#apple & samsung watches can take calls without the phone being nearby
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Good news: I came up with an idea for a specific part of my fic.
Bad news: Apparently that's not actually how Tesla autopilot works.
Good news: It's fiction, I can either make Tesla autopilots the way I want them to be or make up an entirely new brand. And no, I'm not making them better. I'm making them worse in a way. So I'll probably make up a brand because I hate Tesla.
#i am about to write an electric vehicle that is so hijackable#but actually i wouldnt be surprised if something like this happened in the future#so you know how you can have a phone plan for things that arent phones ie smart watches?#phone plan for your car so you pay separately but can link to your phone so you dont need multiple#numbers. then someone doesnt need the app & can just get in turn on autopilot set a location & chill#spoilery statement here but uh. very useful for anyone thats been kidnapped & doesnt know where she is & is trying to escape#she can set that location to wherever she'd like to go within the charge time. & she can make calls since it's a phone plan similarly to ho#apple & samsung watches can take calls without the phone being nearby#now the only thing she needs to do is escape the house#captive vibes
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The Best Fitness Trackers for Every Workout and Health Goal 2021 – Prevention.com
Planning to kick your fitness routine into high gear in 2021? It might be time to invest in a quality fitness tracker. These devices aren’t just for tracking steps anymore—the latest models can monitor everything from your heart rate to your sleep. (No wonder one in five people use one.)
The best fitness trackers act almost like a mini-trainer, offering insights into your workouts and the motivation to push yourself harder with every sweat session. Best of all, you don’t need to be a serious athlete to use one; pretty much anyone can get their money’s worth from a tracker or smartwatch.
As the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic begins, it’s the perfect time to take charge of your health and re-commit to your goals with a fitness tracker. Plus, if you’re training for the Prevention Virtual Walk on Saturday, May 1—our twice-annual walking event that connects people around the world in a DIY 5K—each of these devices will help you walk farther than ever before.
What do fitness trackers do?
Fitness trackers are devices that use sensors to track your health metrics. They’re usually worn on the wrist and most often track heart rate, steps, and distance traveled. The vast majority are also swim-, rain-, and shower-proof.
But as fitness trackers have evolved, so have their capabilities; now, you can find devices that track sleep, active minutes, and progress in multiple forms of exercise. Some even have built-in features like GPS, music players, workouts, apps, and the ability to call and text people. Most fitness trackers come with an associated smartphone app so you can track your progress over time.
Fitness trackers don’t just deliver data—research shows they can actually increase your activity levels. A 2017 study found that regularly wearing a fitness tracker improved active minutes, steps taken, and miles walked in type 2 diabetes patients over a 36-week period.
How to choose the best fitness tracker for your goals
Fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, each tailored for a unique kind of user. To make the best choice, take these simple steps.
Consider your specific needs. Are you a swimmer? A weekend warrior? A 15-minute YouTube workout aficionado? Your tracker should be able to keep up with your desired fitness routine and activity level—otherwise, you’ll find yourself leaving it at home. If you’re into cardio, a slimmer model is less likely to get in the way of your workout than a bulkier one. If you like to leave your phone behind when you go on walks, pick an option with built-in GPS. And if you’re a serious athlete, you’ll appreciate a device that puts a premium on deep-dive data.
Pay attention to battery life. Most fitness trackers can go days or weeks on a single charge, even if you wear them nonstop. Smartwatches usually require more frequent charging than simple trackers. And be aware that battery life decreases in any device when you’re using active features like GPS, music, and calling.
Decide between a tracker and a smartwatch. Pure fitness trackers are usually cheaper than smartwatches, but they offer fewer amenities; most have a watch face, heart-rate monitoring, and powerful sensors, but limited abilities to perform non-fitness-related tasks. The most powerful fitness trackers might not even have a screen at all—they’re so data-driven that they save that space for more sensors.
Smartwatches, meanwhile, often include additional bells and whistles like integrated music, contactless payment, texting, calling, and the ability to download apps. Both fitness trackers and smartwatches might require a nearby smartphone to offer full features, so be sure you know what to expect from whichever model you choose.
Ready to invest in a device for yourself? Here are the absolute best fitness trackers for every type of workout and wellness goal.
1
Best Overall Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Versa 3
amazon.com
$228.95
6 days | GPS | Waterproof
Pretty much anyone can enjoy the Versa 3, Fitbit’s premier smartwatch, which features contactless payments, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, calling, and Spotify integration. It’s got the right specs for serious athletes, but weekend warriors will appreciate it, too. “The watch is very easy to navigate, GPS kicks in quickly, and off you go,” one reviewer writes. (We loved it so much, it won a 2021 Prevention Fitness Award!)
2
Best Runner-Up Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Charge 4
amazon.com
$149.95
$132.97 (11% off)
7 days | GPS | Waterproof
For for under $150, the Fitbit Charge 4 is the best fitness tracker for most people’s needs. It boasts just about everything you’d want in a tracker: built-in GPS, heart rate tracking, Spotify control, waterproofing, and a comfortable strap to boot. And with over 20 goal-based exercise modes, the Charge 4 is meant for more than just walkers and runners.
3
Best Budget Fitness Tracker
Xiaomi Mi Band 5
amazon.com
$39.99
14 days | Connect GPS | Waterproof
On a budget? Go for The Mi Band 5, which can track your sleep, heart rate, and distance, as long as you connect it to your smartphone. It may not offer perfect accuracy like pricey models, “but as a watch that can give you notifications, weather, change your music, and so on, it is great,” one reviewer writes.
4
Best Under-$70 Fitness Tracker
Samsung Galaxy Fit 2
amazon.com
$59.00
15 days | No GPS | Waterproof
If you have a Galaxy smartphone, you’ll love this tracker, which connects to your phone and notifies you when you receive a call or text. It has an impressive 15-day battery and a bright, simple touchscreen. Plus, it automatically detects when you start exercising, so all you have to do is get moving.
5
Best Under-$100 Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Inspire 2
amazon.com
$99.95
$88.95 (11% off)
10 days | No GPS | Waterproof
This more affordable Fitbit doesn’t disappoint. Though it doesn’t offer GPS, it tracks steps and distance, plus other forms of exercise and sleep. “Set-up was super easy,” one Amazon buyer writes, and “it does everything and more than what my Charge 2 HR did for me, which was quite a lot.”
6
Best Fitness Tracker for Runners
Garmin Venu Sq Music
amazon.com
$249.99
6 days | GPS | Waterproof
Runners who can’t hit the trail without music, you’re in luck—Garmin’s Venu Sq allows you to download songs and playlists directly from Spotify and Amazon Music. It’s also host to the brand’s super-accurate GPS, which is a must for serious runners who want to track their exact distance and location. And with access to preloaded apps and workouts, plus all the regular fitness tracker features, you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth.
7
Best Fitness Tracker for iPhones
Apple Watch Series 6
amazon.com
$384.98
18 hours | GPS | Waterproof
The Apple Watch’s battery life (8 hours) holds it back from being a truly great fitness tracker, but it excels as a smartwatch with some pretty impressive features. iPhone users can take calls and respond to texts directly from the watch, on top of measuring all kinds of workouts, tracking overall fitness, and syncing music and podcasts. And when you’re not feeling sporty, you can swap your plastic band out for a more luxe one.
8
Best Tracker for Serious Athletes
Whoop Strap 3.0
Whoop join.whoop.com
$30.00
5 days | No GPS | Waterproof
Unlike other devices on this list, the Whoop Strap has no screen and is technically free—though you need to pay a $30 monthly membership fee to get it. Most casual fitness fans won’t need its incredible amount of data, but those who want to fine-tune workouts and precisely track progress will love it. And although the device doesn’t have GPS, you can track your route using the accompanying smartphone app.
