You are reading the article Review: Are Belkin’s Latest Wemo Lights Worth The Investment Before Homekit Support? updated in December 2023 on the website Hatcungthantuong.com. We hope that the information we have shared is helpful to you. If you find the content interesting and meaningful, please share it with your friends and continue to follow and support us for the latest updates. Suggested January 2024 Review: Are Belkin’s Latest Wemo Lights Worth The Investment Before Homekit Support?
Setup:
The setup for all three products in terms of getting connected is the same as most of Belkin’s Wemo products and designed to be quick and easy. Since all three are what Belkin calls “starter sets”, the boxes include everything you need to get up and running: Belkin’s “Wemo Link” WiFi bridge, a small iPhone adapter-size device that plugs into a power outlet, comes with all sets. The Wemo Link lets your various Belkin Wemo products connect to your Wi-Fi network, and lets you pair multiple products using a single bridge. So if you want to pick up some additional bulbs, for example, you can forgo the starter set the second time around and pick up just the bulbs since you already have a Wemo Link (a single Link supports up to 50 bulbs).
Once your bridge and lights are setup and plugged in, you’re supposed to be able to just download and open the Wemo app for iPhone. The app automatically scans for devices and lets you pair with a single tap to start controlling the light. In my experience, however, it took a few shots to get the lights connected. They’d be recognized in some cases but have trouble pairing, while in other cases they would’t appear at all. During other instances the app would attempt to download a firmware update before crashing or giving an error and forcing me to start over. I gave up after a handful of attempts the first time, but I tried again the next day and got everything connected after a reboot or two of the bridge.
Now that I actually have the lights connected and the firmware update installed, I haven’t experienced many issues with connectivity when controlling the lights from the app. A minor stepping-stone to get to the good stuff, but plan to set aside much longer than a quick 5 or 10 minutes for setup.
Features:
The features of the three products are quite similar, as they are controlled via Belkin’s Wemo app once synced to you Wi-Fi network. All include the ability to change colors and or temperature, control the lights individually or create groups for several at once, and all have brightness control and sleep faders. There’s also a Rules feature within the app that lets you setup automated schedules for controlling the lights, like turning on or off specific lights or groups of lights by time and date. Have your lights turn on or off at sunset, for example, or automate lights with an Away Mode to turn on or off at certain times each day.
And all of the lights work with IFTTT, the service that lets users automate tasks from several web services based on rules, allowing them to have their lights turn on or off based on their actions with other apps and web services. Belkin gives the example of using IFTTT to have the lights change to a “favorite team’s colors at game time, or automatically turn on the lights inside when it starts raining outside.” I’m not much of an IFTTT user, but it’s nice to know support is built in for those that might find it useful.
Those features are the same across products, but each of the three have very different use cases. Here’s a breakdown:
The Flex RGBW Starter Set comes with three flexible, 2 foot long LED strips that you can stick just about anywhere there is enough surface area. You can also add additional length by purchasing another three, 2-foot long strips sans the Wemo Link bridge for $64.99. Underneath cabinetry in a kitchen or elsewhere seems like the obvious use case, but I opted to add the lights underneath the mantel on a fireplace, as pictured above. The lights are fully dimmable (and tunable from 2,700 – 6,500 Kelvin), and offer thousands of colors (as pictured in the app screenshots above).
It comes with a power supply for the lights, which means you’ll need to consider having outlet close by when deciding where to place them. Apart from that, however, installation couldn’t be easier thanks to 3M adhesive already applied to the back of the lights. You simply pull off a covering to reveal the adhesive and stick to your surface of choice.
Belkin says to expect a 20,000 hour lifespan for the bulbs.
These outdoor lights could technically be used indoors as well, but they are clearly designed for garden use with a classic garden light design with one 14 foot string of nine Gardenspot Mini LED lights and included mounting picks for positioning securely into the soil. Belkin also points out that you can optionally mount to a wall using the included tape or opt for a professional installation to have the lights recessed into a deck or fencepost, for example. The lights are sturdy enough that we didn’t have much worry about them being exposed to the elements and Belkin says they have a “wet-rated build quality” to withstand rain and other harsh conditions. We used them in the ground in the garden around the exterior of a house, as pictured above and below.
