keyword: Fitness

Montblanc Summit Lite review: Subtle and stylish

(Pocket-lint) – Think ‘Montblanc’ and in your mind’s eye you could be picturing any number of things: wallets, pens, jewellery, watches, bags, belts, or even notebooks. The one thing that they all have in common (apart from often being made from black leather) is that they’re luxury items and aren’t cheap. A Meisterstück gold-coated Classique ballpoint pen could set you back hundreds.

So when Montblanc launches a Wear OS smartwatch it’s best to go in with the expectation that it won’t be cheap. But actually, if you compare this second-gen watch – here the Summit Lite – to other Montblanc watches, it’s relatively cost efficient. That means there’s still definitely some appeal here for anyone wanting a luxury smartwatch but who doesn’t wish to spend more than a grand.

Design

  • Colours: Grey or black
  • 43mm aluminium case
  • Straps: Fabric or rubber
  • Anti-scratch crystal glass
  • Water resistant to 50m (5ATM)
  • Rotating crown and 3 push buttons

Montblanc’s first smartwatch, the Summit, was pretty but underwhelming. From a design perspective there was a missed opportunity – it had a stylish looking crown, but it didn’t rotate and it was the only button on the side; and we found the whole device too big. 

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The company improved things considerably with the Summit 2, which launched in 2019, and now there’s the new Summit Lite model – hence that slightly more affordable price point. 

The Summit Lite has three buttons on its side. Each of them feels sumptuous when pressed, giving a lovely ‘click’ and feeling just like a proper watch with proper buttons should. But the best thing about these buttons is that the middle one has a proper rotating crown. 

Rotating it is smooth and effortless without it feeling too loose. Doing so enables you interact with elements on the screen. For instance, you can use it to scroll up and down lists or messages, or – when on the watch face – bring up notifications or the quick settings tiles. 

Our only complaint about the rotating crown – as pretty and shiny as it is – is the surface is just a little too smooth and shiny. That means you need a little firm pressure to make sure you finger gets enough traction to turn it. A slightly toothier edge would have made this a little easier. 

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What’s great about traditional fashion and design companies getting involved in the smartwatch market is that they deliver decent case designs. For its full-fat Summit watches, Montblanc uses stainless steel for the case material. With the Lite model it’s aluminium. 

The 43mm case isn’t too big and sits comfortably on the wrist. The contrast between the glossy bezel and buttons with their softer anodised finish on the case is eye-catching. It has that glint of dress watch that looks great just subtly poking out from under your blazer or cardigan sleeve. 

There are some subtle angles on the lugs that make the edges softer in appearance, while they curve downwards towards the strap to create a skinny side-on profile. It’s nice and lightweight too thanks to that shift from steel to aluminium. 

It’s not just about being pretty though. The casing feels like it’s well put together, while the screen is capped off with crystal glass to help avoid scratches from when you inevitably brush it against all manner of hard surfaces in your daily activity. 

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Our unit shipped with a thick black rubber strap which had something of a ‘sticky’ feel when we first put it on, but that sensation has since tamed. Other fabric strap options are available too. However, the case will fit any 22mm strap and the quick-release catches mean it’s super simple to swap for one you really want. 

Turn the Summit Lite upside down and you’ll see its well-considered underside. Right in the centre is the optical heart-rate sensor – built within a subtle protrusion that’s surrounded by a metal ring – and accompanied by a four-pin connector for the charging base. 

It looks and feels more purposeful than a lot of other Wear OS undersides and, happily, it snaps onto its magnetic charging cradle with ease. It holds the watch in position well and – thanks to having a rounded cutout for the rotating crown – only fits the watch one way, so there’s no chance you’ll ever find yourself placing the watch in the wrong way.  

If there’s any criticism it’s that the cradle itself is relatively lightweight plastic and so – because of the strong connection – if you try and remove the watch one-handed you’ll more than likely take the cradle with you. You need to hold both in order to separate them.

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On the plus side, the underside is coated in an almost-sticky rubber-like material that helps it not to slide around all over the place. 

Display and software

  • 1.2-inch circular AMOLED display
    • 390 x 390 resolution
  • Wear OS software

For the most part, the software situation with the Montblanc Summit Lite is the same as pretty much every other Google Wear OS watch. The main interfaces and preinstalled apps are the same, but it comes with Montblanc’s own watch faces. 

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Press the middle button and it launches your apps list, and the top and bottom buttons can be customised to launch any number of functions or apps. By default, however, they launch two elements of Montblanc’s own activity tracker screens. And this is where the Summit Lite is slightly different to some of the other Wear OS devices. 

The activity app can be used to manually track any workout, but will also track your movement, heart-rate and stress levels throughout the day, and your sleep quality at night. Combining that information it can also measure how well rested you are and give you an Energy Level reading. It’s similar in theory to Garmin’s Body Battery feature. 

Go running and it’ll work out your VO2 Max (that’s blood oxygen saturation) and judge your fitness level. It’ll even give you the time frame you need to rest for in order to recover for you next workout session. Interestingly, there’s also a Cardio Coach function which tells you what you should aim for in terms of heart rate intensity and duration for your next activity. 

There are some pretty glaring holes in this workout software though. Firstly, there’s no mobile companion app. That means all that useful data and detail just stays on the watch. Secondly, if you go on a run or bike ride, there’s no map to look at afterwards to see if it tracked your route properly. 

The solution to these issues is to use third-party apps – like Strava for running/cycling – or just use the Google Fit app that’s built-in as standard to all Wear OS watches.

Pocket-lint

For those who want those features it makes more sense to completely bypass Montblanc’s offering. It’s a shame really, because otherwise that data and information on the watch could be really useful. It’d just be nice to get access to it from a phone. 

Otherwise accuracy seems on point. Comparing the Summit Lite’s data to that captured on the Garmin Vivoactive 4 reveals that the average heart-rate was within one or two beats-per-minute away from matching. There was a slight difference in distance measured and, as a result, pace – but not enough that it made any serious difference to the tracked activity. It was about 10-20 metres out on a 25 minute 4km run, which is a pretty standard discrepancy between watches. 

All of this software and detail is shown on a fully round AMOLED panel. It’s a 1.2-inch screen, and boasts 390 pixels both vertically and horizontally, making pretty much on par with the latest hardware from the likes of Fossil. 

Hardware and battery performance

  • Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform
  • 1GB RAM + 8GB storage

Tech aficionados will complain that a watch in 2021 doesn’t feature the newest Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor. Nonetheless, there’s not a huge amount wrong with the way the Montblanc Summit Lite performs. 

The Wear 3100 processor here ensures that the interface and animations are mostly smooth and responsive. There are elements that still feel a little laggy and slow, however, which is usually when extra data is required – like when browsing the Google Play Store on the wrist to download apps. There’s a little bit of a wait launching most apps, too. You’ll maybe need to wait three seconds for Google’s Keep Notes to launch, for example. 

Pocket-lint

As far as connectivity and modern tech goes, the Summit Lite has pretty much everything you’d want from a smartwatch. There’s NFC (near field communication) to enable Google Pay for contactless payments. There’s Wi-Fi for direct downloading apps on to the watch. And there’s GPS for location tracking. 



Apple watchOS 7: All the key new Apple Watch features explored


By Maggie Tillman
·

Battery life is pretty standard for a Wear OS watch too: you’ll get roughly two days between charges. We managed to get through two work days even with the always-on display switched on – because the watch faces run a lower brightness and lower refresh rate than the main watch face. 

Verdict

The Montblanc Summit Lite’s side buttons have been purposefully redesigned with a proper rotating crown for enhanced interaction, paired with a great all-round display, plus all the features you’d expect from a Wear OS watch.

Despite being a ‘Lite’ model it’s still expensive, though, so you’re very much still paying for the Montblanc brand name. Furthermore Montblanc’s otherwise useful activity tracking doesn’t have a companion phone app to download and view your data in much detail. So it’s more decoration than designed for those super serious about tracking fitness.

Overall, things have improved dramatically since the first Montblanc Summit watch. The Summit Lite is really well designed, with its subtle, stylish and almost minimalist look, while also featuring practical material choices and the durability you’d expect from any modern smartwatch. 

Also consider

Pocket-lint

Tag Heuer Connected 2020

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Compare the prices and the Montblanc starts to look like good value for money. The Tag is about double the price, but it’s still the luxury smartwatch champ that has a lot going for it. 

  • Read our review
Pocket-lint

Fossil Gen 5 Garrett HR

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On the complete opposite end of the scale, but with a similar approach to style, Fossil’s Garrett is one of the nicest looking and more affordable options from the popular fashion brand. 

  • Read our review

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Mike Lowe.

amazon’s-halo-fitness-tracker-is-getting-alexa-integration

Amazon’s Halo fitness tracker is getting Alexa integration

Amazon has announced a new feature for its Halo fitness-tracking gadget: Alexa integration. With this new feature, Halo owners will be able to ask Alexa devices for various health stats, such as their sleep score or activity points obtained during the day. The integration will be off by default and owners will need the latest firmware on their Halo bands and the latest version of the iOS or Android app to enable it. Amazon says the feature rollout is starting today, March 4th, and will be continuing over the next week or so.

The Halo band is Amazon’s first fitness-focused product and it’s had a less than stellar reception since it was announced last fall. Aside from the standard fitness things of tracking your movement and sleep patterns, the $99.99 Halo also has the ability to police the tone of your voice and tell you when you’re being dismissive or condescending with your words. The companion Halo app also has a feature to 3D scan your body through your phone’s camera and measure your fat composition. These two unconventional features have been criticized by reviewers at publications like The New York Times and Washington Post (which is actually owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos) for both their invasiveness and inconsistency.

Alexa integration options in the Halo app.
Image: Amazon

Weirdly, even though the Halo has been available for purchase since the middle of December (it first launched with a limited, invite-only rollout), it is out of stock in all sizes and colors on Amazon right now, with no information on when it might return. I’ve asked Amazon about this and the company declined to comment, though other retailers such as Best Buy appear to have plenty of stock. As of this writing, the Halo has a 3.7-star rating from Amazon customers, compared to the 4.6-star rating the similarly sized and priced Fitbit Inspire 2 holds.

Amazon notes that the Alexa integration only allows for Alexa to provide information related to health data captured by the Halo — Alexa will not be able to do the tone analysis itself. It also will not store the Halo data as part of its responses. There is an option to set a voice PIN to protect access to the Halo data and you’ll be able to opt for a five-minute timeout window after the PIN is entered for easier access to the Halo data in subsequent requests.

