Category Archives: Apple Watch

So why isn’t this being rolled out as a feature in iOS yet?

As has been reported over the last year, there are multiple ongoing studies using wearables, including the Apple Watch, to track the health of participants and see if it’s possible to use such devices to detect COVID-19 before symptoms become noticeable. One of these studies is based at the Mount Sinai COVID Informatics Center, and it has now resulted in a paper published for peer review in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

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Apple Watch

Apple’s New Apple Watch Unlock Doesn’t Work With Apps Quite Yet

February 3, 2021 James Rogers Leave a comment

Apple’s new beta feature to bypass Face ID using the Apple Watch when wearing a mask is very handy. I’ve already used it several times this morning and, while it’s a small thing, it definitely saves some time if you are constantly using your phone through the work day. However, I also ran into a small roadblock this morning. Apple Watch Unlock doesn’t work for everything that uses Face ID quite yet.

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Apple Watch

Apple’s New Solution To Using Face ID With Masks Is Pretty Perfect

February 2, 2021 James Rogers Leave a comment

And it also shows off the power of the Apple Watch

Many users of iPhones X through the most recent 12 have had to get used to Face ID being rendered virtually useless by the COVID-19 pandemic while out and about. Some other smartphone manufacturers have relaxed security and given users the ability to work around wearing a mask in public, but that’s just not Apple’s style.

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Apple Watch

Living with the Apple Watch Series 6: A New Band and Some Solid Battery Life

October 7, 2020 James Rogers

Apple Watch Series 6

So Apple didn’t let me down as much as I thought they would. The second Apple Watch order I placed with them after they cancelled my first one arrived on Monday, rather than in mid-November as they first predicted. Not too bad I guess, especially since I did get a free sport loop for my trouble. Time for the Watch from BestBuy to head back to the store.

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Apple Watch

Living With the Apple Watch Series 6: It Finally Arrives!

October 3, 2020 James Rogers 2 Comments

After Apple cancelled my first order and my second initially had a delivery estimate in mid November, I decided to start looking elsewhere. Fortunately, while they only offered two stock band options with the Stainless Steel Series 6 in Gold, BestBuy came through for me. They had a quoted delivery time of October 1 for the one with a green Sport Band, so I jumped on it.

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Apple Watch

Apple Screwed Up My Apple Watch Order Over a Discontinued Watch Band

September 21, 2020 James Rogers 4 Comments

If you get a text or an email from Apple saying that your Apple Watch Series 6 order cannot be processed and to call them, you had better pay close attention to what the person on the phone is saying.

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Apple Watch

The Apple Watch Series 6 Has Some Interesting Features That Didn’t Make the Event

September 17, 2020 James Rogers

I just packaged up my Series 5 to ship out after selling it a couple of days ago, so it will be a long two weeks waiting for my new Series 6 to arrive. That said, I’m happy I got what I was able to out of it. Stainless Apple Watches aren’t cheap, so every bit helps.

Speaking of selling, if you are looking to make a few bucks to raise funds for a new Series 6, take a look at Swappa. It’s about as safe and straightforward of a place as you will find to sell your used gear. You might make a little more elsewhere, but I really appreciate an online marketplace that prioritizes the security of both parties.

Anyway, enough about the past. Now it’s time to look to the near future.

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Apple Watch

What to Expect from the Apple Watch This Week

September 13, 2020 James Rogers

There has been a lot of talk about Apple adding a blood oxygen sensor to the Apple Watch Series 6 this year. However, beyond that, we haven’t heard much else before this weekend about Apple’s newest wearable, which should be announced during their event on Tuesday. So what else can we expect to see?

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Apple Watch

After a Year With a Stainless Steel Apple Watch, I’m Sold

September 5, 2020 James Rogers

I’ve had every Apple Watch that’s been released except for the Series 2, and in each case, I’ve bought the aluminum model. They were less expensive, looked attractive enough and never broke down on me. However, I decided to change things up a bit last fall when the Series 5 was released. I went with the Stainless Steel model to see if the differences justified the extra cost. Continue reading →

Apple Watch, iPad

The Apple Oracle Has Spoken and it’s Talking About iPads and Watches

August 26, 2020 James Rogers

No, as good as Jon Prosser is, he has not ascended to oracle status yet. According to @ApplTrack, he hasn’t even passed up Mark Gurman at this point. No, if you want a source of release information that is pretty much 100% reliable, then you should be paying attention to the Eurasian Economic Commission’s filings. They are open and Apple major devices always hit there within a month or so of release.

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Apple Watch

Just as I Hoped, Apple Watch Series 6 Rumored to Read Blood Oxygen

August 1, 2020 James Rogers

Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about coverage of a study at Stanford that included an app for the Apple Watch and other smartwatches. This app takes blood oxygen and skin temperature readings, along with heart rate, to help identify the onset of COVID-19 ahead of noticeable symptoms. So far, that study has met with great success. In that article, I wondered if Apple would seize on this opportunity and include blood oxygen readings as a built-in feature of the next Watch.

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