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You can try an Apple Watch without an appointment
To date, you've had to book an appointment to try the Apple Watch in a store. That's something of a hassle when you only want to find out if the Leather Loop is comfy, isn't it? Thankfully, you shouldn't have to jump through hoops any longer. According to 9to5Mac, Apple retail stores are dropping the appointment requirement from this week onward. So long as there's an available staffer and a place at the tryout table, you can stroll up and get a hands-on (wrist-on?) with the company's first wearable. You can still provide your Apple ID if you want to be reminded of your pick later on, but it's no longer a prerequisite.
You can now send money to friends with your Apple Watch
If you've ever wanted to quickly send money to a pal to cover your share of the restaurant bill, you can now do so with your Apple Watch. Square has just updated its iOS Cash app -- which lets you send money to anyone via email or text -- so that it also loads on the wearable from Cupertino. Simply enter in the amount you wish to pay in increments of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 or $100, tap in the appropriate contact info, and your friend will get her money back in a matter of seconds. The Cash app can push payment request notifications to the Watch as well, which you can accept or deny right from your wrist. Aside from just email and text, you can also send money to folks via Bluetooth LE (just like its phone counterpart) as long as they're in range. So now that you can settle your debts without having to take out your wallet and your phone, there's no excuse to skip out on paying up -- especially if you've got the cash to plunk down on a pricey smartwatch in the first place.
Apple Watch gets more band options for larger wrists
If you've been eying the Apple Watch, but needed a larger band to wear it comfortably, you're in luck. Cupertino added new accessories today to accommodate with a new L/XL Sports Band and Link Bracelet Kit that adds an extra 40mm to the 42mm metal bands. That Sports Band comes in either black or white and will fit nicely around wrists that measure 195-245mm. Before now, the largest option (M/L) measured 160-210mm. Both the larger Sports Band and the extra links will set you back $49 from the Apple Store, and as 9to5Mac points out, the standalone Modern Buckle Bands are also available for purchase for $249.
Parallels' remote PC access works with games and your Apple Watch
Parallels' Access app just became considerably more useful... even if you're bent on goofing off. The company has released version 3.0 of its remote access tool, which includes experimental support for playing your PC's games on your iOS device. If you're determined to play League of Legends or Skyrim on your iPad, you can create custom touch controls to make the experience relatively enjoyable. The iOS camp also gets a little extra fun through an Apple Watch app that lets you start remote connections from your wrist.
Microsoft brings Outlook and Translator to your smartwatch
Microsoft has just released a bunch of productivity apps for wearable devices -- nope, not for the Band, but for Android Wear smartwatches and the Apple Watch. First for the Apple Watch is Outlook, which allows you to read full emails and respond with either canned replies or your own through voice dictation. Cupertino's wearable also gets to-do app Wunderlist and will soon be able to install private social network Yammer, which will be able to take advantage of iOS 8's Handoff feature with an iPhone.
Custom $3,100 Apple Watch celebrates famed Russian leaders
If Lenin weren't so pickled, he'd be rolling over in his display case at the sight of Caviar's limited-edition luxury Apple Watch Epoca. The company has unveiled three unique designs for the new Epoca line. Each costs about $3,100 and celebrates one of three famed Russian leaders: Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Lenin and Peter the Great. The watches come replete with either leather or Milanese link bracelets, as well as engravings of Lenin's mausoleum or Putin's signature. Heck, you can even get the old Soviet logo on the crown -- because if anything represents the failures of Russian Communism, it's a custom-designed Apple Watch sporting the Hammer and Sickle that costs ten times more than its base model.
Finally, a $9,000 watch that attaches to your Apple Watch
California-based (where else?) watch-maker Nico Gerard has announced a timepiece that has an Apple Watch lodged within a pretty typical analog watch strap. Yep: a watch for your Apple Watch. Oh and preorders start at $9,300 -- although that includes the black steel analogue face and a 38mm stainless steel Apple Watch on the other side of your wrist. If you want to upgrade your status beyond that of a mere one-percenter, then there's the $112,000 18-carat gold option. With gold Apple Watch Edition. (It's not even the first double-watched solution to a problem no-one's ever had.) Irony be damned, the watch has been named Pinnacle. But there's one question we need answered: which one is the watch, and which one is the accessory?