Though the Halo integration works with all Alexa-enabled devices, including smart displays, it doesn’t have any special optimization for those that have screens. If you want to see any charts or graphs of your fitness data, you’ll have to go to the Halo smartphone app.

Amazon says Halo owners will be able to disable the integration at any time from the Halo app should they decide they no longer want it, and they can manage and delete voice recordings from their Halo requests in the privacy hub of the Alexa app.

fitbit-charge-4-vs-charge-3-vs-charge-2:-what’s-the-difference?

Fitbit Charge 4 vs Charge 3 vs Charge 2: What’s the difference?

(Pocket-lint) – Fitbit offers numerous devices in the activity tracking market, from the plain and simple Inspire 2 to its top-of-the-range smartwatch Sense.

The Charge 4 is an activity tracker that sits in between the Fitbit Inspire range and the Fitbit Versa range.

We’ve compared it to its predecessor – the Charge 3 – as well as the older Charge 2 to see how the Charge devices differ and help you work out if you should upgrade.

  • Which Fitbit is right for me?

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Design

  • Charge 2: OLED tap display, buckle, stainless steel, interchangeable straps
  • Charge 3: OLED touchscreen, buckle, aluminium, interchangeable straps, water resistant
  • Charge 4: OLED touchscreen, buckle, aluminium, interchangeable straps, water resistant

The Fitbit Charge 3 and Charge 4 are virtually identical in design on the surface, but they offer a number of refinements compared to the Charge 2. Not only do they add water resistance up to 50-metres, making them both swim proof, but they also trade the stainless steel body of the Charge 2 for aluminium, resulting in 20 per cent lighter devices.

The Charge 3 and Charge 4 have smoother, sleeker finishes overall compared to the Charge 2, and they also have a more refined mechanism for changing the straps. Additionally, the Charge 3 and Charge 4 trade the physical button found on the left of the Charge 2’s display for a neater inductive button.

The Fitbit Charge 2, Charge 3 and Charge 4 all have OLED displays, but the Charge 2 is just a tap display, while the Charge 3 and Charge 4 both have touchscreen displays. The Charge 3 and Charge 4 also have 40 per cent larger displays than the Charge 2.

The three devices all have buckle fastenings and they all feature a PurePulse heart rate monitor that sits on the underside of their main bodies – more on that next. 

  • Fitbit Charge 3 review

Specs and sensors

  • Charge 2: PurePulse HR monitor, connected GPS
  • Charge 3: PurePulse HR, SpO2 monitor, connected GPS, NFC in some models
  • Charge 4: PurePulse HR, SpO2 monitor, built-in GPS, NFC

All three Fitbit Charge devices being compared here have a PurePulse optical heart rate monitor, offering automatic and continuous heart rate tracking. They also all have an accelerometer, altimeter and vibration motor. 

The Charge 3 and Charge 4 both have relative SpO2 sensors too, allowing users to view a graph in the Fitbit app to see an estimate of the oxygen level variability in your bloodstream, which is designed to help show variations in your breathing during sleep.

In terms of GPS, the Charge 2 and Charge 3 both offer connected GPS, using your smartphone for the GPS signal meaning you’ll need to bring it with you when you go for a run or walk if you want detailed map data. The Charge 4 however, offers built-in GPS. There are seven GPS-enabled exercise modes to choose from.

The Charge 3 and Charge 4 also both have NFC on board, allowing you to pay with your activity tracker at contactless terminals through Fitbit Pay. While the NFC chip comes as standard on the Charge 4 however, it’s only available in the Special Edition models of the Charge 3.

Features

  • Charge 2: Activity and sleep monitoring, auto exercise recognition, multi-sport tracking, smartphone alerts
  • Charge 3: Adds swim tracking, goal-based exercise, run detect with auto stop, accept/reject calls, quick replies, NFC (Special Edition), Active Zone Minutes
  • Charge 4: Adds Spotify support, Smart Wake

The Fitbit Charge 2, 3 and 4 all feature all-day activity tracking (steps, distance, calories, floors climbed, activity minutes, hourly activity, stationary time) and sleep monitoring with sleep stages and sleep score. They also all allow you to see daily stats on their displays, along with smartphone notifications – the latter of which are more advanced on the Charge 3 and 4.

Other features found on all three devices include SmartTrack, which automatically recognises when you exercise, Multi-Sport tracking, Cardio Fitness Level, which allows users to see a personalised Cardio score and Guided Breathing, which offers personalised breathing sessions based on your heart rate.

In addition to all the features offered on the Charge 2, the Charge 3 and Charge 4 also both have swim tracking on board, Goal-Based Exercise, Run Detect with auto stop, a timer option and weather information. It’s also possible to accept or reject calls and send Quick Replies if you are an Android user.

There’s also a feature called Active Zone Minutes. This feature uses your personalised heart rate zones to track your effort for any energising activity, allowing you to earn credit towards the recommended 150-minute weekly goal for each minute of moderate activity in the fat burn zone and double the credit for vigorous activity in cardio and peak zones. 

Adding to the Charge 3’s features, the Charge 4 offers Spotify support for control of Spotify on your phone, as well as Smart Wake, which uses machine learning to wake you at the optimal time – a feature that was previously only available on Fitbit smartwatches.

Price and conclusion

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The Fitbit Charge 2 and Special Edition models aren’t available through Fitbit anymore, but you can still get hold of it online at retailers like Amazon. We’d recommend looking at the Charge 3 before you do though as that is the superior device in many ways and there might not be much difference in price.

The Fitbit Charge 3 could be a good option for some, especially given the design is the same as the Charge 4. It has a great feature set and you might find it at a decent price compared to the Charge 4. 

With built-in GPS on the Charge 4 however, and the extra additional features like Spotify control, that’s the model to go for if your budget allows. The built-in GPS means it also makes for a decent upgrade, to both the Charge 3 and 2 but you’ll see an even bigger difference if you have the Charge 2.

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Writing by Britta O’Boyle.

vizio-files-to-go-public,-has-sold-over-80-million-tvs

Vizio files to go public, has sold over 80 million TVs

Vizio today filed its S-1 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission as the TV and soundbar maker heads toward an initial public offering. “We envision the Vizio smart TV as the center of the connected home — where families play games together, where friends watch movies together, where work and learning happen, and where all things in between take place,” Vizio founder, chairman, and CEO William Wang wrote in a letter that opens the S-1. “Going public is an important milestone for us as we continue to grow and execute our goals.”

The filing reveals that Vizio has sold over 80 million TVs and 11 million soundbars since the company’s founding. It sold 7.1 million TVs in 2020. Vizio’s TVs have long delivered performance and picture quality far above their price, though in recent years competitors like TCL have tried to outdo the company in this regard. “We will continue our successful hardware business, iterating on models as we’ve done before, and at the same time build our name in smart TV software,” Wang said.

The S-1 begins with Wang recounting his surviving a plane crash. “I ran to the front of the plane, forced open the emergency door and jumped out,” he said. “I’ll save you the messy details, but let’s just say that I am beyond thankful to be here today, writing you this letter.” According to Wang, his renewed appreciation of being home — and a desire to make it “everyone’s favorite place” — led to Vizio’s creation.

But the future is more so about software and platforms than it is about selling TVs, where the profit margins are often scant. Later in the filing, Vizio says:

While we generate the significant majority of our total net revenue from sales of our Smart TVs and sound bars, our Platform+ net revenue has grown 304.4 percent from $36.4 million in 2018 to $147.2 million in 2020. We believe that Platform+ will be the key driver of our future margin growth and financial performance.

“Platform+” refers to a combination of SmartCast (the software that runs on Vizio’s TVs) and Inscape, which is Vizio’s data, analytics, and content recognition subsidiary. The S-1 points out that the company continues to see huge advertising potential from its ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) services like WatchFree and Vizio Free Channel. It also sells ad space on the SmartCast home screen and gets a percentage of subscriptions and purchases made in third-party apps on its platform. Plus, Vizio charges streaming partners to put their logo on TV boxes or branded remote buttons. The company says there are currently over 12 million active SmartCast accounts. (Interestingly, Vizio also reveals there are 5.3 million internet-connected TVs still running its legacy software.

(Important background on Vizio’s data practices: the company agreed in 2017 to pay the FTC $2.2 million over charges that the company was tracking customer viewing habits without obtaining sufficient consent. Those same concerns also led to a $17 million class action settlement.)

Vizio tried to reinvent the TV experience in 2016 but has pulled back on some of those experiments.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Vizio tried to completely reinvent the TV experience in 2016 by removing all built-in apps from its first SmartCast TVs. Instead, the TVs relied on “casting” content from entertainment apps on mobile devices. The company also briefly ditched the traditional TV remote control and packaged an Android tablet with those TVs. Both of these grand experiments were reined in a few years later, with Vizio again bundling popular apps on its TV platform (while retaining the same casting features as before) and switching back to a normal remote.

Risk factors in the S-1 are all pretty standard, though Vizio does acknowledge the sometimes fractious relationship between streaming app companies and platforms. “If we are unable to provide a competitive entertainment offering through SmartCast, our ability to attract and retain consumers would be harmed,” the document says.

Vizio says it envisions the future of SmartCast expanding beyond pure entertainment to include the following:

Communication: Engaging with social networks, using messaging services and accessing telecommuting features such as video conferencing.

Fitness and wellness: Connecting to interactive fitness and wellness services, such as personal training sessions and exercise tracking, from the comfort of their own living room.

Commerce: Browsing online shopping services, purchasing products featured on TV as part of dynamic ads and placing food orders on delivery services through voice control.

Community: Hosting virtual, integrated watch parties for the latest movie or the big game; watching live sports on TV will become an interactive experience through play-along gaming.

Dynamic entertainment experiences: Attending virtual concerts or sporting events offering viewer-controlled, multi-cam experiences.

Vizio has applied to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “VZIO.”

gatorade’s-new-gx-sweat-patch-tests-your-sweat-for-smarter-hydration

Gatorade’s new Gx Sweat Patch tests your sweat for smarter hydration

Gatorade is today releasing a new fitness wearable that tests your sweat to let you know how and when to best rehydrate after working out. The Gx Sweat Patch is sold in packages of two for $25 and pairs with Gatorade’s Gx app to let you efficiently hydrate and hopefully recover faster and avoid cramps in the process.