Like the strip lights, the Gardenspot lights also offer thousands of colors and full control over dimming and temperature through the campaign app pictured above. Belkin says to expect a 25,000-hour bulb lifespan, and it sells the 14 foot string of nine lights on their own for $80 without the Wemo Link Wi-Fi bridge included in the starter set.
This set is the most straight forward of the three: two tunable, 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs get plugged in wherever your standard light bulbs can go (lamps, spotlights, recessed lighting, etc). You get a temperature range of 2,700 to 6,500 Kelvin, which means you’ll get those cold blue whites right to more warm yellowish tones, but you don’t get any control with these bulbs like the two other new starter sets.
You can buy additional bulbs for $29.99 a pop, a bit more expensive that Belkin’s own Wemo branded Smart bulbs that come in a 2-pack starter kit for $45 or as singles for $20 each. Belkin says to expect a 20,000 hour lifespan for the bulbs.
No HomeKit? Should you buy it?
HomeKit products are still in the early stages with just a handful on sale since an official launch a couple of months back. Apple’s framework for home automation accessories adds a lot of potential to a connected home setup, but the main feature that you’re sure to miss on products that don’t yet support the platform is Siri control. I recently reviewed one of the first HomeKit product son the market, iHome’s iSP5 SmartPlug, and was quite impressed with how much being able to control products with Siri voice commands added to the overall experience. Being able to quickly switch on or off a light or other product using your voice feels like a big improvement over having to navigate within and switch between multiple apps for products from various manufacturers just to something on or off.
Not having it is not exactly a deal breaker at this point, as there are so few products on the market that actually support it, but I’d be hesitant to invest a lot of money into any one platform without at least a promise of support in future products. Especially as Apple plans for improvements for HomeKit sooner rather than later. Fortunately, Belkin is one company that has confirmed plans to support the platform in the near future, which likely means a bridge will be available for your existing products and new products will all include support out of the box.
With that in mind, Belkin does have one of the most compelling and complete platforms of Wi-Fi connected, iPhone-controlled accessories for the home, and its commitment to the platform, as well as partnerships with reputable manufacturers like Sylvania, is a good sign of things to come for those that do decide to invest in Wemo.
You can buy all three on Amazon now: Flex RGBW Starter Set (F5Z0597) ($119), Gardenspot Mini RGB Starter Set (F5Z0598) ($129), Tunable White Starter Set (F5Z0596) ($99).
And after you have a starter kit, get additional bulbs and lights without the starter kits through Belkin’s site.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
You're reading Review: Are Belkin’s Latest Wemo Lights Worth The Investment Before Homekit Support?
Homekit Support For Smart Tvs Shown In Action
Developer Khaos Tian has managed to add his Smart TV to the Home app on the iOS 12.2 beta by hacking Apple’s HomeKit protocol. As a result, he’s discovered, screenshotted and capture on video some of the upcoming HomeKit features for Smart TV integration and control.
Having hacked HomeKit, Khaos created a new tile in the Home app for controlling a Smart TV. With a little trickery, he was able to control his LG G7p TV running webOS 3.5 from the Home app on his iPhone running the iOS 12.2 beta, as evidenced by a video he shared on Twitter.
— Khaos Tian (@KhaosT) January 25, 2023
Tapping the tile turns the connected TV set on or off.
Tapping the Details button gives you access to additional controls, like changing input on the TV (you can even rename the inputs to your liking). A future beta may even bring the ability to change input through Siri.
An automation scene can now turn on your Smart TV and switch it to specific input. For those wondering, this will also work via CEC HDMI to turn on a TV set connected to an Apple TV.
As iDownloadBlog originally discovered earlier in January, Apple’s HomeKit framework for the connected home has been updated and expanded to Smart TVs.
