Starting With the Nest Thermostat

Nest Labs started off in 2011 with the Nest Learning Thermostat, a smart home Wi-Fi climate system that can be controlled remotely with an app. As the thermostat’s popularity grew, the company released the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

Google bought Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in January of 2014, according to Engadget, signaling that Google was planning to enter the smart home market. Then, Nest acquired Dropcam this past summer for $555 million, reports Gizmodo. Dropcam produces closed-circuit home security cameras that can be operated remotely through a Wi-Fi connection. Following the acquisition, the companies’ previously separate products, which already existed in many homes, can work together. The thermostat’s sensors can be used to turn on motion sensors on the Dropcam when a user leaves the home, and the Dropcam will start recording if Nest Protect detects a fire or high level of carbon monoxide.

Apple Enters Suddenly

Rather than acquiring companies in the industry, Apple is starting from scratch with HomeKit. While HomeKit was nominally released with iOS 8, no compatible products were initially available. Nonetheless, the Nest versus HomeKit battle has begun.

Hub to Hub

While both systems are controllable by smartphones, each will likely also employ a hub that ties together all aspects of the system when a phone is not present. HomeKit will be using the Apple TV box as a hub, according to TechCrunch. Apple TV is powerful already, with the potential for Siri integration, and Apple began experimenting with including HomeKit code in Apple TV software long before making the planned link public.

HomeKit devices will communicate through low energy Bluetooth, which has been incorporated into most recent Apple products, meaning that iPads, iPods, and MacBooks could function as hubs, in addition to iPhones and Apple TV sets.

On Google’s side, a Nest thermostat can act as the hub. Nest uses a radio protocol called Thread for connectivity, reports Forbes.

Third-Party Compatibility

Each company is working to encourage developers to use their ecosystem. HomeKit is really a platform for third party devices and apps, rather than a stand-alone product, and Apple is dependent on other companies buying in. The developers are listening and following: Forbes reported that Velvetwire, a startup that produces smart chargers, changed to using Bluetooth low energy for its wireless connectivity as soon as Apple announced that HomeKit would be using Bluetooth.

Forbes and others have predicted that Apple’s ecosystem will be a closed one—either devices are in or they’re out. Developers wishing to tie into HomeKit must be licensed through Apple’s made-for-iPhone (MFi) program and adhere to strict standards.

On the other hand, Nest’s system is designed to be open. Google pledged to maintain Nest support for iPhone users, according to Engadget, so the whole system will likely be controllable through any type of mobile device.

Nest is encouraging developers to tie into the Nest system through their Works with Nest program, and many companies are hopping on board, including Mercedes-Benz, Whirlpool, and Lifx.

As this battle is just warming up, there’s no telling who will come out on top. Chances are, however, that in ten years, many Americans will live in a house controlled by Apple’s HomeKit or Google’s Nest.

Which smart home system do you think will be better?

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Before you start shopping, make a list of required components or features. Be sure to use a reputable service that allows you time to test the phone and get your money back if it doesn’t work or meet your expectations. Once you get the phone, either in person or in the mail, here are some things to check for.

Visible Defects and Water Damage

Once you get the phone, inspect it visually. Open everything that will open, and take out the battery and SIM card, if present. Most phones have small stickers on the inside designed to change colors if the phone or battery get wet—usually they are white until exposed to water, and then turn pink or red. While iPhones don’t have an accessible battery, they do have liquid contact indicators in other places; check Apple support to see where on a specific model. Research if the phone you’re buying is supposed to include these indicators and check to make sure they are still present and white.

Battery Life

If the battery compartment is accessible, check to make sure the battery is the original and has not been replaced with a cheap knockoff. If you get the phone in the mail, charge it fully as soon as possible and track how long it lasts. The inability to test the battery is possibly the only downside of buying a used smartphone in person; if possible, use the phone for a day before paying to ensure that the battery lasts as long as the seller claims.

SIM Card and Internet

If you use a GSM network like AT&T or T-Mobile, make sure the phone takes a SIM card—many phones sold by CDMA networks like Verizon and Sprint won’t take a SIM card. Check which size SIM card it takes. If it won’t accept your current card, borrow a friend’s so you can test it out.

Once the SIM is in, open a browser and check a website or two. Open an app, just to make sure everything works at an acceptable speed.

Locked to a Network?

One risk of buying a used smartphone is that it could be locked to a different network. Using your own SIM card (or another from your network) allows you to check. If the phone is locked, a notification will pop up with a message along the lines of “Wrong SIM,” and you will not be able to access the Internet or make a call.

With a CDMA phone, the only way to verify that the phone is not locked to another carrier is to take it to a network store or activate your number on it. If meeting the seller in person, activate it before handing over the money.

Phone and Audio Jack

Next, make a phone call and pay attention to the audio quality. Then try it with headphones that contain a microphone to make sure the audio jack functions both for input and output.

The Service Test Code

Most smartphones have codes that can be used to test the system thoroughly. Google the model to find yours, and check out everything it will allow you to do. For example, the Samsung Galaxy code is listed on a developer forum. Using the code will allow you to test virtually every component of the phone easily, including the screen dimmer and color balance, the camera and flash, and all sensors.