The sweat patch is applied to your left inner arm before a workout and slurps up sweat as you move, funneling the fluid through a color-changing channel on the patch. After you’re done working out, you use the Gx App to scan the patch. Gatorade says it’s able to offer insights on how much body fluid was lost and how much sodium needs to be replenished (presumably with Gatorade) to recover efficiently.

The Gx app scans the sweat patch to generate a “sweat profile”.
Image: Gatorade

The Gx app also attaches these hydration insights to specific workouts, so you should theoretically have a recommendation of how much to drink before, during, and after every 10-mile run you do, if you’ve created a sweat profile for it in the app.

Even with all of the polished Gatorade branding, $25 for a package of two patches puts the individual price around $12.50, which seems high considering a patch can only be used once. Gatorade imagines using a patch for each of the workout types that someone does, so if you only play basketball and run, maybe a single $25 purchase is enough. But Gatorade also recommends creating a new sweat profile for each climate or temperature you work out in. So the more ways and places you exercise, the more you may need to spend to accurately hydrate and recover efficiently.

The Gx Sweat Patch has a color-changing channel that it funnels sweat through.
Image: Gatorade

The Gx Sweat Patch may seem a little unusual, but for a world increasingly comfortable with all sorts of biometric fitness tracking, it seems like a logical next step for a serious athlete. It’s a way for Gatorade to sell more Gatorade, but depending on the person, the possible annoying upsell of future Gatorade products might be worth the extra knowledge.

vaccine-centers-embrace-stickers-and-selfie-stations 

Vaccine centers embrace stickers and selfie stations 

The best picture I’ve seen this week was a selfie from my father-in-law who just got his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Along with the shot, they gave him a sticker that says “I got vaccinated!”

As the vaccine rollout continues, clinics and distribution centers across the country are embracing things like stickers and even selfie stations decked out with colorful backgrounds to help people celebrate getting the shot.

The selfie stations are set up as colorful backgrounds, often with pro-vaccine messaging tiled with the name of the healthcare provider. It’s good branding. And hey, if social media-friendly backgrounds helped make some trendy restaurants popular, there’s no reason they couldn’t work for vaccine sites too.

Added bonus — if the vaccines are being given in a healthcare setting, it gives people a designated space to take pictures without compromising other patients’ privacy.

Vaccine stickers and selfies can increase confidence in vaccines. Just like “I voted” stickers were designed to remind people about Election Day, “I got vaccinated” stickers are designed to help people see the vaccination efforts unfolding in their own community.

Back in December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed stickers for healthcare workers to wear after they got vaccinated. Since they were some of the first people in the country to get vaccinated, the stickers were an easy way for workers to start conversations about the vaccines with their patients and colleagues — some of whom might be reluctant to get the vaccine.

The ready-made vaccination celebrations are also a way to dissuade people from sharing their vaccine cards on social media. Those can contain personal information, and posting photos of them can help scammers scam. A photo of your vaccinated self sporting a sticker, on the other hand, does not pose nearly as much of a privacy risk.

Stickers can serve the same purpose outside of the healthcare industry too. But also; they’re super fun. Slapping on a sticker is a chance to visually celebrate in a time when there’s been so little for us to enjoy. So is taking a selfie to share with the world. Sure, there are public health benefits to making vaccination visible. It’s also pure joy.

How do we say thank you to the health workers and scientists for their sacrifice and service? Receive the vaccine as soon as one can to lessen their load and keep wearing a mask to protect fellow citizens. In my 80th year, I am grateful and hopeful for better days ahead. pic.twitter.com/emGDlnYL2E

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) January 22, 2021

I’m not eligible to receive the vaccine yet where I am, and I probably won’t be for a long time. But after seeing so much death and suffering during the past year, it brings me nothing but hope and happiness to see the relief in people’s eyes after they get their shot.

Other people have been taking their vaccine celebrations into their own hands. Not content with the official offerings, they’re dressing in their best, donning sequins, and even bringing fun bandages to patch themselves up after the shot. Vaccinated people can’t throw a big maskless party yet — but they can celebrate a small, momentous victory. It’s fantastic.

There are still too few people vaccinated, here in the US and around the world. The rollout has been messy, and frustrating and inequitable. It still is. Governments can still do much better. But more people are getting the shot every day. In fact, Friday set vaccination records in the US and EU.

Without a doubt, that’s something to celebrate.

Here’s what else happened this week.

Research

The coronavirus is threatening a comeback. Here’s how to stop it.

Vaccination numbers are rising, but so are coronavirus variants. The pandemic isn’t over yet, but there are ways to make this next phase better than the last. (Apoorva Mandivalli / The New York Times)

Coronavirus reinfection will soon become our reality

As the virus evolves and time goes on, it’s likely that we’ll see more re-infections of the coronavirus. Here’s how that might work. (Katherine J. Wu / The Atlantic)

Coronavirus spreads readily in gyms when people don’t wear masks

A new CDC report this week looked at COVID-19 outbreaks connected to gyms. They found that indoor fitness classes that did not require people to wear masks allowed the virus to spread easily. (Amina Kahn/The Los Angeles Times)

Development

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine backed by independent FDA committee

A single-shot vaccine got a unanimous green light from an FDA committee on Friday. The meeting came after an FDA report issued earlier this week confirmed Johnson and Johnson’s conclusions about their vaccine. (Nicole Wetsman / The Verge)

Moderna ready to test version of COVID-19 vaccine aimed at worrisome variant

Moderna is preparing to test a version of their vaccine that directly targets a particular strain of the virus. The company’s existing vaccine doesn’t work as well against this variant, so they’re developing a new version. (Damian Garde and Matthew Herper / STAT)

The growing evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines can reduce transmission, explained

When they were testing vaccines, companies looked to see if the vaccines could keep people from getting sick. And all authorized vaccines do a great job at keeping people out of the hospital and alive. But the big clinical trials weren’t designed to look at how well they can keep people from passing the disease from one person to another. It’s a big question, and one that researchers (and everyone else) is eager to uncover. (Kelsey Piper / Vox)

Perspectives

In every volunteer opportunity I’d ever been a part of, you made camp friends, formed quick alliances. To do so that day, when you even didn’t know who had been vaccinated and who hadn’t, felt aggressive and dangerous. Even holding the door open for the person behind you on the orientation tour could violate the required distance. I couldn’t discreetly murmur to my shift buddy about who was trying to cut and who was about to get out of hand.

— Irin Carmon writes about her experience as a COVID vaccine site bouncer in Brooklyn for Intelligencer.

More than Numbers

To the more than 113,507,393 people worldwide who have tested positive, may your road to recovery be smooth.

To the families and friends of the 2,519,257 people who have died worldwide — 510,467 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten.

Stay safe, everyone.

apple-fitness-plus-review:-easy-mode

Apple Fitness Plus review: easy mode

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Apple Fitness Plus has been out for a couple of months now, and a few of us here at The Verge have been spending that time running it (and ourselves) through its paces. The $9.99-a-month service offers a decent array of exercise videos with an added bonus: integration with the sensors on an Apple Watch. In fact, an Apple Watch is required to use the service.

Since everybody’s exercise routine is a little different, we wanted to get a variety of perspectives on the service. What’s become clear from all of our testing is that Apple has successfully achieved what we think it set out to do: create an exercise service that is accessible to a broad range of people. There are lots of different ways an exercise service like this could get tripped up, but for the most part, Fitness Plus stays on track.

Whether you like the direction that track goes or if it’s long enough to keep your attention for years to come is another matter. It will take more time for Apple to expand its array of options in the service, but it has already added one new kind of exercise — celebrity walk-and-listens — which could bode well for those hoping for future updates.

But as we always say, never pay for something now in the hopes that it’ll be better in the future. So here’s what we think of Fitness Plus after two months of using the service.

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

The basics of Apple Fitness Plus

Fitness Plus’ main selling point is it’s easy to jump into — so long as your own oodles of Apple devices. The app requires an Apple Watch to access the classes, and then you’ll need an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to stream the workouts. (Critically, there’s no way to stream from a Mac, which makes no sense and required me to stream from my tiny iPhone display.) But because the app connects to the Watch, your rings show up in the corner of the screen throughout a workout. It serves as a reminder of how hard you’ve worked and how far you have to go to meet your goals for the day. Some people might find this motivational. I did.

As for equipment, the app offers a variety of cardio workouts, such as cycling, treadmill classes, and rowing, which require special equipment. But it also offers classes like Time to Walk, which Becca will dive into below, and dance classes that require no equipment at all. Most of the strength classes would like you to use dumbbells (which can be hard to find in stock currently), but you could get away with your bodyweight if necessary.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

There’s no way to filter classes by equipment requirements or even area of focus, so expect to spend time in the app reading descriptions and watching previews to discern whether a class is for you. This is a pain and a hurdle that shouldn’t exist. Filters by workout type and equipment should be table stakes for any fitness app.

What Apple lacks in filters, though, it slightly makes up for with a diverse group of instructors and class formats. The instructors vary in age, background, and body type, which I immediately noticed and appreciated. (I would still like to see a fitness app incorporate all body types and not just what we typically think of as “fit.”) The strength classes also offer three different sets of instructions: one for the prescribed exercise, another to make it more advanced, and a third to modify for injuries or anyone who needs to take it easy. This is the type of setup you’d see in classic fitness tapes, but I don’t find as much in on-demand classes.

This setup contrasts Apple’s biggest competitor in the space, Peloton, which doesn’t offer modifications during its workouts. As someone who has regularly worked out through Peloton’s classes, this was a nice change and one I’d like to see Peloton take as a cue from Apple. —Ashley Carman

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Apple Fitness Plus versus Peloton

Apple and Peloton are similar when it comes to premise and the primary user experience. You can select workouts with different lengths, different playlists, and different instructors in various categories like cycling, treadmill, strength, and yoga, as well as dedicated cooldowns.

I would say the primary reason to use Apple’s program is its seamless integration with the company’s hardware ecosystem. When I start up a workout on my iPad, the workout shows up on my Watch as well, and my Watch’s metrics appear on the iPad’s screen. It’s great to be able to watch my heart rate and rings in real time on the same screen as my workout without having to manually connect anything. You can even launch Fitness Plus playlists in Apple Music if you take a liking to them. (You can sync an Apple Watch with Peloton’s Bike Plus, but its on-screen metrics are limited to cycling workouts.)

I also like that when you start a hill in Apple’s cardio workouts, a clock appears counting down to the end of the interval. I watch that clock religiously during the steepest climbs. It’s easier to survive them when I know exactly how long I have left to endure without having to count in my head.

