the car closer to an expensive maintenance appointment, I knew that the car was actually saving its friction brake and largely relying on regenerative braking, recharging its battery pack to give it more electric boost. Every stop is like a mini fill-up.
As with many hybrid cars, the Camry Hybrid does away with the traditional tachometer in favor of a power gauge.
Toyota
During my testing period, I got to put the Camry Hybrid up against the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid in a half-mile drag race. Flooring it off the line, the Camry Hybrid took a moment figuring out that I wanted all its power, losing valuable time, but then picked up speed. Its 200 horsepower gave it an edge over the competition, beating the other hybrids across the finish line. A little better programming on the throttle for a better start and its victory would have been much more devastating.
However, those competitors beat the Camry Hybrid handily on fuel economy. Where I managed about 42 mpg on a test loop, the others achieved numbers in the high 40s.
Joule review – CNET
More about sous vide
- Anova Precision Cooker Bluetooth + Wi-Fi
- WiFi Nomiku
- A test kitchen food fight: sous vide or not sous vide?
Editors’ note, August 9, 2016: ChefSteps announced this week that it reduced the retail price of the Joule to $199 and the preorder price to $149. People who preordered the Joule at the higher price will receive a refund for the difference.
There’s not much to look at when you unbox the Joule immersion circulator. But that’s the point of the latest connected sous vide machine that’s on its way to American kitchens.
ChefSteps, the Seattle-based food and technology company that created the Joule, will begin shipping it in September to customers who preordered the $299 device. You use the Joule for a cooking method called sous vide in which you vacuum-seal food in a plastic bag and cook the food in a controlled environment, like a water bath. Like other immersion circulators, you put the Joule in water, and it circulates and heats the water to precise temperatures for cooking.
We got our hands on a beta version of the Joule, so I compared it to similar sous vide immersion circulators we’ve reviewed and cooked one steak. I still have more testing to do, but here are some initial observations about and first impressions of the Joule:
The Joule heats water for a sous vide steak.
Chris Monroe/CNET
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The Joule stands out by standing up. The device has a strong magnet on the bottom so you can put the device right in the middle of your water bath (as long as you’re using a magnetic steel pot or induction-ready cookware). Most immersion circulators clip to the side of your container. Joule has the clip option, too, for other types of cookware, but it’s nice to see a different design for this type of product.
(From left to right) The WiFi Nomiku, the Joule and the Anova Precision Cooker Bluetooth Wi-Fi
Chris Monroe/CNET
- Speaking of design, the Joule has a much simpler look than its competitors. The device is an 11-inch tall, white column that looks like a mod-inspired lightsaber handle. A power button on top is the only sort of built-in control. This lack of physical controls stands out, especially when you compare the Joule with the WiFi Nomiku, which has a turn wheel for setting the temperature. And the Joule is also smaller than its competitors.
- The Joule needs its app more than any other sous vide device. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled sous vide machines such as the WiFi Nomiku and the Anova Precision Cooker Bluetooth + Wi-Fi let you set your desired temperature and adjust device settings from a smartphone app, but they always have some sort of controls built right onto the device. The Joule forgoes buttons and touchscreen controls and makes it mandatory to use the iOS and Android-compatible app to sous vide. The app has one of the most informative and polished interfaces I’ve seen on a sous vide-centric app. Recipes are divided into three categories: basic guides, ultimate guides for more advanced cooking and grilling guides. Each recipe has step-by-step instructions that include short video clips with each step that show you exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. So far, the app is impressive, but it makes me nervous how heavily the Joule relies on the app. What if I lose my phone but want to cook a bomb pork belly?
App instructions for preparing a sous vide steak (left), and a notification when the steak was finished (right).
Screenshots by Ashlee Clark Thompson/CNET
- You can watch the Joule circulate water in a new way. The components that make immersion circulators like the Nomiku and Anova work are hidden away on the inside of the device with openings at the bottom end that let the devices heat and circulate the water. The Joule, however, brings water into the device and spits it out through a small hole on its side. It’s like watching a small water fountain right in your pot.
- I’ve only cooked one dish, and it was delicious. I followed the Joule’s recipe for basic steak and cooked a strip steak for one hour in 136-degree Fahrenheit water. It came out medium, which was the intended result, and still juicy.
Polar M600 review
Throughout the past few years, we’ve had to choose one or the other – fitness trackers or smartwatches. Dedicated fitness trackers might be better at tracking your daily activity and heart rate, but they normally lack things like voice commands and proper notification support – two features normally found only on smartwatches. Sure, there’s always the option of buying a fitness tracker and a smartwatch, but that’s not a very elegant solution for those who are looking to wear just one device at a time.
But what if you don’t want to choose between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker? That’s where the Polar M600 comes in.
With a built-in GPS, optical heart rate sensor and plenty of other essentials found in higher-end fitness trackers, the new Polar M600 certainly brings a lot to the table. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the device, though, is the fact that it’s running Android Wear, Google’s smartwatch OS.
Does the M600 offer up enough to warrant its high price tag? Or should you opt for something else? We find that out, and more, in our full Polar M600 review.
In an effort to bring both our readers and viewers the most comprehensive review experience possible, the Polar M600 was reviewed by two different members of Android Authority. Both Joshua Vergara and I (Jimmy Westenberg) collaborated on this review.
We have both been using the Polar M600 as our main fitness tracker for roughly three weeks.
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Related:
Best fitness trackers
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Design
It’s clear that Polar set out to create a true fitness tracker/smartwatch hybrid device with the M600. While that may be the case on the software front, this thing doesn’t look anything like the other smartwatches currently on the market. Rather, its overall shape and size bares a slight resemblance to Garmin’s vívoactive HR, mostly because of its big, bulky design. In fact, the M600 is actually quite a bit bigger than the vívoactive HR. It measures 13mm thick, compared to the vívoactive HR’s 11.4mm.
Don’t miss:
Garmin vívoactive HR review
September 19, 2016
One of the biggest downsides of a bulky device like this is that users could potentially feel less inclined to put it on every day. Especially for sleep tracking, this isn’t the most comfortable device to wear on your wrist, so try to keep that in mind if you’re looking for a comfortable, wrist-mounted activity tracker.