Best Buy will sell the Apple Watch on August 7th
Until now, if you wanted an Apple Watch, you had to buy it in one of three places: online, at the Apple Store or at your nearest high-end luxury goods boutique. If none of those places are convenient, then you'll be happy to learn that the wearable will also be available from Best Buy on August 7th. The store will be the first big national chain to stock the device, and in keeping with its mass-market appeal, won't be stocking the pricey Edition model. It will, however, have both the 38 and 42mm versions of both the Sport and Watch models in 16 different configurations -- not to mention a large supply of nightstands, screen protectors and third-party straps not approved by Apple.
Welcome (back) to the After Math
Our graphical calculators are back from repair, so it's time to crunch the numbers once again. It's a good week for it too: Apple Watch predictions, uneasily fast explanations of the entire universe and cable company that's doing better in internet than, well, cable.
Apple rumored to let other companies make Watch chargers
Apple is believed to be ready to let third parties build magnetic charging cables for the Apple Watch in the same way as it does for the iPhone and iPad. A report by 9to5Mac claims that the company is gearing up to launch a Made for Apple Watch licensing program that'll enable other firms to build their own. Currently, watch stands have to have a groove cut out of them into which you can cram your bundled charging cable. Unfortunately, that's not a very elegant solution for your nightstand, especially if you've dropped $100 on a custom dock. If the report is to believed, then we should start seeing integrated chargers all over the place by early 2016.
Apple already took 75 percent of the smartwatch market
The official numbers for Apple Watch sales are still a mystery. But, according to a report by research firm Strategy Analytics, the Cupertino company shipped an estimated 4 million units during the second quarter of 2015. As a result, Apple's already captured 75 percent of the smartwatch marketshare across the world, despite only being available since late April. Strategy Analytics also points out that, thanks mostly to the Watch, global smartwatch shipments saw a remarkable 457 percent growth year-over-year. Meanwhile, Samsung was the big loser in Q2 2015, as it fell to second place and is said to have shipped a mere 0.4 million devices during that timeframe.
Apple will replace your battery once it hits 80 percent health
Apple's recently changed the terms of its AppleCare+ extended warranty program. Now, no matter what iOS or OSX device you own (yes, even the Watch), Apple will replace the battery as soon as it hits 80 percent health. That's up 30 points from the previous 50 percent threshold for iOS devices. What's more, Mac batteries used to only be covered for manufacturing defects, not normal performance degradation. So basically anything with an Apple logo will get a new battery once the old one loses 20 percent of its capacity. The policy kicks in immediately for devices purchased after April 10th of this year.
Apple Watch patent would have you sharing files with a handshake
Wondering how you'd exchange info between smartwatches when their displays are so small? Apple thinks it has an easy answer: make the same gestures you already use to greet your friends. The tech firm has applied for a patent on a system that exchanges data between wearables (presumably Apple Watches) whenever both people make a similar greeting gesture, such as a handshake, bow or fist bump. The watches would only need to use their motion sensors and short-range wireless to tell that you're getting cozy -- you wouldn't need to tap the screen at all. Devices could also swap different kinds of data depending on the exact gesture and how well you know the other person, so you'd only share contact info if you're grabbing hands for the first time. There's no guarantee that Apple will roll this feature into the Watch any time soon, but it strikes us as a very logical (and, dare we say it, handy) upgrade. Photo by Will Lipman.
The next Apple Watch reportedly has a video chat camera
The first Apple Watch might have only just reached stores, but that isn't stopping rumors about Cupertino's next wearable. Sources for 9to5Mac claim that Apple already has some big plans for its second-generation Watch, and the highlight would be a front camera for video calls -- yes, you'd get to live out your Inspector Gadget dreams and have a face-to-face chat from your wrist. There's a chance this feature could get cut if there's either a change in the roadmap or logistical problems, but it's currently on the cards for a "likely" 2016 debut.