TUTORIAL: How to turn Apple TV on and off with Siri Shortcuts
Aside from turning your TV on or off with using Siri, you’ll be able to control volume, change input, adjust brightness and more. The following controls are available to developers and users, programmatically in apps, via Siri voice commands, through Siri Shortcuts, in the Home app and via a new Control Center tile.
Power
Volume
Input source
Brightness
Media state (play, pause etc.)
Picture mode
Remote functionalities (simulation of the hardware remote keys)
These controls are not yet enabled in the shipping version of the Home app.
MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci has explained how this development might enable a solution that could bring HomeKit integration to older LG televisions:
Interestingly, Tian has already contributed an update to homebridge—the third-party plugin to add all kinds of different accessories and platforms to HomeKit—with support for HomeKit’s new TV control APIs.
Here’s where this gets really interesting for me: despite the launch of an online petition, LG has only confirmed that their latest 2023 TV sets will receive official HomeKit support. Thanks to homebridge, however, it should be possible to add native HomeKit integration to older LG televisions (such as my 2023 model) with plugins that bridge the webOS API to HomeKit’s new endpoints.
This is precisely what Tian is doing for his demo.
This is where you’ll adjust who can access and send content to your speakers and TVs.
— Khaos Tian (@KhaosT) January 25, 2023
Additionally, there’s also a new widget in the Control Center interface on iOS 12.2 for controlling your HomeKit TVs, as depicted on the screenshot embedded below.
On a related note, the Apple TV Remote widget in iOS 12.2’s Control Center has been reworked to work in fullscreen mode and it no longer displays the large Home button.
What are your thoughts about these HomeKit changes in iOS 12.2?
Vivo X21 Review: Innovative But Worth The Price?
Vivo has just launched the Vivo X21 in India and there’s a lot of hype around it and well, rightly so, it’s the first smartphone to go on sale with an under screen fingerprint scanner. Yes, it’s definitely innovative but it’s sporting a price tag of ₹35,990, which pits it against the likes of OnePlus 6 and the Honor 10. So, the question is, does the Vivo X21 justify its price tag? How does the under-screen fingerprint scanner tech work in day to day usage? Well, we have been using the Vivo X21 for more than a week now, so here is our Vivo X21 review:
Vivo X21 SpecificationsBefore starting off with the actual review of the device, how about we discuss the kind of horsepower that the X21 comes with. The Vivo X21 comes with some pretty good hardware, which you can check out below:
Dimensions154.5 x 74.8 x 7.4 mm
Weight156.2 g
Display6.28-inch Full-HD+ Super AMOLED
ProcessorSnapdragon 660
GPUAdreno 512
RAM6GB
Internal Storage128GB
Primary CameraDual 12MP (f/1.8) + 5MP (f/2.4) with PDAF and LED Flash
Secondary Camera12MP (f/2.0)
Operating SystemAndroid 8.1 Oreo-based FunTouch OS 4.0
Battery3,200mAh
SensorsIn-Display Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass
ConnectivityHybrid Dual Nano-SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 A/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, -GPS, GLONASS, microUSB Port
What’s in the BoxThe Vivo X21 comes in a nice and premium looking blue colored box, featuring simple and decent packaging. The box has almost everything you’d expect from a device at this price point, including:
Vivo X21
Charging Adapter
microUSB Cable
Protective Case
Earphones
SIM Ejection Tool
Warranty Card
Quick Guide
Design and Build QualityI never thought I’d be saying this, but the Vivo X21 is undoubtedly one of the best-looking smartphones I’ve used. The 3D curved glass back on the device accompanied by the aluminum body is the personification of premiumness. Now, while many of the devices have a glass back, they also double up as a fingerprint magnet. The Vivo X21, on the other hand, is not a fingerprint magnet, which is something I really admire. Additionally, there is also a shiny finish to it which brings it at par to the premium offerings from the company’s Chinese counterpart Huawei. The entire body has these smooth curves on the sides that give you a grippy feeling, and despite the device weighing just 156.2 grams, gives you a sense of confidence.
