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PGA Tour highlight videos are coming to Facebook Watch
You won't have to venture far beyond your Facebook feed to get a pro golf fix this year. The social network has reached a deal with the PGA Tour to bring daily round recaps and player-oriented highlight videos to Facebook Watch in 2020, starting with the Farmers Insurance Open on January 23rd. These will be "expanded" videos with material from both core TV broadcasts as well as the digital-only PGA Tour Live service. You should see coverage from 30-plus events like The Players Championship and FedExCup Playoffs.
Diesel's latest Wear OS watch puts a fresh design on aging tech
If you wanted to spruce up a Wear OS smartwatch lineup knowing that you were stuck with the same hardware that most companies had been using for over a year, what would you do? For Diesel, the answer is simple: tart it up with an attention-getting design. The Fossil brand has unveiled a unisex On Fadelite watch whose centerpieces are the translucent case (including an iridescent model) and matching transparent strap options like red to black, black to clear, blue to clear and all clear. It's not quite a Google-powered Swatch, but it comes close.
Withings’ new ScanWatch is a classy heart-monitoring wearable
2020 is the year that Withings revamps its Steel HR line of hybrid fitness watches into a new product called the Withings ScanWatch. The new timepiece takes the basic idea of its predecessor and adds a built-in ECG to help folks look for issues with their heart, including atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea.
Facebook Watch could soon play music videos
Facebook may soon bring music videos to Watch. The company is reportedly negotiating new licensing deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group. According to Bloomberg, it's asking each label for rights to music videos.
Rip Curl and Surfline team up to serve videos of your surf sessions
It's easy to track your surfing, but recording video for posterity is much harder unless you have a friend who's willing to film from the beach. Surfline and Rip Curl want to make it as simple as launching an app. They've partnered on a Surfline Sessions feature that sends video of your ride to your iPhone (sorry, Android users). If you're wearing one of Rip Curl's Search GPS 2 watches, pair it with the Surfline Sessions app and subscribe to Surfline Premium, you'll receive videos of each wave ride conducted in front of one of Surfline's 600-plus worldwide cameras. You can study your surfing technique (or just brag) before you've even loaded your board in the car.
Samsung update brings Watch Active2 features to earlier Watch models
Thinking about upgrading your Samsung Galaxy Watch to a Galaxy Watch Active2? You might want to hold off for now, as Samsung is rolling out an update that'll bring enhanced features to earlier-generation watches. This means that the Galaxy Watch and Watch Active will get the same user experience functionality found on their successor, the Watch Active2, including new health and Bixby features, as well as boosted customization options.
Under Armour edition of Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2 arrives today
It's been a couple of months since we found out about Under Armour's spin on Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2. And all we heard back at IFA 2019 was that the wearable, which is geared toward runners, would be launching this fall. But, if you've had your eyes on it since its reveal in August, you'll be happy to hear that the Galaxy Watch Active 2 Under Armour Edition (say that ten times fast) can be yours starting today. As you've come to expect from most smartwatches, the UA Watch Active 2 features a heart-rate monitor and can show you stats like calories burned and distance covered. That said, where Samsung and Under Armour really want to make it shine is with its fitness coaching and training plans, which are customized for you using data from the watch during your runs. It can tell you how to improve your form in real time, for instance.
Fossil's latest hybrid watch is likely powered by Wear OS
Back in January Google announced its plans to buy Fossil's smartwatch technology. Now, after a report by Wareable revealed that the deal involved the acquisition of the movements used in hybrid watches, we have our first clue as to what Google might be planning.
Facebook Watch gets more NFL highlights, news and analysis
The National Football League isn't done teaming up with tech companies. Today, the NFL announced it is extending its partnership with Facebook, a deal that began back in 2017, which will continue to bring highlights of all 256 regular season games, playoffs and the Super Bowl to Facebook Watch. In addition to these recaps, this year the league is serving even more snackable programming on Watch, including news and analysis clips, video versions of podcasts, classic game archives from NFL Films and special videos dedicated to 100th NFL season. Facebook says that, in 2017 and 2018, over 22 million people watched at least a minute of an NFL recap, a sign that people on its site have an appetite for this type of video content.
Facebook adds new ways for public figures to make money and stay safe
Facebook wants to make it easier for famous people to engage with their fans on the site. That's why the company is launching new ways for Facebook users to interact with public figures they follow, be it internet creators, authors, athletes or sports teams. As part of these efforts, Facebook has started testing a feature that will let multiple public figure accounts contribute to the same Facebook Story during an event, plus a new tool in News Feed that's going to recommend people public figures they should follow. These suggestions, naturally, will be based on content you've engaged with on Facebook or other famous people you follow already.