9
Best Fitness Tracker Ring
Oura Ring
ouraring.com
$299.00
7 days | No GPS | Waterproof
Finally, if you’re not sold on a watch design at all, Oura’s Ring is the right device for you. You wear it like a ring on your finger, and it beams all of your data to a smartphone app, where it measures your performance over time. Its heart-rate and temperature measuring are seriously powerful, alerting you to potential health issues before you’re even aware of them.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
source https://wealthch.com/the-best-fitness-trackers-for-every-workout-and-health-goal-2021-prevention-com/
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The best smartphones, tablets and smartwatches for students
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2018)
What sounds better: lugging around a backpack full of books or toting a sleek e-reader to class? The answer is clearly the latter, and Amazon’s latest Kindle Paperwhite is still one of the finest ways to access loads of books in one place. It’s slightly slimmer than the model it replaces, the screen’s lighting is more even, it comes with even more storage (8GB, up from 4GB) and it’s fully waterproof. There might not be a more convenient way to blow through all that Chaucer you were just assigned.
Admittedly, though, Kindles are less than ideal in certain ways. For one, not all Kindle books have page numbers that correspond to written copies, and lit majors won’t have much luck downloading Norton Critical Editions. That said, these devices make for a pleasant reading experience; that’s nothing to sneeze at when your list of required books starts piling up. — Chris Velazco, Senior Mobile Editor
Buy Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon – $130
Apple iPad Air (2019)
Some people swear by the iPad Pro for note-taking, and thankfully, Apple took just about everything that made the tablet ideal for schoolwork and transplanted it into a more affordable package. This is the first iPad Air that Apple has made in three years, and the wait was worth it: The new Air shares a processor with last year’s iPhone XS and is compatible with Apple’s Pencil and Smart Keyboard accessories. Because of the way the tablet market has been shrinking, you’d also be hard-pressed to find a device with a 10.5-inch screen that looks as good as this one.
More importantly, the Air is going to get better with time. We already know that iPadOS packs significant enhancements to performance and multitasking, but new additions — like the ability to save and manage files directly on the tablet — mean the iPad Air will be better-suited for getting work done. Sure, it might not replace your standard laptop for everything you’ll need at school, but since it handles work and play equally well, it’s a valuable addition all the same. — C.V.
Buy iPad Air (2019) – $499+
Apple Watch Series 4
The Apple Watch has come a long way since its debut in 2015. And with the Series 4, Apple made its wearable even better than the previous model, thanks to a bigger, edge-to-edge screen; longer battery life; more-accurate step-tracking; and an electrocardiogram test that can detect an irregular heartbeat. That’s in addition to being water-resistant and working with thousands of popular apps out of the box, which is what makes the Series 4 a well-rounded package.
The Apple Watch Series 4 starts at $399 for the GPS-only, 40mm model or $429 if you want the bigger 44mm screen. Meanwhile, the LTE version, which lets you make calls from the Watch without a paired iPhone nearby, costs $100 more. If you already have an iPhone, though, your best option may be the GPS edition, since you can still make calls from your wearable as long as your smartphone is within range. — Edgar Alvarez, Senior Editor
Buy Apple Watch Series 4 on Amazon – $349+
Google Pixel 3a
The original Pixel 3 and 3 XL were nice enough in their own right, but the newer, cheaper Pixel 3a proved Google could make excellent phones on the cheap. $400 gets you one of the best smartphone cameras on the market right now, not to mention years of big software and security updates and some of the best battery life we’ve ever seen out of a Google device. Play your cards right — by which we mean don’t drop it in a beer — and the 3a could easily get you through the next few years of academia. — C.V.
Buy Pixel 3a – $399
Fitbit Versa
This Apple Watch lookalike is actually quite pretty in its own right, especially if you get it with a rose gold case and lilac strap. But looks aside, the Fitbit Versa is also a powerful fitness-tracking smartwatch that’s ideal for those who care more about their workouts than being able to reply to messages from their wrist. You can track a variety of activities, including swimming, and refer to the Versa’s built-in workout guides if you need some inspiration at the gym.
If you really need to save $30, consider the Fitbit Versa Lite, which does most of the same stuff but lacks a gyroscope to count laps in the pool, an altimeter to detect flights climbed, not to mention WiFi, music storage and on-screen tutorials. That’s why, if you have the funds, we strongly suggest the Versa instead. — Cherlynn Low, Reviews Editor
Buy Fitbit Versa on Amazon – $179.95
Mophie Powerstation XL
If you’re carrying multiple gadgets to and from class, it’s a near certainty that at least one of them will run low on battery during the process. That’s where Mophie’s updated PowerStation XL comes in. It doesn’t weigh much more than a standard paperback, so it won’t put any undue strain on your back, but its 15,000mAh battery means you can charge whatever you’ve brought with you several times over. You can even charge multiple devices at the same time, assuming that at least one of them uses USB-C cables to draw power. This year’s models come clad in surprisingly nice fabric too, so this most utilitarian of gadgets now feels a touch more stylish to boot. — C.V.
Buy Powerstation XL on Amazon – $69.95
Oculus Quest
Just because you’re on a tight school budget doesn’t mean you have to forego quality VR. At $399, Oculus’ Quest headset is an affordable way to get into virtual reality while preserving many of the features that make the technology so great. You still have six-degree freedom of movement and full-featured controllers, but you won’t have to buy a powerful PC. There aren’t any wires to trip you up either. And when you can both watch videos as well as play hot VR titles like Beat Saber and Vader Immortal, it offers plenty of ways to tune out your roommates. — Jon Fingas, Contributing Editor
Buy Oculus Quest on Amazon – $399
OnePlus 7 Pro
You don’t have to give up dreams of owning a top-tier smartphone when you’re scrimping and saving for tuition. The OnePlus 7 Pro may be more expensive than past OnePlus devices, but it still delivers flagship-worthy smartphone features for hundreds of dollars less than other premium devices. Its giant, responsive screen is a treat for watching videos in between classes, and its speedy performance ensures that you can juggle all the chats for your next big party. While the camera isn’t spectacular, it’s more than fine for the price — and the rest of the phone is done so well that you probably won’t mind. — J.F.
Buy OnePlus 7 – $669+
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much better Samsung’s wearables are at tracking your activity than Fitbits and Wear OS watches. The Galaxy Watch Active is Samsung’s most affordable smartwatch, and it’s proactive about reminding you to get up and move when you’ve been idle for an hour. By calculating your heart rate variance, the Watch Active can also gauge your stress levels to tell you to take a breather — a useful feature when midterms roll around.
In addition, the device tracks your sleep, lets you dictate or type out email and text replies, and has a no-frills aesthetic that will blend with most outfits. It can even act as a remote control for your presentation so you can advance to the next slide by swiping your watch face. Plus, it lasts two to three days on a charge, which means you’ll still be able to track your morning run if you stayed out all night. Those with bigger budgets should go for the $330 Galaxy Watch, which features a useful rotating bezel that makes navigating the Tizen OS interface easier and more precise. That watch also has a bigger face and lasts longer. It has a more masculine look, though, so if you want something more neutral you’re better off sticking with the Watch Active. — C.L.
