AT&T NumberSync lets one phone number rule all your connected gadgets
We’re encumbered with more connected silicon than ever before, and having to juggle multiple phone numbers for wearables and bigger screens, well, really sucks. To that end, AT&T just announced NumberSync, a free service that links all your other connected AT&T gizmos (think 3G smartwatches or tablets) to your main phone number. Better yet, incoming calls and text messages will get routed to all those devices at once — none of this hokey call-forwarding nonsense.
When you add a NumberSync-enabled device to one of AT&T’s Mobile Share plan buckets, you’ll get the option to turn on NumberSync totally free of charge. AT&T SVP Jeff Bradley says the feature will launch later this month with one supported device from a hush-hush phone maker (our money’s on Samsung), with a few more to follow by the time the holidays roll around. Ultimately, the carrier would like to see its full line of connected devices play nice with NumberSync’s sharing tendencies, but that’s a little easier said than done. And for folks like me, who have no less than five phone numbers running at the same time because of review phones, NumberSync doesn’t really help. It’s all about those other, non-phone connected gadgets AT&T wants to sell you. What AT&T’s basically doing here is taking advantage of the network upgrades it developed while rolling out Voice over LTE to kill a growing consumer headache and give their hardware partners a better shot at selling stuff at the same time. Clever clever.
But why the slow rollout, especially if most of the heavy lifting is handled on AT&T’s end? Can’t they just flip the switch for everyone at one? I asked Bradley what the deal was, and it’s because NumberSync isn’t a completely one-sided affair — phone makers have to modify software like the dialer and messaging apps to play nice with AT&T’s network modifications. Thankfully, most of this technical legwork should be invisible to you and me — enabling NumberSync on a secondary device like a tablet would require one final new step at the end of the normal setup process.
“The good part,” Bradley pointed out, “is they get better [at integration] once they get the first one under their belt.”
One of the few good things about the way our domestic wireless carriers work is that they’re totally fine stealing good ideas — it might give the originator ammunition to fire back, but whatever. In the end, it means benefits eventually flow to all consumers instead of just one subset of customers, and AT&T isn’t the only carrier that’s working on a network infrastructure that makes NumberSync possible. AT&T might have the head start on this, but seriously, the rest of you carriers had better get cracking too.
ICYMI: Latest grenade launcher, modular smart watch and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: The U.S. Army is more interested than ever in blowing things up with precision, and that’s why it’s beginning acceptance testing on a smart grenade launcher that can detonate explosives mid-air. The rest of us can get our geek on with the Kickstarter for Blocks modular watch, which has different modules for all kinds of things: Advanced fitness tracking, mobile payments or GPS. And a Kickstarter to house jellyfish in the fanciest way possible is up for a hefty $1,500.
We’d also like to share this mesmerizing video of a hummingbird sculpture.
And if any of you saw the previous episode where we talked about Skarp, the razor laser that was new to Kickstarter, you should know about the latest development: Kickstarter suspended the project after seeing a video of the prototype that left something to be desired. Or a lot of hairs behind. In any event, Skarp is now up on Indiegogo.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Blocks wants your help funding its modular smartwatch
After a long, long development process, Blocks is getting relatively close to releasing its modular smartwatch — and it wants your help making that final push. The startup has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund its customizable wristwear. Pledge $195 and you’ll get the circular core watch, which gives Android devices and iPhone the fundamentals like activity tracking, phone alerts and voice control. However, things get really interesting when you drop $250 or more — you’ll get at least four modules that can add everything from advanced fitness tracking to GPS to mobile payments. The hope is that you’ll get just the smartwatch you want, rather than settling for whatever other manufacturers feel like giving you.
Provided everything goes well, you’ll get your timepiece around May 2016. That’s still several months out, but it’s clear that Blocks now has a concrete path to making a real, shipping product. It has a promising future, too. There are plans for more first-party modules with cellular access and fingerprint readers, and Blocks is hoping for third-party modules that add functionality you might never have anticipated.
Source: Kickstarter
Get the world’s slimmest smartwatch for $39.65 at Gearbest.com
There is no need to pay $500 dollars for a smartwatch these days as there are companies who offer so much more for your money. Gearbest.com is offering the Zeblaze Rover smartwatch for the low price of $39.65 and the main design feature is that is measures in at just 8.8mM thick. But don’t let the price fool you. The Rover comes jam packed with features which are listed below. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you’re in the market for a smartwatch. It might make a great holiday gift for your friends and family too.
For the absurdly low price of $39.65(the latest Huawei Android smartwatch starts at $399.99), you get the Rover with these features:
Pedometer
Monitor your daily movement with the built-in pedometer. The Rover checks your average speed as well as number of steps taken.
Sleep monitoring
Wear the Rover while you sleep to keep track of your sleep quality.
Sedentary reminder
Need a reminder to stay active? The Rover can monitor when you need to be more active and will make suggestions to get moving.
Remote camera
Control you camera on your smartphone from your wrist. (Android)
Music
Anti loss alarm
Unique proximity sensor system, when the distance between cell phone and smart watch exceeds a certain distance, the smartwatch will send an alarm notifying you are outside of range.
When a call or message is incoming, you can check it without taking out of your mobile phone.
Push message
Support for Twitter, G-mail, WhatsApp push notifications so you can easily communicate with your friends or family.
Phone book
When the watch is connected with the mobile phone, it will display your contacts.
Barometer
Can display the current atmospheric pressure and the current temperature.
Altimeter
Calculate the relative height after a certain distance.Compatibility and App download mode
iPhone User (iOS 4.0 and above system):
When you get the watch, install smartblue on your phone, and then the watch can display the message and caption which will display on the top of your phone’s screen.