On top of the size issues some may have with the M600, the design of the device is quite bland, overall. While there are a few things that help the device stand out, such as the chrome bezels on the left and right edges and Gorilla Glass 3 screen, we can’t help but think that the M600’s design feels a bit uninspired. Polar might not be in the business of creating fashionable fitness accessories, but it’s hard not to compare it to the work Fitbit is doing with its latest activity trackers.
One of the more positive aspects of the M600’s design is support for interchangeable straps. This means if your strap breaks for some reason, you can pick up a spare on Amazon for about $30 without replacing the whole unit. The M600’s straps remind us a lot of the ones found on the Moto 360 Sport. They’re very rubbery and tend to collect a lot of dust and fuzz. It’s a small gripe, really, but should still be kept in mind if you own any dogs or cats.
See also:
Moto 360 Sport review
March 4, 2016
Forget ever using the M600 with a suit or even a button up shirt
Smartwatches often try to toe the line between style and functionality, given that they often need to be quite thick in order to accommodate the technology underneath the screen. The problem with the Polar M600 is that it makes no such effort. For a watch that is supposed to be useful in more than just active situations, we felt like we could only use the watch when we were exercising or outdoors. Forget ever using the M600 with a suit or even a button up shirt – while we don’t have any problem letting others know we are active people, this fitness watch finds a way to make it a little too obvious.
The M600 also carries an IPX8 waterproof rating, which means it’s suitable for swimming up to 10 meters. This is certainly one of the more positive aspects in the design department, as it means you can not only track your swims, you also don’t need to worry about it getting wet if you’re near a pool.
Now let’s talk about the display. The M600 sports a 1.3-inch TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 240, resulting in a pixel density of 260ppi. We’ve been quite happy with the quality and responsiveness of the display, though it does seem a tad small compared to the overall size of the device.
The M600 has two physical buttons – one right below the display and another off to the left. The leftmost button acts as a home button, which can also be used to wake up the display if you don’t want to swipe to wake it. The button below the display is the activity button, and pressing it will bring you to Polar’s built-in training application. From here, you get two options – Training and My day. The Training section is where you’ll go to select which workout you’d like to perform, and the My day section will give you a snapshot of the current day’s activity. You can only see your steps, distance and calories progress from this screen though; for everything else, you’ll need to open the Polar Flow app on your phone.
Features and performance
The Polar M600 is one of the most feature-rich fitness trackers we’ve tested
The Polar M600 is one of the most feature-rich fitness trackers we’ve tested. As for daily activity tracking, it’ll keep track of your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, resting and active heart rate, and sleep. In order for the M600 to track any of these things, you’ll first need to download the Polar Flow app on your Android or iOS smartphone. Once that’s downloaded, sync your M600 to the app and you’re ready to start tracking.
It’s also worth noting that Polar Flow has a desktop client and a browser version, too, if you’d rather look at your activity history on a computer. It’s definitely refreshing to see a fitness-focused Android Wear device with a robust companion app. While Google Fit and Moto Body are easy to use, simplistic applications, Polar Flow is much more to our liking. More on that later, though.
Before you take the M600 out for its first workout, we recommend opening up Polar Flow and navigating to the Sport Profiles section. This is where you’ll be able to load up to 20 different sport profiles on your M600 to select before you start working out. You can ‘only’ load 20 onto your device at one time, but there are over a hundred to choose from. Some of the most common Sport Profiles are running, hiking, walking, spinning, road cycling, jogging, indoor cycling and strength training. It can also track other sports like baseball, hockey and football, too.
We should clarify something here – the M600 may be able to track your activity during your Finnish baseball match or judo training class, but it won’t give you granular feedback based on that specific sport. For instance, it might be able to track your activity during your rowing class, but it won’t give you stroke rate or stroke count information.
Unlike Fitbit and some Garmin devices, the M600 doesn’t come with automatic activity recognition
Whichever sport you choose to participate in, though, you’ll need to remember to tell the device to record your activity beforehand. Unlike Fitbit and some Garmin devices, the M600 doesn’t come with automatic activity recognition. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember to record your workouts manually, but it’s only a few more buttons.
This is where we’ve found the Polar ecosystem to be one of the best in the fitness game. While the M600 may not be able to figure out automatically what kind of workout you’re performing, it will take into account the rigorousness of the current activity and put it towards your overall fitness for the day. And to that end, Polar does not solely rely on step counts in order to figure out users’ overall fitness. Instead, it uses a combination of sensors to know if the user is lying down, sitting, standing, walking, running, or otherwise being active. Based on the aggressiveness of activity, it will put the steps toward its overall count.
More importantly, however, the device will add it all to an overall percentage that, when completed, means that optimal fitness has been achieved for that day. We feel this is much better than other fitness trackers that rely only on steps (looking at you, Samsung, and your ridiculous 6,000 step goal by default) because it takes into account how rigorous the said steps are. Think of it this way: let’s say you paced around for a long time during the day and hit 10,000 steps – because you weren’t really exerting a lot of energy in doing so, you might only get to about 60% of the day’s overall optimal fitness.
See also:
Gear Fit 2 review – can Samsung get fitness tracking right?
July 11, 2016
The M600 will also let you know if you’ve been sitting down too long. Every 55 minutes you’ll get an inactivity alert, and that’s when it’s time to get up and take a walk, stretch or light jog. If you don’t get up and move within five minutes, you’ll get an inactivity stamp on your Polar Flow timeline.
The M600 has been quite accurate in terms of step, calorie and distance tracking
But how well does it perform? Throughout our testing, the M600 has been quite accurate in terms of step, calorie and distance tracking. Thanks to the built-in GPS, accurate distance tracking shouldn’t come as a surprise on the M600. This is especially good news for runners and cyclists who need accurate distance metrics, and the Polar Flow app does a great job at displaying this information.