Buy Watch Active on Amazon – $179+
Skagen Falster 2
Don’t discount Wear OS watches yet. With a user-friendly activity-tracking interface, compatibility with a ton of apps and the powerful Assistant baked in, Google’s wearable platform is useful for those looking for convenience who don’t need a lot of frills. The best thing about this ecosystem is the vast amount of options available, so you can pick one from your favorite luxury brand or simply go with the prettiest.
In our humble opinion, the Skagen Falster 2 is the most attractive, thanks to its clean, minimalist design. It’s also impressively light and comfortable yet water-resistant enough that you can take it for a lap or two in your pool. One thing to note though: Most Wear OS watches available last about a day, regardless of the chipset they use, so maybe get a bedside charging stand too. — C.L.
Buy Skagen Falster 2 on Amazon – $275
In this article: amazon, apple, applewatchseries4, bts2019, facebook, falster2, fitbit versa lite, fitbitversa, galaxy watch active, gear, google, ipad air 2019, mobile, mophie, oculus, oculus quest, oneplus, OnePlus 7 Pro, pixel 3a, powerstationxl, samsung, skagen, skagenfalster2, thebuyersguide
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Living In the Smartwatch Future: A Long-Term Review of the Apple Watch Series 3
New Post has been published on http://team77.com/living-in-the-smartwatch-future-a-long-term-review-of-the-apple-watch-series-3/
Living In the Smartwatch Future: A Long-Term Review of the Apple Watch Series 3
Apple will soon debut an updated Apple Watch with a thinner body and larger screen, if rumors are correct. By far, Apple’s smartwatch has been the category’s biggest seller, though perhaps not as big a hit as Wall Street had originally hoped when the watch premiered in 2015.
Every year when Apple unveils an updated watch, reporters, and analysts who have tried it for a week or two publish their reviews. Those reviews are valuable, but they fail to answer the critical question: Are smartwatches useful in over the long term in daily life?
The Samsung Gear Sport, Apple Watch Series 3, and Fitbit Versa.
For the past year, I’ve worn an Apple Watch Series 3, while occasionally also using Fitbit’s Versa and Ionic, and the Samsung Gear Sport. And while I’ve found several benefits, there remain some limitations with all of them.
The bottom line: Smartwatches are increasingly useful and should become even more so over the next few years.
Less is more
One way I tested the Apple Watch was fairly simple. For a week, I alternated between wearing my watch and not wearing it. In a paper notebook, I tried to jot down each time I looked at my phone screen or peeked at my watch. That drove me a little crazy, so I also noted each day the amount of time the iPhone recorded as “usage” in its battery settings section. On days when I wore my watch, I used my phone an average of 4 hours and 57 minutes, versus 5 hours and 21 minutes when I went without. It’s a modest difference, but one that could grow over time as watches become more useful.
Apple originally pitched its smartwatch as freeing users from having to check their iPhone screens as often. With growing concerns about phone addiction, social isolation, and excessive social networking, that benefit is more valid today than ever.
One reason I used my phone less was fairly obvious. When a notification appears on my watch, I usually do nothing immediately except read it. But when my phone buzzes with a notification, I pick it up and check not only the app that triggered the buzz, but whatever other random apps have the dreaded red circle badge indicating that there are unread messages or notices. And like everyone else, I’m also prone to get sucked into checking my Facebook feed, email, and other apps once I already have the phone in hand.
A healthy life
The Apple Watch and its rivals track a variety of biometric data, including heart rates, sleep cycles, and exercise activity. Some people say such tracking helped to save their lives. For me, collecting biometric data lets me see whether I’m leading a healthier life. I use an app called HeartWatch to see how exercise and medication affect my health between doctor’s appointments. Exercise tracking apps like Strava and Runkeeper work great on smartwatches, which means I don’t have to awkwardly pull out my phone while on a bike ride.
There are also apps like Round that remind me to take medications. I find that I’m more likely to take my pills after getting a notification on the watch than on my phone, which I don’t usually carry around the house with me in the early morning or after dinner.
One caveat: With battery life of about two days, the Apple Watch Series 3 is imperfect for sleep tracking. Fitbit’s watches, which have a battery life of five or more days on a single charge, do a better job and have a great built in app for sleep analysis. Apple Watch, in contrast, doesn’t include a sleep app. The free Sleep++, from developer Cross Forward Consulting, is basic and you have to go to the trouble of clicking it to tell it when you go to sleep and wake up. AutoSleep, a rival app from Tantsissa, is better but costs $3.
Game over
Another early touted benefit of smartwatches was the so-called gamification of fitness. By tracking data about exercise activity, the devices and apps can let users know how they are doing in ways that resemble video games. You set a record for calories burned in that last swim, the Apple Watch sometimes tells me. You have a streak of five days exercising for at least 30 minutes, keep it going one more day, it will prompt another time. The current software on the watch even awards digital “achievement badges” for personal bests or for winning weird mini-contests it sometimes offers, like burning a certain number of calories in a single month or reaching the daily stand up goal for many days in a row.
The triggers and tracking and badges seemed cute and motivating at first. But after a while, the buzz wore off and I barely notice them now. Keeping a streak alive seem less important than spending a little more time with my kids or meeting an important deadline at work.
Fashion forward
Watches have long been one of the only pieces of jewelry most men would wear and can add pizzaz to a woman’s ensemble, as well. Apple has taken the lead in helping make smartwatches into a fashion statement. The key is the easy mechanism that lets you change the bands on your Apple Watch in a few seconds with the press of a couple of buttons. Other smartwatches–and most regular watches–force you to use more fiddly, spring-loaded levers, or even break out a mini-screw driver (though Fitbit’s newest high-end fitness tracking band, the Charge 3, appears to have a very Apple-like band mechanism).
Apple has also frequently refreshed its band offerings with new colors, new materials, and new designs. Samsung and Fitbit are doing well in the band variety department lately, too. And there’s also a pretty thriving third-party market for bands. I definitely appreciate being able to dress up my watch with a fancy orange leather Hermes band my wife got me for a present one year, or have no fear of jumping in the pool with a rubber-like fluoroelastomer sport band. One knock on Apple is that it doesn’t allow third-party watch faces. Samsung and Fitbit users can take advantage of a multitude of different faces from other developers. Apple users can use any photo as a watch face, though, providing one option for personalization.
Contracting and expanding
I’ve mentioned several apps that I love using on my Apple (aapl) watch and the huge ecosystem of apps is a big strength. Apple has far more watch apps available than Fitbit (fit) and Samsung. But all is not well with the watch app ecosystem. Some highly desirable apps, like, say Spotify, aren’t available. Apple has made programming information available for outside developers, but Spotify, which has an app for Samsung’s watch, hasn’t yet released anything (perhaps due to competitive friction with Apple Music). And some Apple Watch apps from major companies like Slack and Instagram have been discontinued.
Part of that ebb and flow is the natural process of developers figuring out what kinds of apps people actually do and don’t want to use on their wrist versus on the phone. And with bigger watch screens and faster processors expected over the next few years, not to mention the spread of cellular-capable watches that don’t need a nearby phone to reach the Internet, I’d bet on all of the smartwatch ecosystems experiencing healthy growth.
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Exciting Korean Startups to Be Unveiled at IFA NEXT
Korea's most exciting startups will make their debut at IFA 2017 in Germany.
SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The K-ICT Born2Global Centre, a major Korean government agency, announced that some of its member companies will be participating in IFA 2017, the world's leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, scheduled to take place in Berlin from September 1 to 6, 2017.