Android User (Android 4.0 and above system):
When you get the watch, install Smartwatch.apk program on the smartphone to use SMS, LINE, Facebook, Weather forecasts and other instant messaging reminders.
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Link for purchase – click here
For $29.99 you really can’t go wrong with this smartwatch as it is loaded with the same features as other smartwatches available in the US.
The post Get the world’s slimmest smartwatch for $39.65 at Gearbest.com appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto 360 review (2015): More than just good looks this time around
The Moto 360 made a huge splash when it was introduced alongside Android Wear some 18 months ago. It was by far the most attractive smartwatch the world had seen, and it held its spot near the top of the heap for many months after — mostly because it looked like an actual watch. Unfortunately, the promise of the device didn’t quite live up to the reality, at least at launch. Battery life was terrible; performance was occasionally sluggish; and the device itself was far too large for those with svelte wrists.
Fortunately, Motorola improved what it could throughout the year: Android Wear as a platform continued to gain useful new features; software updates helped fix the poor battery life; and Motorola started offering Moto X-style personal customization. But now, an all-new Moto 360 is in the wild, with two case sizes, totally new guts and a host of ways to make it fit your own style. But there are also far more Android Wear watches to choose from now than last year. Is the now-iconic circular Moto 360 still the smartwatch to covet? And, more importantly, does it improve in the areas where last year’s model failed?
Slideshow-326764
Design
The 2015 Moto 360 looks nearly identical to its predecessor. The device is still dominated by its circular display that still has a tiny slice removed from the bottom where sensors are housed — a move that keeps its bezel nice and slim. There’s still a side button, but Motorola moved it up from the center of the case. Considering where my finger naturally rests when I touch the side of the watch, this feels like a smart change. The other major (and arguably more important) tweak is that the watchband lugs are on the outside of the case, something that makes the watch look even more like a traditional timepiece. This is also a major functional improvement, as it’s now quite easy to change the watch strap yourself.
Perhaps the smartest design change Motorola made was to offer the new Moto 360 in two different sizes: There’s a smaller 42mm option as well as the same 46mm case that last year’s model was based on. The 360 uses 20mm and 22mm watch bands, respectively; they’re both common sizes, which means you should be able to find plenty of third-party options. In addition to those two variants, there’s also a second 42mm option, built specifically with women in mind. Other than the fact that it’s offered with different color and material choices, the biggest difference there is that the strap lugs are pushed closer together to accommodate thinner 16mm bands.
Even if you don’t want to find a third-party band, there are plenty of ways to customize the Moto 360 (although not as many as the Apple Watch). For the men’s line that I tested, you can choose from black-, silver- or gold-colored aluminum bezels that have either a smooth metal finish or a textured “micro knurl” pattern for an additional $20. The watch cases come in the same colors, although gold will run you an extra $30. As for bands, you can choose among black and brown leather or silver, black and gold metal (the metal option commands a $50 premium). The women’s case has the same choices (albeit with a different “micro cut” textured pattern option for the bezel), but Motorola swapped out the black color option for rose gold. The leather straps come in more traditionally feminine colors, and there’s also a double-wrap leather band that calls to mind the Apple Watch Hermes “double tour” band.
So that’s a lot of customization. In fact, it’s one of the best things about the new Moto 360 — chances are much better this year that you’ll find one to suit your style. But these options come at a cost. The base price of the Moto 360 actually saw a significant increase: Last year’s 46mm watch started at $250, but this year’s 42mm sells for $300 and up. If you want a 46mm model, you’re looking at spending $350, a full $100 more than before.
The model I tested had a 46mm silver case, gold bezel and brown leather strap. The strap itself was comfortable and handsome to look at, but it didn’t go well with the rest of the watch. With the brown, silver and gold (not to mention the black screen), there were just a few too many clashing colors for my tastes. I think I would have preferred an all-silver body as well as the 42mm size, though these options would have been readily available if I had the opportunity to customize my own the way regular shoppers will. Lastly, the 360 is still rather thick, although its light weight makes wearing it easy enough. That said, it’s still one of the better-looking smartwatches on the market, by a longshot. It has a simple, classy design that isn’t overwrought like many of the other Android Wear watches on the market. Of course, as with any device, your opinion may differ vastly from mine.
Hardware and display
While the Moto 360 looks largely the same as its predecessor, Motorola gave the internals a significant upgrade. Gone is the aging TI OMAP 3 processor found in the original, replaced by a Snapdragon 400 chip — the same as you’ll find in LG’s Watch Urbane. There’s still the same 4GB of storage for music and 512MB of RAM, and both of those specs still seem to be sufficient. Performance is generally snappy, although dismissing notification cards sometimes took a surprisingly long time, and I noticed occasional lags when tapping certain user interface elements or swiping away notifications.
The display has also been refreshed: The 42mm case has a 1.37-inch screen running at 360 X 325, while the 46mm steps up to 1.56 inches at a 360 x 330 resolution. Both models feature a higher resolution than last year’s Moto 360, and in usage things are noticeably sharper. Despite that, I still wouldn’t rate the display as anything particularly special — it’s a bit easier to read outdoors, and the higher resolution is certainly appreciated, but colors aren’t terribly vibrant. Since you’re only glancing at the watch for a few seconds at a time, it’s passable, although there are other watches with more impressive screens.
The last hardware change here is by far the most important: The 46mm Moto 360 now features a 400mAh battery, up from the 300-320mAh on the last model. (The 42mm watch is rated at 300mAh.) In the real world, this meant I could comfortably use the Moto 360 all day, with plenty of power left when I finally went to bed. That’s with the ambient display feature turned on all the time (that’s the setting which displays your watch face in black and white, with low brightness). Motorola says the 360 is only rated for a day’s usage in this scenario, but I could easily get more than that. I still charged the Moto 360 nightly, but the good news is that I basically never had to worry about the battery running low, which is the best you can expect from a smartwatch.