When you’re done recording a workout, you can head into the Polar Flow app and view your past exercises in the Training section. Once you select your workout, click on the map, then use the slider on the bottom to scroll through your route. Polar Flow will give you granular details based on where you were in your route, how fast you were going, your pace at that time, and your heart rate. You can see a good example of this in the screenshots attached below.
If you’re at all familiar with Polar’s other products, you’re probably aware that the company has made a name for itself by producing high-quality, accurate heart rate monitors. With that said, it should come as no surprise that the M600 sports a very impressive optical heart rate monitor, complete with six LED lights.
Throughout this review period, we’ve tested the M600’s heart rate monitor against the Wahoo TICKR X. From what we’ve been able to gather, the M600 has one of the most accurate wrist-mounted heart rate monitors we’ve used thus far. When comparing it to the TICKR X, the M600 was never off by more than 4bpm or so, even during high-intensity workouts. We usually see wrist-mounted heart rate monitors slip up when reaching upwards of 160bpm, but we’re happy to say the M600 experienced no such problems.
Take a look at the screenshots attached above. The two on the left are from the Polar Flow app, while the two on the right are from the Wahoo TICKR X. As you can see, the M600’s heart rate monitor had no problems keeping up with the TICKR X during the highs and lows of the workout. If you’d like a more detailed look at the M600’s heart rate recordings, see the screenshot below.
If you’d rather not use the M600’s built-in heart rate sensor, you can pair it with a third-party chest strap
If you’d rather not use the built-in heart rate sensor on the M600, though, you can pair it with a third-party chest strap. Not only will this give you more accurate heart rate data, pairing a chest strap to the M600 is easy. Just press the center button on your M600 (the one below the screen), then tap Training. If your chest strap is turned on, you should see a connect option on your screen. Tap that, and you’re good to go. Your M600 will now use the heart rate data from your chest strap.
Another bonus: once your chest-mounted heart rate monitor is connected, you can take the M600 off. This is useful for those times when the watch is simply too big for the activity being done (like hitting a punching bag, as it is too difficult to get gloves on while wearing the M600). You will still get an accurate reading of the exercise being done via the continuous heart rate monitoring from the strap.
While the Polar M600 doesn’t offer up automatic activity recognition, it does, however, record sleep automatically. There’s no need to tap a sleep now button or anything before you pass out. Just fall asleep with the device strapped to your wrist, wake up, and your sleep data will be recorded in the Polar Flow app. The M600 will record your total time asleep, restful sleep percentage, restful sleep time, and restless sleep time. Those are the only stats you’ll get by default, but since this is Android Wear, you can download a third-party app like Sleep as Android if you need more granular stats.
Also read: The best sleep trackers
From what we’ve been able to tell, the M600 is very accurate at tracking sleep, though we would have liked to see more sleep stats offered up by default. Polar Flow doesn’t display sleep cycle information, for instance.
Under the hood, the M600 sports a MediaTek MT2601 processor backed by 512MB of RAM. That’s par for the course when compared to other Android Wear devices on the market. Plus, it comes with 4GB of on-board storage, so you can save your favorite playlist locally for offline listening with a pair of Bluetooth earbuds.
The device also features a 500mAh battery, which Polar says will be able to get you about two full days of use or eight hours of training on a single charge. And for the most part, that’s absolutely correct. With moderate use, we’ve had no problems getting the M600 to last two full days, even with roughly an hour’s worth of exercise tracking on each day. If you’re constantly receiving notifications, replying to text messages or using Google Maps to navigate from your watch, however, the device will probably last closer to one full day.
Compared to the other Android Wear devices on the market, the M600’s two-day battery life is very impressive.
A quick tip – turn on Do Not Disturb when you sleep. It’ll keep the notifications from coming in and the alarm will still go off. After getting into this habit for just about any wearable, we’ve found battery life to be much closer to the claims that the various companies make. Two days is great for the Polar M600, but we could have done away with the proprietary charging cable that Polar uses for most of their peripherals. A microUSB connection would have worked just fine, as it did with the previous M400. Why they felt the need to go to a completely different charging connector is beyond us.
| Display | 1.3-inch TFT display 240 x 240 resolution, 260ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Processor | 1.2GHz dual-core MediaTek MT2601 |
| RAM | 512MB |
| Storage | 4GB |
| Battery | 500mAh |
| Heart rate sensor | Yes, optical heart rate sensor with 6 LED lights |
| GPS | Yes |
| Other sensors | Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyroscope, Vibration motor, Microphone |
| Water resistance | Yes, IPX8 Suitable for swimming, up to 10 meters |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.2 Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Software | Android Wear |
| Notifications | Call, text, calendar alerts, and more |
| Compatibility | Android phones running 4.3 Jelly Bean or higher iPhone 5 or later running iOS 8.2 or higher |
| Dimensions and weight | 45x36x13mm 63g |
Software
One of the most unique aspects of the M600 is its software, and that’s mainly due to the fact that this is one of the first fitness-focused Android Wear devices we’ve seen thus far. The Polar M600 is running Android Wear 6.0.1, version 1.5.0.3062003.
As we all know by now, Google doesn’t give OEMs too much wiggle room in terms of the customization of Android Wear. Thus, the on-device software package that ships on the M600 will seem incredibly familiar to those who have used an Android Wear device in the past. Polar does include a good amount of its own watch faces, but only two of them display activity data on the screen. Plus, none of Polar’s watch faces are customizable, so you’ll need to download a third-party watch face if you’re looking to give your M600 a unique look.
While Polar’s implementation of Android Wear is familiar, we’ve also experienced quite a few bugs. We’ve paired our M600 with the Galaxy S7 Edge, HTC 10 and Nexus 6P throughout this review period, and we’ve found bugs and inconsistencies when paired to each device. For instance, the first time we paired the device with our HTC 10, an error would occur whenever we tried deleting emails from the watch. Perhaps the most notable bug we’ve discovered occurs when pairing the watch to a new phone. Our M600 has frozen up during the pairing process multiple times, forcing us to restart the watch and start the pairing process from the beginning. This wouldn’t be an issue if it happened just once or twice, but the fact that it happens multiple times during each setup is obviously an issue.