The participating companies will include Innomdle Lab (http://www.mysgnl.com/), Bagel Labs (http://ift.tt/25fHTGV) and MINDs Lab (http://mindslab.ai/), of which Innomdle Lab and Bagel Labs will be going at the invitation of the IFA organizer. The exhibitions for IFA NEXT will be set up in Hall 26a, with the booth of Innomdle Lab in space No. 209, the booth of Bagel Labs in No. 130, and the booth of MINDs Lab in No.104b.
Introduced by the IFA just this year, IFA NEXT is a new space for startups, R&D institutes, and global innovation leaders.
Innomdle Lab is the first spin-off of C-Lab, a startup business program of Samsung Electronics. Innomdle Lab's Sgnl is a new type of smart strap that allows users to talk on the phone simply by placing a fingertip to their ears. Sgnl can be used not only with smartwatches (including the Samsung Gear and Apple Watch) but with any regular watches as well. As Sgnl transmits sound using the human body as a medium, users can take calls without worrying about people nearby overhearing their conversations. Users simply place a fingertip to their ears to listen to the person speaking on the other end and speak into a microphone embedded in the smartwatch strap. Connected to the user's smartphone via Bluetooth, the device activates automatically upon receiving or making a call, requiring complicated settings. The mobile application that comes with it allows users to set call reminders and track their steps using the built-in pedometer.
After being selected as one of the top 10 wearables at CES 2016, Sgnl successfully raised USD 2.1 million in funding through the Kickstarter and Indiegogo crowdfunding platforms.
At IFA 2017, Innomdle Lab will introduce Sgnl S, a model designed for price-conscious customers, along with a more premium product which enables users to take phone calls through their fingertips. The product can now be pre-ordered on the Indiegogo website (https://igg.me/at/sgnl).
Related link: www.born2global.com
Contact: Jina Lee [email protected]
Photo - http://ift.tt/2wh6MqN
Read this news on PR Newswire Asia website: Exciting Korean Startups to Be Unveiled at IFA NEXT
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New Post has been published on Attendantdesign
New Post has been published on https://attendantdesign.com/facebook-reportedly-releases-mobile/
Facebook reportedly releases mobile
Facebook reportedly has launched a cell app in China, wherein the social media large along different inclusive of Google and Twitter were banned for years.
Called Colorful Balloons, the image-sharing app changed into launched in May and showed similar features and appearance to Facebook’s Moments app. The app became launched by a Chinese business enterprise without a regarded links to Facebook, reported The New York Times, which cited a source with understanding of the matter.
LATEST NEWS ON ASIA
Facebook reportedly releases mobile app in China
Thanks, Samsung: Android’s first-class cell browser now to be had to all Toyota, Intel, Ericsson, NTT shape related car massive facts consortium Huawei sees AI, not dying, in phone future
Tencent, Baidu, Weibo beneath investigation by way of China’s our online world regulator: Report Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg in latest years had met with China’s pinnacle government officers and local online personalities as a part of efforts to establish business hyperlinks within the nearby market. The US business enterprise previously said: “We have long said that we’re interested in China and are spending time expertise and learning more approximately u. S . A ..”
China’s modern-day stats positioned its online person populace at 731 million, of whom 695 million accessed the internet via their mobile phones. U. S. A .’s e-trade marketplace in 2016 accounted for 39.2 percent of the global online market, making it the most important global.
While Facebook has been banned from China seeing that July 2009, it labored with Chinese manufacturers and developers trying to enlarge outside in their home marketplace via Facebook’s ad platform.
Zuckerberg had stated the organization’s purpose “to attach every body” couldn’t exclude the arena’s maximum populous nation. “Over the long term, that may be a state of affairs that we are able to want to try to determine out a manner forward on,” he stated in the course of a quarterly income name.
According to The New York Times record, the developer for Colorful Balloons releases turned into listed in Facebook mobile
Apple App Store as a company referred to as Youge Internet Technology, with a Beijing deal with. The app allowed users to organization and proportion pix from their cell phone’s albums via a QR code.
When was the last time you used only your desktop computer to shop for products and services online? If you’re like most people, it was before the emergence of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Even grandparents have grown accustomed to using their smartphones for calls, texting, shopping and interacting with family and friends on social media. If they’re doing it, you can count on just about everyone else in the world is doing it as well. If you’re serious about reaching your target audience, then mobile marketing is an absolute must. One way of doing this is using local SEO methods to help consumers find your company.
There are a ton of ways you can cater your marketing campaigns to mobile users. A great place to start is with your website.
Mobile-Friendly Design
Hopefully, you’ve already updated your site with a mobile-friendly design, which means that it’s responsive and has dynamic-serving to ensure site speed. A responsive web design is the most effective way to cater to internet users, no matter what device they’re using. It will also help boost your site rankings in search engines, which place heavy emphasis on mobile-friendliness. You can learn more about this from some of the best local SEO companies in the area.
Page Speed is Everything
Besides appeasing the Google gods, having a fast website will also keep your visitors happy. This means a lower bounce rate. Numbers show that 40 percent of internet surfers bounce from a site when it takes longer than three seconds to load.
You can find out how your pages are doing by using tools like PageSpeed Insights. It will check for mobile and desktop load times, and it will outline which features and elements are an issue. Another tool to consider is called GTmetrix.
To learn more about any speed concerns you come across, you should check out your AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) data. You can have AMPs used in your web design to help boost up the speed of your pages for mobile devices. This is nothing more than a stripped down version of HTML, allowing the pages to run more quickly and smoothly. Stats show AMPs tend to load 15 to 85 percent faster.
Claim Your Business… Everywhere
There are business listings just about everywhere on the web, including Yelp, Yellow Pages, Bing Places, Foursquare, and CityGrid. If your business is listed in these local directories, then claim them as your own and fill in all the current, up-to-date information. Why is this important? Because people really do use these sites to find products and services locally (using mobile devices). And don’t forget about Apple Maps, which is used by iPhone users.
Keep Watch of Google Analytics
Here, you can find out information about your mobile stats, which you can review by time, day and device. See how people are accessing your site and how long they’re spending on it. Which pages are performing better than others? If you have a blog, this can help you determine which type of content you should continue pushing out to attract more mobile users.
Publish Content that’s Mobile-Friendly
Speaking of content, you need to make sure to create it so that it’s mobile-friendly. This means making it scannable using bullet points, short and concise paragraphs and implementing links and share buttons. Your meta data should also be short and to the point. Keep in mind the schedules of users when you publish – for instance, publish shorter content during the morning and afternoon, when they are most likely commuting to school or work, and the longer pieces in the evening and on weekends.
Consider Using Google My Business
Being found in the search engines is the key to obtaining long-term incoming traffic. If people can’t search for your business and actually find it, then there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Local Search Engine Optimization is key to helping users find companies like yours. This can be done using Google My Business, which allows you to fill in all of your business details, such as contact info, address and hours of operation. This is then displayed on Google Maps and Search. You can edit your information from one platform, as well as add photos and reply to comments and reviews. This is something that can help you with the.
Appealing to the mobile market is key for boosting your site traffic and ranking. Use the above tips to enhance your mobile marketing campaign today!
is a leading, full-service internet marketing agency. I Think an Idea works with serious business owners small to large alike. Based out of Los Angeles, CA providing great results for services such as SEO, social media marketing, Online reputation management and PPC management. I Think an Idea can maximize your search engine presence and amplify your brand across social media channels, and help safeguard your reputation.
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Headline News from PaymentsNews.com - June 12, 2017 http://ift.tt/2rSonVL
Headline News is brought to you by Glenbrook Partners. Glenbrook provides payments strategy consulting and education services to payments professionals worldwide!