The front itself is quite beautiful, to be honest. Yes, it’s inspired by the iPhone X (fair warning that this statement is the first of many to come). But then again, the Super AMOLED display on the X21 is just too good. The screen is almost bezel-less and gives a really premium look to the device. Also, unlike the iPhone X and other smartphones with a notch on them, the absurd black space on the top is not as big as you think, and honestly, it takes little to no time to get accustomed to it.
The overall form factor of the Vivo X21 is quite minimalistic. The device maintains the feel of a premium device despite not being one. Almost everything is perfect here, and there’s hardly anything to complain in terms of the overall design language exhibited by the Vivo device. For me, it is easily one of the most exquisitely designed smartphones that I’ve used in recent times.
Under Display Fingerprint ScannerNow I know many of you are really interested to see how this new technology on the Vivo X21 fares up. Truth be told, it is not that bad. In fact, for something in its early stages, the under display fingerprint scanner works remarkably well and manages to give decent competition to the likes of capacitive fingerprint scanners found on smartphones these days. In my time with the Vivo X21, the fingerprint scanner worked pretty well.
That being said, when it comes to using the fingerprint scanner under non-ideal conditions, the smartphone’s performance is a hit and miss. While it manages to work with oily fingers as well as fingers covered in dust, the under display fingerprint scanner fails to function well under moist or wet fingers. Furthermore, the scanner in itself isn’t that accurate, managing to recognize my fingerprint only 6 out of 10 times.
If you’d like to get into the depths of, I also did an in-depth review of the under-display fingerprint scanner on the Vivo X21. Make sure to check that out.
DisplayRight off the bat, the Vivo X21 features a stunning display. The smartphone features a 6.3-inch, 19:9 display which stretches from edge to edge with 85.2% screen to body ratio which is an impressive feat in itself. The panel itself is of Super AMOLED display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 and a pixel density of 402.
Like every other AMOLED display, the screen looks absolutely stunning, with great contrast and sharp text and images. The colors are natural, and the blacks look quite deep. The display also gets fairly bright and remains quite usable even in the direct sunlight. The display also packs in Gorilla Glass 3 protection, which is decent, but I would have personally preferred a higher protection, especially since the display also hides the fingerprint scanner underneath.
All things considered, the Vivo X21 has a great display, which in itself should be enough to attract you. The device ships with a standard screen protector as well, which should be good enough for most users.
User InterfaceIt’s not just the hardware, but also the software that has been heavily inspired by the likes of iOS. FuntouchOS is Vivo’s custom Android Skin, which seems to be the carbon copy of iOS. The Vivo X21 sports the FuntouchOS version 4.0 based on Android Oreo 8.1. Truth be told, yes it is reminiscent of the iOS experience, but once you move past that thought, there’s a lot to like about this custom skin.
The FuntouchOS, similar to MIUI, packs in plenty of features that are otherwise missing from the likes of Stock Android. It also packs in some great tools that can help make your everyday device experience way better. There are tons of menus with overloaded features in them. However, the one thing that I slightly dislike is that there is no search option for it, and you’ll have to manually dig through these menus.
One of my favorite things on the Vivo X21 is the gesture navigation that they’ve bundled. Similar to the iPhone X, the device features gesture navigation, and boy is it good. Technically, it is the same style of navigation as found on the OnePlus 5T and 6. Ironically though, it feels much smoother and snappier on the Vivo X21. In my opinion, Google should just leave the gesture navigation pill on the Android P Developer Beta and adopt Vivo’s implementation as it is for the final Android P build. Trust me, it is that good.
Performance
Considering the price point of the Vivo X21, while the 6GB RAM onboard sounds really good, the Snapdragon 660 might sound like a deal breaker to some. That being said, for the most part, the X21 manages to deliver and works really well. As far as daily tasks are concerned, things feel snappy and there is literally no lag anywhere. The performance is similar to that of the Nokia 7 plus, which features the same processor. However, the extra 2GB of RAM on the X21 does give it the edge over the Nokia device.