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Another unique feature of Apple Fitness Plus is — and I apologize for not having a better term here — the vibes. Peloton instructors approach their rides with a wide range of attitudes and personalities. And while this is also true of Apple’s instructors to some extent, all of them (at least, the cycling and treadmill folks) have vibrantly positive personas. They’re enthusiastic, they’re full of energy, and they’re so excited to be running or biking with you that it’s infectious. It’s hard not to be excited in turn. There was an emphasis on overall wellness — reaching goals, eliminating stress, that sort of thing. I don’t feel like Apple’s instructors are just trying to get me through a workout; I feel like they’re trying to make me a better person.

But the biggest difference between Apple and Peloton’s libraries is that Apple’s is newer — and that means it just doesn’t have as much stuff yet. Peloton has a wider variety of music. I’ve done everything from Bon Jovi rides to yacht-music bike rides, where Apple’s playlists are largely more general (“Everything Rock,” “Latest Hits,” “Latin Grooves,” etc.). And as someone who likes longer endurance workouts, I was disappointed that Apple’s cycling and treadmill workouts are capped at 45 minutes. With Peloton, you can ride for up to 90. Peloton also offers a number of live classes where you can interact with fellow riders, while all of Apple’s workouts are pre-recorded.

Another area where Peloton’s ahead is in specific workout hardware integration. Obviously, Apple doesn’t sell a spin bike (yet), and that means the instructors have to be more general about intensity. While Peloton instructors give a specific range (“30 to 50”), Apple instructors speak more generally (“Moderate intensity,” “add a little bit more here,” etc.). This meant I was always kind of guessing where my resistance was supposed to be during Apple’s rides (and I don’t really trust myself to arrive at a legitimately “hard” resistance when asked to find that for myself).

Apple instructors can be more specific with treadmill workouts since metrics like speed and incline are universal. Still, I wish Apple could display the current incline or resistance on the iPad screen like Peloton does. There were times when my teacher instructed everyone to change their resistance while I was zoned out or checking my phone or something, and I ended up doing a portion of the workout at the wrong intensity.

But I think the biggest thing to consider when choosing between Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus is the difficulty. Most of the Fitness Plus workouts I tried are around the same level: a nice challenge for folks like me who work out a few times a week and aren’t super in shape. Peloton caters to a wider variety of abilities, sorted on a scale of 1–10, and you can sort classes by intensity while browsing. If you’re serious about athletic training (and cycling, in particular), Peloton will have more to offer. —Monica Chin

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Time to Walk

Working out in one space has always been a struggle for me. I get really bored and uninterested when I’m not actively going somewhere or physically achieving something. I usually exercise by doing loops in a park on my bike, going on a run, or slacklining between trees. So Apple Fitness Plus’ at-home workouts were never of interest to me — until a few weeks ago when Apple rolled out the Time to Walk feature. That is something I, in theory, could get behind.

Time to Walk pairs inspirational monologues, music, and photos from famous musicians, athletes, and actors with the Apple Watch’s exercise tracking feature to create a more engaging way to take a walk. I take a walk almost every day and use that time to tune in to a new album or one of my favorite podcasts, so Time to Walk slotted into my routine quite nicely. It’s exactly the level of effortlessness I need in workout tech.

There are only a couple of differences between Time to Walk and a more traditional podcast. Most notably, your Watch will buzz about twice an episode, and a photo will show up on the screen that relates to what the host is talking about. It’s cool but not groundbreaking. Secondly, the hosts are either also on a walk or talking about what walking means to them. I appreciated this a bit more. Ruby Bridges’ episode has a slow, calm pace, and you can hear as she strolls through Audubon Park in New Orleans. There are many loud birds and cars driving by in the distance. While Draymond Green’s heavier foot on a gravel path in Malibu is accompanied by the sounds of distant waves. Apple really nailed the soundstage of these walks, and it creates a pleasing experience that actually makes you feel as if you are walking next to someone.

My only issue with Time to Walk and Apple Fitness Plus at large is the need to live in the Apple ecosystem. You absolutely need an iPhone and Apple Watch to use Fitness Plus, and even outside of that, when you use the Time to Walk feature, your headphones have to be paired to the Apple Watch. If a call comes in on your iPhone and you’re not using Apple or Beats headphones that can switch over automatically, you will have to manually reconnect your headphones to your phone to take the call on them, then manually reconnect your headphones to the Watch to resume the Time to Walk episode.

For someone who doesn’t use AirPods, this is very annoying. Outside of the usual Apple ecosystem walls, Time to Walk is my favorite feature of Apple Fitness Plus. Every Monday, when a new episode with a new mystery celeb comes out, I look forward to my nightly walk. Unfortunately, this is the only feature I loved within Apple Fitness Plus, and a walking podcast is not worth $9.99 a month for me. —Becca Farsace

Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

If there’s a single message to take away from this review, it’s this: Apple Fitness Plus is great for beginners but may not offer the depth you’re looking for if you’re advanced in any specific sport. It’s accessible to anybody who is able to buy into Apple’s whole ecosystem, though. And for me, a person who has struggled to exercise regularly for my entire life, it’s better than a gym membership.

There is enough variety for me to feel like I won’t have to put videos on repeat, but I’m only using it a couple of times a week right now. My main complaint has nothing to do with the exercise content but instead with the vibe of Apple’s videos. I’m not asking for disaffected ’90s MTV VJs, but the peppy and relentlessly positive chatter is a lot for a Gen-Xer like me. And the vaguely-but-not-actually spiritualistic “mindfulness” that you can’t avoid in the cooldowns also grates. None of this is new to anybody who has used services like this, but for me, it’s a lot. I cringe when a trainer ends a video by trying to get me excited to “close those rings” on the Watch.

Still, the best thing I can say about Apple Fitness Plus is, slowly but surely, it is helping me build a habit of actual exercise. There are plenty of days that I end up going outside for a bike ride or a walk instead of turning on an Apple video, but I think doing a couple Fitness Plus videos a week has made it more likely I’ll do that non-Fitness Plus exercise, too.

And while the Apple Watch integration occasionally feels motivational, for the most part, it feels unnecessary. Fitness Plus is not a reason to go out and buy an Apple Watch, but it might be a good reason to keep using the one you’ve already got. As with many of Apple’s new services, it’s less about drawing people in than it is about keeping people from leaving. I’ll probably keep using Fitness Plus simply because it’s part of the big Apple One bundle I got so my family could have an amount of iCloud storage that didn’t feel punitive.

If you’re not an Apple One subscriber, is Fitness Plus worth $9.99 / month on its own? If you’re already in an exercise routine, I’m not sure that Fitness Plus is going to offer you something better. For me, it’s literally better than nothing. —Dieter Bohn

best-workout-headphones-2021:-the-best-exercise-earphones-to-buy

Best workout headphones 2021: The best exercise earphones to buy

(Pocket-lint) – When looking for the best running headphones or for the gym, priorities are slightly different to when you’re searching out the best headphones for casual listening.

Headphones for exercise need to be comfortable and secure fitting as well as being sweat resistant. This is important as sweat is really bad for electronics.  

  • Best in-ear headphones: Wired, wireless and wire-free

With that said, that means the best sports earphones are the ones that will stay in your ears, are lightweight and are comfortable to wear when you’re a sweaty mess pounding your feet against tarmac.

It also helps a lot if there’s plenty of bass pumping to keep you driving on. So without further ado, let’s check out the best headphones for running, the gym and general exercise. 

Pocket-lint

Beats Powerbeats Pro

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Beats has reinvented the earphone and got rid of the wire, resulting in an amazing pair of workout earphones. They ensure that they fit as comfortably as is possible while they’re light too, so when they’re in your ears, not only do they fit very securely, but you can barely tell that they’re there. 

Battery life is, quite frankly, insane for a pair of wire-frees, with the Powerbeats Pro capable of lasting up to 9 hours of constant music listening outside the case. All things considered, right now, these certainly seem like the best workout headphones you can get. 

  • Beats Powerbeats Pro review: Perfect workout companions
Pocket-lint

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Sport

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If you want sports earphones that don’t look like sports earphones, this is where it’s at. Beoplay E8 Sport is – in every sense – a premium pair of true wireless earphones, but with design and features that suits runners and gym fiends. 

You get water/sweat resistance, but also a grippy secure fit from the rubber outer of the earbuds. With B&O, you know you’re getting great quality sound in a package made from high end materials. In every way, this is just as much focused on sound and premium feel as any other B&O product, but they also happen to be great for working out too. You even get the convenience of wireless charging in the case. 

  • Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Sport review: Classy workout ‘buds
Pocket-lint

Beats Powerbeats

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Imagine if you took the comfort, sound and convenience of the Powerbeats Pro and put it in a pair of earphones that’s cheaper, but connected by a slim cable. That’s essentially what the latest generation of non-Pro Powerbeats earphones is. 

The sound is delivered by the same custom drivers developed by Apple to offer great control over a wide range of frequencies, meaning bass is great, and don’t get boomy or muddy, while trebles/highs are still clear. They also have the Apple H1 Chip, and that means you get easy pairing with iPhones, plus automatic pairing/connecting with any other Apple device with the same iCloud account. 

Apart from the lower price, the other reason you might prefer these to the Powerbeats Pro: battery. They can get through 15 hours of music playback before needing to be plugged into a Lightning cable for refilling, and when they do charge, they charge quickly

  • Beats Powerbeats review: Great earphones without the ‘Pro’ price
Pocket-lint

Master & Dynamic MW07 Go

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Master & Dynamic took the sound and drivers from its awesome first pair of true wireless earphones, then put them in smaller, lighter pair of in-ears with IPX6 water resistance. The tip offers a good seal in the ear, then the soft, bristled silicone comb fin in the ear keeps the pair securely in place during exercise.

If you’re into long exercise sessions, the MW07 Go has you covered. They can go up to 10 hours in a single session before needing to be placed back in their charging case. Couple that with sound that dynamic, rich and detailed, and you have one of the best sounding and – in our opinion – most attractive pair of workout earphones out there. 

  • Master & Dynamic MW07 Go review: Same great sound, sportier appeal
Pocket-lint

AirPods Pro

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Apple’s new kids on the block are, quite simply, the best AirPods yet. We were some of the many people who would occasionally use previous AirPods models in the gym, guiltily, and knowing that their lack of waterproofing made it a real risk. No more — AirPods Pro bring water and sweat-proofing to let you go hard, and that in-ear design makes for a way more secure fit, too.