Apple Watch can now be reserved online and picked up in stores
Apple will finally start selling its Apple Watch in retail stores later this month, but if you're desperate to pick up the timepiece, there's now another ordering method to consider. The company is rolling out a "Reserve & Pickup" system which allows you to choose a Watch online and, as the name implies, ultimately buy and collect your order in store. It's a departure from the current appointment system, which requires that you order on the web -- even if you've just handled the device in a shop. Instead of waiting for the mailman to deliver your Watch, you can now choose an almost immediate booking at your nearest store and walk out with the hardware sharpish. As 9to5Mac reports, the option is already live in the UK, China and Australia, and we expect other countries will follow later today. It seems Apple is finally starting to catch up with its pre-order backlog from May.
eBay's Apple Watch app puts auctions on your wrist
If you're an eBay veteran, you know that every moment of a late-stage auction counts. You don't want to lose because you couldn't grab your phone quickly enough to make a counter-bid, after all. Appropriately, eBay is rolling out an Apple Watch app to go with its Pebble and Samsung Gear efforts. The wearable software both gives you alerts for auctions and lets you make quick bids -- you might prevent someone from sniping that antique auction without even reaching into your pocket. You can also reply to messages with voice dictation, and keep tabs on your top-level buying and selling activity. The update should hit the App Store today, so check it out if you always have to beat other buyers to the punch.
Apple WWDC 2015: the numbers you need to know
It's Monday. The work week just started and the last thing you need is to spend two hours of it watching Apple's WWDC 2015 keynote address. But fear not, even if you missed it, you can still get all the juicy rumors, teasers and event highlights right here. Think of it as a tl;dr but, you know, for press conferences.
The Apple Watch as a fitness device (as written by a runner)
I was supposed to review the Apple Watch. That was the plan, but then, when Engadget had its first chance to test the device, I was on vacation. Specifically, I was in France, where I ran the Paris Marathon, my sixth 26.2-mile race in five years. As it happens, our Editor-in-Chief Michael wrote a fair, thorough review on his own, and he cut a fine figure in that stop-motion walkthrough video, too. If there's one thing he didn't go into detail on, though, it was the Apple Watch's performance as a fitness device. Some background there: Michael is one of those naturally skinny people with a stupidly fast metabolism who doesn't need to work out to stay trim. Which is a good thing, because he hates working out. That's why, when I finally had the chance to try out the Apple Watch myself (a $649 stainless steel model), I chose to focus on its abilities as a fitness gadget -- a fitting decision, considering my running habit was what kept me from reviewing the watch in the first place.
Volvo's On Call app can control your car from a smartwatch
Sure, you drive a Volvo and not an Aston Martin, but that doesn't mean you can't pretend to be a charming spy who controls his car with a high-tech watch. Volvo will soon release its On Call app for Android Wear devices and the Apple Watch, after all, and it comes with all the features its predecessors for tablets and smartphones have. That means you can poke around your arm candy to remotely lock or unlock the car's doors, switch on the heater or air conditioner and check fuel and mileage. You can also ask it for help if your Volvo's lost in a sea of cars in a parking lot. And just like the older apps, it quickly connects you to an operator, who then tracks your location through GPS, if your airbags get deployed. Volvo wrapped the smartwatch apps in a new design based on the Sensus connected interface, but you'll have to wait until the end of June before you can give them a spin.
Apple says the Watch's irregular heart rate tracking is intentional
When Apple trotted out its first update for the Watch, fitness mavens were alarmed at the suddenly inconsistent heart rate tracking. Did Cupertino break one of its wearable's signature features? Well, not quite. Apple has posted an updated support page that indicates the change in heart tracking was intentional. Instead of getting your beats per minute every 10 minutes regardless of what you're doing, its new default behavior is to check only when you're staying still. You can still make the Watch check on the move by using the heart rate Glance (above) or starting an activity in the Workout app, but the change risks creating gaps when you're strolling down the street.