Related:
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Aside from the software bugs, we’ve been quite impressed with the device’s OS. With Android Wear, you’ll get notifications from as many applications as you’d like, voice commands, silent alarms, music playback, and much more. Plus, if Polar Flow doesn’t offer a certain type of functionality, you can simply download your favorite third-party fitness tracking app and use that instead. Fitness stats might be more streamlined in Polar’s own Flow app, but other options are there if you need them.
Oh, and because this is an Android Wear device, all of your fitness activity will also be recorded in Google Fit. Google’s fitness app is simplistic and intuitive, though the fitness-focused crowd will be much better off using Polar Flow.
The combination of Android Wear and Polar’s own software makes things too cluttered
This, however, makes this combination a little bit confusing for most users, especially those who have already enjoyed previous Polar models. The M400 software was updated recently so that it could provide notifications to the user via beeps (the M400 does not have vibration feedback) and through a simple text display using its typical digital watch screen. To that end, having Android Wear and all that it brings makes notifications and app connections a lot better, but when you can use just about any other fitness tracking software over Polar’s own built-in app, things seem just a little too cluttered in the end. Polar already does a great job with their own app, which makes it all the more confusing. We’re all for freedom of software choice, but we don’t expect existing Polar users to really go for the M600 simply because it has Android Wear, especially considering the M400 is much of the way there and costs much less.
Read more: The best fitness tracking apps for Android
The Polar Flow app is where you’ll be spending most of your time, and that’s a good thing. We’ve found the app to be a joy to use over the past few weeks. It’s well designed, intuitive, and gives you plenty of granular information without coming off as cluttered.
The app is divided up into three main sections: Feed, Activity and Training. The first section, Feed, is basically a timeline of your daily activity, which displays a snapshot of your activity statistics for each day. You’ll be able to see your total active time, calories burned and total steps taken. And if you connect with friends, you’ll be able to see, comment on and thumbs up their activity.
The next section, Activity, is where you’ll see your daily, weekly and monthly activity. Daily activity is displayed in a unique clock-like view, showing your activity type for each time of day. It’s a good way to visualize just how lazy or active you tend to be at certain points in the day. Additionally, Polar Flow will tell you how much time you’ve spent lying down, sitting, standing, walking, or working out for each day, which has also proven to be quite useful. Many fitness apps simply tell you how much exercise you’ve done for each day, but not many will tell you how long you’ve been lying down or sitting. As for week and month views within the Activity section, you’ll see a graph in each section which displays your activity levels overtime, as well as a percentage detailing your daily goal completion average.
If you need to look back on any previous activity, head to the Training section of the app. You’ll get a simple calendar view on the top of the screen, where you can navigate to a specific day and get detailed information on each one of your workouts.
Aside from the few hiccups here and there, we’ve been huge fans of the M600’s software package overall. The combination of Polar’s robust fitness tracking features and Android Wear make for an all-around great fitness tracking experience.
Gallery
Should you buy it?
The crux of the M600 is how it fits into the giant world of fitness trackers, and unfortunately that’s the device’s biggest downfall. Without looking at its price point, the M600 is a well-performing fitness smartwatch that’s packed with features. Not only does it offer up an accurate heart rate monitor and GPS capabilities, it’s also compatible with tons of third-party applications thanks to Android Wear. While the software package as a whole may be a bit buggy sometimes, the software package overall has impressed us over the past few weeks.
In a world where Garmin’s vívoactive HR is available for around $200, it’s tough to recommend the M600
We also need to talk about the M600’s price point, though, and the fact that it costs about $80-$100 more than some of the higher-end fitness trackers out there. The Polar M600 is available for $329.95, and there are a few reasons for that steep price tag. GPS fitness trackers always cost quite a bit more than ones without this feature. Plus, since this is an Android Wear smartwatch, that also warrants a higher price tag. But in a world where Garmin’s vívoactive HR is available for a little over $200 and boasts just about the same feature set (minus the Android Wear part), it’s tough to recommend the M600.
It’s also hard to recommend this watch to anyone that is already a part of the Polar ecosystem. Sure, there might be users out there who will really want Android Wear on their existing watch, and that’s quite literally what the M600 is. But in the scheme of sheer fitness tracking, the M600 doesn’t offer anything too different from the company’s existing trackers. Because of that, any current Polar users will probably find the price way too high to change it up.
If you’re looking for a true fitness tracker/smartwatch hybrid and don’t mind paying upwards of $300 to get that experience, you should absolutely buy the M600. But if you’d rather save some money and don’t mind living without Android Wear, we’d recommend passing on this one and going for the vívoactive HR.
What are your thoughts? Does the Polar M600 have you interested? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Next:
The best smartwatches
3 weeks ago
Review: ZENS Power Bank Will Charge Your iPhone and Apple Watch
ZENS recently debuted its latest product, an iPhone/Apple Watch Power Bank that has a built-in Apple Watch charging puck and a USB port, allowing you to charge all of your devices at once.
Priced at €69.99 (or $78.00) the 4,000 mAh ZENS Power Bank is about the size and shape of a chocolate bar, though perhaps a bit wider. Because it’s neither short nor particularly flat, it doesn’t fit well in a pocket, but it’s a good size for a backpack or bag when traveling.
The Power Bank is sturdy and well-made, constructed from a soft-finish black plastic material. At one end, there’s an Apple Watch charging puck built into the device, and at the top, there’s a USB port for plugging in an iPhone or other USB-powered device, and a micro-USB port that’s used for charging.
There’s a single button that’s used as an on/off switch, which needs to be pressed whenever the Apple Watch is placed on top of it to activate charging. The Power Bank has a single blue LED next to the micro-USB port so you can tell if it has charge left, but because there aren’t multiple LEDs, there’s no way to tell exactly how much charge is remaining.
Due to the flat, skinny shape of the ZENS Power Bank, I sometimes had trouble getting my Apple Watch situated just right so it would charge, and a knock was enough to dislodge it if I happened to hit it when reaching for something on my nightstand in the middle of the night. That said, it does work with multiple bands and it’s no less convenient than using the Apple Watch charger on its own.