Plus, the addition of active noise cancellation means that you won’t have to crank the volume too crazily to drown out the playlist your gym chooses, or the honking and sirens of your outdoor environment. They don’t have many dedicated fitness functions, and while the fit is secure and comfortable, the hooks from the Powerbeats Pro do make those earbuds even more safe.

  • Apple AirPods Pro review: Silence is golden
Pocket-lint

Jaybird Vista

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These are superb running headphone, and are extremely reasonably priced given the features on offer. They don’t boast a huge range of controls, but they’re comfortable, lightweight and sweatproof. The security of the fit on offer is best-in-class, too, which matters a lot when you’re working out vigorously.

With a good charging case into the mix, taking the earbuds’ six-hour battery life up to 16 hours without needing main power, and really decent sound, too, the Vista marks a genuinely impressive effort from the ever-improving Jaybird.

  • Jaybird Vista review: Affordable workout king
Pocket-lint

Jabra Elite Active 75t

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We loved the standard Jabra Elite 75t, and still do – the Active version is almost exactly the same set of earbuds, just with the waterproofing dialled up to make sure that they’re perfect for sporty uses. 

One thing we loved about this pair is the ability to tailor the sound to suit the individual. They give a lot of control over tone through the Jabra app for iPhone/Android. 

The earbuds are also really comfortable and secure, a must for working out, and while 7.5 hours of music playback isn’t the best battery performance on this list, it’s definitely adequate for most workout sessions or activities. The ability to switch ‘HearThrough’ on means you can hear traffic around you when you’re running at night time. 

  • Jabra Elite Active 75t review: True wireless sport star
Pocket-lint

Bose SoundSport Free

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These fantastic true wireless headphones are comfortably some of the best sports earphones for pure music enjoyment. The disadvantage is that they don’t have some of the smart fitness features you get in the likes of the Lifebeam Vi or Jabra Elite Sport we’ve talked about elsewhere; there’s no heart-rate or cadence measure for example. They are comfortable though and crucially don’t fall out.

You get a battery life of around five hours per charge although naturally there’s extra power in the case – enough to charge the earphones twice over again. So that’s around 15 hours in total. Because they’re black, they’re also a lot more subtle than many of the other choices out there. 

  • Bose SoundSport Free review: The best wire-free sports earphones by a mile
Pocket-lint

Samsung Galaxy Buds+

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Samsung’s newest Galaxy Buds+ are great value for money, offering a convenient wireless charging case, lots of bass and a secure fit that ensures the latest pair of Galaxy-branded earphones will stay in your years. 

Like some of the other modern pairs on the list, one of the best features is battery life. You can get up to 11 hours of music playback outside the case, so that should easily see you through your longest exercise sessions. Even if that session happens to be a long hike up a mountain range and back down again. 

  • Samsung Galaxy Buds+ review: Enough of a plus?
Pocket-lint

Philips ST702

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If you’re pretty concerned not just with getting good wireless running performance, but also making sure that your earbuds don’t just become sweaty messes over time, Philips could have a solution here.

The ST702 have a UV-lit case that cleans them after each use, which means they should be clear of bacteria – it’s a nice touch. That said, it makes the case slightly chunky. 

The buds are comfortable and stay secure thanks to wing-tips, and sound quality is very solid. 

  • Philips ActionFit ST702 review: Truly wireless sports buds that keep it clean
Pocket-lint

Adidas FWD-01

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If you don’t mind having a neckband, these earbuds are pretty impressive – right down to the nice, woven fabric finish on that cord. 

They’re nicely priced and have really decent battery life, plus a punchy sound profile that’s heavy on the bass. 

Selecting the right buds and wing-tips should help you get a comfy fit, although we found that we had to adjust it every so often. 

  • Adidas FWD-01 Sport In-Ear Headphones review: Pump it up

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Max Freeman-Mills.

fitbit-inspire-2-review:-still-inspiring-for-fitness-goals?

Fitbit Inspire 2 review: Still inspiring for fitness goals?

(Pocket-lint) – The Inspire 2 is the cheapest member of the Fitbit family – and effectively replaces the Inspire HR that launched in 2019 – aimed at those wanting to keep to the tracking basics.

The Inspire 2 sticks largely to the same formula as the Inspire HR, making welcome improvements to the design, bolstering battery life to make it last longer than any other Fitbit device, and giving you a tracking experience that just feels very easy to get to grips with.

With the likes of Samsung, Huawei, Amazfit and Xiaomi also making the budget tracker space a more competitive place, does the Fitbit Inspire 2 do enough to pull away from its more affordable rivals?

Design

  • Large and small wristband options
  • Water resistant to 50 metres (5ATM)
  • Finishes: Black, Lunar White, Desert Rose

With the Inspire 2, Fitbit isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. Put one side-by-side with an Inspire HR and you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two. The colour silicone bands can be removed and come in small and large size options.



Best Fitbit fitness tracker 2021: Which Fitbit is right for you?


By Britta O’Boyle
·

Pocket-lint

The greyscale touchscreen display – which has a slightly curvier edged look – is now 20 per cent brighter than the previous Inspire, which is definitely a positive move. There’s now a dim mode when you don’t need that extra hit of brightness, which can be disabled when you do. It certainly offers an improvement for visibility out in bright outdoor light, but it feels like it might be time to ditch the greyscale OLED screen and go colour like a lot its competitors have done – Xiaomi, Amazfit and Samsung each offer great colour display options for less money.

To give the Inspire 2 a much cleaner look than its predecessor, it’s also removed the physical button for a setup where you can squeeze the sides of the device to do things like turn on the display or get into the band’s settings. Overall, it works well and that button isn’t hugely missed.

Around the back is where you’ll find the PurePulse heart rate sensor, which means you have the ability to continuously monitor heart rate, exercise in personalised heart rate zones, and unlock new features like Active Zone Minutes.

Pocket-lint

The big appeal of wearing the Inspire 2 is that it’s a slim, light and comfortable band to wear all the time. As it’s water resistant up to 50 metres, it’s safe to swim and shower with. 

Features

  • 24/7 tracking
  • Connected GPS
  • Guided breathing
  • 20+ exercise modes
  • Additional health insights in Fitbit Premium

Fitness tracking is what Fitbit does best – so it’s no surprise that’s where the Inspire 2’s key features lie. 

The sensors making that happen haven’t changed from the last Inspire models. There’s an accelerometer to track steps and enable automatic sleep monitoring. You also have that optical heart rate monitor, which unlocks a range of features and is still best suited to daily monitoring as opposed to putting it to work during exercise. You still don’t get an altimeter to track elevation like floor climbs, which you also get on the Fitbit’s flagship Charge 4.

Pocket-lint

For daily tracking, you can monitor daily steps, distance covered, calories burned, and get reminders to keep moving during the day. Fitbit has also added additional reminders to wash your hands, get your heart pumping, or to stay hydrated.

When it’s time to go to bed, you’ll be able to capture the duration of sleep and get a breakdown of sleep stages. That includes the all-important REM sleep, which is a window into the type of sleep tied to memory and learning. You’ll also get a Sleep Score to give you a clear idea if you’ve had a good night’s sleep.

When you switch to exercise tracking, there are over 20 goal-based modes with core exercises like walking, running and pool swimming. There’s also Fitbit’s SmartTrack tech to automatically recognise when you start moving and working out.

There’s connected GPS support, which means you can lean on your phone’s GPS signal to more accurately track outdoor activities. That GPS support is also useful for the Workout Intensity Maps feature, which along with monitoring your heart rate can show you where you worked hardest during a session.

With that onboard heart rate monitor you’re getting to continuously monitor and capture resting heart rate – day and night. It’s also going to let you train in heart rate zones and generate a Cardio Fitness Score to give you a better sense of your current state of fitness based on your VO2 Max (blood oxygen). Fitbit is also introducing its new Active Zone Minutes feature, which will buzz you when you hit your personalised target heart rate zones. It’s a move to get users to think more about regularly raising heart rate as well as nailing those big daily step counts.

Pocket-lint

For that time outside of getting sweaty, the Inspire 2 will perform some useful more smartwatch-like duties. There’s notification support for both Google Android and Apple iOS devices, letting you see native and third-party app notifications. There’s a dedicated notifications menu where you can find your latest incoming messages. In addition to notifications, there’s also a collection of different watch faces to choose from.

Beyond the basics, there’s also guided breathing exercises, menstrual health tracking, and app-based features like manually tracking your food intake. You also have access to Premium, Fitbit’s subscription service, which you’ll get a year to trial before deciding whether to continue at your own cost.

  • What is Fitbit Premium, what does it offer and how much does it cost?

Performance and battery life

  • Continuous heart rate monitoring
  • Up to 10 days battery life
  • Sleep tracking

Those core fitness tracking features is what the Inspire 2 does best. Step counts are largely in line with the fitness tracking features on a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, also offering similar distance covered and calories data. While those inactivity alerts aren’t groundbreaking, it’s a small way to make sure you keep moving during the day.

Pocket-lint

When you switch to sleep, the slim, light design of the Inspire 2 makes it a comfortable tracker to take to bed first and foremost. Fitbit offers some of the best sleep tracking features in the business. Compared to the Fitbit Sense and the Withings Sleep Analyzer, we were pretty satisfied with the kind of data Fitbit gave us.

For exercise tracking – as long as you’re not hoping to run for miles on a regular basis and up the intensity in general – the Inspire 2 should just about cut it. The heart rate monitor is better suited to continuous monitoring than it is for strenuous workout time based on our experience. For running, and cardio blasting HIIT sessions on the Fiit home workout app, average readings could be as much as 10bpm out (compared to a Garmin HRM Pro chest strap monitor).

The connected GPS support is also better suited to shorter runs, which brings useful features like those Workout Intensity Maps into the mix.

As for battery life, the Inspire 2 offers the best battery numbers Fitbit has ever offered. It’s promising up to 10 days, which is double that of the Inspire HR. It lives up to that claim, too, as long as you’re not going too bright with that screen and not tracking exercise every day with it. The good news is that things like all-day heart rate monitoring don’t seem to have a tremendous drain, which isn’t the case on all fitness trackers.

Pocket-lint

When you do need to charge there’s one of Fitbit’s proprietary charging cables, which clips into the charging points on the back and the top and bottom of the rear case. That ensures it stays put and doesn’t budge when you stick the Inspire 2 onto charge.