On your wrist
Since it’s running Android Wear, using the Moto 360 is like using any other Android-based watch. Plenty of new and useful features have come to the platform since its debut, but its core purpose is still showing you smartphone notifications and Google Now suggestions, as well as carrying out voice searches and commands.
The Moto 360’s upgraded hardware typically handled all these features without a problem: Notifications were pushed to my watch quickly and dismissing them helpfully syncs that change back to your phone. Voice search worked well enough, although it failed to recognize the “OK Google” command often enough to be a bit frustrating. Fortunately, you can swipe a few screens over to get a full list of voice commands and just tap the one you want to make your watch listen to your request. Talking to your phones and watches has come a long way in the last few years, but it’s hardly bulletproof at this point — not a knock against Motorola, exactly, but Android Wear is so reliant on your voice that the whole platform feels a bit less useful when the device doesn’t hear me shouting “OK Google” at it.
Motorola also built in some new watch faces that include customizable “complications” (watch parlance for small slices of information). It’s part of a recent update to Android Wear that supports interactive watch faces, and it definitely adds to the experience — being able to glance at my wrist and see the temperature, date and how many steps I’ve taken is pretty great. In fact, it’s something that should have been in the operating system from the beginning, but either way it’s a very useful addition.
Beyond these features, Android Wear now supports full applications; you can access your app list by holding down on the Moto 360’s side button. Most of these apps were focused around quick interactions for things you’ll want to do frequently (as they should be), but sometimes the feature sets felt just a little too limited. For example, Wunderlist only shows items that are in your “Inbox”; any other list you might have will be inaccessible. The Apple Watch Wunderlist app lets you also see everything due on the current day or everything assigned to you — two views that feel especially useful to me.
Naturally, most Google applications are fairly full-featured and comprehensive. Hangouts lets you scroll back through your conversations and reply with your voice, an emoji or a variety of pre-selected responses, while Google Maps lets you zoom in and out of a full map, tap for local recommendations and navigate anywhere that you drop a pin. Notifications for Google apps are also particularly useful — being able to look down at my wrist and quickly delete emails helped keep my inbox a lot cleaner.
As always, what you get out of Android Wear will depend on how much data you put into Google. If you use the company’s services religiously, you’ll get more useful info out of Google Now pushed to your watch. Unfortunately, I’ve started to personally feel like the reality of Google Now doesn’t quite match its original ambitions, something that hampers the usefulness of Android Wear. Too often, info that I’ve already looked up on Google and digested continues to pop up there; I’ll frequently look up directions to a location, actually go there, and then find Google Now giving me traffic alerts to that place after my trip is already over, for example.
Fitness tracking
The new Moto 360 has a heart rate tracker on board, just like last year’s model, making it a decent option for measuring your workouts. Unfortunately, based on my testing, the 360 lags far behind the Apple Watch for tracking your fitness. At a basic level, the Moto 360 and Moto Body app track your steps and distance, active calorie burn and “heart activity” minutes, which is essentially how many minutes you spend exercising. Similar to the Apple Watch, the Moto Body app wants you to meet all three of those goals each day — but there’s no way to actually track activity specifically for when you’re doing more intense workouts.
That’s not a complete deal breaker, as there are plenty of third-party options like Runkeeper for tracking your more vigorous physical activity. But one of the best things about the Apple Watch is how it combines formal workouts with day-to-day activity to help you always keep an eye on your fitness levels; in my opinion, it’s the most compelling feature of the device. Motorola’s approach is simple but not nearly as comprehensive: The 360 will work fine as a basic activity tracker, but if you want a bit more detail about your workouts, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Fortunately, the 360 appears to do a reasonably accurate job tracking your heart rate and steps. If that’s all you need, it’ll do the trick.
One last note: It’s foolish of Motorola to sell a watch and tout its activity-tracking features without offering a band suited for use during exercise. I sweated all over the 360’s nice leather strap while working out, which is kind of a shame. It definitely absorbs sweat rather than repelling it, and it’s also far less comfortable than a more sport-appropriate band would be. Motorola is working on a special Moto 360 designed for athletes, but that doesn’t change the fact that the company positions fitness tracking as a main feature of this watch. Providing a band to make that feasible is a must.
Using the Moto 360 and Android Wear with an iPhone
The Moto 360 is also notable for being one of the first Android Wear watches to go on sale that works with iOS, a feature announced back in August. As such, it’s worth noting what the Moto 360 can and cannot do when paired with an iPhone. Setup is simple and essentially identical to the process on an Android phone — you download the iOS Android Wear app to your iPhone, pair over Bluetooth and then you’re off and running.
From there, you’ll still get the notifications from your phone mirrored on your Moto 360, and you’ll also receive Google Now info, provided you log in with your Google account. You can do the same OK Google queries to search Google or ask your watch to do things like set a reminder, start a timer or set an alarm — or show you data like your steps or heart rate.
Unfortunately, basically all other deep app integration is gone. The Gmail app supports rich notifications, which means you can archive or reply to emails right from your watch, but that’s it. As far as I can tell, no other notifications are actionable; tapping on a Google Now alert about my commute home showed me the route I should take, but I can’t start any navigation or really do anything with that info. You can’t reply to Hangouts or texts or initiate any conversations with your voice. With an iPhone, you basically get your notifications on your wrist and quick access to Google Now and Google voice search. A year ago, that would have sounded pretty appealing, but at this point there’s basically no reason for an iPhone user to seriously consider the Moto 360, particularly when an Apple Watch isn’t much more expensive.