I took the ZENS iPhone/Apple Watch Power Bank with me on a trip recently, and I can confirm that at 4,000 mAh, it has enough juice to keep an Apple Watch charged for a week. I used it for nine days straight to keep my 38mm Apple Watch charged, but I wasn’t draining it every single day.
As for the iPhone, the ZENS Power Bank can do just about one full iPhone 7 Plus charge and one full Apple Watch charge, but that eats up a lot of the capacity because it’s limited to 4,000 mAh, which is on the small side for portable iPhone batteries.
I was able to get it to charge my iPhone 7 Plus and my Apple Watch, but it was essentially drained after that. I don’t have an iPhone 7 to test, but you could potentially get two charges out of the Power Bank because the iPhone 7 has a lower-capacity 1,960 mAh battery inside. It’s worth noting that the Power Bank offers 2-amp charging, so the iPhone will charge at a decent speed.
Because it can only deliver a single charge to an iPhone 7 Plus and an Apple Watch simultaneously, this is only going to work for day trips when you need a little extra juice. Conferences, a long day at Disneyland, and a night camping will all work fine, but don’t buy this for a longer trip unless you only need to charge your Apple Watch.
If you just want something to power the Apple Watch, this will work for a solid week of standard Apple Watch use. A little more if you’re not using much battery, and a little less if you’re draining your watch every day.
At home, the Power Bank is nice if you want an Apple Watch charger that has no cords and only needs to be charged once a week from a computer or USB power adapter (it doesn’t come with one). It can sit on a desk without taking up too much room, and its neutral design will match most decor.
Bottom Line
The ZENS iPhone/Apple Watch Power Bank costs approximately $78, which is not a great price for a 4,000 mAh battery pack.
On Amazon, you can get a smaller 5,200 mAh battery pack for $15.99, or a 10,000 mAh battery pack for $30, but it won’t have the built-in Apple Watch charger that’s in the ZENS Power Bank.
If you don’t want to carry around an Apple Watch charger and want a built-in solution, the ZENS iPhone/Apple Watch Power Bank will deliver it, but personally, I’d rather pay much less for more power, especially if I’m seeking something that’s got enough juice to charge my iPhone. You’re going to be carrying a micro-USB charging cord and a Lightning cord to charge the iPhone if you use the ZENS Power Bank anyway, so I’m not sure how much of a convenience factor it’s adding.
If you want a cord-free desktop Apple Watch charging solution or need a way to power an Apple Watch alone for a week, however, the ZENS iPhone/Apple Watch Power Bank could be worth checking out.
Pros:
- Can keep Apple Watch charged for a week
- Built-in Apple Watch charging puck
Cons:
- Expensive
- Low capacity
- Not suitable for more than 1 iPhone 7 Plus charge
- Requires micro-USB cord for charging
- No way to determine charge level
How to Buy
The ZENS iPhone/Apple Watch Power Bank can be purchased from the ZENS website for €69.99 or about $78. It ships from the Netherlands to the United States and many other countries around the world.
Tags: review, ZENS
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LG DLEX 3570V Dryer review – CNET
The Good The LG DLEX 3570V dryer is powerful enough to dry clothes quickly. The appliance also features multiple steam modes and dryer cycles to handle a wide range of clothing and fabric types.
The Bad The LG DLEX 3570V dryer’s control panel is cluttered and its 7.4-cubic-foot capacity comparatively small. The machine uses a tiny water tank instead of a water line input to supply moisture for its steam cycles.
The Bottom Line If you often need to dry your clothes in a hurry, the LG DLEX 3570V dryer won’t disappoint, but look to other models for greater capacity and style.
LG sells some of the most attractive laundry appliances on the market, but the $1,100 LG DLEX 3570V dryer isn’t one of them. This machine has a drab color scheme and conventional appearance that could easily belong to any number of products from a wide range of manufacturers. What the DLEX 3570V lacks in distinctive looks, however, it makes up for in swift cycle speed and sheer clothes drying power.
Those who need to wash large loads at once won’t appreciate the dryer’s relatively cramped 7.4 cubic foot capacity drum. For them, either the luxurious $1,800 LG DLEX 9000V or roomy $1,400 Kenmore Elite 81072 are a better fit. Of course if it’s striking design you’re after then consider the $1,100 Kenmore 69133 and $1,000 LG DLEY 1701V. Both high-performance dryers are sleek and lovely, and they sprint through their cycles quickly.
Don’t be fooled by its ordinary looks, this…
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Design and features
Painted in what LG describes as “graphite steel” (also available in white), the DLEX 3570V dryer’s gray-and-silver chassis closely resembles myriad similarly bland machines made by GE, Kenmore and Whirlpool. Measuring 38.7 inches tall by 27 inches wide and reaching a depth of 29.75 inches, the dryer is very close in size to the Kenmore 81383 and GE GFDS260EFWW, two appliances that also share a close resemblance.
The control panel’s busy layout is tricky to interpret at a glance.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Even so, the LG DLEX 3570V is by no means old-fashioned. The dryer’s control panel sits on the machine’s front face and has modern LED indicators. At the center of the panel is a large dial that swivels softly to highlight your chosen dryer cycle. It’s a far cry from the cantankerous mechanical knobs that still exist on some budget dryers such as the Kenmore 65132 and GE GTD45EASJWS.
This doesn’t mean the LG dryer is a pleasure to operate. With a cluttered layout and text that’s often too small to read quickly, I often found it tricky to tell just what the appliance was up to at any given moment.
The cycle dial’s LED indicators ring the control knob closely.
Chris Monroe/CNET
There are plenty of dryer cycles to choose from. Numbering 12 in all, the cycles profess to handle everything from permanent press and synthetics to bulky items, cotton garments and towels. The dryer can also perform two different steam cycles, “Steam Fresh” and “Steam Sanitary.” The first option is designed to remove wrinkles and odors from clothing quickly. The second cycle hits the dryer drum with high heat and steam to destroy germs lurking within fabric.
A tiny water tank supplies this dryer’s steam modes.