Software

Fitbit’s companion app, which is available for Android, iOS and Windows 10 devices, remains one of its key strengths – and a strong reason you’d grab one of its trackers over cheaper alternatives. 

It’s easy to use and if you want some added motivation to keep you on top of your goals, that’s available too. The main Today screen will give you a snapshot of your daily data and can be edited to show the data you actually care about.

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Discover is where you’ll find guided programmes, challenges, virtual adventures and workouts to accompany daily and nightly tracking. If you’ve signed up to Fitbit Premium, you’ll have a dedicated tab for that too. You still have all your device settings hidden away whether you need to adjust step goals, heart rate zones or how you keep closer tabs on your nutrition and weight management.

The Inspire 2 experience is similar to owning a Fitbit Versa 3, a Charge 4, or a Sense. Which is key: that consistent feeling across all devices makes it a good place if you know other Fitbit-owning people. You can delve deeper into data if you want to, but for most, what’s there when you first download it and login will be more than enough to get a sense of your progress.

  • Best Fitbit fitness tracker: Which Fitbit is right for you?

Verdict

The Fitbit Inspire 2 sticks to a known formula, covering tracking basics, while wrapping it up in a design that’s comfortable to wear all of the time.

The screen changes for this model are welcomed – extra brightness, yay – and if you care about steps, sleep and monitoring heart rate during the day and night, it will serve you well.

All that’s supported by an app that’s one of the most user-friendly if you’re starting to think about monitoring your health and fitness for the first time.

The level of smartwatch features are dictated by the slenderness of the device and while you can get more in the way of these features elsewhere for less money, what the Inspire 2 offers should be good enough for most. It’s still not quite the ready-made sportswatch replacement though.

Cheaper fitness trackers are now offering more features, arguably better displays and battery life. But if you’re looking for a fitness tracker that puts your health and tracking front and centre, then Fitbit is still one of the best.

Also consider

Pocket-lint

Fitbit Inspire HR

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If you can live without that brighter display and some of the software extras, the Inspire HR will still offer a solid tracking experience for less cash.

  • Read our review
Pocket-lint

Huawei Band 3 Pro

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Huawei’s fitness band offers one big feature you won’t find on the Inspire 2: built-in GPS. If you like the idea of a tracker a bit better built for sports, this is one worth looking at.

  • Read our review

Writing by Michael Sawh. Editing by Mike Lowe.

the-best-streaming-device-to-buy-in-2021

The best streaming device to buy in 2021

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Looking for a new TV gadget to stream all of your favorite entertainment? Buying an excellent streaming device is easier in 2021 than ever before — and the prices only continue to drop and get more appealing: $50 is the sweet spot if you want a streaming stick or set-top box that can do crisp 4K resolution, Dolby Vision / HDR, and immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound. Each of the picks below has its own strengths, whether it’s a snazzier interface, better voice controls, or a more comprehensive universal search for digging through all of your services. Depending on your wants, there are several good contenders, but the Chromecast with Google TV stands out as the best streaming device for most people.

Pretty much any 4K TV you buy today will come with a batch of built-in streaming apps. But they won’t always have everything. (For example, my LG OLED doesn’t have HBO Max.) So a dedicated streaming device is the best way to guarantee you’ll be able to watch that show or movie everyone’s been talking about. You can spend less money on entry-level Roku or Amazon streaming players, but you’ll be better off with one of our recommendations if you want your purchase to last.

The features and fantastic price of the Chromecast with Google TV make it the best streaming stick for most people.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

1. Chromecast with Google TV

The best streaming stick for most people

Google has done the best job figuring out what the home screen on a streaming stick should look like. That’s really the long and short of why the Chromecast with Google TV has taken the crown of best streaming player. With its new Google TV software, the company has taken a content-first approach that feels more focused and refined than what Amazon and Apple have managed in their own attempts to aggregate popular shows and movies.

On a Roku or Fire TV, my instinct is always to head right for the app where I want to watch something. But with the Chromecast, I’m equally happy browsing through Google’s rows of recommendations. The Google TV software always clearly shows where content is coming from — you can pick which streaming apps get factored into these recs — and it also provides helpful information (like Rotten Tomatoes ratings) at the surface level when you’re hunting for that night’s entertainment.

When you actually hit play, you’re punted over to Netflix or Prime Video or HBO Max just like always, but there’s no avoiding that. In terms of app selection, Google’s got all of the main players covered. You can still cast content to the Chromecast from your phone or laptop, and Google Assistant voice searches consistently work well and showcase Google’s accurate voice recognition.

Everything about Google TV feels tasteful, from the fonts to the way the background color subtly shifts to match the artwork of whatever content is highlighted. And the universal Watchlist, which lets you put together a list of stuff you’re interested in from various streaming services, is super convenient — especially since you can add to it from the web or your phone.

But not everything about the Chromecast with Google TV is perfect. The software can slow down from time to time, and some customers have encountered significant bugs that Google has tried to iron out with software updates. More annoyingly, despite the hardware supporting both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, there are still very popular apps like Disney Plus — which delivers both on other platforms — that aren’t doing so on the Chromecast. HBO Max says it does Atmos, but that hasn’t been my experience. Why? Who knows, but these inconsistencies are a mark against Google. And as for the Watchlist, some services like Netflix have already started removing their shows from it. Again, that’s something Google has no control over, but it does lessen the feature’s usefulness.

With its easy-to-use software, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is the best streaming device for people looking for a good, simple option.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

2. Roku Streaming Stick Plus

The best streaming device for people who want to keep it simple

It’s hard to really complain about a Roku. The company’s streaming devices are about as simple and straightforward as they come. All of your apps are laid out in a big grid, which can make the experience feel a bit siloed — but there’s no beating that ease of use. And Roku has tried to touch up and modernize the home screen a bit with new sections like “Featured Free” to highlight content you can stream without any subscriptions.

Despite some occasional spats with content companies, Roku now has pretty much all of the entertainment you could want, including (most recently) HBO Max and Peacock. And the wonderfully neutral universal search remains one of the best aspects of the platform, favoring your existing subscriptions and free-to-stream options over making you pay money to rent or buy. And the company’s Roku Channel has grown into a legitimate streaming app of its own, offering a mix of ad-sponsored movies, TV shows, and live news for those days when you’re burned out on combing through Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

The $50 Streaming Stick Plus remains the best overall pick among Roku’s hardware when you weigh price and performance. It gives you HDR, Dolby Atmos, and speedy performance. The main thing you’ll miss out on is Dolby Vision. If that’s a must, you should look at the $100 Roku Ultra set-top box instead, which also includes an Ethernet port for optional wired connectivity and a helpful remote finder feature. Plus, the Ultra’s remote has customizable shortcut buttons and a headphone jack so you can listen privately to whatever’s on-screen if you’re trying to keep quiet at night. (Other Rokus let you do the latter with the company’s mobile app.)

If there’s one area where Roku falls flat, it’s probably voice search. Your voice queries for specific shows or movies should work well enough, but Roku lags Amazon and Google when it comes to natural language interactions. (And forget about using your voice to control smart home gadgets or look up entertainment-related facts.) Still, the company is adding other perks to offset that weakness. Late last year, it added support for Apple’s AirPlay, letting you easily send content from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the TV screen. Speaking of Apple…

It’s more pricey than the competition, but the Apple TV 4K offers a top-notch user experience.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

3. Apple TV 4K

The best streaming device overall experience (for a steep price)

The Apple TV 4K is laughably overpriced compared to its competitors, but Apple’s set-top box still has its own set of appealing qualities. The interface is fantastic. It supports Dolby Vision and Atmos across a wide variety of services, has all of the important apps checked off, and also gives you add-ons like Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness Plus (if you pay for them) that you won’t find on other streaming devices.

Apps sometimes have a higher level of polish on Apple TV and are generally better about taking advantage of everything it can do. Another benefit of the Apple TV is privacy — to some extent. Apple itself isn’t obsessed with tracking your viewing data in the same way that a company like Roku is, but the streaming apps can still see what you’re doing. I generally think consumers aren’t particularly averse to sharing their streaming habits, but Apple’s privacy practices might matter to you.

Even with AirPlay now on Roku, the Apple TV still wins out for people deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem. You can use HomePods as its speakers or connect two sets of AirPods for private listening with audio sharing. You can view the feed from HomeKit security cameras or see who is at the door if you have a HomeKit video doorbell. The Apple TV still makes it easy to tap into content on a Mac in your home, and services like Apple Music and iCloud Photo Library are right there in easy reach on the TV screen.

But there’s no forgiving the infamous remote, which is cumbersome to use and too easy to lose. And it’s more difficult than ever to recommend that you spend $180 on hardware that’s now several years old. Doing so isn’t wrong; you’ve just got to know why the Apple TV 4K is right for you.

The Fire TV Stick 4K checks off all the boxes for HDR support and costs just $50, making it the best streaming stick for people in Amazon’s ecosystem.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

4. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

The best streaming stick if you’re in Amazon’s ecosystem

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is yet another popular pick in that $50 range of streaming gadgets. The latest model added support for Dolby Vision, which made it the only product to offer everything HDR (Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10+, HDR10) for such little money — until the new Chromecast came along.

The Fire TV Stick 4K’s software is similar to the Chromecast in that the home screen takes a content-focused approach instead of just throwing a grid of apps at you. Amazon tends to showcase its own Prime Video content more prominently than shows and movies from other services, but the newly revamped software goes a long way in improving the look and feel of the Fire TV. Alexa voice commands with the remote also work reliably, whether you’re saying “open Netflix” or asking to dim the smart lights in your living room.

Amazon offers most major streaming apps, but there are some frustrating omissions: Vudu — a good source of Dolby Vision movies — and Peacock are both still absent from the Fire TV platform.

There’s also the $120 Fire TV Cube to consider. It essentially doubles as a streaming device and small smart speaker. Rather than make you press and hold a button to speak to Alexa like with the Stick 4K, the Cube takes a hands-free approach and has beamforming mics that respond to “Alexa” prompts just like an Echo speaker would. It also features something Amazon calls Local Voice Control, which allows it to understand more spoken commands without needing help from the cloud. The Fire TV Cube has a more powerful processor than the Fire TV Stick 4K, making it the fastest of the Fire TV bunch, but the difference isn’t very noticeable.

When it comes to their streaming capabilities, the Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Cube are on equal footing. And you could always put the money you save by going with the Stick toward one of those new sphere-shaped Echo Dots, which will sound far better than the Cube’s tinny built-in speaker.