ON THE WEB
Banks Across U.S. Debut Faster Peer-to-Peer Payments With Zelle - Bloomberg - "More than 30 U.S. banks and credit unions are unveiling a unified service to customers this week, called Zelle, after years of watching Silicon Valley innovators from Square Inc. to Apple Inc. build peer-to-peer payment systems. It will supplant a patchwork of products the biggest banks have offered their customers for years. This time, the service is faster and so broad, that chances are it already has your money."
After a 12-Year Ride, Changing Market Conditions Spur VeriFone To Ditch Taxis - Digital Transactions News - "The need for greater investment to grow what is currently a low-margin business prompted San Jose, Calif.-based VeriFone to divest its Taxi Solutions unit, top executives said Thursday at a quarterly earnings call with analysts. While VeriFone expects the unit to generate $60 million in revenues in 2017’s second half, chief financial officer Marc Rothman said its margins are “significantly lower” than the average for VeriFone’s overall services business."
Amazon loaned SMEs $3 billion since 2011, $1 billion in the past year alone - VentureBeat - "Amazon Lending is available on an invite-only basis to small businesses that sell goods through Amazon’s online marketplace. It was initially only available in the U.S. before it was expanded to Japan, followed by the U.K. in June 2015. The company previously revealed plans to expand the offering to a number of other countries, including China and Canada, but it appears this has yet to come to fruition."
Ant Financial extends online credit service to retailers - China Daily - "Ant Financial Services Group, the online finance firm backed by billionaire Jack Ma, will extend its online consumer credit service to four million retail businesses across the country to boost sales and encourage spending-as China's consumers increasingly feel more comfortable shopping with borrowed money."
Target and Cartwheel apps to merge starting this summer, mobile payments and improved maps to follow - TechCrunch - "Target’s mobile app strategy will undergo a significant change, starting this summer. The retailer announced this week it will soon combine the functionality of its Cartwheel savings app with its main shopping app, in preparation for an eventual Cartwheel shutdown. The Target app will also receive a notable upgrade this year, adding support for an indoor map that shows your location in the store, along with the nearby Cartwheel deals, in addition to support for mobile payments."
Hackers Are Hijacking Phone Numbers And Breaking Into Email, Bank Accounts: How To Protect Yourself - Forbes - "With just your phone number and a little bit of what’s called “social engineering” in which a hacker doesn’t necessarily need technical knowledge but just to convince a customer service rep that they are you, a maliciously intentioned person can break into all the above accounts and more."
ON THE WIRES
More Banks and Credit Unions to Join Zelle through Fiserv Partnership with Early Warning - "Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, announced today that multiple banks and credit unions will join the Zelle Network℠ through Turnkey Service for Zelle℠ from Fiserv, allowing consumers to make fast person-to-person (P2P) payments directly from their online banking sites and mobile banking apps."
TSYS Announces Foresight Score with Featurespace - "TSYS (NYSE: TSS), in conjunction with Featurespace, announced a new fraud prevention product today, called TSYS Foresight ScoreSM with Featurespace®. Foresight Score is a fraud and risk scoring tool that incorporates innovative machine learning — a form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that allows software to learn over time without being explicitly programmed — to bolster an issuer’s ability to fight transactional fraud. It was built in partnership with Featurespace and relies on their powerful and proven adaptive behavioral analytics platform — known as ARIC®."
Diebold Nixdorf And Samsung SDS Demonstrate Next Step In Cardless ATM Transactions With Mobile-based Biometric Authentication - "To maximize consumer convenience, the innovative approach enables consumers to stage a withdrawal via their mobile banking app prior to arrival. Once they approach the ATM, the consumer simply taps their Samsung Galaxy S8 mobile device to the near field communications (NFC) reader on the ATM, confirms their transaction and instantly receives a prompt to complete authentication via facial recognition on their mobile device. Once verified, cash will dispense and the transaction is complete in less than half the time of a standard ATM transaction. This technology and experience can also support customers using other Android and iOS devices."
GLENBROOK PAYMENTS EDUCATION EVENTS
Understanding the accelerating pace of change in the payments industry has never been more important. Get the knowledge you need fast at one of our two day Payments Boot Camps. Our one day Insight Workshops follow each Boot Camp and are deep dives into key topics such as digital payments and the global phenomenon of real-time push payments. Take a discount for attending all three days. Our workshop schedule is all set for the fall. Check it out here. We hope to see you soon!
Bring your colleagues along! Group discounts are available. For more information or to learn about our private workshops conducted at your location, contact Glenbrook's Russ Jones.
UPDATES FROM GLENBROOK
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Last year LG’s G5 was more ambitious than applicable. Modular designs were always a hopeful trend in the smartphone world, but LG’s idealistic attempt just wasn’t well received in the market. Well, this year they’ve managed to correct their ways and get back on the correct path with the new LG G6 flagship. The keyword is “flagship” because this time it feels like they finally got it right since the release of the LG G4. The G6 can actually handle the mainstream competition (Apple iPhones & Samsung Galaxy’s) with its new improvements and implementations.
Device Design
First things first, once you unbox this sleek, shiny device you’ll notice right away, gone is the flimsy, plastic metal feel. Now replaced with an elegant Gorilla Glass 5 back and aluminum sides simply feel good in the hands. Another thing you notice is how long the device is and the rounded display corners once the device is booted up. LG says that rounded displays are great for preventing damage to the displays when the smartphones are accidentally dropped. Added to this display is a 1st for LG, IP68 dust and water resistance rating. The dual camera setup is still present but now it’s more flush with the glass back of the phone and it too has its own Gorilla Glass stamp over the dual lens setup. Below that, you’ll find the fingerprint sensor/home button. The volume keys and microSIM/microSD tray are on the left and right side of the device (respectively). Lastly, LG kept the headphone jack (at the top) while the bottom of the device houses the USB Type-C port and a speaker. LG’s shortcut buttons returns as well. Sure the volume buttons aren’t on the rear (personal preference) like they were on the early “G” series smartphones (LG G4 being that last with rear volume buttons), but they have maintained their “double click while the screen is off” functionality. While your screen is off you can quickly enter the camera with a double press of the volume down button, and you can quickly take a note with the double press of the volume up button to access quick memo. The LG G6 is solidly functional, no special gimmicks or useless features necessary.
Display
This gorgeous 5.7-inch, 2880 x 1440 resolution LCD display comes with very thin bezels this time around. LG believes that the switch to an 18:9 aspect ratio is the perfect move for the future. Out of the box, the device supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision as well. Specs aside, images and videos look bright and crisp with this “FullVision” display, and the colors are mostly accurate. LG’s screens have always had a more bluish tone rather than a perfect white so you may be able to detect that hint of blue but the new “ComfortView” feature aka the bluelight filter can help with that correction by making the screen a bit warmer. Viewing angles on the LG G6 are also excellent no matter how you hold or view the device. Even some of LG’s native apps (like contacts or calendar) can make use of the larger screen by displaying dual sided information in 2 square panels that fit the entire display.
LG UX 6.0/Software
LG’s UX custom user interface was always terrible in the past “G” series smartphones. They were mostly cartoonish and blockish. With Android 7.0 Nougat LG changed things up and went with a softer, “rounded” box approach. Similar to Samsung’s newest Samsung Experience UI. Users can go to the “Home Screen” settings and remove the app boxes or they can do as I did and jump over to “LG SmartWorld“ and grab a free theme or two to add a bit of flair to their devices. LG brings back their trusty smart features like KnockON. Other customizations are available such as tweaking your notification menu, navigation keys, home screen, lock screen, and even display scaling for those that prefer larger or smaller icons and fonts.