Chris Monroe/CNET
To supply moisture for its steam functions, the LG DLEX 3570V relies on a small water reservoir that you must fill manually. While it’s a minor inconvenience, especially if you have access to a sink in your laundry room, the arrangement is more hands-on than using a dedicated water line.
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on the Surface Studio
Arguably the most interesting computer released this year wasn’t an ultra-thin laptop or even a tablet hybrid — it was a desktop computer. The Surface Studio is hardly the first all-in-one desktop, but it’s the first from Microsoft, and the company even managed to make this classic form factor feel fresh. In particular, we’re fans of the optional “Surface Dial” accessory, which gives users an additional way to get around menus and control on-screen objects. (The included pen works well too.) This is also just a very well-crafted product, with a sturdy build and an articulating screen that comes in handy for creative work.
The main problem is the price. Well, and the specs you get for the money. Though the Studio is powerful, it’s limited by the fact that it runs mobile, not desktop, processors. Also, though there are configurations beyond the $3,000 base model, the machine itself isn’t user-upgradeable. And that could be a problem for the sort of niche the Studio is aimed at.
BlackBerry DTEK60 review – CNET
The Good Polished design, good battery life and performs well in day-to-day use. The 21-megapixel camera takes detailed images and shoots 4K video. And messaging’s a breeze.
The Bad The fingerprint sensor is finicky. Low-light photos look bad. The phone lacks water-proofing and its security features are a bit overhyped.
The Bottom Line The DTEK60 is a fast, capable phone. Its focus on productivity and security will make business users quite happy. As for the rest of us, the phone is rather vanilla.
BlackBerry’s newest phone is the DTEK60.
James Martin/CNET
BlackBerry’s newest release, the DTEK60, is a midrange Android phone that aims to be as productive and secure as it possibly can. Its target is clear: the business user.
But if you’re not a business user, the DTEK60 might just seem so-so. While its specs and performance are good, there are better phones at lower prices that are just as useful and far more enjoyable — like the OnePlus 3T.
- Design: If the DTEK60 looks familiar that’s because it’s a copy of the Alcatel Idol 4S — same beautiful 5.5-inch AMOLED display, same sleek metal band and same glass back. Unfortunately, both lack water-proofing. The only physical differences are the more obvious camera bump on the DTEK60 and its dark gray color — the Idol 4S is black.
- Performance: The DTEK60 is faster than the Idol 4S and is one of the speedier midrange phones out there. During my time with it, the Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of memory kept things humming along — I never experienced any lags.
BlackBerry DTEK60 Benchmark Scores
BlackBerry DTEK60
1654
3730
26148
BlackBerry DTEK50
700
2987
8912
Alcatel Idol 4S
1339
4232
17627
OnePlus 3T
1905
4321
32143
Legend:
Geekbench 3 Single-Core
Geekbench 3 Multi-Core
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
- Security: BlackBerry claims this is “the world’s most secure Android phone.” That’s akin to a restaurant claiming it has the world’s best pizza. On its website, BlackBerry advertises quick security updates, Enterprise support and access to its encrypted BlackBerry servers. Android has many of these security features (or similar ones) built directly into its operating system. The DTEK60 is a secure phone, but so are most phones running Android 6.0.1 or 7.
- Battery: The DTEK60’s best feature. In our continuous video playback test, the DTEK60 lasted just over 14 hours. That is better than the Google Pixel XL, Motorola Moto Z and iPhone 7 Plus.
- Camera: The camera has 21 megapixels and shoots 4K video. In good light, the focus speed is decent and images have nice detail. It will handle snaps of those business receipts quite well. But the camera lacks optical image stabilization. In low light, it struggles to focus and images are quite noisy.
The BlackBerry DTEK60’s camera gets some…
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- Convenience key: Like the Idol 4S, there’s a programmable hardware key to quickly open apps and trigger tasks. Using this with the camera, or to mute a call was pretty sweet. My only hangup is that the screen must be unlocked before using the convenience key — which isn’t always convenient.
- Fingerprint sensor: The scanner, located on the back, rarely read my finger correctly on the first attempt. You and your fingers might have better luck.
- BlackBerry exclusives: I like the onscreen keyboard and that the BlackBerry Hub app lets me put all my messages in one place: emails, text, social media. The Productivity Tab is a nifty way to quickly check scheduled events. Then there’s BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, which is a bit like MySpace. When I logged in, I found only two people I know — so I didn’t use it much.
The DTEK60 is one of the nicest BlackBerrys released in a long time. It’s filled with useful features and decent specs. Business users should find it quite the capable phone. But for the rest of us, it misses out on being fun. I’m not excited to pick it up and use it like I am a Google Pixel or an iPhone or a OnePlus 3T. Those phones offer good security and productivity features, but they also have things like Google Assistant, iMessage and better cameras. Through use, those phones feel like they become a reflection of who I am. Whereas the DTEK60 feels like I’m using a scientific calculator — it wants me to adapt to it. And maybe that’s the point. Maybe that’s what makes this a good work phone.
BlackBerry DTEK60
| 5.5-inch; 2,560×1,440 pixels AMOLED | 5.5-inch; 2,560×1,440 pixels AMOLED | 5.2-inch; 1,920×1080 pixels | 5.5-inch; 1,920×1080 pixels |
| 534 ppi | 534 ppi | 424 ppi | 401ppi |
| Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
| 21-megapixel | 16-megapixel | 13-megapixel | 16-megapixel |
| 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 16-megapixel |
| 4K | 4K | Full-HD | 4K |
| 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 | 1.8GHz + 1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 | 1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 | 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 |
| 32GB | 32GB | 16GB | 64GB or 128GB |
| 4GB | 3GB | 3GB | 6GB |
| 3,000mAh | 3,000mAh | 2,610mAh | 3,400mAh |
| Back cover | Back cover | None | Home button |
| $499 | $400 | $229 | $439 (16GB) or $479 (128GB) |
| £475 | £385 | £275 | £399 (16GB) or £439 (128GB) |
| Converts to about AU$660 | AU$470 | About AU$395 | About AU$590 (16GB) or AU$650 (128GB) |
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on the PS4 Pro
It’s going to be another year yet before Microsoft ships its next-gen console, codenamed “Scorpio.” So for the next 12 months, then, the most powerful gaming console you’ll be able to buy is the PlayStation 4 Pro. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s worth the upgrade — at least not now, and certainly not for everybody. Because one of the PS4 Pro’s biggest draws its ability to handle 4K HDR video, you won’t get much out of it if you don’t already own a matching 4K HDR set. So if you already own a regular PS4 and a 1080p set, you have no immediate reason to upgrade.