The competition
The new Moto 360 is entering a much more crowded field than the original did last year. There are too many Android Wear watches to cover here, not to mention the new Pebble Time Round. From a looks and cost perspective, the most direct competitors to the Moto 360 are probably the $349 LG Watch Urbane and the $399 Huawei Watch. They’re both on the higher end of Android Wear devices and feature round faces with premium materials and design. As I’ve noted multiple times before, though, a watch’s style is so important and so subjective that it’s hard to identify exactly which devices the Moto 360 is competing against. It’s probably fair to say it’s up against the entire Android Wear field, which is a lot more competitive now than it was a year ago.
Wrap-up
Thanks to the changes Motorola has made to the Moto 360, as well as the enhancements that have come to the Android Wear platform as a whole, the new 360 is easier to recommend than its predecessor. The design has improved; there are more sizing options; battery life is longer; and Android Wear keeps getting more useful. Much of your mileage will depend on how invested you are in Google services, but if you have your heart set on an Android Wear device, the Moto 360 is one of the better options out there. That said, a $100 price hike means buying a Moto 360 is a bigger investment than it was a year ago, so you’ll want to make sure that Android Wear does exactly what you need it to before taking the plunge.
Moto 360 review (2015): More than just good looks this time around
The Moto 360 made a huge splash when it was introduced alongside Android Wear some 18 months ago. It was by far the most attractive smartwatch the world had seen, and it held its spot near the top of the heap for many months after — mostly because it looked like an actual watch. Unfortunately, the promise of the device didn’t quite live up to the reality, at least at launch. Battery life was terrible; performance was occasionally sluggish; and the device itself was far too large for those with svelte wrists.
Fortunately, Motorola improved what it could throughout the year: Android Wear as a platform continued to gain useful new features; software updates helped fix the poor battery life; and Motorola started offering Moto X-style personal customization. But now, an all-new Moto 360 is in the wild, with two case sizes, totally new guts and a host of ways to make it fit your own style. But there are also far more Android Wear watches to choose from now than last year. Is the now-iconic circular Moto 360 still the smartwatch to covet? And, more importantly, does it improve in the areas where last year’s model failed?
Slideshow-326764
Design
The 2015 Moto 360 looks nearly identical to its predecessor. The device is still dominated by its circular display that still has a tiny slice removed from the bottom where sensors are housed — a move that keeps its bezel nice and slim. There’s still a side button, but Motorola moved it up from the center of the case. Considering where my finger naturally rests when I touch the side of the watch, this feels like a smart change. The other major (and arguably more important) tweak is that the watchband lugs are on the outside of the case, something that makes the watch look even more like a traditional timepiece. This is also a major functional improvement, as it’s now quite easy to change the watch strap yourself.
Perhaps the smartest design change Motorola made was to offer the new Moto 360 in two different sizes: There’s a smaller 42mm option as well as the same 46mm case that last year’s model was based on. The 360 uses 20mm and 22mm watch bands, respectively; they’re both common sizes, which means you should be able to find plenty of third-party options. In addition to those two variants, there’s also a second 42mm option, built specifically with women in mind. Other than the fact that it’s offered with different color and material choices, the biggest difference there is that the strap lugs are pushed closer together to accommodate thinner 16mm bands.
Even if you don’t want to find a third-party band, there are plenty of ways to customize the Moto 360 (although not as many as the Apple Watch). For the men’s line that I tested, you can choose from black-, silver- or gold-colored aluminum bezels that have either a smooth metal finish or a textured “micro knurl” pattern for an additional $20. The watch cases come in the same colors, although gold will run you an extra $30. As for bands, you can choose among black and brown leather or silver, black and gold metal (the metal option commands a $50 premium). The women’s case has the same choices (albeit with a different “micro cut” textured pattern option for the bezel), but Motorola swapped out the black color option for rose gold. The leather straps come in more traditionally feminine colors, and there’s also a double-wrap leather band that calls to mind the Apple Watch Hermes “double tour” band.
So that’s a lot of customization. In fact, it’s one of the best things about the new Moto 360 — chances are much better this year that you’ll find one to suit your style. But these options come at a cost. The base price of the Moto 360 actually saw a significant increase: Last year’s 46mm watch started at $250, but this year’s 42mm sells for $300 and up. If you want a 46mm model, you’re looking at spending $350, a full $100 more than before.
The model I tested had a 46mm silver case, gold bezel and brown leather strap. The strap itself was comfortable and handsome to look at, but it didn’t go well with the rest of the watch. With the brown, silver and gold (not to mention the black screen), there were just a few too many clashing colors for my tastes. I think I would have preferred an all-silver body as well as the 42mm size, though these options would have been readily available if I had the opportunity to customize my own the way regular shoppers will. Lastly, the 360 is still rather thick, although its light weight makes wearing it easy enough. That said, it’s still one of the better-looking smartwatches on the market, by a longshot. It has a simple, classy design that isn’t overwrought like many of the other Android Wear watches on the market. Of course, as with any device, your opinion may differ vastly from mine.
Hardware and display
While the Moto 360 looks largely the same as its predecessor, Motorola gave the internals a significant upgrade. Gone is the aging TI OMAP 3 processor found in the original, replaced by a Snapdragon 400 chip — the same as you’ll find in LG’s Watch Urbane. There’s still the same 4GB of storage for music and 512MB of RAM, and both of those specs still seem to be sufficient. Performance is generally snappy, although dismissing notification cards sometimes took a surprisingly long time, and I noticed occasional lags when tapping certain user interface elements or swiping away notifications.
The display has also been refreshed: The 42mm case has a 1.37-inch screen running at 360 X 325, while the 46mm steps up to 1.56 inches at a 360 x 330 resolution. Both models feature a higher resolution than last year’s Moto 360, and in usage things are noticeably sharper. Despite that, I still wouldn’t rate the display as anything particularly special — it’s a bit easier to read outdoors, and the higher resolution is certainly appreciated, but colors aren’t terribly vibrant. Since you’re only glancing at the watch for a few seconds at a time, it’s passable, although there are other watches with more impressive screens.