Nvidia’s Shield TV is a powerful Android TV streaming box that’s popular with home theater enthusiasts.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

5. Nvidia Shield TV

Best streaming device for home theater enthusiasts and gamers

Home theater enthusiasts, gamers, and people who like to tinker with their streaming devices have loyally stuck with Nvidia’s Shield TV and Shield TV Pro for a reason. They can serve as excellent players like any of our other picks, but you can also go more advanced and use them for cloud gaming or set up a Plex media library (in the case of the Pro). GeForce Now and Steam Link probably do more to sell gamers on the Shield lineup versus something like Apple Arcade on the Apple TV.

The Nvidia Shields currently run Android TV with Google Assistant built in, but it’s expected they’ll eventually get the same Google TV experience that’s on the Chromecast. Nvidia’s AI-powered upscaling can eke out some extra detail from the shows and movies you stream, and I’d rate the included remote control (with backlit buttons, even) as the most ergonomic of them all.

But like with the Apple TV, the main hurdle here is the price. The Nvidia Shield TV costs $150, so you’re looking at spending $100 more than devices that offer most of the same functionality. You get Ethernet and a very powerful streaming device for the added premium, and you can push the Shield TV farther and make it do more than just about any of its competitors.

wahoo-kickr-climb-review:-taking-indoor-training-up-a-level

Wahoo Kickr Climb review: Taking indoor training up a level

(Pocket-lint) – The Wahoo Kickr Climb is a simple yet innovative product – but one that’s likely to split opinion. While some people will see it as an expensive gimmick with appeal that will soon wear off, others will view it as the next step along the road to making indoor riding even more immersive and, well, just a bit more fun.

The Climb is essentially an accessory for owners of a Wahoo trainer – it is compatible with all Wahoo’s turbos from 2017 onward: Snap, Core, Kickr — but, unfortunately for owners of other branded trainers, you don’t get to join in the fun this time. Yes, it’s strictly for those in the Wahoo club.

The Kickr Climb allows you to simulate climbing a gradient of up to 20 per cent or descending down to 10 per cent on your bike by attaching your front forks to it, where your front wheel would normally sit. It then lifts or drops the front end, pitching you forwards or backwards in the saddle as you roll up and down the virtual open road.

So does it the Climb take indoor training up a level?

Out of the box

The Climb is a cinch to get set up. It comes ready with adaptors for quick release or thru-axles, so it is simply a case of choosing the correct ones for your bike, removing your front wheel and attaching your frame to it. You then have to link the Climb to your Wahoo trainer by using the Climb’s remote control, then register via the app.

Pocket-lint

As per all Wahoo products, the Climb looks good, featuring slender lines and two-tone graphite and black colouring. Although it feels solid, it’s also a little top-heavy and it doesn’t take too much to knock it over if it isn’t attached to your bike – so you’ll need to take care if you leave it standing alone, particularly if you have pets or young children around.

In the saddle

There are two ways you can use the Climb. The first is via the remote control, which sits neatly in a recess on the top of the Climb. From this rubberised unit – which is hardwired to the Climb and includes a handy strap to attach it to your handlebars – you can manually increase or decrease the height of the front of your bike, simulating a climb or decent.

We found this to be a nice feature when we were first testing out exactly what the Climb could do, and of course some people might want to set a particular degree of slope for a workout, but that’s not how most people will use it.

Pocket-lint

The Climb truly comes to life when it’s being used with apps such as Zwift or Sufferfest. Within these environments the front of your bike rises and falls with the road as you see it on screen, increasing your feeling of immersion in the virtual landscape; we found it really does add another dimension to your workouts and virtual rides.

We also found it helped to reduce the feeling of fatigue you can get from sitting in the same position while using the trainer, and it encourages you to transition between a seated and standing position as you hit the slopes, adding a further element to your training. For people who are specifically preparing for outdoor events that involve a significant amount of climbing, it means you can train your body in the correct position, fine tuning your posture and muscular adaptation.



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By Britta O’Boyle
·

· Updated

Our guide to the top fitness trackers available, helping you count steps, track calories, monitor your heart rate, sleep patterns and more.

That’s not to say it’s perfect though. The way that Zwift’s landscape is designed, detailed as it is, does not have the same natural undulations as a real world road, so there is a noticeable “lift” as you hit a ramp, then the reverse as you crest the hill, or begin to descend, with little in the way of variation in between.

This is all quite noticeable at first, as you begin to get used to the Climb, as is the nagging worry that the Climb doesn’t quite feel as stable as your front wheel. Rather than have a flat-bottomed base, the Climb is slightly curved, to allow it to rock backwards a small amount as it climbs, then forwards as you descend.

Pocket-lint

Wahoo advises that you should lift and reset the Climb after every ride, to ensure it is positioned correctly, which at first can leave you questioning whether you’ve set it perfectly.

Added altogether this made for a few slightly uneasy rides at first, with maybe just a slight feeling of motion sickness added in too. Once we learned to trust that it wasn’t going to slip or give way, we soon forgot all about it and were perfectly happy getting out of the saddle and sprinting full gas in intervals or for the finish line in races.

Verdict

All in all, we think that the Kickr Climb is an appealing upgrade for Wahoo trainer owners looking to further enhance and add realism to their indoor riding in environments such as Zwift. It offers another level of engagement for riders who enjoy training and racing in the virtual world.

However, its inability to connect to other brand trainers, the high asking price and relatively limited function mean it’s certainly not going to appeal to everyone.

Alternatives to consider

Elite

Elite Sterzo Smart

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The Climb is a unique product at the moment, but if it’s added realism you’re after you could try the Elite Sterzo Smart. The ANT+ connection can directly link to Zwift to allow realistic steering in the app.

Wahoo

Wahoo Kickr Bike

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If you’re in the market for a new trainer plusscor the Climb, why not go the whole hog and buy the KickrBike? You can save yourself the faff of ever having to set your outside bike up on the trainer ever again, though it’s certainly not a budget option.

Writing by Jon Hicks. Editing by Mike Lowe.

‘spinning’-is-trademarked,-and-peloton-isn’t-happy-about-it

‘Spinning’ is trademarked, and Peloton isn’t happy about it

Peloton is fighting to have the terms “spin” and “spinning” treated as generic terms, arguing that they’ve entered into common usage in spite of being trademarked since the late 90s, Bloomberg reports. This week it filed petitions with the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to try and cancel both trademarks owned by Mad Dogg Athletics, arguing that “spin class and spin bike are part of the fitness lexicon” and that they’re “generic terms to describe a type of exercise bike and associated in-studio class.”

Mad Dogg had earlier filed a lawsuit against Peloton, alleging that its products infringe upon its exercise bike patents. While the lawsuit doesn’t make claims on trademarks, Bloomberg characterizes Peloton’s attempt to cancel Mad Dogg’s trademarks as a “retaliatory effort.” Mad Dogg has challenged Peloton’s use of the term “spin” in the past, and last year asked it to remove a video from its YouTube channel that referenced the phrase.

There are numerous examples of product names that started out as trademarks, but which eventually entered common usage as product categories and lost their legal protections. Bloomberg notes that “escalator” and “murphy bed” are two high profile examples of so-called “genericide.” But understandably, companies with trademarks are keen to hold on to the exclusive right to use and profit off them, and often go to great lengths to avoid terms like “Band-Aid” or “Xerox” from becoming generic.

Mad Dogg Athletics devotes a page on its website to how the terms should be used. “These marks are brand names that serve to identify the unique fitness products and programs offered by Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc,” the company says, noting that they’re “important business assets” that should be treated with “care and respect.”

Mad Dogg’s website argues that consumers would be harmed alongside the company if the terms became generic. “Loss of a trademark,” it says, “denies consumers the opportunity to identify an original, quality product developed with years of experience for repeat satisfactory purchases.”

Peleton, unsurprisingly, disagrees. In its filing it says Mad Dogg “has spent years engaged in a bullying campaign of demand letters and litigation to force people and companies to stop using the very terms they have every right to use.”

“Enough is enough. It is time to put a stop to Mad Dogg’s tactic of profiting by threatening competitors, marketplaces and even journalists with enforcement of generic trademarks,” Peloton’s filing argues.

facebook-is-secretly-building-a-smartwatch-and-planning-to-sell-it-next-year

Facebook is secretly building a smartwatch and planning to sell it next year

Facebook is building a smartwatch as part of its ongoing hardware efforts, according to a new report from The Information. The device is said to be an Android-based smartwatch, though the report does not say Facebook intends for the device to run Google’s Wear OS. It also says Facebook is working on building its own operating system for hardware devices and that future iterations of the wearable may run that software instead.

The smartwatch would have messaging, health, and fitness features, the report says, and would join Facebook’s Oculus virtual reality headsets and Portal video chat devices as part of the social network’s growing hardware ecosystem. Facebook is also working on branded Ray-Ban smart glasses to come out later this year as part of its ongoing Project Aria initiative, an augmented reality project the company has been working on for some time now. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The social networking giant’s hardware ambitions are no secret. The company has more than 6,000 employees working on various augmented and virtual reality projects and as part of existing hardware divisions like Oculus and Portal, as well as on experimental initiatives under its Facebook Reality Labs division, Bloomberg reported last month. And although Facebook has not expressed a strong interest in health and fitness devices in the past, the company does have a track record in wearables with its Oculus headsets and its forthcoming smart glasses.

Facebook also acquired the neural interface startup CTRL-Labs in 2019. CTRL-Labs specialized in building wireless input mechanisms, including devices that could transmit electrical signals from the brain to computing devices without the need for traditional touchscreen or physical button inputs. The startup’s intellectual property and ongoing research may factor into whatever wearables Facebook builds in the future — including a smartwatch, smart glasses, or future Oculus headsets.

police-in-minneapolis-reportedly-used-a-geofence-warrant-at-floyd-protest-last-year

Police in Minneapolis reportedly used a geofence warrant at Floyd protest last year

Police in Minneapolis got a search warrant that ordered Google to provide account data on people who were near a protest that turned violent two days after the killing of George Floyd last year, TechCrunch reported.

The search warrant required Google to provide account data for anyone “within the geographical region” of an AutoZone store on May 27th, 2020, to police, according to TechCrunch. Photos of a protest outside that store two days after Floyd’s death showed a man in a mask smashing the store windows with an umbrella. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported at the time that police believed the so-called “Umbrella Man” was actually a white supremacist trying to spark violence at the protest.

