Smartwatches For stunning display visuals: Huawei Watch
The Huawei's AMOLED display is a 1.4-inch, 400 x 400 screen with a
286ppi count. That's the highest on any Android Wear device so far.
Huawei's effort is made all the more impressive thanks to a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Side by side with the smaller Moto 360 2
– its closest rival in terms of aesthetics – it's clearly a better
display. Not just because it offers genuine 360-degree visuals, but
because everything just looks sharper
Suppose, for example, you purchased an app by accident. It could
happen; perhaps you thought you were getting the trial version, or you'd
been considering a handful of different mileage-tracking apps and just
plain bought the wrong one. More likely: One of the kids bought
something without your permission.
There's also the possibility
you bought an app and just plain hate it. Maybe a game looked really
good on paper (or in screenshots) but turned out to be not your cup of
tea.
Whatever the case, you can probably get your money back --
especially if you ask for it soon after making your purchase (as opposed
to, say, weeks later). In other words, Apple seems willing to refund
App Store "mistakes," at least based on a recent experience I had.
Just
one problem: There's no obvious way to request that refund -- until you
know where to look. Here's the fastest, easiest option:
Step 1: Open a Web browser and head to reportaproblem.apple.com.
Step 2: Sign into your iTunes account with your regular username and password.
Step 3: Find the app in question, then click the Report a Problem button alongside it.
Step 4: Click the Choose Problem
pull-down and select the option that most closely matches your issue.
Provide a brief description of why you're seeking a refund, then click Submit.
And
that's it! In my case -- "Didn't mean to purchase this item," which was
absolutely true -- the request was accepted immediately, and my refund
was processed roughly 36 hours later.
Needless
to say, you shouldn't abuse this system, shouldn't use this as a way to
try an app that doesn't have a trial version. I suspect that if you go
to this refund well too often, Apple may start to refuse your requests.
I
should also mention that the Report a Problem option isn't just for
apps; it's available for just about anything you buy from iTunes: music,
movies, books and so on. Just keep in mind, "I didn't like that movie,
it was terrible" isn't a valid (or available) reason for a refund.
The Tag Heuer Connected
is now official and while it doesn't boast the 'Swiss Made' tag of its
mechanical brethren, it's by far the best example of watch craftsmanship
in the Android Wear world. The build is incredibly high quality; the
case, lugs and back are all made from grade 2 titanium. The display is
46mm in diameter and it's covered in crystal sapphire.
Also,
you don't need to worry that your expensive smartwatch will be useless
in a couple of years – at the end of the 2-year warranty period, you can
use it to trade in for a mechanical Tag Heuer watch.
Apple may introduce a third variant of the iPhone 7 this year.
The company has already begun production of its 2016 iPhone lineup, tech blog site Mobipicker said Monday, citing information from an anonymous source.
A screenshot shared by the tipster showed three iPhone models slated
for this year: an iPhone 7, an iPhone 7 Plus and an iPhone 7 Pro or Plus
Premium. Apple device makers Foxconn and Pegatron have reportedly
bumped up staff to handle all three versions, the source told
Mobipicker.
Last year's iPhone 6S and 6S Plus apparently didn't
offer enough exciting new features to sway consumers to upgrade, leading
Apple to report its first decline in iPhone sales. To regain lost sales
and compete with rivals such as Samsung, Apple needs to shake up the
iPhone 7 lineup with some innovation that can lure in buyers searching
for a new phone.
Rumors have already floated that Apple would outfit one of its next iPhones with dual cameras,
but that feature may only be added to the iPhone 7 Plus, with the
regular iPhone 7 continuing with a single camera. If you add a third
variant to the mix, it's anyone's guess as to which features each of the
three models would carry.
Other reports have suggested that this year's iPhone
would sport stereo speakers, jettison the traditional audio port and
offer a rear camera that is flush with the phone's surface. However, the
feeling among certain analysts, such as KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo, is
that the iPhone 7 won't offer the necessary must-have features to
captivate smartphone buyers.
Instead, Apple may be saving a major upgrade to its iPhone lineup for 2017.
Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, at which point
Apple may outfit the new model with an edge-to-edge display and remove
the physical home button.
But with Apple in a sales slump, the company still needs to come up with something enticing this year.
YouTube is home to several zillion videos, but until recently, only
Android users could take advantage of Cardboard mode -- a split-screen
view designed for use with Google Cardboard and other VR headsets.
That changed today with the release of YouTube 11.18 for iOS, which adds support for Google Cardboard. Now anything on YouTube can be viewed in VR mode -- even if it's not a VR or 360 video.
This bears a bit of explanation, starting with how you actually activate the setting:
Step 1: Open the YouTube app and start playing any video. (Might I recommend something from CNET, or perhaps this episode of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee"?)
Step 2: Tap the three-dot "More" icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Step 3: Tap Cardboard, then insert your phone into your VR headset.
Presto! Assuming it's an ordinary video, Cardboard mode effectively gives you the equivalent of movie-theater viewing.
However, if you head to YouTube's 360 Videos channel,
you'll find a huge collection of clips that really take advantage of
Cardboard mode. That's because they were shot in 360 degrees, which is
where the whole VR thing really starts to shine.
In
fact, these videos are so VR-ready they have a Cardboard icon right on
the main screen; no need to venture into the More menu.