Google Assistant Availability
The LG G6 was supposed to be the only non-Google Pixel device that had access to the new virtual Google Assistant. But Google had other plans and released the Assistant out for other supported devices after LG made their announcement. Regardless the LG G6 is one of the newest flagships that has the Google Assistant and it handles it very well as if it was on the Pixel devices.
Performance
LG didn’t want to wait to be able to access the Snapdragon 835 chipset so they took a chance and ran with last year’s Snapdragon 821 instead. Accompany that with 4GB of RAM and an Adreno 530 GPU chipset and you have a very steady performance build for a smartphone. As a consumer (and a reviewer) I’ll take last year’s chips (with this year’s body) as long as the hardware and software run well together for long periods of time. Rather than to have a new chip and it struggles with daily use because of horrible software optimization. LG got it right despite not waiting for a better chip. It zooms through apps and games easily without any stutters or lags, which isn’t surprising at all since the Google Pixel uses the same Snapdragon 821 and works just as fine.
Multitasking
Android devices are known for their ability to multitask better than other mobile OS’s (ahem Apple). And with the competition getting smaller each year as the Android OS updates and adds newer features that were once and OEM-only feature, very few remain at the top of the Android food chain for consumers that opt for features over looks (such as the Google Pixel). LG is among that small batch that still manages to stay afloat even though the latest Android 7 Nougat update added features that were commonly only seen on LG devices. For instance, split screen mode (which was primarily exclusive to Samsung and LG) makes a comeback with Android Nougat and works just as well as before. With the much larger screen, using two apps at the same time is much more fun and functional since you can easily see everything. And if necessary you can make one split screen window larger than the other for more visibility. LG also keeps Quick Slide apps which are native LG apps that can be run in smaller windows on top of any application that you are running. Quick Slide apps are great for quickly checking your calendar, making a phone call, making calculations or checking your contacts list while you are watching a video or reading an article on TechMyMoney.
Camera(s)
Gone are the days of single rear cameras. Well not quite yet, but we are nearly there. Apple and several Android OEMs have fortunately blessed us with the ability to have dual cameras as a norm here in 2017. Sure they aren’t a necessity but you must admit, they are an “eye” catcher for mobile photographers and random group photo moments. LG brings back the dual camera lens setup to the G6 and I’m not surprised since they’ve become a flagship feature. The resolutions have shifted quite a bit in contrast to last year’s setup on the LG G5. Instead of an 8MP wide-angle camera and a 16MP main camera, the LG G6 comes back with both lenses shooting with 13MP. Not only does this make the resolutions paired together but they both shine independently even though the quality of the shots are very similar during the daytime or with good lighting. The main camera has optical image stabilization (OIS), phase-detection autofocus and a f/1.8 aperture. The wide-angle lens (125-degree viewing angle) doesn’t have OIS or the phase-detection autofocus but it does have an aperture of f/2.4. At night though, you’ll notice the difference, even more, the main camera can handle night mode wonderfully, but the wide angle shooter can’t properly expose the images plus all of the nighttime shots come out fuzzy looking. Without OIS in the wide-angle lens, you can expect that it will only get used for group photos and wide-angle shots with decent lighting. Also, don’t forget the 5MP wide-angle front-facing selfie, it manages to do its job well for taking selfies. Swapping between all three cameras is very smooth and lag-free. One thing that LG does masterfully, is camera software, especially PRO mode where manual controls are offered. You can expect LG to deliver the best camera software for years to come. The LG G6 gets that same PRO mode functionality as the powerful LG V20 which impressed us across the board. While using PRO mode we managed to pull out some godly awesome shots. Each was very detailed and perfectly taken. LG even tossed in some Instagram-friendly “square modes” for that perfect 1:1 ratio. With the large 18:9 display of the G6, LG even added other modes for square shooting like instant previews and grid shooting. Even the video mode has manual, which is a rarity these days, I’m impressed with these cameras and the software.
Daily Driver Potential
When new phones are released we as consumers are often amazed by the new features, gimmicks, amazing presentations and device colors, but regardless of it all when we have to put nearly under a $1,000 down for a flagship device we want one that works well for long term usage. We also want something that can handle the nearby competition so while amongst other we don’t feel like we paid for an outdated or poorly designed device. The LG G6 is definitely on my list as a device that has excellent daily driver potential. I don’t feel outdated or out of touch with the modern wave of smartphones. Actually, people often stop me and ask what kind of phone is it. They are often stunned by the large screen size and dual camera setup with the glass back. In the age of iPhone and Samsung Galaxy dominance rarely will an Android “flagship” maintain its position but LG’s G6 & V20 have my vote among my top 5 Android smartphones list of 2017 (as of April 2017). Sure the V20 is bigger, has plenty of mics and has an excellent audio DAC, but the LG G6 has much more to offer, it boasts a taller display, feels better in hands, water resistance, supports wireless charging, has better performance and its design just looks more elegant and refined.
Sure the Samsung S8 & S8+ may be the current buzz but the one huge differentiator between LG’s G6 and the S8 is that the G6 has passed 14 approved military standards tests, including shock, humidity, sand and high-temperature tests. With most smartphone bezels becoming smaller, they need to become more durable. LG’s goal is to create a premium, reliable phone allowing the user to worry less when they drop their devices accidentally. Now you don’t need to feel bad about having a beautifully “naked” phone while everyone else covers up their devices for fear of damage during drops.
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Here’s some extra additional information on features and those tests from LG’s press release:
[su_box title=”LG Press Release” style=”soft”]
Moreover, the LG G6 has the distinction of having met and passed the MIL-STD 810G standard for durability, conducted by independent testing and certification firm MET (Maryland Electrical Testing) Laboratories. The G6 passed the following 14 tests: Low Temperature, High Temperature, Humidity, Vibration, Solar Radiation, Low Pressure, Sand and Dust, Immersion, Temperature Shock, Salt Fog and Rain. Tough enough to pass military standards tests, the LG G6 is ready to tackle your day-to-day activities with confidence.*
**Military standard tests include the following: MIL-STD-810G Low Pressure (Procedure II) Method 500.5, High Temperature (Procedure I – Storage) & (Procedure II – Operation) Method 501.5, Low Temperature (Procedure I – Storage) & (Procedure II – Operation) Method 502.5, Temperature Shock (Procedure I-C) Method 503.5, Solar Radiation (Procedure I) Method 505.5, Rain – (Procedure III) Method 506.5, Humidity (Procedure I) Method 507.5, Salt Fog – Method 509.5, Sand and Dust (Procedure I) Method 510.5, Immersion (Procedure I) Method 512.5, Vibration (Category 4) Method 514.6, & Mechanical Shock (Procedure IV) Method 516.6. Passed 14 different MIL-STD 810G Tests for durability conducted by an independent laboratory in U.S. that conforms to U.S. military standards. Device may not perform as tested in all conditions. Test performed in controlled environment. Do not attempt.”[/su_box]
8 Things I Love About The LG G6 Last year LG’s G5 was more ambitious than applicable. Modular designs were always a hopeful trend in the smartphone world, but LG’s idealistic attempt just wasn’t well received in the market.