Blocks ends its modular smartwatch project after running out of money
Blocks' years-long quest to build a modular smartwatch has come to an unfortunate end. The company has revealed (including through a private Kickstarter post) that it's liquidating assets after running out of cash. The company had been looking for investors back in April 2018, but apparently didn't have much success. Backers are receiving "proof of debt" forms, although we wouldn't count on getting money back.
Facebook tests paid video subscriptions, starting with CollegeHumor
Facebook is testing a new video subscription service in Watch. You'd be forgiven for confusing this news with the announcement of "fan subscriptions," which Facebook made last month, but no, video subscriptions is an entirely separate thing.
Fossil's latest stylish smartwatches can last for days
Fossil's smartwatches are competent, but they don't really stand out among other Wear OS watches beyond their looks. You might have a more substantial reason from now on, though. The company's new Gen 5 Fossil Touchscreen Smartwatch has a few more distinctive features that could make them easier to recommend over the competition, particularly their longevity. A new Extended Battery Mode helps the watches last for "multiple days" on a charge while receiving notifications and tracking your heart rate. You can also go for a Time-Only Mode when you just want the most basic feature, a Daily Mode with "most" options enabled and a custom option to specify the exact level of power savings you want.
How to stream the Mueller testimony
Robert Mueller famously stated that "the report is my testimony" about potential obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump. However, Congress was having none of that and subpoenaed the former special counsel to testify before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees. That testimony will take place over a single day -- today, July 24th -- starting at 8:30 AM ET. If you're hoping for some drama or political theater, here's how to stream or watch it on TV.
Polar's latest watch knows if you're too tired for a full workout
Sleep tracking and personal fitness gadgets are nothing new, and even the cheapest knock-off wearables will do a decent enough job of monitoring the main criteria, so companies are constantly looking at ways to make their devices even more useful. Polar's latest watch, Polar Ignite, does exactly that by combining comprehensive sleep data with personalized training, helping wearers achieve optimal workouts.
What’s coming to Netflix in July: ‘Stranger Things' and 'Queer Eye'
There's a good chance you know what's coming to Netflix in July: Stranger Things 3. It's arguably the most anticipated release of the summer, and you won't have to wait much longer -- it arrives on July 4th. Stranger Things 3 certainly isn't all we have to look forward to. This month, Netflix will release the seventh and final season of Orange is the New Black, the recently announced fourth season of Queer Eye and another season of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
Watch Bethesda’s E3 2019 highlights in 15 minutes
Bethesda kicked off its E3 event yesterday, and if your head is still spinning from all of the gaming updates announced this weekend, here's your chance to catch up on Bethesda's biggest news. The company debuted Orion, a software collection meant to optimize game engines for streaming on platforms like Google's Stadia or Microsoft's xCloud. The goal is to improve the game-streaming experience for folks with slower internet speeds or those who live far from data centers. Bethesda gave us a glimpse of Doom Eternal, Fallout 76 and the new Wolfenstein: Youngblood. There's also the new supernatural action adventure Ghostwire Tokyo and a new dragon quest line in Elder Scrolls: Blades. Today we learned that Doom will stream on iOS later this year. In case you missed Bethesda's E3 presentation or need a second viewing to catch all the details, we've compiled this supercut to bring you up to speed.
Finally, I can use my iPhone to ride the NYC subway
This morning, as I've done regularly since moving to New York City years ago, I left my Brooklyn apartment to head to Engadget headquarters in Manhattan. In an ideal world, I would've been able to use my iPhone to get through the turnstile at my nearby subway station. But, even though the MTA is now supporting contactless payments services such as Apple Pay, only a handful of stations and buses have so far been upgraded to the new One Metro New York (OMNY) system. The one close to my apartment isn't one of them. Still, I wanted to get the full experience beyond a quick demo from Apple. Thankfully, there's a subway station near our office that has the tap-to-pay turnstiles.
Apple Pay will work on NYC subways and buses starting May 31st
Ever since I moved to New York City nearly ten years ago, I've had to buy physical MetroCards to ride the subway almost every day. But last week, for the first time ever, I didn't have to swipe my card to get trough the turnstile and catch my train. Instead, the entire process was done on an iPhone, thanks to a demo I tried of the Apple Pay Express Transit feature -- one that will start rolling out to MTA subway and bus stations on Friday, May 31st. This contactless system, which also works with Apple Watch, is as seamless as you might expect: You just hold your device next to the screen on an upgraded tap-to-pay turnstile and, within a second, you'll see a message on the reader that says "GO" and you're on your way.
Garmin gives its Vivomove smartwatch more style with four new colors
It's been a long time since smartwatch wearers had to settle for boxy lumps of plastic around their wrists. Now manufacturers are able to cram these wearables full of features, style is firmly back on the agenda, as demonstrated by Garmin which has just announced four new color options for its Vivomove HR smartwatch.