O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: water

  • Apple announces second-generation AirTags, cites longer range, louder speaker, other features

    Apple announces second-generation AirTags, cites longer range, louder speaker, other features

    If you’ve been hankering for the second generation of Apple’s AirTag devices, they’re on their way.

    Apple on Tuesday announced its next-generation AirTag, complete with key features such as longer range for tracking items as well as a louder speaker. Like the first generation, the new units can attach to a backpack, keys, or other items, and be tracked with the Find My app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and iCloud.com.

    The new AirTag is equipped with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling the Precision Finding feature to work up to 50 percent farther away from an item compared to the previous-generation model, according to Apple. The new AirTag also has an upgraded Bluetooth chip for improved overall range outside of Precision Finding mode. The updated speaker is also 50 percent louder than the first-generation model, according to Apple.

    The external design of the new AirTag remains the same, although its weight has increased slightly. The unit continues to be powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, and the new AirTag has the same IP67-rated water resistance as the original one. Buyers can also find free personalized engraving for the device through Apple.com and in the Apple Store app.

    The new AirTag requires an iPhone running an incoming iOS 26.2.1 update or later, per Apple. watchOS 26.2.1 is also coming, and it expands Precision Finding to the Apple Watch Series 9 and later, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later. It’s unknown if this is for the new AirTag only or also works with the original model.

    The new AirTag is available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app as of Monday, and it will be available at Apple Store locations later this week. In the U.S., pricing remains set at $29 for an individual AirTag, while a four-pack retails for $99.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Apple

  • Apple Watch Series 10 features an identical heart sensor as the Apple Watch Series 9

    Apple Watch Series 10 features an identical heart sensor as the Apple Watch Series 9

    Getting down to the components of the Apple Watch Series 10, while there were rumors that the new version of the smartwatch would feature a new heart and ECG sensor, Apple may be going with the components from the Apple Watch Series 9.

    Per the technical specifications for the Apple Watch Series 10, it is equipped with a third-generation optical heart sensor, which is the same sensor that was used in the prior-generation Series 9.

    Apple made no mention of the heart rate sensor during Monday’s media event, and there’s no information about upgraded hardware on the Apple Watch Series 10 product page.

    The previous rumor stated that the alleged upgraded heart sensor would “unlock new features and provide more accurate results.” A rumor published by 9to5Mac stated that the new sensor would enable sleep apnea detection, but as Apple explained yesterday, sleep apnea detection actually uses the accelerometer. Sleep apnea detection did not require an upgrade to the heart sensor, and it is in fact also being added to the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, both of which have the same third-generation heart sensor as the Series 10.

    Although Apple was said to be working on blood pressure monitoring for the Series 10, the feature does not appear to have been ready in time for the device’s launch. Apple highlighted no other new health features other than the ability to detect sleep apnea.

    Among the highlighted points were the thinner bezel and the lighter weight as opposed to prior Apple Watch models. the Series 10 has a new water temperature sensor, depth sensor, Oceanic+ app for snorkeling, and Tides app, which brings functionality closer to the ‌Apple Watch Ultra 2‌.

    The Apple Watch Series 10 models are available for pre-order and will begin arriving to customers on Friday, September 20.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and Apple

  • Allstate Protection Plans releases dunk/drop test results for high-end Apple, Google, and Samsung smartphones

    Allstate Protection Plans releases dunk/drop test results for high-end Apple, Google, and Samsung smartphones

    Since Allstate and other insurance companies tend to win up insuring (and footing the bill) for a number of devices, they’re now the ones shattering them to see which holds up to inevitable accidents the best.

    Device insurance provider Allstate Protection Plans on Monday shared the results of one of its annual device drop tests, and this time around, the company broke some of the most expensive smartphones on the market, including the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

    The company’s drop and dunk tests included the $1,200 ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max, the $1,200 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the $1,799 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, and the $1,799 Google Pixel Fold. These compose the most expensive smartphone options from Apple, Google, and Samsung, with all of these devices being constructed from specialized glass.

    For the tests, Allstate dunked each smartphone in water for 30 minutes and then dropped them onto a sidewalk from six feet up using an apparatus to drop them from the same height and angle. Each of these devices features decent water resistance ratings and works well following the dunk test. The drop tests changed things, and in the front screen-down drop test, the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max shattered on the first drop and was unusable with shards of raised and loose glass. The same thing happened to the Galaxy S23.