This is just the latest step in Google's increased support for iPhone VR. Back in March, the company introduced a Cardboard-oriented SDK designed to make it easier for software developers to integrate 360-degree video.
Meanwhile, Google's I/O conference kicks off Wednesday,
and if the scheduled VR at Google session is any indication, there's
more VR news to come. (My prediction: "Google Cardboard" gives way to a
bigger, broader "Google VR" branding.)
Going for a drive? If it has something to do with business, you might
be able to get a deduction come tax-time, or a reimbursement from your
employer. Indeed, business owners and the self-employed alike have long
known the value of keeping track of their mileage.
They've also
known the hassles. Assuming you actually remember to manually log the
details of each and every drive, it takes time to record the date,
destination, miles traveled and all that. Plus, will that log be
properly formatted for IRS and/or reimbursement purposes?
Apps to
the rescue! Thanks to your phone's built-in GPS, mileage-tracking apps
can automatically detect when you go for a drive, then save and classify
that drive. At the end of the year (or sooner, as needed), the app will
crank out an IRS-friendly report, thus ensuring you receive all the
mileage credit you're entitled to.
Not
bad, right? There are just two things to consider when deploying a
mileage tracker: How much it's going to cost you, and how big an impact
it's going to have on your battery.
For example, some trackers
charge a monthly or annual fee, while others have an up-front cost.
Fortunately, even the priciest services can pay for themselves pretty
easily if you log a lot of miles, as you'll be recording (and getting
credit for) trips you might otherwise have missed.
As
for the battery issue, these apps work their automatic drive-detection
magic by keeping your GPS active at all times, which can definitely
affect battery life.
Below I've rounded up three popular mileage
trackers, all focused on the same goal, all very different in terms of
pricing, features, interface, etc. These are by no means the only
options, but they're representative of what's available.
Mileage Expense Log requires a bit more manual intervention than other apps, and its interface is pretty spartan.
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Available exclusively for iOS, Mileage Expense Log is one of the most affordable trackers you can get. Although there's a free version, trust me when I say you should buy the Pro version -- which costs all of $3.99.
That's
a one-time price that buys you freedom from some seriously intrusive
advertising. Just as important, it enables automatic trip tracking,
though the implementation here is a bit confusing.
So is the
interface, which starts off with a blank summary (blank because you
haven't recorded any drives yet) and no clear indication of what you're
supposed to do. Tap the "+", however, and you'll see fields for
recording your first trip: vehicle, destination, purpose, etc.
From
here you can choose Auto Track or Odometer, the latter if you prefer to
manually log your mileage. But the former includes Start and Stop
buttons, which would seem to challenge the idea of automatic tracking.
Once you figure out the interface, however, MEL works well enough. It can sync your data to iCloud or Dropbox, and it's even Apple Watch-compatible. Just take note that its export options are limited to HTML and CSV.
MileIQ (Android, iOS)
If you prize a slick, intuitive interface and don't mind paying a premium, MileIQ is the best mileage tracker.
MileIQ
MileIQ (Android,
iOS) is by far the most expensive option in this little roundup, but
it's also one of the most polished and easy-to-use apps I've tried.
The
ease-of-use part goes like this: For every drive MileIQ records -- and
it does this with effortless automation -- you swipe left if it's
personal or right if it's business. (It's like Tinder for trips!) From
there you can get more granular about drive organization (like
classifying different purposes), but ultimately it's the lightning-quick
categorization that makes life really easy. And the app keeps a running
tally of how much your business-related drives are worth (based on 2016
IRS deduction rates), which is neat.
You can also specify work
hours so that MileIQ isn't automatically trying to classify drives
outside those hours. Alas, automatic drive-detection (which does affect
battery life) can't be scheduled accordingly. But it does offer robust
exporting options and integration with tools like Concur and Freshbooks.
The
app costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 annually, a price that includes
tracking for an unlimited number of drives. There's also a free option,
but it limits you to 40 drives per month -- probably not enough if you
use your vehicle for both business and personal trips.
TripLog (Android, iOS)
TripLog
offers a robust feature set that matches -- and in some cases even
exceeds -- MileIQ's, but for a lower price. In fact, you can use the app
for free for up to five vehicles, complete with manual or GPS-based
trip logging, vehicle fuel- and expense-tracking and map-based route
review.
So if you've enabled auto-start, do you still have to tap "Start GPS Tracking" and "Stop GPS Tracking"? It's a little confusing.
BizLog, LLC
To really get the most from it, though, you'll want to upgrade to either the Personal or Business plan,
which cost $1.50/month ($15 annually) and $2.50/month ($25 annually).
Those options add support for things like automated mileage tracking and
cloud backup, receipt photos (for things like gas expenses) and
unlimited IRS-ready reports.
The
automated mileage tracking is more comprehensive here than in either of
the other apps, at least in terms of how it engages. It can start when
power is connected to the phone (think: car
charger), when a Bluetooth connection is made (think: car stereo),
during a selected time period or when it detects sustained movement
above 4 mph. You even have the option of syncing with a Bluetooth OBD-II
scanner, which would eliminate the need to use battery-draining GPS.
I
can't say the interface is anywhere near as polished or intuitive as
MileIQ's, but for less than half the annual price, you get a very
versatile, feature-rich mileage-tracking tool.
Have you tried any other mileage trackers? If so, how did they rate? Hit the comments and share your review!