As for graphics intensive tasks, the Vivo X21 is definitely not the best out there, but it’s no slouch either. The device was able to handle PUBG on medium settings and a higher framerate, which is quite good. Also, while I’ve previously had troubles on the Vivo V9 force quitting apps in the background, I faced no such issues on the X21, which is again great.
Bottomline, the Vivo X21 performs pretty damn good. It does not have the flagship hardware but still manages to keep things snappy, which would appeal to most of the prospective consumers.
CamerasThe Vivo X21 comes equipped with a dual rear camera setup with a 12MP f/1.8 primary sensor along with a f/2.4 secondary sensor for depth effect. On the front, there is another 12MP shooter. As for videos, the Vivo X21 has the ability to record videos in 4K@30fps as well, so that’s another great point. Now that we’re past the numbers part, let’s dig into the actual performance of the cameras on this device.
In a nutshell, the Vivo X21’s cameras are just amazing. Sure, they aren’t as good as the Pixel 2 or the iPhone X, but I’d dare say it is up there with the top dogs. The camera manages to produce images with rich colors and pixel-perfect sharpness. There is no loss in quality even while zooming at high levels, and the overall color reproduction is great.
As for the low-light photography, the X21 once again manages to produce decent results. Thanks to the primary f/1.8 sensor, there is a decent amount of light in the images. That being said, I did find the images to exhibit slight amounts of noise in the images, which might be negligible in some cases, is quite evident in others.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’d now I happen to post a lot of selfies. So for me, I need the front facing camera to be top-notch. And apart from being positioned in the top notch, the secondary shooter actually performs like one as well. Images captured are of great quality, and there is a significant amount of structure in them. Unlike other Chinese devices, including some from Vivo, that just makes the images soft for no reason, the Vivo X21 manages to produce great results.
All in all, the camera performance of the Vivo X21 is pretty darn good, and gives it the edge over its competition in the same price bracket.
Telephony and Audio QualityConsidering the call quality, there were no complaints with the Vivo X21. Calls sounded clear on both sides as the phone brings very good noise cancellation. The speakers on this thing are pretty loud as well and are good for loudspeaker calls as well as decent media consumption. It is not the loudest out there, but at least the levels are balanced, which, in my opinion, is what matters more. What’s more is that Vivo also provides a pair of earphones with the device, which is something I really admire.
Connectivity BatteryAlso, when it comes to charging, despite sporting a microUSB port, it does support fast charging. I was able to completely charge the phone in under 110 minutes, which is pretty impressive. While it’s not the fastest charger out there, it certainly holds a light to the big dogs in the market.
Vivo X21 Review: Should You Buy It?Pros:
Great Build Quality
Under Display Fingerprint Scanner is decent
Decent Performance
Stunning Camera Quality
Cons:
Underpowered processor for its price
Low value for money
SEE ALSO: 15 Best Vivo X21 Features and Tricks You Should Know
Vivo X21 Review: Expensive InnovationThe Vivo X21 is a device for tech enthusiasts. While it doesn’t offer the flagship features or the high value for money as the OnePlus 6 or the Honor 10, it offers a futuristic view of the bezel-less displays to come in the next couple of months.
Buy From Flipkart: ₹35,990
This Homekit Bug Could Make Your Iphone Completely Unusable; Here Are The Details
A security researcher has exposed a vulnerability in Apple’s HomeKit platform that could lead to your iPhone (or anyone else with access to your Apple Home setup) becoming unusable. The bug was reported by security researcher Trevor Spiniolas, who detailed in a blog post that name of a HomeKit device being changed to something around 500,000 characters long is what causes the issues…
In the blog post, Spiniolas says that the bug was initially reported to Apple on August 10th, and remains in iOS 15.2. The company allegedly promised to resolve the issue in a security update prior to 2023, but it did not make good on this promise. Apple now says it will revisit the problem in “early 2023,” but Spiniolas is taking matters into his own hands to publicly disclose the information in the meantime.
