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Xiaomi's $32 Mi Band 5 has a bigger screen, better tracking and simpler charging
Xiaomi's latest Mi Band packs in even more features for a low price.
Tile files EU complaint against Apple's alleged anticompetitive behavior
In a letter to the EU, Tile claims Apple is making it more difficult for competitors to survive.
Skullcandy packs Tile's location tech into its latest wireless earbuds
Skullcandy's wireless earbuds are the first to include Tile's finding tech.
Wyze's Alexa-equipped fitness tracker costs $25
Smart home security company Wyze announced last month its plans to launch an Alexa-supported fitness tracker, among other products. Now, the wearable -- simply called the Wyze Band -- has arrived, and is available now as part of an early access launch, and to the general public from April.
DuckDuckGo shares a list of thousands of web trackers that gather your data
Over the past couple of years, the privacy-focused browser DuckDuckGo has been compiling a data set of web trackers. The company calls it Tracker Radar. Today, DuckDuckGo is sharing that data publicly and open sourcing the code that generates it.
Tile trackers will warn when you've left your bag at the coffee shop
Tile's trackers already help you find lost items, but now they might help you before the wave of panic hits. The company is relaunching Smart Alerts in beta to automatically warn when you've left a tracked item behind if it's been there for at least five minutes. If you rush out of the coffee shop without your bag, you'll ideally get an alert before you've reached your car. You'll need a Premium subscription ($30 per year or $3 per month), but it might be a small price to pay if you can't bear the thought of leaving a valuable item alone for more than a few minutes. The beta will be available in December.
Google Assistant is ready to find your Tile tracker
As promised, Google Assistant can now help find your Tile trackers with very little effort. Link the Bluetooth gadget in the Google Home app, set up Voice Match in Assistant and you can ask the voice helper to locate your trackers (and hopefully, the items attached to them) using a simple sentence rather than adding a prefix like "ask Tile to" every time. You can tell Assistant to ring your keys or find your bag.
Opera's stricter privacy controls could also speed up your web browsing
Opera doesn't want to miss the browser privacy bandwagon, and it's taking an unusual angle to sell it: it's promising a speed boost. The newly released Opera 64 includes a tracker blocker that prevents sites from tracking you across the web (usually for ads or behavior fingerprinting) and, reportedly, delivering roughly 20 percent faster page load times. That's likely to vary sharply, but it's something to consider if you're hoping to tackle privacy and performance at the same time. You can turn the feature off on entirely or on a per-site basis if there are any hiccups.
Google Assistant will help you find Tile trackers
You don't want to lose an item tagged with a Tile Bluetooth tracker, but you'll at least have an easier time finding it in the near future. Tile is planning Google Assistant support that will let you directly ring your tracker from any device that supports the AI helper, making it just a matter of a quick voice command. You could find your keys just by asking your Nest speaker while you're frantically searching between the couch cushions.
iOS 13 beta mentions Apple’s Tile-like tracking device
It appears Apple left one item out of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday: its Tile-like tracking device. Earlier this spring, we learned that Apple is supposedly working on a tracking tag, but the company didn't mention it amidst news of its updated operating systems, Mac Pro and HomeKit security improvements. However, in the iOS 13 beta, developers spotted an asset package for a device with the product type "Tag1,1." As 9to5Mac reports, that type of asset package is used for pairing devices by proximity -- like AirPods and HomePod. It's more evidence to support rumors that Apple is working on a tracking device.
Firefox update adds improved tracking protection
Mozilla is trying to do something about that eerie feeling you get when you think of cat food and all of a sudden start seeing targeted ads about cat food -- with the new Firefox update, anti-tracking measures are being implemented that will prevent websites from following you as you jump from site to site. This comes a year after Firefox's last major update, Quantum , which brought with it increased speed, as well as an earlier version of tracking protection.