The last hardware change here is by far the most important: The 46mm Moto 360 now features a 400mAh battery, up from the 300-320mAh on the last model. (The 42mm watch is rated at 300mAh.) In the real world, this meant I could comfortably use the Moto 360 all day, with plenty of power left when I finally went to bed. That’s with the ambient display feature turned on all the time (that’s the setting which displays your watch face in black and white, with low brightness). Motorola says the 360 is only rated for a day’s usage in this scenario, but I could easily get more than that. I still charged the Moto 360 nightly, but the good news is that I basically never had to worry about the battery running low, which is the best you can expect from a smartwatch.
On your wrist
Since it’s running Android Wear, using the Moto 360 is like using any other Android-based watch. Plenty of new and useful features have come to the platform since its debut, but its core purpose is still showing you smartphone notifications and Google Now suggestions, as well as carrying out voice searches and commands.
The Moto 360’s upgraded hardware typically handled all these features without a problem: Notifications were pushed to my watch quickly and dismissing them helpfully syncs that change back to your phone. Voice search worked well enough, although it failed to recognize the “OK Google” command often enough to be a bit frustrating. Fortunately, you can swipe a few screens over to get a full list of voice commands and just tap the one you want to make your watch listen to your request. Talking to your phones and watches has come a long way in the last few years, but it’s hardly bulletproof at this point — not a knock against Motorola, exactly, but Android Wear is so reliant on your voice that the whole platform feels a bit less useful when the device doesn’t hear me shouting “OK Google” at it.
Motorola also built in some new watch faces that include customizable “complications” (watch parlance for small slices of information). It’s part of a recent update to Android Wear that supports interactive watch faces, and it definitely adds to the experience — being able to glance at my wrist and see the temperature, date and how many steps I’ve taken is pretty great. In fact, it’s something that should have been in the operating system from the beginning, but either way it’s a very useful addition.
Beyond these features, Android Wear now supports full applications; you can access your app list by holding down on the Moto 360’s side button. Most of these apps were focused around quick interactions for things you’ll want to do frequently (as they should be), but sometimes the feature sets felt just a little too limited. For example, Wunderlist only shows items that are in your “Inbox”; any other list you might have will be inaccessible. The Apple Watch Wunderlist app lets you also see everything due on the current day or everything assigned to you — two views that feel especially useful to me.
Naturally, most Google applications are fairly full-featured and comprehensive. Hangouts lets you scroll back through your conversations and reply with your voice, an emoji or a variety of pre-selected responses, while Google Maps lets you zoom in and out of a full map, tap for local recommendations and navigate anywhere that you drop a pin. Notifications for Google apps are also particularly useful — being able to look down at my wrist and quickly delete emails helped keep my inbox a lot cleaner.
As always, what you get out of Android Wear will depend on how much data you put into Google. If you use the company’s services religiously, you’ll get more useful info out of Google Now pushed to your watch. Unfortunately, I’ve started to personally feel like the reality of Google Now doesn’t quite match its original ambitions, something that hampers the usefulness of Android Wear. Too often, info that I’ve already looked up on Google and digested continues to pop up there; I’ll frequently look up directions to a location, actually go there, and then find Google Now giving me traffic alerts to that place after my trip is already over, for example.
Fitness tracking
The new Moto 360 has a heart rate tracker on board, just like last year’s model, making it a decent option for measuring your workouts. Unfortunately, based on my testing, the 360 lags far behind the Apple Watch for tracking your fitness. At a basic level, the Moto 360 and Moto Body app track your steps and distance, active calorie burn and “heart activity” minutes, which is essentially how many minutes you spend exercising. Similar to the Apple Watch, the Moto Body app wants you to meet all three of those goals each day — but there’s no way to actually track activity specifically for when you’re doing more intense workouts.
That’s not a complete deal breaker, as there are plenty of third-party options like Runkeeper for tracking your more vigorous physical activity. But one of the best things about the Apple Watch is how it combines formal workouts with day-to-day activity to help you always keep an eye on your fitness levels; in my opinion, it’s the most compelling feature of the device. Motorola’s approach is simple but not nearly as comprehensive: The 360 will work fine as a basic activity tracker, but if you want a bit more detail about your workouts, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Fortunately, the 360 appears to do a reasonably accurate job tracking your heart rate and steps. If that’s all you need, it’ll do the trick.
One last note: It’s foolish of Motorola to sell a watch and tout its activity-tracking features without offering a band suited for use during exercise. I sweated all over the 360’s nice leather strap while working out, which is kind of a shame. It definitely absorbs sweat rather than repelling it, and it’s also far less comfortable than a more sport-appropriate band would be. Motorola is working on a special Moto 360 designed for athletes, but that doesn’t change the fact that the company positions fitness tracking as a main feature of this watch. Providing a band to make that feasible is a must.
Using the Moto 360 and Android Wear with an iPhone
The Moto 360 is also notable for being one of the first Android Wear watches to go on sale that works with iOS, a feature announced back in August. As such, it’s worth noting what the Moto 360 can and cannot do when paired with an iPhone. Setup is simple and essentially identical to the process on an Android phone — you download the iOS Android Wear app to your iPhone, pair over Bluetooth and then you’re off and running.
From there, you’ll still get the notifications from your phone mirrored on your Moto 360, and you’ll also receive Google Now info, provided you log in with your Google account. You can do the same OK Google queries to search Google or ask your watch to do things like set a reminder, start a timer or set an alarm — or show you data like your steps or heart rate.