Here is the synopsis of the bug, according to Spiniolas’ blog post:
The security researcher notes that in iOS 15.1, Apple added a limit on the length of the name an app or the user can set for a Home accessory.
Using Apple’s HomeKit API, any iOS app with access to Home data may change the names of HomeKit devices. In iOS 15.1 (or possibly 15.0) a limit on the length of the name an app or the user can set was introduced. On iOS versions previous to these, an application can trigger the bug since this limit is not present. If the bug is triggered on a version of iOS without the limit and the device shares HomeKit data with a device on an iOS version with the limit, both will be still be affected.
Notably, the bug affects users even if they do not have any Home devices added. This would happen if someone were to accept “an invitation to a Home that contains a HomeKit device with a large string as its name.” This is true even on the latest release of iOS 15.2.
“If an attacker were to exploit this vulnerability, they would be much more likely to use Home invitations rather than an application anyways, since invitations would not require the user to actually own a HomeKit device,” Spiniolas continues.
The outcomeSo, what’s the outcome if you’re impacted by this? It basically boils down to whether or not you have Home devices enabled in Control Center. As Spiniolas notes, Home devices being enabled in Control Center is the default behavior when a user has access to Home devices.
Here’s what happens if the devices does not have Home devices enabled in Control Center:
The Home app will become completely unusable, crashing upon launch. Rebooting or updating the device does not resolve the problem. If the device is restored but then signs back into the previously used iCloud, the Home app will once again become unusable.
And if your devices does have Home devices enabled in Control Center:
iOS will become unresponsive. All input to the device is ignored or significantly delayed, and it will be unable to meaningfully communicate over USB. After around a minute, backboardd will be terminated by watchdog and reload, but the device will remain unresponsive. This cycle will repeat indefinitely with an occasional reboot. Rebooting, though, does not resolve the issue, nor does updating the device. Since USB communication will no longer function except from Recovery or DFU mode, at this point the user has effectively lost all local data as their device is unusable and cannot be backed up. Critically, if the user restores their device and signs back into the previously used iCloud linked to the data, the bug will once again be triggered with the exact same effects as before.
Here’s a video of this issue in action:
9to5Mac’s TakeThis HomeKit bug is significant for all of the reasons Spiniolas has outlined in his blog post. Perhaps even more worrisome, however, is that Apple has known about the issue since August, and not yet rolled out a complete fix. Apple’s bug reporting system has faced criticism over the years, and it’s clear that not all of the quirks have been resolved.
You can read the full blog post with more details on this vulnerability right here. Again, Apple has reportedly promised Spiniolas that it will patch this issue in “early 2023,” but no further details are available.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Fitbit Premium Review: Is It Worth It?
Fitbit Premium is Fitbit’s, well, premium subscription service. As such, it provides additional data, guidance, and exercise routines to Fitbit users. Think of it like any other freemium service you might use — anyone can download and use the Fitbit app for free, but it’ll cost you a monthly fee if you want everything the Fitbit ecosystem has to offer.
Fitbit devices already collect plenty of fitness and health stats. The goal of Fitbit Premium is to help you understand how those stats affect various parts of your daily life. In Fitbit’s own words, Premium “turns stats on your wrist into personalized guidance.”
Fitbit Premium offers four main benefits that aren’t available in the standard Fitbit app: guided programs, workout videos, personalized insights based on your health and fitness level, and an exclusive Health Metrics dashboard. We’ll dive into each one of these later, but for now, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
How much is Fitbit Premium?
Fitbit Premium costs $9.99 per month in the US and £7.99 per month in the UK. If that’s too expensive, you can save by purchasing a yearly subscription for $79.99 or £79.99. At the time of this review, Fitbit is offering a free 90-day trial to new users for a limited time. You can sign up at chúng tôi or in the Fitbit app.
We’re no longer taking new memberships for Health Coaching, but existing members can continue to use Health Coaching through the Fitbit App.