Plus, even if you do have the right kind of TV, many games haven’t yet been updated to offer 4K HDR video quality. Also, because the PS4 doesn’t support 4K Blu-rays, your only way of getting 4K video right now is through Netflix or YouTube. It’s probably best to wait not just for those game patches, but for Sony to port over the 4K streaming store already offered on its Bravia TVs.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
So, the Mini NES is sold out. The Nintendo Switch doesn’t arrive till next year. What do you do to get your Nintendo fix until then?
Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker has arrived on the Nintendo 3DS, offering a big dose of make-your-own-Mario-to-go. It’s fun, but it isn’t exactly the home run it could have been… because it’s missing something important. Sharing.
Super Mario Maker debuted on the Wii U last year, offering tons of make-your-own smart lesson in the basics of game design. My son loves it to death. The 3DS version bottles that up in a mini portable version, but it doesn’t cross-sync with the Wii U game. And it doesn’t even allow you to upload your own levels.
Making your own crazy Mario-levels-to-go is easy.
Sarah Tew/CNET
What’s great
Unleashing Nintendo’s best game properties to masses of dedicated fans to tweak and edit new worlds is a brilliant idea, and Super Mario Maker — when it arrived last year on the Wii U — was a master stroke. But it was a great game on a system few people own. The Nintendo 3DS is in far more hands, and the tiny handheld style of the system is a much more perfect match for what Super Mario Maker is: a tiny retro building set. It’s a construction kit to make any type of Super Mario level you like. It’s the perfect game for a wait in an airport, or while away for the holidays.
It’s also a collection of quirky Super Mario levels, spanning four different game styles: Super Mario Bros (NES), Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World (SNES) and New Super Mario Bros, in case you’re too lazy to create.
It takes time to learn how to make great levels, but a series of tutorial levels (guided by a funky pigeon) introduce the many customization modes and controls, and even discuss some basic ideas of level design. Learning to make levels becomes easy, and levels can be play-tested instantly to tweak where platforms or your fiery traps are hidden.
Lots of community-made Wii U levels can be played, but they’re not all great.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Nintendo includes 100 levels to play in Super Mario Challenge, a sort of Mario remix. But there’s also a far deeper Course World, which taps into hundreds of user-made levels from the Wii U version of Super Mario Maker. These levels can be downloaded to play offline — or, to edit and tweak to make your own variations. A “100 Mario Challenge” mode randomly pulls online levels and lets you try them one by one and try to beat them. The Course World modes, however, require Wi-Fi (and a software update from the Nintendo eShop).
The game mostly uses the stylus, and makes great use of the 3DS/2DS touchscreen while letting the top screen be a place where the game can be played and tested. It’s a perfect fit, and most of the game feels expertly ported over. As far as graphics and interface go, nothing is lost.
100 Nintendo-made levels come included, in case you’re not feeling creative and just want to play.
Sarah Tew/CNET
What’s annoying
But there are drawbacks, and they’re big.
This could have been the ultimate Nintendo 3DS game, a way to build infinite levels and share those infinite levels with others. But the 3DS game lacks the Wii U version’s best feature: its ability to upload levels to share with others.
And because of that, it also lacks the great community feel of the Wii U Super Mario Maker, where you can make your own creations, share, and check back later to see whether that level you’ve poured 8-bit sweat into has become a viral hit.
You can share with friends locally, or over the 3DS’ near-range StreetPass feature. But that’s nowhere near the same thing. Also, you can’t build levels on the 3DS and share them on the Wii U, even if you own both games. They don’t connect with each other, which is baffling.
A pigeon explains what to do (of course).
Sarah Tew/CNET
That could be a deal-killer for many. If you’re serious about making your own Mario worlds Minecraft-style, stay with the Wii U version… or hold out and see if next year’s Nintendo Switch has a Mario Maker game that will work in portable or TV-connected mode (it would be a good idea, but Nintendo doesn’t always make the logical choices).
But, as a celebration of Mario games, and a retro toy with a ton of replay value, this is still a really fun game to have in your 3DS. And, well, my 8-year-old son would have a field day with it. I almost forgive it for not playing nice with the Wii U at all. But no, I don’t. This game should have been designed to dovetail with the Wi U version. Welcome to Nintendo: the best games, and the weirdest decisions.
DirecTV Now review – CNET
The Good DirecTV Now has most of the live channels offered by your local cable provider, without hidden fees or contracts or extra equipment (no satellite dish required). The $35/month introductory price for 100 channels is an amazing value. You can add HBO or Cinemax for just $5/month each.
The Bad That $35 price will expire eventually, and the basic package prices are much less appealing. No CBS, and live ABC, Fox and NBC only available in a handful of major cities. No cloud DVR (for now), so you can’t schedule recordings. Roku compatibility is coming, but not available yet.
The Bottom Line For cable cord-cutters and the cut-curious who prioritize live TV over on-demand access, DirecTV Now is a very good value.
Starting at $35/month
$35 per month for 100 channels. That’s what DirecTV Now delivers today. If that was all you needed to know, you could stop reading right now, cancel your cable or satellite service, subscribe and start saving.
Alas, it’s more complex than that.
For starters, you’ll need a compatible device and a fast-enough Internet connection. Those aren’t big hurdles for a lot of people (compatible devices, if you don’t already have one, start at just $35), but the main issue is that TV and Internet are often bundled together, and canceling your cable subscription could mean paying more for “just Internet,” nullifying some of that precious savings.