With a little preparation and careful inspection, buying a used smartphone can be a safe and cheap alternative to committing to an expensive contract. Have you purchased a used phone before? What was your experience like?

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High Cost

The price to buy an iPhone 6 with a two-year contract is $199 (16 GB), while the Plus is $299. Add an extra $100 to each to get 64 GB, another $100 on top of that for 128 GB, for a maximum of $499 for the 128 GB 6 Plus. On the other hand, the 5s is now available for $100, while the 5c is free (both with contracts). It’s up to you to decide if the 6 is worth that much more.

The Size You Think You’ve Always Wanted . . . but Never Tried

While many iPhone users have been envious of friends’ larger screens for years, the 6 Plus might prove to be a little too big. Users like Forbes reviewer Mark Rogowsky have been surprised to find that the large screen makes the 6 Plus very difficult to use one-handed, despite Apple’s clever Reachability feature.

Fragility of the Glass Screen

Regardless of the smooth edge and ion-strengthened screen that seamlessly transitions from aluminum to glass, the iPhone 6 screen breaks quite easily when dropped, just like older models. In some cases, the screen even started to separate from the aluminum. To watch it happen, check out this video from TIME.

Protruding Camera Lens

The screen isn’t the only durability issue; the extreme thinness of the 6 and 6 Plus required a few design changes, including a protruding camera lens. Even the iPhone 5 models’ flush lenses were prone to eventually becoming scratched through normal use; a lens that extends past the housing seems to be asking for scratches that will reduce the quality of photos. Only time will tell; if you wait to buy an iPhone 6, you can see how your friends’ cameras hold up.

Battery Only Marginally Improved

Though Apple has been touting its extended battery life, the iPhone 6 still can’t come close to its strongest competitors. Phone Arena tests phone battery life using a script that is “designed to replicate the power consumption of typical real-life usage.” The top spot is currently held by Sony Xperia Z3, which withstood the test for 9 hours, 29 minutes. The iPhone 6 Plus held out for 6 hours, 32 minutes, behind devices from Huawei, Samsung, and HTC One, in addition to Sony. The iPhone 6 lasted 5 hours, 22 minutes—a mere 20 minutes longer than the iPhone 5s.

New iOS 8 and Initial Fragmentation

When users buy an iPhone 6 or Plus, it comes loaded with iOS 8—whether they like it or not. While iOS 8 will undoubtedly be great with time, it is new and bound to have some kinks to work out.

iOS 8 also introduces iPhone users to fragmentation, a problem familiar to their Android-using friends, in which many apps are still optimized for smaller screens. Apps yet to receive an update will be displayed zoomed-in, giving them a blurry and slightly distorted look that is worse on the 6 Plus than the 6. While this problem is bound to go away with time, it is simply another reason to wait a little longer to buy an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus.

Are these potential issues enough for you to consider waiting? Or are you still set on getting an iPhone 6 as soon as possible?

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A Watch as a Phone?

The inclusion of a SIM card slot has led to speculation that it will be able to function completely independent of a phone. However, that appears to be false, at least for AT&T users: “Gear S requires pairing [with] compatible Samsung smartphone with Gear Manager app for activation, software updates, and app downloads,” reads the fine print of an AT&T news release. Plus, the phone “must be on and connected to AT&T data network for SMS/MMS and 3rd party app notifications to be routed from AT&T smartphone to Gear S when Bluetooth connection is unavailable.”

So while the watch may not be a true standalone device, it can be used independently, provided the linked phone is left on and connected to the network. It is unclear if this restriction also pertains to calling, and if the Gear S will be covered under the same plan as the smartphone or if it will require additional fees.

The Hardware

Users can take calls on a Bluetooth-connected headset or the 3.5 mm audio jack, or on the watch’s loudspeaker. The watch can vibrate or ring for notifications and calls.

Gear S runs on the Tizen operating system and contains 4 GB of internal memory, though it does not have a SD card slot to add memory. It operates on 512 MB of RAM, with a dual core 1 GHz processor and a 300 mAh Li-ion battery. With an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, Phone Arena reports that the Gear S can withstand being submerged in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes.

In terms of appearance, the screen is a curved, vivid Super AMOLED, and it is large: 360 by 480 pixels and two inches tall, according to specs from Samsung. It has a touchscreen that supports multitouch and will include a virtual keyboard. Users can choose between black and white bands.

Sensors

Samsung packed the Gear S with sensors, including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, a heart rate monitor, a barometer, an ambient light sensor, and a UV sensor. This model does not contain a camera. Exact pricing and availability dates have not been released yet.

Would you consider leaving your phone at home if you could receive calls on your Samsung Gear S smartwatch?

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HealthKit Apps: Waiting Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Due to a bug in the system, users had to wait a few days after the original iOS 8 release date to take full advantage of the new technology and updated third-party apps, but the HealthKit system is now available, according to Forbes. While this deferment hindered full use of the new system, the core Apple HealthKit features, such as the Health app, functioned independently of third-party apps and were unaffected by the bug.

