Weekly Wireless Report WEEK ENDING May 1, 2015
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Weekly Wireless Report WEEK ENDING May 1, 2015 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: This Week’s Stories Apple Watch Review THIS WEEK’S STORIES April 30, 2015 Apple Watch Review The Apple Watch is now on the wrists of members of the general public for the first time, and opinions Microsoft Opens Windows 10 about its usefulness are flying fast and furious. To Apple, Android App Here at TechCrunch, we’ve been sharing our thoughts in an ongoing diary, featuring daily entries PRODUCTS & SERVICES describing what it’s like to use the Watch as we become more familiar with the new gadget. Microsoft Details Windows 10 As A Service Now, though, after over a week with the Watch, here’s a more cohesive look at how my thoughts on the wearable computer and its place in my life have jelled. This review should give you a more direct Apple And IBM Team On iPad answer to the question, “Should I buy one?” Apps For Elderly The Apple Watch is a design feat, no matter how you look at it. The construction of the case, and the EMERGING TECHNOLOGY attention to detail paid to elements like the digital crown and strap connector are outstanding. In Tesla's New Product Is A general, the feel of the Watch on the wrist is way beyond anything that anyone else making Battery For Your Home smartwatches has so far produced. MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Some of the standout design features of the Watch include the weight of the case, which is substantial Here's Why Salesforce May enough to satisfy a regular watch-wearer like myself without feeling burdensome. The aluminum models Sell Out To Oracle feel featherweight by comparison, which just goes to show that Apple took into account a range of user comfort-levels and experience with wrist-worn accessories; for my money, though, the substance and Sprint Makes Wi-Fi The 'Fourth perceptible density of the stainless steel Watch collection is where it’s at. Layer' Of Its Network With New Boingo Deal, Small Cell Push My review unit came with the white flourelastomer sport band, which proved surprisingly comfortable, And Wi-Fi Router and easy enough to get on and off the wrist once you get used to its unique pin-and-tuck clasp mechanism. Said mechanism ends up being much better than a standard strap, in fact, because the INDUSTRY REPORTS tucked portion acts as a shim to snug up fit comfortably, and you don’t have that tail end hanging off the Nokia Shares Off 10% On 1Q way it often can. Networks Decline Generally, I’ve been wearing the Apple Watch from when I wake up to when I go to bed, with nary a YouTube Touts Influence break in between (except to shower), and the Sport Band’s comfort-oriented design really shines with While Casting Doubt On TV’s this kind of use. I’ll go from using it at my computer to hitting the road for a run, then simply rinse it down quickly in the bathroom sink before it hits my wrist again, and so far, it’s been nothing but a pleasure to wear in all these different settings. On the other hand, the black leather loop bracelet has been more of a mixed bag. This strap option, also supplied by Apple for the purposes of this review, closes thanks to magnetic segments that attach to one another, surrounded by a sealed external skin of leather. The leather extends all the way to the connector component at the end of the strap, making this a versatile option for those looking for something that matches both aluminum and stainless steel case options, so in that regard it’s a good general choice. Overall, I’m satisfied with the band and will definitely continue to use it, but it does have a tendency to slip somewhat looser when you bend your wrist, as the magnets slide against each other and drop down a couple of links, meaning you’ll find yourself readjusting throughout the day. It doesn’t happen that often (only when my wrist bends at a fairly dramatic angle from my forearm) but it’s just enough to ensure the leather loop strap isn’t strictly a set-it-and-forget it option once it’s on your arm. These elements remind me of the mechanical and automatic watches that I love, and Apple’s design team was clearly on the same page when they came up with the Digital Crown. Apple’s crown takes the traditional watch crown as its primary design influence, but the function it serves is quite different. A regular watch’s crown lets you set the time, date (if you have such a complication) and, in the case of mechanical watches, wind it to build up a reserve of energy to power Connect with Us www.ksrinc.com P a g e | 2 the movement of the hands. Apple’s Digital Crown allows for a very different kind of input, controlling scrolling primarily, and acting as one of two physical buttons on the Watch when you press down on the top. Using the Digital Crown is pleasant, and offers a lot of tactile satisfaction, with the proviso that you do have to take some time to get used to it. It’s very responsive, and as such, can feel a bit fiddly at first. I think I was used to having to perform more exaggerated gestures with devices that serve similar functions on the desktop, like the mouse scroll wheel, which meant having to get used to the Digital Crown’s fine-tuned level of heightened motion sensitivity. Using Force Touch (pressing down more firmly on the watch than is required for basic taps) to expand your control options is another Apple Watch feature that isn’t instantly apparent, but that quickly becomes second nature when using the gadget. The reason it takes time to get used to is that it’s brand new, appearing only on the new 13-inch MBP and 12-inch MacBook in addition to here, and that there aren’t any visual cues to let you know that you should press down to expose more options. I quickly found myself Force Touching whenever I encountered a road block on the Watch, however. The process went as follows: recall or expect some function from a native Watch app that I can’t seem to find, Force Touch, and in most cases find said function. Force Touch also provides moments of light, but fun surprise, like when I realized earlier today that you could deep press on the color picker in the Digital Touch sketch app to get a color wheel that allows you to go beyond the pre-set options. Overall, it’s a feature that feels ripe with promise, especially once third-party apps get the opportunity to explore it further. The Digital Touch features of Apple Watch are those unique messaging features you’ve probably heard a lot about, which work exclusively watch-to-watch and which allow you to send your friends sketches, taps and even an approximation of your heart beat. At first, as I shared in our Apple Watch experience diary, these features seemed primarily novelties that I didn’t really see much value in. That was due largely to the fact that I had a very small group of potential recipients to use Digital Touch with. Sending my lovely boss Matthew Panzarino my heartbeat, or goofy sketches and oddly intimate taps was, in a word, weird. But it wasn’t quite as weird when a couple good friends received their Apple Watch units on the first day of availability, and it was far less strange when I picked up a 38mm Apple Watch Sport for my girlfriend via an online classified. Long-term, based on what I’ve experienced so far, most Digital Touch features are probably going to be used exclusively between myself and her, but that doesn’t mean they’re extraneous to the experience; in contrast, it actually emphasizes just how right Tim Cook is to call the Apple Watch its “most personal device ever.” With a little work, I could see additions to the current Digital Touch feature set making it more appealing for use among a close circle of friends, but for now, for me, it’s an aspect of the Watch with essentially an audience of one. Besides Notifications, the Apple Watch feature that I use most frequently is without a doubt Glances. You access these by swiping up from your watch face, which then shows you one of up to 12 single screens complete with information from a corresponding companion app on your device. Apple offers a number of stock glances with its system software, including Battery, Weather and a Now Playing screen, but third-party developers can also populate Glances with info from their own apps. I’m still tweaking my own selection of Glances, but I generally find myself using the Battery and Weather ones most frequently. These just happen to be the pieces of information I find most useful beyond system notifications on my Watch, and since I don’t necessarily like the Battery complication flinging my total remaining power in my face all the time, I much prefer keeping it hidden but still close at hand. The Calendar Glance is also clutch for giving you a heads-up on any looming appointments and meetings, and in terms of third-party apps, I’ve been greatly enjoying the Air Canada Glance, which actually provides an ongoing countdown to your next scheduled flight, provided it’s occurring within 24 hours of when you take a look.