Smartwatches & Fitness Trackers

Save the date! Apple has finally sent out invitations and confirmed the rumors that it will hold its 10th-anniversary iPhone announcement on Tuesday, September 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater at the company's new Cupertino headquarters. At its event, Apple is expected to release the iPhone 8 and possibly the Apple Watch 3 and 4K Apple TV. After sending out the official invitations this morning, Apple finally confirmed the day for its September event by simply saying, “Let's meet at our place,” a reference to Apple's new 175-acre campus.

One of the Apple Watch's many benefits is the ability to manage incoming messages and notifications from your wrist. But if you've let the notifications pile up, don't worry about going through and dismissing them one by one; there's an easy way to dismiss all your notifications at once. When your Apple Watch notifications start to pile up, here’s how to clear all of them at once.

This was a huge WWDC keynote event. Apple spent a solid two-and-a-half hours debuting all of the new operating systems and quite a few products too. It was a truly stunning event that included a look at the upcoming iOS 11, WatchOS 4, tvOS 11, and MacOS High Sierra. Apple also debuted its whole new line iMacs, Macbooks, and iPad Pros. And last but certainly not least, Apple revealed its Amazon Echo & Google Home competitor: HomePod, which is designed to work not only as a virtual assistant but also as an incredible home sound system. Apple definitely made up for not having a spring event. I think it’s safe to say that the company realizes there are huge expectations upon it this year, and Apple is showing the world that it’s prepared to deliver in a big way.

For the longest time, every new app I downloaded on my iPhone seemed to also appear on my Apple Watch. I found myself constantly deleting apps from my Apple Watch that I knew I would never ever use on the tiny screen. Eventually, I got so frustrated with all the new apps crowding my watch face that I went searching through settings for a solution. Here’s how to prevent new apps from automatically downloading to Apple Watch.

Most of us wear watches they way we purchased them. Perhaps we swap out a band now and then. Some even come with a variety of band colors or styles. But if we own a good watch, such as a Citizen, an Omega, a Rolex, or a Movado, we wear the watch as purchased because of its overall design. Why pay all that money to cover up the cool watch you spent all that money on? The Apple Watch is different; but should it be? Although the Apple Watch is, in most cases, less expensive than the watch brands listed above, the market seems to want us to protect our Apple Watch from scratches and dings  with a rugged watch case or watch screen protector more so than its expensive brethern.

The iHome iPLWBT5 Docking Clock Radio ($129.99) could really eliminate some of the clutter on your nightstand. It's a clock radio, which iHome has been making for years, but it also doubles as a dual charging dock for your iPhone 7 and Apple Watch. There's a Lightning dock on the top, which should accommodate most cases except really protective ones. For iPhones in protective cases or an iPad, there's a USB port so you can charge a device via your own Lightning cable. Finally, sitting on the side is an Apple Watch magnetic charging base. 

The calculator app that comes bundled in iOS is adequate for basic, quick calculations, but it lacks even a simple memory function or running history of operations. Hundreds of alternative calculator apps, both free and paid, are available from the App Store. But when you want the best, the absolute top of the category, PCalc ($9.99) from TLA Systems claims that it's the one to beat. Let's find out if that's the case.

WatchOS 3 on Apple Watch along with iOS 10 on iPhone allows you to share your fitness metrics (and activity circles) with friends in the Activity app. Since the spirit of competition is a motivating factor for lots of people, this allows you to compete with your friends, attempt to keep up, and ultimately surpass them. When you want to share your fitness metrics with someone, you must send an invite to them. Once they accept, you’ll see their fitness metrics and in turn, they’ll see yours. Here’s how to share fitness metrics with friends in the Activity app.

Looking for a way to stay focused and disciplined on completing a task on time? The Pomodoro Technique  is a proven approach to time management that has been programmatically captured in a number of iOS apps. Some are simple timers while others offer much more. This review takes a closer look at Be Focused Pro ($1.99 iOS, $4.99 macOS), one of the more comprehensive, Apple-hardware-friendly programs available on the App Store today.

It won’t be long now until Apple’s September keynote event but a lot is still tightly under wraps. We know the iPhone 7 will make its debut. We also now know the event will take place Wednesday, September 7, but most of the other details remain up-in-the-air. Will the iPhone 7 have new features we haven't heard about? What other products will Apple release at its September Keynote event this year? Let’s take a look at the possibilities, starting with the obvious (iPhone 7) and descending into the strong maybes. Here’s everything we’re expecting to see at Apple’s September keynote event 2016.

A little known trick of the Apple Watch is that you can use it as your shutter remote for taking pictures with your iPhone. When you open the Camera app on your Apple Watch, you’ll see whatever the iPhone’s camera can see. This is perfect for taking family photos since you can station the iPhone on a tripod, join the group, and tap the button or activate the three-second timer right from your Apple Watch. Here’s how to take iPhone photos using your Apple Watch.

If you have an Apple Watch paired with your iPhone, you’re familiar with Activity rings. On the Apple Watch, your activity is represented by three concentric circles that track how much of your daily goals you have met. There’s a red circle for your Move goal, a green one for Exercise, and a blue one for Stand. However, you can also view these Activity rings in graph form in the Health app and include it as a part of your health Dashboard. Here’s how to view your activity rings in your health app dashboard.

We all sat around the table as Tim Cook made his closing remarks saying, “this can’t be the end. It’s only been an hour. Is that it?” Beginning at 10 a.m Pacific Time, the Apple Spring Event was exactly what the rumors predicted with a couple unexpected features. Tim Cook began by addressing the ongoing controversy between Apple and the FBI stating, “we did not expect to be in this position, at odds with our government,” but, “We will not shrink from this responsibility.”

Etsy has made it far easier for small businesses and local craftsman to promote and sell their handmade or vintage goods. The large online store has categories with everything from knitting needles to wedding dresses. But when we’re looking for tech accessories, it’s easy to forget about the website of amazing crafts. Meanwhile, the options available on Etsy are endless and certainly deserve a look. Here’s five gorgeous and/or useful Apple accessories you can only find on Etsy.

It's a reality today that all wearables will be compared to the Apple Watch, but the Activité Pop ($149.95) from Withings compares favorably. For starters, it's a lot more affordable, at about $150. It's also waterproof, which Apple doesn't claim. The first thing you'll notice is that it's analog. That means the battery life can be measured in months (up to eight), not hours. It's still smart, just don't expect to read your text messages on it. What you can do, though, is track your activity, steps, and sleep, and receive vibration alarms.

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