Category Archives: Wearables

News, Wearables

Fitbit Mobile App and User Accounts Experience Major Outage

Fitbit, the popular fitness tracking company, is currently facing a major outage that is impacting its mobile app and user accounts. Fitbit Support tweeted about the issue on X, stating that their technical teams are actively working to resolve the problem. However, the exact cause of the outage and its full scope are not yet known. The Fitbit website also acknowledged the outage and provided a similar message.

The issues began around 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and some users have reported regaining access to the app since then. However, they have noticed discrepancies in their data. Some users claim that the app is displaying incorrect figures, while others have reported missing activity data from the period during the outage.

This is not the first time Fitbit users have experienced a major service outage. The previous one occurred in March 2023, primarily impacting the company’s iOS app. Prior to that, in February, there was a similar problem with Fitbit’s mobile platform, which took several hours to resolve. Fitbit did not provide specific details about the causes of these previous outages, and it is likely that we may not receive a detailed explanation for the current disruption in October 2023.

Wearables

Why Audiophiles Disapprove of Beats Headphones

When we talk about audiophiles, we normally refer to individuals who are passionate about high-quality sound reproduction. However, the concept can be quite complex and nuanced.

Today, even someone who simply enjoys vinyl records and invests in a good turntable and speakers can be considered an audiophile. Similarly, individuals who listen to high-resolution recordings through streaming services like Tidal and Qobuz using proper equipment may also fall into this category. Nevertheless, the term “audiophile” often carries a negative connotation, as some enthusiasts are criticized for spending large sums of money on upgrades or peripherals that offer minimal or hard-to-discern improvements. There are even instances where these so-called audiophiles claim to have exceptionally sensitive hearing, leading to skepticism and challenge from their critics.

An incident that exemplifies this divide occurred in 2022 when the audiophile community was shocked to discover that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi), a specialty reissue label, had been misleadingly promoting their vinyl releases as entirely analog productions, despite most of their recent releases being mastered from digital files. What made matters worse was that MoFi was selling expensive “One-Step” records (priced above $100) under the pretense that they needed to limit quantities to preserve the master tape, even though many audiophiles couldn’t discern the use of digital sources in these records. Consequently, MoFi faced a class-action lawsuit, which they eventually settled.

In summary, the term “audiophile” encompasses a wide range of enthusiasts with varying perspectives and preferences.

Smartphones, Tablets, Wearables

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE And Tab S9 FE Offer High-end Features At Affordable Prices

The Fan Edition (FE) lineup from Samsung provides many flagship features that users typically expect, while making a few necessary sacrifices to offer these devices at lower price points. However, Samsung has also included some upgrades with their latest handset. The Galaxy S23 FE boasts a larger 6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, slightly smaller than the S23 Plus (6.6 inches). In addition, the FE version has a larger battery capacity of 4,500 mAh compared to the regular S23’s 3,900 mAh.

Despite these slight downgrades, the Galaxy S23 FE includes all the essential features found in flagship devices. It comes equipped with a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera, an 8-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. On the front, there is a 10-megapixel module. For comparison, the non-FE version of the S23 has a 10-megapixel telephoto camera and a 12-megapixel front camera.

The device also offers support for fast wireless charging, wireless powersharing, and fast wired charging. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi 6E, and 5G. Users can enjoy the Samsung Knox security platform along with the Knox Vault, an IP68 water-resistant build, and Android 13 out of the box.

The Galaxy S23 FE will be available in purple, graphite, cream, mint, tangerine, and indigo colors, and will be priced at $599. This is $200 lower than the base non-FE version of the S23. The device will be released on October 10th, and customers can purchase it at that time.

Wearables

Learn How to Mute Your Apple Watch Easily

If your Apple Watch keeps making noises when you don’t want it to, there’s a simple way to mute it. Apple has a feature that allows you to quickly mute sounds by covering your Apple Watch with your palm. Here’s how to enable and use this feature:

  1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
  2. Go to the My Watch tab and select Sounds & Haptics.
  3. Scroll down and turn on the toggle switch for Cover to Mute.

Once you have enabled the Cover to Mute feature, follow these steps to use it:

  1. When you receive an alert, cover your Apple Watch display with your palm.
  2. Keep your palm on the display for at least three seconds.
  3. You will feel a vibration confirming that your Apple Watch has been muted.

Your Apple Watch will remain muted until you manually unmute it. To enable notification sounds again, swipe up from the bottom of the screen (watchOS 9 or earlier) or press the side button (watchOS 10) to open Control Center, then tap the bell icon to unmute your Apple Watch. Note that if your Apple Watch is running watchOS 9.4 or later, any wake-up alarms will not be silenced when you use Cover to Mute, as the gesture could accidentally activate while you’re asleep.

Wearables

Why The CIA Doesn’t Allow Fitbits Or Apple Watches In Its Annual Pedometer Challenge

The CIA has specific security protocols for its annual Pedometer Challenge, as outlined by Greg (CIA rules only allow the use of first names), the coordinator of the challenge. The agency has a list of pre-approved devices that are not connected to the internet and have been cleared by security for step counting. This includes specialized pedometers for CIA personnel with disabilities.

The challenge involves teams of eight to ten people who aim to reach a specific number of combined steps in order to progress to the next round. Each level of the challenge requires increasingly higher step counts. This year, the theme of the challenge was “Battle of the Bands,” and the team names were clever puns such as “Red Hot Chili Steppers.” Surprisingly, despite working for the CIA, the competition relies on the honor system for submitting step counts.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the winning team this year was Team Buttsteak, who won for the third consecutive time with 7,550,224 steps. Team 2 Much Stepz 4 U came in second place with 6,516,821 steps, and Happy Feat secured third place with 5,779,997 steps. The name of Team Buttsteak is now engraved on a trophy displayed at the CIA’s gym in Langley Field House.