    The Z Fold5 and Google Pixel Fold withstood two screen-down drops and showed frame damage, screen dents, and scuffing, which Allstate attributes to the raised lip around the interior edge of each display. Screen down in this case refers to the “main” screen visible when the device is opened. When the two smartphones were dropped on their closed outer displays, they both shattered.

    For the back-down drop tests, both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Ultra both shattered immediately. The iPhone 15 Pro Max remained functional, although two of its cameras were no longer working because of damage to the camera glass.

    Allstate Protection Plans have been performing these tests for a number of years now on each iPhone generation. There hasn’t been a lot of improvement outside of Apple’s glass upgrades. Apple has begun using a stronger back glass and a “Ceramic Shield” material for the front, but the glass components continue to break when subjected to drop tests.

    Keep in mind that drop tests themselves are variable, and the results depend on the angle the device drops, the material it hits, the speed of the drop, and more.

    Apple currently sells a range of iPhone cases, as well as offers AppleCare+ covering two incidents of accidental damage each year for a $29 deductible. ‌

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Group of lost teenage hikers located, rescued via iPhone Emergency SOS feature

    Group of lost teenage hikers located, rescued via iPhone Emergency SOS feature

    Because iOS features can sometimes be a good thing.

    A group of 10 teenage hikers who spent last Friday night lost was located by a search and rescue team with the help of Apple’s Emergency SOS feature.

    Members of the group — who are all 16 to 18 years old — spent about three hours Friday stuck on the trails of Santa Paula Canyon, in Los Padres National Forest, without proper hiking clothing, water and lighting equipment before they were rescued, Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Mackenzie Spears said in a text message.

    The group was mostly outfitted with “t-shirts and shorts,” according to Spears, who added that “there were multiple water crossings and they needed to scramble” in certain sections of the hike, or climb steep terrain by hand.

    The group reached out to the sheriff’s office around 8 p.m. on Friday after finding themselves lost on the trails, and were able to make contact with emergency officials using Apple’s Emergency SOS feature, which allows iPhone users to call or text local emergency services, sometimes even without cell service or Wi-Fi access. The feature allowed them to share their possible location and conditions with emergency personnel, said the sheriff’s office, which added that the teens’ parents also reported them missing.

    The hikers were aided back to safety at Santa Paula Canyon, California.

    More than a dozen members of the Upper Ojai Search and Rescue team, a group of local volunteers, headed out to look for the hikers within 30 minutes of having received their plea for help, the sheriff’s office said.

    Following an approximately three-hour, 4-mile hike into the canyon that featured “low visibility, multiple stream crossings and trails that had been previously damaged from the heavy rains,” the rescue team found the missing teens on the so-called Last Chance trail around 11:15 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

    The hikers and the search and rescue team returned to the Santa Paula Canyon Trailhead around 2:40 a.m. Saturday, it said.

    Via NBC News

  • iFixit posts Apple Watch Ultra teardown video, notes larger battery, some difficulty opening the unit

    iFixit posts Apple Watch Ultra teardown video, notes larger battery, some difficulty opening the unit

    Once again, the cool cats at iFixit have come through with another teardown of a new Apple product, this time digging into the new Apple Watch Ultra to take a look at its components.

    While the Apple Watch Ultra has four exposed pentalobe screws on the back case for quick access to the inside of the watch, iFixit stated that the device remains challenging to repair. After removing the back case, iFixit said a gasket contributing to the Apple Watch Ultra’s water resistance was immediately broken. In addition, accessing parts like the battery and Taptic Engine requires the difficult task of removing the display.

    The teardown confirmed that Apple has outfitted the Apple Watch Ultra with a 542 mAh battery, which is 76 percent larger than the Apple Watch Series 8’s 308 mAh battery also shown. The analysis also offers a closer look at the Ultra’s significantly larger speaker, which reviews have stated results in louder phone calls.

    The Apple Watch Ultra became available on Friday and is priced at $799. The smartwatch offers a rugged design with a 49mm titanium case, a flat display, outdoors-themed bands, water resistance up to a depth of 100 meters, a customizable bright orange “Action” button, up to 60 hours of battery life with an upcoming low power setting, and other features.

    It is also said to be tougher and more scratch resistant than other Apple Watch models, and is designed for more strenuous athletic and outdoor activity.

    If you’ve gotten your mitts on the new Apple Watch Ultra, please let us know what you make of it in the comments.

    Via MacRumors and iFixit