Ultrahuman's Ring Will Check Your Heart Rhythm in 60 Seconds, and That Is Where My Trust Stops
A 60 second rhythm check from a smart ring, free for owners, with a PDF for the doctor. Useful as a reason to call one, useless as a clean bill of health.
#wearables
Fitbit Edge or Fitbit Air: I Cannot Pick One, but the Subscription Is a Warning
The $99 Fitbit Air has no screen or ECG, the $179 Edge adds both, and both need Google Health Premium to do everything. The subscription is my warning sign.
Withings Now Charges New Owners to Send Their Own Weight to Apple Health
New Withings accounts need a $99.99 a year membership to send readings to Apple Health. The hardware did not change; the permission to move your own data did.
A $99 Ring With an Assistant Solves a Problem Nobody Writes About
A $99 ring with an assistant is being compared against Oura on sleep tracking. The use that matters is answering a message without taking your phone out in the street.
The Fitbit Edge Gets a Bigger Screen, Loses Tap to Pay, and Costs $20 More
Google's $179.99 Fitbit Edge replaces the Charge 6 with a bigger screen and a replaceable battery, but drops NFC payments. Worth waiting for a real review.
Notice: Google Is Shutting Down Safety Signal on the Pixel Watch 2 and 3 LTE
Google will end Safety Signal, the LTE emergency fallback for Pixel Watch 2 and 3 LTE models, on December 12. The safety tools keep working over Wi-Fi, a paired phone or a mobile plan.
Oura Ring 5 or Apple Watch Series 12: One Charges You Monthly for Data It Already Collects
Both start near $400, but Oura's membership at $69.99 a year unlocks heart rate tracking the ring already measures. The Apple Watch needs no subscription for core health tracking.
Meta's Camera-Free Glasses Cost $100 More Than Earbuds That Do the Same Thing
Meta's camera-free Ray-Bans cost about $100 more than earbuds with the same assistant. Worth it if you already wear glasses, and the privacy pitch does nothing for the person across the table.
The Apple Watch Series 12 Hits Its Lowest Price, and the Ultra Does Not Move
The Series 12 hit its lowest price while the Ultra 4 did not move. A discount this steep is not persuasion, it is making curiosity affordable.
Legato's $999 Hearing Glasses Are a Good Idea at a Price That Needs Checking
Legato's glasses amplify voices without looking like hearing aids. The idea is right; $999 is a lot for a first step when over-the-counter aids cost far less.
The Fitbit Air Costs 50% More in India. Most of That Is Not Google
The Fitbit Air costs 50% more in India than in the US. Most of that gap is import duty, not Google, and the question worth asking is why the factory is not local.