#18:9#All News#Android#G6#Gadgets#Gallery#Gear#Google#Google Assistant#LG#LG G6#LG V20#Mobile#Phones#Press#Reviews#Smartphone#Software#technology#Update#V20
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Vizio to pay $2.2 million to the FTC for unprecedented spying on US customers
Back in 2015, we covered how Vizio was using its new smart TVs to gather data on the viewing habits of all US customers, then sending that data back to itself to sell to third party advertising companies. What made the breach of customer trust particularly egregious was the fact that Vizio was doing this whether the end-user agreed to it or not. While the company patched that specific problem after it was publicly disclosed by third parties, the FTC opened an investigation into the company’s behavior more generally. The findings of that investigation have since been announced. Since February 2014, Vizio has sold TVs with Inscape’s ACR content recognition software pre-installed. This software has been retrofitted into previously sold devices that lacked it — unless you’ve got a TV from prior to 2014 that you’ve never connected to the Internet, chances are that you’ve got ACR software sitting on your TV. The FTC notes that this software allows Vizio to collect information on what a consumer is watching on a second-by-second basis: Defendants’ ACR software captures information about a selection of pixels on the screen and sends that data to Vizio servers, where it is uniquely matched to a database of publicly available television, movie, and commercial content. Defendants collect viewing data from cable or broadband service providers, set-top boxes, external streaming devices, DVD players, and over-the-air broadcasts. Defendants have stated that the ACR software captures up to 100 billion data points each day from more than 10 million Vizio televisions. Defendants store this data indefinitely. Here’s how the system works. To you, the following line segment doesn’t look like much:
Click to enlarge. To a computer, however, each pixel of that image can be translated into data and compared with similar blocks of pixels taken from a huge catalog of TV and movies. When we talk about Big Data giving us access to relationship information that was previously obscured, this isn’t the kind of breakthrough most people had in mind, but that’s what it is. One pixel’s worth of data doesn’t identify anything, but an entire slice of data from a frame can be compared with a comprehensive data base of film and movie “slices” to see which they match up with. Here’s more, from the FTC: Defendants’ ACR software also periodically collects other information about the television, including IP address, wired and wireless MAC addresses, WiFi signal strength, nearby WiFi access points, and other items. Vizio earns revenue by providing consumers’ television viewing history to third parties through licensing agreements, on a television-by-television basis for three main uses, specified by contracts. First, Vizio provides aggregate viewing information to third parties for the purposes of measuring audience engagement (what did people watch and how did they watch it). Defendants are given a unique identifier for each television and metrics identifying what people watch, when it was watched, how long it was watched for, and what channels were watched. Second, Vizio has provided IP addresses of all devices associated with the IP address of the television so that advertisers could determine whether consumers visit a web address shown on TV after seeing an ad for a product or service. This data is also used to determine if someone views a TV program after seeing an online ad. The idea that this data is anonymous in any meaningful way is, of course, hilarious. Third, consumer data is sold to third parties for the purpose of targeting advertising at them on other devices they may own, based on their television viewing data. This last program got started in March 2016, which means this is what Vizio did as a “Sorry,” after getting caught running data collection on all customers, whether they opted in or not. In my 2015 write-up, I specifically noted that while IP addresses weren’t considered legal proof of liability, advertisers would be happy to use them. That’s precisely what the FTC found: Defendants facilitate the provision of demographic information to third parties about VIZIO television viewers. Defendants do this by providing consumers’ IP addresses to a data aggregator. The data aggregator uses the IP address information to identify a particular consumer or household, and then sends the third parties described in Paragraph 16 the demographic information associated with that consumer or household. Defendants’ contracts with third-party users of the viewing data prohibit the re-identification of consumers and households by name, but allow the following information to be appended: sex, age, income, marital status, household size, education, home ownership, and household value. For all of these uses, Defendants provide highly-specific, second-by-second information about television viewing. Each line of a report provides viewing information about a single television. In a securities filing, VIZIO states that its data analytics program, for example, “provides highly specific viewing behavior data on a massive scale with great accuracy, which can be used to generate intelligent insights for advertisers and media content providers.�� In 2016, Vizio did notify end users that it was now collecting data from their televisions to sell to third parties. This notification was provided in the form of a one-time popup lasting thirty seconds that did not need to be dismissed or acknowledged, vanished afterwards, never appeared again, and contained no links to the Settings menu or provide any additional information on how customers might opt out of this feature. The FTC filing notes that Vizio’s customers are prohibited from re-identifying household customers by name, but let’s get real — if you know that the resident of 1234 Anystreet is a 42 year-old white male, never-married, with a bachelor’s degree, and a $250,000 home with a 30-year mortgage, you have identified that person. At that point, most public record databases will readily cough up a name. The company will pay $1.5 million to the FTC and $700,000 to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. It must also delete all data collected before March 1, 2016 (but not since) and has agreed to prominently advertise and obtain consent before collecting information. It’s time to stop pretending this is accidental The ludicrously small fine for collecting data on an estimated 11 million televisions sold for up to three years highlights both the limits of federal law — there aren’t exactly any comprehensive digital privacy statutes preventing corporations from buying and selling this information — and the futility of preventing corporations from engaging in this kind of treachery. I do not use that word lightly. While I recognize that the vast majority of consumers have little interest in security, I suspect most of Vizio’s customers would’ve very much liked to know they were carrying a device into their homes that would phone home with their viewing habits and other attached products so unknown advertisers could use third-party databases to figure out who they were — and no, I don’t consider a toothless agreement to constitute a compelling privacy-protecting arrangement. When a corporation sells you everything you could possibly need to identify a specific individual, up to and including information gathered about his or her other devices, then says “Oh but wait, you can’t look up who it is,” this is not an arrangement we need take seriously when evaluating whether the agreement adequately safeguards privacy. Based on the behavior of Samsung, LG, Vizio, and other companies, I wouldn’t recommend buying any smart TV, from any manufacturer, for any reason. Since such TVs are going to eventually become the only TVs you can buy, a more practical alternative is to simply never connect it to the Internet. If you simply can’t live without an online connection on your TV, use a set-top box. Use a game console. Use a PC and connect the TV as a monitor (pick your set carefully if you go this route). But don’t connect your TV to the Internet. It’s true, companies like Google and Apple collect far more data from your smartphone, but there’s little practical way to limit data collection on a device whose functionality is fundamentally predicated on being connected to location-monitoring services. If you want turn-by-turn, GPS needs to know where you are. If you want to get phone calls, text messages, or use the Internet, various services need to know where your phone is. Nobody needs to know what you’re watching on your TV, much less resell that information. Samsung, LG, Vizio, these corporations have no moral right to any of this information, and few would argue that consumers have been properly notified that their private information is handed over to such companies. If smart TV manufacturers want to argue that everyone is actually fine with these practices, let them put their money where their mouths are and advertise it prominently on the box. Let them do what Amazon does, and offer a TV at one price if you accept data monitoring and a TV at a higher price if you don’t. What these companies do may not be illegal, but that doesn’t make it right. Click to Post
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Planning to kick your fitness routine into high gear in 2021? It might be time to invest in a quality fitness tracker. These devices aren’t just for tracking steps anymore—the latest models can monitor everything from your heart rate to your sleep. (No wonder one in five people use one.)
The best fitness trackers act almost like a mini-trainer, offering insights into your workouts and the motivation to push yourself harder with every sweat session. Best of all, you don’t need to be a serious athlete to use one; pretty much anyone can get their money’s worth from a tracker or smartwatch.
As the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic begins, it’s the perfect time to take charge of your health and re-commit to your goals with a fitness tracker. Plus, if you’re training for the Prevention Virtual Walk on Saturday, May 1—our twice-annual walking event that connects people around the world in a DIY 5K—each of these devices will help you walk farther than ever before.
What do fitness trackers do?