Samsung's LTE tracker locates lost items wherever they are
There are legions of Bluetooth item trackers that can help you find your keys or your bag. However, there's a common problem: without always-on data, you might not find them unless someone with a tracking app happens to wander nearby. Samsung might have a better approach. It's launching a SmartThings Tracker that uses low-power LTE-M data to share its location where Bluetooth and other technologies won't have the range. You could track your backpack even if if you only remembered it when you got home.
Garmin's latest golf tracker helps you choose the right club
You can already get golf watches that show hole data and track your swing. Let's be honest, though -- ideally, they'd give you some insight as to which club is best for that tricky dogleg or sand trap. Garmin, at least, thinks it can provide that helping hand. It's now shipping an Approach CT10 tracker that fastens to the top of your clubs and provides insight on a club-by-club basis thanks to automatic syncing with supporting Garmin watches. You'll ideally know which club to choose based on your actual performance and situation, rather than picking one based on arbitrary expectations. A 9 iron may be a better choice than a pitching wedge, for instance.
ASUS VivoWatch BP keeps track of your location and blood pressure
ASUS might have pulled out of the Android smartwatch race after the ZenWatch 3, but it's not quite done yet with wearables. At Computex, the company surprised many by unveiling the VivoWatch BP, a follow-up to the original low-power VivoWatch from three years ago. We're looking at a handful of new features and improvements here, with the highlight being a built-in blood pressure monitor -- a rare feature in the smartwatch category. The only other recent direct competitor is the Omron HeartGuide, which is also due to launch later this year.
Tile brings video and voice to its trackers with help from Comcast
Tile's Bluetooth trackers help people keep tabs on their keys, wallets and other items they don't want to lose, and today the company is making it a little easier for some to keep track of their important objects. Tile is teaming up with Comcast so that Xfinity customers with an X1 Voice Remote can simply ask where their item is. All they'll have to do is say something like, "Xfinity Home, find my wallet," or, "Xfinity Home, where are my keys?" And the last known location of the Tile associated with that object will be displayed on their TV screen.
Natural Cycles says contraceptive app is more effective than the pill
Contraceptive app Natural Cycles is more effective than the pill, according to the latest and largest study into the app's efficacy. After testing 22,785 women throughout 224,563 menstrual cycles, the startup found the app provided 99 percent contraceptive effectiveness if used perfectly. If used "typically", the app was 93 percent effective. The contraceptive pill, meanwhile, is 91 percent effective.
PGA will test shot distance trackers on three tours
Not surprisingly, the PGA has been hesitant to let golfers use distance trackers on the course. In theory, they take all the challenge out of picking the right club. The association isn't stuck in its ways, however. Officials have announced that they'll let players test distance measuring devices at certain tournaments on the Web.com Tour, the Mackenzie Tour in Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamérica. Competitors won't be allowed to gauge elevation, slope or wind, but this could still help them take more informed swings.
Misfit's Vapor will run Android Wear instead of its own OS
Android Wear smartwatches are saddled with the problem that the tech companies making them suck at fashion design. So it's good news that one of the better-looking smartwatches out there, the Misfit Vapor, will run Android Wear 2.0 instead of the custom software we saw at CES 2017.
HTC's Vive Tracker and Deluxe Audio Strap cost $100 each
HTC launched a pair of desirable accessories for its Vive VR headset at CES 2017 in Las Vegas last month, and now we know when they'll arrive and for how much. The Vive Tracker, a 3D tracking device that you can attach to your wrists or any objects you want to use in VR, will cost $100 (£100 in the UK) and arrive to developers only starting on March 27th. The Deluxe Audio Strap, which adds some much-needed comfort to the otherwise fabulous headset, will also cost $100 and £100 in the UK.
Use this app to find your keys like you find your Pokémon
We've seen Bluetooth item trackers before, like Tile and Protag's Duet, but they're usually pretty dull. Pixie, on the other hand, will curb the anxiety of losing something by turning it into a game. Like other trackers, Pixie uses Bluetooth, but it also adds augmented reality into the mix, so your phone will actually show you where the general area where your device is. Once you get in real close, it'll start pointing you left and right like a good old-fashioned game of hot and cold. You could also use it to cheat at hide and seek with your kids.