It’s unclear whether or not new users will be able to sign up for the health-coaching tier in the future.
Fitbit Premium availabilityFitbit Premium availability is dictated by language, not by country. Currently Fitbit Premium is available in the following languages:
English
Czech
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
Romanian
Russian
Spanish
Swedish
Chinese (Traditional or Simplified)
Japanese
Korean
Indonesian
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Read our Fitbit device reviews:
As mentioned, Fitbit Premium gets you access to guided programs, dynamic workouts, personalized insights, and a Health Metrics dashboard.
Get Active: A two-week plan that encourages you to start becoming more active by offering bonus video workouts, as well as stories and tips
Push-Up Prep: A three-week plan that will help you strengthen your arms, create core strength, and master the art of the push-up
Run Training: A three-week plan that will help you increase speed and endurance by offering a structured workout plan, cross-training video workouts, and daily tips
Beginner Bodyweight: A three-week program that will teach you the basics of fitness while helping you increase strength and mobility
Intro to HIIT: A three-week program that will teach you the basics of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and challenge you with cardio and strength workouts
Personalized Insights
If you’ve used the Fitbit app in the past, you’ve probably seen little “insights” crop up from time to time. Insights are bits of analysis found around the Fitbit app that tell you how you’re doing and what you could be doing better. Fitbit Premium users will see more of these insights show up, and they’ll be more personalized based on your health and fitness data.
These personalized insights are generally pretty helpful. Whenever I’m not using Fitbit Premium, I tend to dismiss insights more often than not. A simple “Try getting more sleep” message from Fitbit is hardly helpful, but putting my actual sleep data into context makes a world of difference. “On days that you get more than your average 22 minutes of exercise, you also get an extra 7 minutes of deep sleep,” one insight read. That’s useful!
Speaking of sleep, Fitbit Premium users also get a more detailed sleep score breakdown as well as access to Fitbit’s Sleep Profile program. This program evaluate’s users sleep habits over the course of each month and identifies what type of sleeper each person is habitually. It then offers users guidance to improve their sleep quality. In short, sleep data available in a free account is already quite useful, but a Premium plan, again, helps make more sense of the data.
If you’re constantly struggling to fall asleep at the right time or struggling to stay asleep, the Fitbit app will also suggest you enroll in a Guided Program to improve. Likewise, Premium users also get a useful sleep restoration graph that shows your sleeping heart rate and a percentage for how much you’re tossing and turning each night.
Fitbit Health Metrics dashboard
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
You might have noticed another section in your Fitbit app’s home screen called the Health Metrics dashboard. This is where Fitbit displays historical health data for you to keep track of over time. The dashboard includes five metrics, which can be viewed in weekly or monthly graphs:
Breathing rate: shows your nightly average breathing rate in breaths per minute
Compatible devices: Fitbit Alta HR, Blaze, Charge 2, Charge 3, Charge 4, Charge 5, Inspire 2, Inspire 3, Inspire HR, Ionic, Versa family, Sense family, Google Pixel Watch
Heart rate variability (HRV): shows your nightly average heart rate variability in milliseconds
Compatible devices: Fitbit Alta HR, Blaze, Charge 2, Charge 3, Charge 4, Charge 5, Inspire 2, Inspire 3, Inspire HR, Ionic, Versa family, Sense family, Google Pixel Watch
Skin temperature: shows variation in your nightly skin temperature from your baseline
Compatible devices: Fitbit Ionic, Versa family, Sense family, Charge 5
Oxygen saturation (SpO2): shows your nightly average SpO2
Compatible devices: Fitbit Ionic, Versa family, Sense family, Charge 5
Resting heart rate (RHR): shows your average resting heart rate in beats per minute
Compatible devices: Fitbit Alta HR, Blaze, Charge 2, Charge 3, Charge 4, Charge 5, Inspire 2, Inspire 3, Inspire HR, Ionic, Versa family, Sense family, Google Pixel Watch
Fitbit Premium
See price at Fitbit
Not at all. Cancel your subscription on Android, iOS, Microsoft devices, or Fitbit’s desktop platform by following the prompts under your account settings. For more step by step directions, head to our dedicated guide which covers how to cancel your Fitbit Premium from any platform.