Unfortunately, basically all other deep app integration is gone. The Gmail app supports rich notifications, which means you can archive or reply to emails right from your watch, but that’s it. As far as I can tell, no other notifications are actionable; tapping on a Google Now alert about my commute home showed me the route I should take, but I can’t start any navigation or really do anything with that info. You can’t reply to Hangouts or texts or initiate any conversations with your voice. With an iPhone, you basically get your notifications on your wrist and quick access to Google Now and Google voice search. A year ago, that would have sounded pretty appealing, but at this point there’s basically no reason for an iPhone user to seriously consider the Moto 360, particularly when an Apple Watch isn’t much more expensive.
The competition
The new Moto 360 is entering a much more crowded field than the original did last year. There are too many Android Wear watches to cover here, not to mention the new Pebble Time Round. From a looks and cost perspective, the most direct competitors to the Moto 360 are probably the $349 LG Watch Urbane and the $399 Huawei Watch. They’re both on the higher end of Android Wear devices and feature round faces with premium materials and design. As I’ve noted multiple times before, though, a watch’s style is so important and so subjective that it’s hard to identify exactly which devices the Moto 360 is competing against. It’s probably fair to say it’s up against the entire Android Wear field, which is a lot more competitive now than it was a year ago.
Wrap-up
Thanks to the changes Motorola has made to the Moto 360, as well as the enhancements that have come to the Android Wear platform as a whole, the new 360 is easier to recommend than its predecessor. The design has improved; there are more sizing options; battery life is longer; and Android Wear keeps getting more useful. Much of your mileage will depend on how invested you are in Google services, but if you have your heart set on an Android Wear device, the Moto 360 is one of the better options out there. That said, a $100 price hike means buying a Moto 360 is a bigger investment than it was a year ago, so you’ll want to make sure that Android Wear does exactly what you need it to before taking the plunge.
Asus ZenWatch 2 available in Google Store now
If you have been waiting for the Asus ZenWatch 2 Android powered smartwatch, the 49mm version in Navy Blue is available for purchase in the Google Store now. It is one of the cheaper options at $149.99, but still offers the same functionality with Android powering the device. The smaller 45mm version is still listed as “coming soon” but it should be available soon.
The case is made from stainless-steel and should be available in three colors. So if black with a blue strap isn’t your first choice, you still can wait for the silver and gold crown options. Nine easily changeable straps will also be available in the near future.
Specs
- Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz
- Operating System
Android Wear
- Memory
512 MB RAM
- Storage
4GB eMMC Flash
- Display
AMOLED 1.63″
320×320,
278ppi Touch Display - Sensor
6-Axis (A+G) with Sensor-hub
- Audio
Built-in microphone
- Battery
400mAh
- Features
Cover Lens: 2.5D curved Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
Water Resistance: IP67
Communication: Bluetooth 4.1+WiFi - Dimensions
49.6 x 40.7 x 9.4 ~ 10.9 mm (LxWxH)
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ASUS’ ZenWatch 2 launches in the Google Store
Want a brand new Android Wear smartwatch while sticking to a tight budget? It’s your lucky day. The Google Store has started carrying ASUS’ ZenWatch 2, which offers the latest Android experience while starting at a very frugal $149 US. You don’t have the full selection of straps or case colors — sorry, no Milanese band here. However, you can pick from either a moderately-sized 45mm silver body with an aqua blue rubber strap, or a large 49mm gunmetal case with a wristband in navy blue leather. Either wearable will give you a heart rate sensor, improved weather resistance and as much as 66 hours of use between charges. The ZenWatch 2 isn’t as posh-looking as the new Moto 360 or the 2nd Edition LG Watch Urbane, but you probably won’t mind when you’re going to save a wad of cash.
Via: TechnoBuffalo
Source: Google Store
Want a cheap smartwatch? Check out these deals from Gearbest.com.
Is the new Moto 360 or the Huawei Android watch out of your budget? $300-$700 is a ton of money to spend on an accessory that will be upgraded in just a year. Check out these alternatives from gearbest.com and decide for yourself if a smartwatch fits in your lifestyle. You may not need to spend all of that money for a high-quality smartwatch. Free shipping is included on every watch.