Fitness trackers are devices that use sensors to track your health metrics. They’re usually worn on the wrist and most often track heart rate, steps, and distance traveled. The vast majority are also swim-, rain-, and shower-proof.
But as fitness trackers have evolved, so have their capabilities; now, you can find devices that track sleep, active minutes, and progress in multiple forms of exercise. Some even have built-in features like GPS, music players, workouts, apps, and the ability to call and text people. Most fitness trackers come with an associated smartphone app so you can track your progress over time.
Fitness trackers don’t just deliver data—research shows they can actually increase your activity levels. A 2017 study found that regularly wearing a fitness tracker improved active minutes, steps taken, and miles walked in type 2 diabetes patients over a 36-week period.
How to choose the best fitness tracker for your goals
Fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, each tailored for a unique kind of user. To make the best choice, take these simple steps.
Consider your specific needs. Are you a swimmer? A weekend warrior? A 15-minute YouTube workout aficionado? Your tracker should be able to keep up with your desired fitness routine and activity level—otherwise, you’ll find yourself leaving it at home. If you’re into cardio, a slimmer model is less likely to get in the way of your workout than a bulkier one. If you like to leave your phone behind when you go on walks, pick an option with built-in GPS. And if you’re a serious athlete, you’ll appreciate a device that puts a premium on deep-dive data.
Pay attention to battery life. Most fitness trackers can go days or weeks on a single charge, even if you wear them nonstop. Smartwatches usually require more frequent charging than simple trackers. And be aware that battery life decreases in any device when you’re using active features like GPS, music, and calling.
Decide between a tracker and a smartwatch. Pure fitness trackers are usually cheaper than smartwatches, but they offer fewer amenities; most have a watch face, heart-rate monitoring, and powerful sensors, but limited abilities to perform non-fitness-related tasks. The most powerful fitness trackers might not even have a screen at all—they’re so data-driven that they save that space for more sensors.
Smartwatches, meanwhile, often include additional bells and whistles like integrated music, contactless payment, texting, calling, and the ability to download apps. Both fitness trackers and smartwatches might require a nearby smartphone to offer full features, so be sure you know what to expect from whichever model you choose.
Ready to invest in a device for yourself? Here are the absolute best fitness trackers for every type of workout and wellness goal.
1
Best Overall Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Versa 3
amazon.com
$228.95
6 days | GPS | Waterproof
Pretty much anyone can enjoy the Versa 3, Fitbit’s premier smartwatch, which features contactless payments, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, calling, and Spotify integration. It’s got the right specs for serious athletes, but weekend warriors will appreciate it, too. “The watch is very easy to navigate, GPS kicks in quickly, and off you go,” one reviewer writes. (We loved it so much, it won a 2021 Prevention Fitness Award!)
2
Best Runner-Up Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Charge 4
amazon.com
$149.95
$132.97 (11% off)
7 days | GPS | Waterproof
For for under $150, the Fitbit Charge 4 is the best fitness tracker for most people’s needs. It boasts just about everything you’d want in a tracker: built-in GPS, heart rate tracking, Spotify control, waterproofing, and a comfortable strap to boot. And with over 20 goal-based exercise modes, the Charge 4 is meant for more than just walkers and runners.
3
Best Budget Fitness Tracker
Xiaomi Mi Band 5
amazon.com
$39.99
14 days | Connect GPS | Waterproof
On a budget? Go for The Mi Band 5, which can track your sleep, heart rate, and distance, as long as you connect it to your smartphone. It may not offer perfect accuracy like pricey models, “but as a watch that can give you notifications, weather, change your music, and so on, it is great,” one reviewer writes.
4
Best Under-$70 Fitness Tracker
Samsung Galaxy Fit 2
amazon.com
$59.00
15 days | No GPS | Waterproof
If you have a Galaxy smartphone, you’ll love this tracker, which connects to your phone and notifies you when you receive a call or text. It has an impressive 15-day battery and a bright, simple touchscreen. Plus, it automatically detects when you start exercising, so all you have to do is get moving.
5
Best Under-$100 Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Inspire 2
amazon.com
$99.95
$88.95 (11% off)
10 days | No GPS | Waterproof
This more affordable Fitbit doesn’t disappoint. Though it doesn’t offer GPS, it tracks steps and distance, plus other forms of exercise and sleep. “Set-up was super easy,” one Amazon buyer writes, and “it does everything and more than what my Charge 2 HR did for me, which was quite a lot.”
6
Best Fitness Tracker for Runners
Garmin Venu Sq Music
amazon.com
$249.99
6 days | GPS | Waterproof
Runners who can’t hit the trail without music, you’re in luck—Garmin’s Venu Sq allows you to download songs and playlists directly from Spotify and Amazon Music. It’s also host to the brand’s super-accurate GPS, which is a must for serious runners who want to track their exact distance and location. And with access to preloaded apps and workouts, plus all the regular fitness tracker features, you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth.
7
Best Fitness Tracker for iPhones
Apple Watch Series 6
amazon.com
$384.98
18 hours | GPS | Waterproof
The Apple Watch’s battery life (8 hours) holds it back from being a truly great fitness tracker, but it excels as a smartwatch with some pretty impressive features. iPhone users can take calls and respond to texts directly from the watch, on top of measuring all kinds of workouts, tracking overall fitness, and syncing music and podcasts. And when you’re not feeling sporty, you can swap your plastic band out for a more luxe one.
8
Best Tracker for Serious Athletes
Whoop Strap 3.0
Whoop join.whoop.com
$30.00
5 days | No GPS | Waterproof
Unlike other devices on this list, the Whoop Strap has no screen and is technically free—though you need to pay a $30 monthly membership fee to get it. Most casual fitness fans won’t need its incredible amount of data, but those who want to fine-tune workouts and precisely track progress will love it. And although the device doesn’t have GPS, you can track your route using the accompanying smartphone app.
9
Best Fitness Tracker Ring
Oura Ring
ouraring.com
$299.00
7 days | No GPS | Waterproof
Finally, if you’re not sold on a watch design at all, Oura’s Ring is the right device for you. You wear it like a ring on your finger, and it beams all of your data to a smartphone app, where it measures your performance over time. Its heart-rate and temperature measuring are seriously powerful, alerting you to potential health issues before you’re even aware of them.
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New Post has been published on
New Post has been published on http://www.geekscorner.co.uk/will-android-wear-2-0-rival-the-series-2-apple-watch/
Will android wear 2.0 rival the series 2 Apple Watch?
Google has finally launched its Android Wear 2.0, which comes as expected with Googles Assistant which is accessible by holding the power button or say “OK Google” similar to accessing Siri on the Apple Watch.
Android Wear 2.0 will ship on 2 versions the Watch Sport and Watch Style from LG, but most existing devices are scheduled to get the software update as well except the Moto 360 (2014), LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live, and ASUS ZenWatch.
Communicating from the smartwatch is meant to be easy with Messages can be expanded to reply using dictation, typing, handwriting, and everyone’s favourite emojis.
Fitness is focused on heavily with Google Fit being pre-installed on devices and has the ability to monitor pace, distance, calories burned, heart rate (provided a heart rate monitor is present), weight-lifting reps, pushups, sit-ups, and squats. And, because
One advantage the Android Wear has over the Apple Watch is that is supports a cellular connection, so you can not only work out without your phone nearby but also take calls and interact with notifications. Google also designed the Watch so Apps don’t have to be on your phone to be on your smartwatch so you can keep individual apps on either device.
The Watch faces are also customisable with things like reminders, upcoming appointments, step count, and more are available at a glance.
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