Apple Watches are hands down the best smartwatches available for iOS users. They offer unmatched app support and tons of tracking features. On the other hand, we consider Fitbits great picks for casual activity tracking or for anyone new to health and fitness tracking. For a more in-depth breakdown of the two ecosystems, read our Fitbit vs Apple guide.
Rebus Review: A Puzzle Worth 1,000 Words
Whether or not you recognize the term, it’s safe to say we’ve all encountered a rebus before. These popular puzzles are subtlety hidden throughout our daily lives. They sneak onto billboards in the form of company logos. They appear in text messages as strings of emojis. They even infiltrate Instagram without people realizing they are creating them. Now these complex image puzzles have ambushed the App Store in the form of REBUS by Jutiful.
ConceptA rebus is a puzzle comprised of pictures or letters. When viewed in a certain way or literally sounded out, these images and characters will form a specific word or phrase. REBUS adheres to its namesake quite strictly and doesn’t really add anything to the traditional formula. Each rebus is presented in boards of eight. In order to move on to the next board you need to solve six of the available puzzles. This does a great job of splitting the game up and allows for a little leeway if you become hopelessly stuck.
DesignJutiful certainly understood the importance of graphics when creating these image dependent puzzles. The entire app is gorgeously detailed. There is a touch of woodgrain to the background, a sense of depth given to the puzzles, and the UI is smartly constructed so as not to detract from the art style. The minimalistic style of the individual puzzles is also extremely well done. Top to bottom, this is an amazing looking app. The sound, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired. There is no music in REBUS, and the sound effects are grating at best.
GameplayPlaying REBUS is a cinch. Once you’ve figured out the answer simply tap the answer bar to bring up a keyboard and type it in. If the clues prove to be a little too obscure there are four different abilities you can make use of to simplify things. One simply gives you the answer, another removes all the incorrect letters, yet another displays how many letters the puzzle contains, and the final one shows the number of letters as well as revealing one. REBUS also allows you to quickly skip back and forth between puzzles by swiping left or right, which is a great little touch.
The GoodThis game is fairly refreshing as far as App Store puzzlers go. For some reason, rebuses are seldom used in the medium, and it’s nice to experience a fresh type of puzzle game. The art in this game is also fantastically done, which elevates the puzzles to another level.
The BadThe absence of music in REBUS feels out of place, and it accentuates the rather annoying sound effects. This game’s difficulty has the tendency to fluctuate wildly, as everyone will react to certain images differently. This is present in any puzzle game, but it is certainly more pronounced when dealing with rebuses. The pricing model for REBUS is also a bit odd.
ValueREBUS is a little heavier on microtransactions than most puzzle games. The abilities mentioned above all cost in-game coins to utilize. You get a few coins for finishing each puzzle, but each power up costs a small fortune. If you find yourself needing a hint often, it won’t be long before you run out of the currency altogether. Once that happens, there is no way to progress other than through in-app purchases. You can unlock all the levels for $2.99, but individual hints will still necessitate additional trips to the shop to plunk down real world cash. The game is free to download though, and it is possible to get through it without spending any money.
ConclusionI love the look of REBUS, and the puzzles are challenging and fun. I wish that the game used a lighter touch with the microtransactions, but overall it doesn’t detract from the experience too much. Though there have been a slew of image-based puzzle games on the App Store, rebuses have surprisingly seen little play. This makes REBUS feel fresh and exciting, and I recommend puzzle fans at least give it a look.
Related AppsThe art style and game play are both reminiscent of Icomania.
Update the detailed information about Review: Are Belkin’s Latest Wemo Lights Worth The Investment Before Homekit Support? on the Hatcungthantuong.com website. We hope the article's content will meet your needs, and we will regularly update the information to provide you with the fastest and most accurate information. Have a great day!