NO.1 S3 Smartwatch Phone – $59.99
Link
Main Features:
Dialer / Bluetooth phone call( Bluetooth 4.0)
You can dial or answer a phone call from your wrist watch
Phone book / call log / message/ music sync function
Easily realize information synchronization with your universal smart phone, more convenient to users
Circular Nano-glass touch screen
Nano-glass screen, very hard and anti-scratch, the combination of high quality and fashion
Heart Rate Monitor
The watch can monitor your heart rate; you can know your heart rate from the display during sport time when you wear it
Remote capture
You can use your watch to control your phone’s camera, but assure your phone’s camera has been switched on in advance
Music playing
Enjoy splendid music anywhere and anytime
Anti-lost alarm
Watch seek phone, and phone seek watch
Sleep monitoring
Carefully monitor your sleep quality
Pedometer
Sedentary reminder
Develop scientific habits and effectively resist sub-health
Other functions
Sound recorder/ alarm / calender / calculator / stop watch
Natural leather strap
Anti-sweat matte surface treatment, ergonomic convex design, wearing more comfortable
Metal plating frame
Strong and durable, luxury and elegant
Pin buckle design
Classic stainless steel pin buckle, Convenient to wear and take off
Water-resistance: Protect your Smartwatch from the water from daily life
Synchronization:Support for Android and iOS
ZGPAX S29 Smart Watch Phone – $26.99
Link
ZGPAX S29 Smart Watch Phone
ZGPAX S29 GSM Smart Watch Phone with 1.54 inch Touch Screen Bluetooth Camera MP3 FM
Main Features:
Model Number: ZGPAX S29
Sim Card: Single Micro SIM Card single Standby
Service Provide Unlocked
Waist size: min 17.5cm, max 23cm
Total strap length: 25cm
Style: Watch style
Shell Material: Silicon + plastic
Resolution: 240 x 240 pixels
Display Size: 1.54 Inch
Bluetooth version: Bluetooth V3.0
Type: TFT, Resistive touch screen
Note: This phone will only work with GSM networks: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
K8 Android 4.2 3G Smart Watch Phone – $89.99
Link
Main Features:
CPU: MTK6572 Dual Core 1.0GHz
RAM+ROM: 512MB+4GB
Bluetooth version: Bluetooth V2.3
Display: 320*320 pixels
Camera: 2.0MP
Support MP3/MP4/GPS/WiFi/3G Function
Compatibility：Compatible with Android smart phones
Notes: Provide E-file English manual
Note: This phone will only work with GSM+WCDMA networks: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA 850/2100MHz
Cores: 1GHz, Dual Core, Cortex-A7
GPU: Mali-400 MP
RAM: 512MB
ROM: 4GB
K8 3G Android Smartwatch Phone – $130.92
Link
Main Feature：
Dispaly: 1.4 inch OLED (400×400) Screen
CPU: MTK6572 Dual Core 1.0GHz
GPU: Mali-400MP
System: Android 4.4
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0
RAM+ROM: 512MB (471.89MB available) + 4GB (3.59GB available)
Network:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
WCDMA: 850/2100MHz
1.4 inch OLED Round Dial touch screen
Best suitable screen size with high definition picture displaying gives you great experience
Heart Rate Monitor
The watch can monitor your heart rate; you can know your heart rate from the display during
Music playing
Enjoy splendid music anywhere and anytime
Pedometer
Record the steps you take and count the distance to make you fully control your sports
Genuine leather strap band
Adopts high quality leather material which is super soft,durable and comfortable to wear
Pin buckle design
Classic stainless steel pin buckle, Convenient to wear and take off
Resolution: 400 x 400 pixel
D12 Children GPS Smartwatch Phone with SOS GPS – $41.34
Link
Main Features:
GPS+ Base Station Dual Mode Positioning
SOS Emergency Button: One button SOS, dial automatically
Safe Area: GEO-fencing, smart alarm
Message Reminder: Low-power alarm, drop-off alarm
History track: Save the historical track for last 3 months
Two-way Communication
Size: 50 x 35 x 9mm (screen size)
Family Call, One Button for Help
When meet emergency, children can press
Mom / Dad button, GPS watch will call family number
directly, parents will know the current situation in time
No Disturbing Setting
You may customize your time at which you don’t want to be disturbed
Class time, no disturbing!
Watch charging
Very easy to charge your watch, with magnetic button, automatically connected
Dismantle Alarm
After wearing the watch over 3 minutes, when unpack the strap,
the APP will receive the dismantling alarm information. This function also can be closed when you don’t want to wear the watch
Finding watch
Find the watch position anytime and anywhere
Other Functions
Real time talk-back, let you get your children status
Health function, sleeping monitoring
History route playback
Alarm, three clocks can be set
Notice: This watch is compatible with iOS and Android system, please download APP before using,
The post Want a cheap smartwatch? Check out these deals from Gearbest.com. appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Martian Active Collection: Taking the traditional watch design and making it smarter
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The smartwatch game is growing constantly. Adoption rate isn’t growing as fast as manufacturers are cranking out device though. It seems to be hit and miss on how people perceive the wearables that are currently available. Many that I have spoken with don’t see a need for another screen attached to their wrist that they have to worry about breaking, charging or learning. Others couldn’t live without the abilities that many, like Android Wear or the Apple Watch, offer. Arguably the two best wearable platforms are Android Wear and Apple Watch. While those might be the ones you hear the most about, there are others out there that can offer a lot to consumer with a different approach. Martian Watches is one such company that I have had the privilege of growing with over the last few years. Unlike many of the other big name brands, Martian took the idea of the smartwatch and went back to the roots, which is a ‘watch’ and then made it smarter.
Building the business up with a watch first direction keeps them in a different market then the more flashy smartwatch manufactures. The first line to hit the shelves was the Martian Voice Command. It offered a square Passport and rounded, but still square, Victory line. They followed up that line with a simpler design, the Notifier, that took the mic and speaker out to bring just notifications to your wrist. At CES 2015 we got to take a look at this year’s line, the Martian Active Collection, that brings back the voice command line, but takes its old design and goes more stylish.
Whats in the box
The packaging is very classical and places the watch first and foremost when you first receive it. It is wrapped around a soft and squishy little pillow inside the box. under the pillow and watch you find the bare necessities like a charging cable, but no wall plug, some legal documents and a short instruction manual.
The Martian Active overview
The new line, Martian Active collection, really steps up the company offerings in terms of looks, design and functionality. The Active collection features 5 distinct designs.
(From left to right you have the Electra S10, Aviator B10, Envoy G10, Alpha T10, and Electra E10.)
Just looking at the images you can see these aren’t your typical LCD or AMOLED screen faces. By design, the Active line is a watch first and foremost. The time is kept by an analog quartz watch with Japanese movement. Inside, the watch is powered by a typical watch batter that keeps your time for approximately 2 years before it needs replacing. Unlike other smart watches, this design lets you still use the watch even if the smart part of it is dead.
The smarts of the watch comes via a 96 x 16 pixel graphic OLED display found in the bottom part of the watch face. The display will ticker feed you all the calls, texts, emails, calendar appointments and more with minimal effort. The OLED is powered by a separate lithium polymer battery that is charged up via your typical micro USB cord. Charge time is about 2 hours and your smart parts should stay on and available for 5 days of use.
