Wearable Computing & Fashion News - Page 2

If you bought the Apple Watch Edition back in 2015, you're probably not going to want to keep reading this because we've got some bad news for you.

According to an internal Apple memo seen by MacRumors, the original Apple Watch has now been added to Apple's list of obsolete products. That happened on September 30 which means that you're now using an Apple Watch that you might want to consider replacing. The problem? Some people bought the Apple Watch Edition which, depending on the model bought, could have cost up to $17,000.

The list of obsolete models includes the 18-karat gold model which was discontinued in 2016 after, presumably, nobody bought it. It was replaced in Apple's lineup by the white ceramic model which was arguably nicer to look at and cost a lot less - just $1299.

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is expected to be announced during an event on October 4, with Google also set to show off the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro officially for the first time. Expectations are high for the whole lineup, and now new leaks show just how much of the Fitbit DNA is starting to appear on the Pixel Watch 2.

The Pixel Watch 2 will be Google's second attempt at building a top-quality smartwatch and it didn't do a bad job with the first model that was released last year. However, this new model looks set to lean heavily on Fitbit by adding some key new features that will be familiar to Fitbit wearers.

As noted by 9to5Google, the most obvious is a new Body responses screen which is expected to use a new EDA sensor to help with stress tracking for the first time. We also see new images, shared by X leaker Evan Blass, which show a redesigned interface for heart rate monitoring with a "target zone." It isn't clearly mentioned what that feature will do, although talk of pace training might give us a hint.

Fitbit is back with its new fitness tracker, the Charge 6. And it's now more like a smartwatch than ever with improved features and whole new ones that show Google's fingerprints are all over this thing.

The new fitness tracker was announced as an upgrade to the company's number one product of its type, and it's definitely going from strength to strength with a number of improvements.

At the top of Fitbit's list is an improved heart rate tracker that borrows innovation from Google's Pixel Watch. We're told that heart rate tracking during things like workouts, spinning, and rowing is now up to 60% more accurate, which is noteworthy to be sure.

Alongside the full reveal of the new Meta Quest 3 VR and mixed-reality headset today at Meta Connect 2023, the company unveiled its second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses collection, which "combines iconic style and cutting-edge technology." And they'll be here October 17, starting from USD 299.

Although smart glasses have been around for a while and haven't taken off, Meta's new Ray-Ban collaboration improves on the company's first-gen efforts while adding AI capabilities and revamping the audio with redesigned speakers optimized for bass, higher volume, and directional sound to deliver calls, music, and podcasts in noisy environments.

According to Meta, you'll get "double the bass," which sits on top of the ability to capture POV media with the new ultra-wide 12 MP camera that can capture 1080p videos of up to 60 seconds each. Meta adds that the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 Platform enabled higher-quality photos and video processing and faster access to features.

When Apple released watchOS 10 to the public last week it brought with it a ton of new features as well as tweaks to existing ones. But it turns out it also brought something else to the table - a bug that prevents the Weather app's complications from working properly.

So when Apple released watchOS 10.0.2 yesterday there was a lot of hope. Could this update fix the weird complication issue? It appeared that it indeed did, with people who downloaded the updated reporting that their complications were working once more. Except, soon enough, it all went wrong and the complications stopped working all over again.

The issue appears to be that Weather app complications simply stop working, refusing to display data even when there is data to be found. Tapping the notification opens the Weather app and weather data is indeed present and correct. But it seems that information isn't finding its way through to the complication, causing problems as a result.

Apple's watchOS 10 update has been around for a few days now and it comes preinstalled on the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. And while it brings with it some cool new features, it isn't without its problems. Like the one that basically stops the Weather app's complication from working.

Complications are the little bits of information that you can place on your Apple Watch's watch face, and they're great ways of seeing that information at all times. The weather is a great example of something you might want to do that with but as some are finding out, watchOS 10 has other ideas.

9to5Mac was the first to highlight the issue that appears to happen on both watchOS 10 and watchOS 10.0.1, which means that you won't find a currently available software update to fix it.

When it comes to the world of the smart ring there aren't all that many competitors in the market. The Oura Ring is very likely the one that you've heard of, but there might be a big new player on the way. And it's doing its best to ruin the surprise.

That new player is of course Samsung, and we've been hearing of the potential for a Galaxy Ring for a few weeks now. Details are sparse, but Samsung appears to have not only confirmed that the Galaxy Ring is indeed real but also when it will be announced.

The Galaxy Ring is something that is now almost nailed on for a release sooner rather than later. The Galaxy Ring name was found in the latest build of the Galaxy Wearable Android app with details posted to a Korean forum. There is also a small image showing the ring, but it's just an outline drawing that doesn't show us much.

When Apple announced the Apple Watch Ultra 2 alongside the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and Apple Watch Series 9 on September 12, it made it immediately available for preorder. And it seems that people have been getting those orders in double-quick because some configurations are very much not available for day-one delivery right now.

Ordering an Apple Watch Ultra 2 right now could see you having to wait a very long time before it arrives on your doorstep, depending on the configuration that you choose. MacRumors notes that some delivery windows are already stretching far beyond the September 22 launch date with some people set to wait almost two months before their new watch will arrive.

The worst-hit models seem to be those that come with the Trail Loop in Orange and Beige for both S/M and M/L sizes. Those Apple Watch Ultra 2 wearables won't arrive for anything up to seven weeks, it seems. Apple Watch Ultra 2 models that are ordered with an Alpine band could be waiting up to three weeks at the time of writing - and those delivery estimates are only going to get worse, too.

Apple is currently unveiling its next-generation Apple Watch, officially called the Apple Watch Series 9, a new watch that comes with an unforgettable new gesture that makes snoozing your alarm that much easier.

At the time of writing this article, Apple is currently livestreaming its Wonderlust event, where its expected to unveil a selection of new products, and what the company has already showcased is the brand new Apple Watch, Apple Watch Series 9. The next-generation Apple Watch comes with an improvement in battery life, with Apple claiming an "all day 18-hour battery life," which can be attributed to the new Apple silicon that comes with a "neural engine" that's separate cores on the processor dedicated to carrying out specific user requests.

Apple noted throughout its presentation that its Dictation feature on the Apple Series 9 is 25x times better than Dictation on the Apple Series 8. Additionally, the Series 9 is able to answer a wider span of Siri questions, such as "How much did I sleep last night?", while also coming with a new maximum brightness of 2,000 nits, doubling the brightness of the Apple Series 8. Probably the most impressive aspect of the Apple Series 9 is the new gesture the company demoed, which Apple calls the "Double Tap".

Apple is ready to hold a special event on September 12 that will see the unveiling of a raft of new products, not least the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But while the new iPhones will surely get the lion's share of the attention, there are two wearables on the way as well. And now we might know more about what they will have to offer.

Writing as part of a wider piece discussing the September 12 event, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has laid out his expectations for the new Apple Watches. While there are some aspects that won't be changing, there are some that will - and those changes could make a big difference to the way the Apple Watch is used.

Gurman says that while the new Apple Watches won't get a new look, they could get new colors and finishes. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is already rumored to have a new black color, for example. But Gurman does also say that things will change on the inside.