According to TechCrunch, a police affidavit showed Minneapolis police were seeking information about the identity of “Umbrella Man,” who they considered responsible for sparking violence at what had been peaceful protests.

Geofence warrants, also known as reverse-location warrants, allow authorities to sweep up location data from GPS, Bluetooth, and wi-fi from devices near a crime scene. They often pull in information from people who had nothing to do with the crime, and have raised privacy concerns. A Florida man who used a fitness app to track his bike rides briefly found himself a suspect in a 2019 burglary, when police used a geofence warrant. The man had unknowingly provided information about his location to Google, which placed him near the scene of the crime.

The use of geofence warrants has increased in the past several years; in 2019, Google reported the number of such warrants it had received was up 1,500 percent between 2017 and 2018, but did not provide specific numbers. The New York Times reported that Google received as many as 180 geofence warrants in one week in 2019.

A Minneapolis resident told TechCrunch he had received an email from Google informing him that information from his account was subject to the warrant and was being given to police. The man said he was filming the protest, not participating in it.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

amazfit-gts-2-review:-amazing-or-overpriced?

Amazfit GTS 2 review: Amazing or overpriced?

(Pocket-lint) – Huami has been turning out various smartwatches that sit under its Amazfit brand, with the square-shape GTS 2 sitting at the top of its fashion watch category.

That GTS family also includes the cheaper GTS 2e and the GTS 2 Mini. If you want the best in terms of features and a stylish design then the GTS 2 is the one to look at.

Along with making some welcome changes in the design department, the GTS 2 also performs more like a smartwatch than the original GTS did, bringing smart assistants and a music player into the mix. But that’s also seen the price creep up, so does it warrant its worth?

Design & Display

  • Display: 1.65-inch, 348 x 442 resolution
  • Measures 42.8 x 35.6 x 9.7mm
  • Size options: 42mm only
  • 5ATM waterproofing 

Like the original GTS, the GTS 2 goes square – much like an Apple Watch – but you certainly wouldn’t mistake if for a Series 6 or an SE.

That doesn’t mean you don’t get an attractive smartwatch for your money, though. There are notable improvements with the materials used and the design of the display that gives the GTS 2 a more stylish look compared to its predecessor.

Pocket-lint

You’re getting a 42mm watch case with a matte titanium alloy used around the display, with plastic on the back where the sensors and charging points lie. That’s paired up with a removable 20mm silicone strap.  

There’s the pick of black, grey or gold looks, which does mean you have fewer colour options to pick from than the first GTS, but you do still have that option to switch up things in the strap department if you prefer to go for an overall more formal watch look. 

What has really elevated the look of the GTS 2 is its display, which is made from 3D curved glass that creates a more unified look with the watch case. Overall it just makes it feel like a much nicer watch to wear.

That screen measures in with the same 1.65-inches and offers the same resolution as the GTS and, again, it’s a really good quality display. It’s nice and responsive to swipes and taps, isn’t a fingerprint magnet, and offers great sharpness and colours. The viewing angles are strong too, plus there’s an always-on display mode option if you want that screen on full-time.

Pocket-lint

Away from using the touchscreen, there’s a solitary button that sits closer to the watch body to help create that more streamlined look. As a package it’s got the same 5ATM water resistant rating, which means it’s safe to swim and shower with it (as that rating is good for 50 metres depth).

While the first GTS definitely had a more sporty look and feel to it, that curved screen and titanium addition certainly makes the GTS 2 a more attractive proposition. It’s no Apple Watch, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the GTS range.

Software & Performance

  • Customizable watch faces
  • Works with Android and iOS

Once again, Huami is using its own operating system to run the software and doesn’t divulge details of the processor or components. The performance is satisfying on the whole, whether that’s getting around menu screens or putting its key features to work.

Pocket-lint

The software experience hasn’t dramatically changed over the first GTS. The selection of customisable watch faces have certainly been better optimised for that curved display and getting to menu screens or your notifications are done in the same manner. There’s widgets to show off elements like your daily activity stats and weather forecasts.



Best Garmin watch 2021: Fenix, Forerunner and Vivo compared


By Chris Hall
·

Huami’s smartwatches are generally very easy to get to grips with and that doesn’t really change with the GTS 2.

When you need to sync your data or tinker with settings you can’t access on the watch, you’ll now have to head to the Zepp companion app, which is a rebranded Amazfit app. Huami now owns Zepp, the sports tech brand that made its name using sports tracking sensors for baseball and golf. 

Getting setup is pretty straightforward, especially if you take the QR code scanning route to pairing it with your phone. We used it with Oppo and Realme Android phones and didn’t have issues with syncing or pairing. While it’s a device you can use with iPhone too, pairing with an Android device will give you the optimal experience.

Pocket-lint

The two most important area of the app is the main Homepage where you can delve deeper into your health, fitness and exercise stats. The dedicated devices page is where you can adjust settings, such as notification support, set health monitoring modes, and get hold of more watch faces.

Sports & Fitness Tracking

  • GPS and Glonass satellite systems
  • Automatic exercise recognition
  • Built-in heart rate monitor
  • 24/7 fitness tracking
  • Blood oxygen read

Like the GTS, the GTS 2 is well equipped as far as tracking your health, fitness and exercise. It has added a new improved heart rate sensor – BioTracker 2 PPG – and ramped up the number of sports with exercise recognition support also in tow.

Pocket-lint

On the sensor count, there’s GPS and GLONASS to accurately track outdoor activities, and the same motion sensors as included in the GTS. Huami’s new sensor can read blood oxygen (SpO2) levels – but that blood oxygen sensor, much like the one on Huawei, Garmin, Fitbit and Apple’s smartwatches, is not designed for medical purposes.

That sensor delivers resting heart rate, continuous monitoring, and heart rate during exercise. It also powers its PAI Health Assessment, which shifts the emphasis on raising your heart rate regularly as opposed to focusing on nailing your daily step counts. 

There’s no 90 sports modes, which is significantly up from the 12 included on the GTS. That includes core sports like running, cycling and swimming (pool and open water), along with tracking support for skiing and climbing. 

In terms of that tracking performance indoors and outdoors, accuracy definitely feels better suited to someone who has a more casual approach to fitness. Accuracy for things like GPS and heart rate feel better suited to steady paced workouts. As soon as you up the intensity, whether that’s running or riding for longer distances, those key sensors do have a tendency to falter. Heart rate testing against a Garmin HRM Pro heart rate chest strap monitor showed that the GTS 2’s sensor struggles to handle the sudden spikes and drops in heart rate with high intensity training.

Pocket-lint

It definitely does a better impression as a daily fitness tracker if you care mainly about steps, continuous heart rate monitoring and tracking sleep. Daily step counts were in the ballpark of the step counts we tracked on a Fitbit Sense and you’ll still get those inactivity alerts buzzing you to keep moving during the day. 

For sleep, the GTS 2 posted similar sleep duration periods as the Sense and similar breakdowns of sleep stages, including REM sleep. There’s some nice additional insights and tips to improve sleep quality and is definitely one of the GTS 2’s strengths.

Smartwatch features 

  • View notifications
  • Built-in music player
  • Offline voice assistant
  • Microphone and speaker
  • Phone calls over Bluetooth

The GTS was pretty light on smartwatch features, so thankfully that’s changed with the GTS 2.

Pocket-lint

You still have notifications that are still not actionable while multiple notifications from the same app can still bunch up as was the case on the GTS. There’s also weather forecasts, the ability to set alarms and access to music controls, with the latter accessible during workouts.

Huami has added in a microphone and speaker, which brings a collection of new features into the mix. It means you can now take phone calls when connected to your phone via Bluetooth. More interestingly is the introduction of a smart assistant that works without a data connection.

The new offline voice assistant will give you control of core watch features like turning settings on and off or to start a workout. The commands supported are all listed on the watch and the assistant can be woken up in a variety of ways including turning it on as soon as you raise your wrist. It’s an assistant that works well and is responsive to commands, making it a useful feature to have when you’ve got your hands full. 

Pocket-lint

The other big feature is the built-in music player, giving you 3GB of storage to fit in roughly 300-600 songs. To get that music onto the watch, you’ll need to sync it over from the Zepp companion app. Currently, it only supports music you own and doesn’t work with any music streaming services. If you own a lot of music and it’s already piled onto your phone, then you’ll no doubt appreciate its inclusion as a feature. Hopefully though, Huami will add some streaming service support as well to make it even more useful. 

 Battery Life

  • Up to 20 days in basic watch mode
  • Up to 7 days in smartwatch mode
  • 3.5 days in heavy usage

Huami has included a bigger 246mAh battery on the GTS 2, which is capable of giving you around a week of use in typical scenarios – and up to 20 days when you disable features like Bluetooth and heart rate monitoring. If you put features into play like the always-on display mode, that battery is likely to drop to around three days or so.

Pocket-lint

Based on our experience, you can get that week of use, but if you’re making use of all of those new features, it’s more likely to be a few days shorter than that. Features like continuous heart rate monitoring, advanced sleep monitoring, keeping the screen bright and having a steady stream of notifications, will see it fall short of that seven days. If you’re willing to compromise on what features are enabled, you can go further.

GPS tracking battery life is an impressive 25 hours, which betters a lot of more expensive GPS-packing smartwatches and sports watches. Putting that GPS to good use doesn’t horribly drain the battery either.

When you do hit zero there’s an identical charger to the one used on the GTS to get things powered back up. It takes 2.5 hours to get to 100 per cent, though, which certainly doesn’t make it the snappiest of chargers.

Verdict

While the first GTS offered great value for money at a price point where it stood up well against the competition, the GTS 2 is promising to be a better smartwatch – but a pricier one too.

It certainly steps things up in the looks department, while features such as the offline voice assistant is a great new addition. However, the music player is going to have limited appeal until it can partner up with some streaming services. And while fitness tracking is once again solid, you won’t get high-end accuracy for tracking sports and active heart rate.

All in all, the GTS 2 is a transformation for the series – and a decent one at that. But at the now elevated price point you’ll be able to find a more complete smartwatch experience elsewhere, which is why the original GTS scored better than this follow-up.

Also consider

Fitbit Versa 2

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While not its latest product, this watch offers richer music and notification features, plus all the great fitness tracking and health features you would expect from a Fitbit watch.

  • Read our review

Huawei Watch GT 2e

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Huawei offers a step up in sports tracking features and is capable of giving you weeks of battery life with its full gamut of features in play.

  • Read our review

Writing by Michael Sawh. Editing by Mike Lowe.