As with a normal watch, you have your crown on the side to set the time. You also have two additional buttons, one above and one below. The button on the bottom is a select button of sorts. It lets you pull up a digital clock, the date, the weather and scroll through the menu of the watch. From the menu on the display you can set the watches speaker volume, activate the small LED light to help you find a keyhole, turn on Do Not Disturb to silence all notifications, Camera Mode to trigger your phone’s camera, Find My Phone to force your device to ring, along with other setup details.
The top button is a command button that triggers both Siri and Google Now, depending on your device. Yes, the Martian Active line does offer a mic on the right hand side which offers noise cancellation and a fairly loud directional speaker on the left side. Triggering commands gives you all the same abilities you would have with either platforms voice command apps. With Google Now you can send texts, make calls, add appointments, reminders, search direction and everything else Google Now is capable of doing. You do need to wait a few seconds as the trigger isn’t as fast as if you did it directly on your phone, but it works just as well.
The body of the watch is a light weight nylon composite resin case with a screwed on metal plate on the back. 4 screws hold it in placed. Under the plate is where the battery can be replaced for the normal watch aspect of the device. The top glass is a anti-scratch mineral glass and is your typical 42MM diameter with a weight of .5 pounds.
In the case of the Alpha T10, the watch strap is made from a flexible, but thick, silicone. The clasp is made from stainless steel and looks awesome. Other variants of the watch come with a leather strap of sorts to match its body and could be a bit more pleasing to some.
3 Weeks hands-on with the Martian Alpha
Martian was kind enough to ship me over the design of my choice to give it a whirl prior to their launch exclusively at Bloomingdale’s on September 12th. I opted for the Alpha T10 because of its classy look that would be good for both business and for pleasure. I was also drawn to it because of the inner military time aspect. Having a few friends in the military who still tell me times in military time, this has become useful more than a few times. Rather than mentally thinking what time 2100 hours is, I can glance down and know its 9 p.m.
As I have used the last two iteration of Martian Watches, I can speak to the improvements the company has made over the years. My biggest gripe on previous models was centered around charging. Martian had recessed the micro USB port behind a rubber grommet that required a longer, and proprietary, charging cable. In the new Active line they have since seated the port closer and it can easily be charged with any micro USB cable you have sitting around. The estimated charge time from 0% to 100% of 2 hours was accurate to my calculations and so was the 5 days of usage. The occasions that I forgot to plug it in weren’t world ending as it charged quickly on commutes or while I was getting ready for work. I could easily plug it in for 45 minutes and get through an entire day without worry.
Pairing the watch is as easy as pairing with any other Bluetooth device. Once you install the app, you run through a few motions and are up and running in less than a minute. Once paired you are free to set it up any way you wish through the Martian app.
Martian also dramatically improved the wrist strap of the watch allowing for removal and changing of the bands at will. The included band, on the Alpha T10, is made from silicone with a stainless steel clasp to keep it on your wrist. The new design also allows for something that the Martian Notifier didn’t, and that is for the watch to actually lay flat. Might be silly to want that ability, but it is worth mentioning.
Over the month of use I experienced very few issues. There was a few times, and I mean like 2 times, that it needed to be plugged into power to turn back on even though it was charged well over 50%. I never did discover the reasoning behind it, but it it happened. The delay between hitting the voice button and the phone connecting to Google Now took a bit of time to get used to. With it active the watch still directs all voice controls through your wrist, so if you are using your phone and tap the mic, or use the Google Now command, you will need to give it a second or so or else your command will only be partly recognized.
The Martian App
The app is what brings you what you want to the OLED. Through the app on your device you can enable, or disable, any and all notifications you desire. I personally keep things simple. I want calls, texts and hangouts. However, you can get email alerts, calendar, alarms, reminders and much more, as you can see in the screenshots below.
Inside the app you can also set the vibration intensity for notifications along with specific vibration patterns. I have an absolutely horrible memory, so setting 2 long and short doesn’t make me think of a text at all. I feel it vibrate and I look.
Sound
With the Martian Active line you have a mic and speaker. The mic lets you take calls, ask Google questions, command your phone and more. The speaker gives the voice feedback from those questions or the people you are talking to on the phone. The speaker also offers up audio for call ringtones and notification tones. I spoke to many people while walking around the house, the store and driving in the car. No one gave me ill feedback about my sound quality from the noise cancelling mic, nor were there any missed voice actions with Google. I was able to hear the caller in most cases, but did find myself pulling my hand to my face for a little more volume occasionally.
Overall thoughts
I have always thought highly of Martian and their line of smartwatches. They take the watch first approach and make it smarter. They cater to a very different type of user on the market who love a real watch, but want their watch to do a little bit more in their lives. The latest Active collection is step in the right direction for both form, design and functionality. It certainly looks more ‘watch’ like and premium than the first two lines. I can’t necessarily directly compare it against the Notifier collection because that collection was aimed at notifications only with no voice actions or controls. My only real disappointment with the Active collection is the branding of Active. While it certainly looks Active and some of the models look more sporty than others, they suffer with an IPX-4 rating which only covers splashes from various directions. That cuts out pools, hot tubs and showers. I would have gone with an IPX-5 or IPX-6 with an ‘Active’ collection. After all, busy people may need to see meetings, texts, calls and more while hitting the shower before work, after a workout at the gym or when they are back at the hotel taking a dip in the pool. It isn’t enough of a detractor to make me dislike the watch, as it still serves a very relevant purpose in 90% of a normal users day. Just take it off before you get in the water.
Pricing
Pricing for the Martian Active line cruise up some from the previous Notifier line. They vary from $249.99 to $299.99 depending on the model you choose. The least expensive variant is the Envoy G10 with the higher priced listing being for the more female orientated Electra E10. You can find them Bloomingdale’s across the nation or check out the MartianWatches.com website to get more details and place an order.
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AIVAnet 