Then you’ll have to consider channels and features. DirecTV Now has most channels you’re used to with traditional cable, but it’s missing CBS. (Full disclosure: CNET is owned by CBS). Other local channels (ABC, Fox and NBC) are only available live in a few major cities, and your favorite team’s sports network might not be available at all. NFL football games (on NBC, Fox and ESPN) are effectively blacked out on non-Verizon mobile devices, although you can watch them on TVs and PCs.
Unlike cable TV and competing service PlayStation Vue, there’s no DVR (yet) so you can’t record programs to watch later or skip commercials. You’ll have to depend on the service’s on-demand offerings for non-Live shows, and while DirecTV claims they’re substantial, they’re not comprehensive.
DirecTV Now gives 100 channels for $35 (pictures)
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Finally there’s the biggest caveat: That $35/month price is an introductory offer, only good for a “limited time.” DirecTV isn’t saying when the offer expires. Even after it does, however, people who subscribed for that price won’t lose any channels. In other words, early subscribers are grandfathered into that price and can keep the 100+ channel package for $35/month, as long as they don’t cancel. If you decide to cancel and then resubscribe, you’ll have to pay the standard prices — which aren’t that much better than the competition, or much savings over a typical cable or satellite package.
But it’s not all bad news. One big advantage of DirecTV Now is that AT&T subscribers who stream DirecTV Now on their phones won’t have the data count against their monthly cap. You can also run two independent simultaneous streams on a single DirecTV Now account. And, like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, there are absolutely no contracts, so you can cancel any time.
Aside from the introductory price, all those aforementioned caveats and conditions are fairly common in the brave new world of “Multichannel live TV over the Internet.” DirecTV Now is a very important new addition to that world, and in many ways (especially sheer number of channels) it surpasses competitors like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue. I still like Vue better overall, mainly because of its cloud DVR and its access to CBS, and Sling is much cheaper, but DirecTV Now holds its own. If you’re interested, it’s worth talking advantage of the free 7-day trial.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
The basics: What you need to know
Before we get too deep into it, here’s the basics on DirecTV Now, including how it’s different from TV you may know, pricing, device support and other important stuff.
- It’s separate from DirecTV, the satellite service, but both are owned by AT&T
- Subscribers can watch numerous live TV channels using their Internet connection
- Prices range from $35 to $70 per month, depending on channels (see below)
- A channel package that normally costs $60 per month is discounted to $35 for a limited time
- One you download the app or visit the web site, you can watch on a TV, a mobile device like a phone or tablet, or a computer
- To watch on a TV, you’ll need an Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, an Apple TV, a Chromecast (Android at launch; iOS in 2017), or a Google Cast-enabled TV (like LeEco or Vizio SmartCast TVs)
- To watch on a computer, you can use Internet Explorer, Chrome or Safari web browsers
- You can also watch on any any iPhone, iPad or Android phone or tablet
- Roku, Amazon Fire tablet and additional Smart TV support is coming in 2017
- Subscribers to AT&T’s cell phone service can watch without using their mobile data; Subscribers to other services use mobile data as normal
- There’s a free 7-day trial available
- There’s no contract or early termination fee, so you can cancel at any time
- It’s available as of November 30
- It’s only available in the United States
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At launch the service works with mobile phones and computers, as well as these TV devices.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The channels: Lots and lots of live TV
DirecTV Now offers more live channels than competitors Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, and almost as many as a typical cable package. The big exception is CBS. That broadcast network is not available on DirecTV Now (and neither is CBS-owned premium channel Showtime). That said, there’s an easy workaround: To get CBS, you could subscribe to CBS All Access ($6/month) or use an antenna to receive the local broadcast for free. The standalone Showtime app costs $11/month.
Check out the article below for the full channel breakdown.
DirecTV Now vs. Sling TV vs. Playstation Vue: Channel lineups compared
Another big exception has to do with where you live. To watch other broadcast networks, namely ABC, Fox and NBC you’ll need to live in or near certain major cities–and coverage isn’t great right now. Unless you live in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or San Jose you won’t get all three networks, and many major cities get only one. If you don’t live in one of those markets, shows from those networks will be available on demand with a 24 hour delay. Check out the chart below for details.
DirecTV Now local network availability (ABC, Fox, NBC)
The arrangement is similar to PlayStation Vue, although that service covers more cities and does CBS (and charges extra for people who live in those major markets). For its part Sling TV only offers ABC in a handful of select markets, and it costs another $5/month.
DirecTV Now has four basic channel packages. Here’s how they stack up.
DirecTV Now packages
| Monthly price | Introductory price | Number of channels | Highlights |
| $35 | N/A | 60+ | ABC, Fox, NBC (where available), most basic cable channels |
| $50 | N/A | 80+ | Adds select regional sports networks, ESPN News, more |
| $60 | $35 | 100+ | Adds NBA TV, NHL Network, FXM, Sundance TV, more |
| $70 | N/A | 120+ | Adds 8 Starz/Encore channels, Boomerang, El Rey, more |
The big deal here is the introductory offer of $35 per month for the 100-channel “Go Big” package. During the introductory period there’s basically no reason to subscribe to the two smaller packages, and very little reason to pay double for the full monty “Gotta Have It” package. Even after that deal expires, the cheapest tier of DirecTV Now has more channels than the basic tiers of Sling TV and PlayStation Vue.
Another big deal is the ability to add HBO or Cinemax for just $5 extra (each) to any package. That’s a substantial discount ($10) off the normal premium channel rate. Unlike a service like HBO Go however, not every episode of every HBO series is included on-demand. For example, “Game of Thrones” only has one episode from season 6, and many episodes are missing from other seasons.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
You can use your DirecTV Now login credentials to sign in (authenticate) the HBO Go app, however, and gain access to the full library of shows that way. Other TV everywhere apps that will work with DirecTV Now at launch are Max Go, Watch ABC, Watch Disney Channel, Watch Disney Jr., Watch Disney XD, Watch Freeform and Watch ESPN. DirecTV Now says it’s planning to add more in the future (Vue, by comparison, authenticates with more than 60 apps).
AIVAnet 