Medical ID

Health is divided into four tabs, including the Medical ID page, which allows users to store pertinent information in case of a medical emergency. Additionally, the user can enable the Medical ID page to be accessible from the lock screen without entering a passcode or supplying a finger scan.

Users can include allergies, conditions, medications, blood type, contact information for doctors and family members, date of birth, health data like weight, and other medical notes. This provides all the essential information that any doctor would want before treating a patient in a normal situation, but which is difficult to provide in emergencies.

Health Data

Another tab, Health Data, aggregates all the data about, well, everything. Users can manually enter information including age, weight, gender, etc; recorded data from other HealthKit apps like hours slept, elevation gained during a run, blood pressure, and countless others; and results of analysis of the first two types of information, such as amount of iron consumed or calories burned. For each different app that ties into HealthKit, users can control what information the app has access to through Health. Users can decide, for example, that their weight is relevant to a nutrition app, but not necessary for a sleep tracker. If desired, all data can be backed up on the cloud in an encrypted format.

This tab arguably contains the most powerful of Apple HealthKit features: from here, users can select data to share with their doctor through a secure third-party communication app, like Mobius, or with a health-monitoring service.

Dashboard

From the Health Data tab, users can select information to pin to their Dashboard. Trying to exercise more? Just pin the “steps taken” and “calories burned” streams to the Dashboard, then choose to view daily, weekly, monthly, or annual data. All the metrics users care about are gathered in one place and displayed on easy-to-read graphs or charts.

Sources

The final tab, Sources, allows users to check on all HealthKit apps that are currently sending information to Health. This tab will be pretty quiet until the bugs in HealthKit are worked out.

How do you plan to take advantage of these new apps?

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What does L have in store for the user?

• Better battery life through Google’s Project Volta. At 15 percent battery, Android L goes into a power-saving mode that cuts off unnecessary power drains like animations. The Battery Historian developer tool tracks how much power is used by individual apps, according to AnandTech.

• Better notifications. Users can choose which apps can push notifications to the lock screen, and some will allow control over the level of information shown (displaying only that you got a message or showing the full message, for example). Notifications will now be directly actionable, allowing users to reply to a message from the original notification rather than by opening the app or a menu, a feature that was also recently added to Apple’s iOS. Finally, the pull-down notifications menu will also feature quick settings.

• A smoother, more intuitive user interface (UI). The Android L update is ushering in a new era of design for Google’s UI, focused around a 3-D structure that gives the sense of vertical space, which Google’s Developer Preview refers to as “material design.” This feature allows developers to control the size of the shadow a UI element casts. The updated interface also features improvements to widgets, animations, and themes.
• Faster response to touch.

Uniting Devices

By allowing developers access to the code early, app developers and third-party accessory producers will be able to optimize their products ahead of the Android update. Hopefully, this will reduce the current rate of fragmentation in the Android realm, where many versions of the operating system are in use. Android Central has released a prediction of which phones they expect to get the Android L upgrade; if they are correct, nearly all recent devices will be updated quickly.

The fragmentation problem has been exacerbated significantly in the past by the custom versions manufacturers like Samsung run on their devices. For new platforms like Android Wear, customization of the UI will be banned entirely, according to ITworld. This means that in the future, Android phones and wearables will likely interact more smoothly.

As a result, Android L will offer better interconnectivity between devices. Don’t be afraid to buy different Android devices; the Android landscape is looking a lot cleaner and smoother. Timing buying a phone with the release of a new Android version will become less important, as most phones will likely get the Android L upgrade quickly, followed by future versions as they become available.

Which Android L feature are you most excited about?

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Gigabyte (GB): A gigabyte is 1,000,000 bytes, which are individual units of information. GB is used to measure both memory and RAM.

Memory: A phone’s long-term information storage capacity, measured in GB. This is where your photos, contacts, songs, and app data are stored, along with the operating system and apps. Phones are commonly available with 16, 32, or 64 GB of memory.

Operating System (OS): The software structure of a phone or computer, sometimes referred to as firmware because it is not as permanent as hardware. Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are the most common operating systems; Blackberry and Microsoft also make their own proprietary systems. The OS determines how you navigate your phone and which apps you can use.

RAM: An acronym for random-access memory, RAM is a device’s short-term memory, where it stores programs and data it is currently using. With more RAM, a device can run apps or programs that require more power and run more of them at the same time.

ROM: Android users often have the choice of which version of the Android operating system to use, and these versions are called ROMs. ROM technically stands for Read-Only Memory and has other uses, like CD-ROM. See our article on switching from iPhone to Android for more.

SIM Card: Almost everywhere outside of the United States, cell phone users buy a small plastic chip, known as a SIM card, that is tied to their phone number and a wireless carrier. To change numbers or get a number in a new country, you just pop out the SIM card and put in a new one. Most US mobile carriers do not use SIM cards, and only a few phone models in the United States will take a SIM card. SIM cards come in several sizes; the iPhone 5s is compatible with (but does not need) a nano-SIM.

3G/4G: If analog phones made up the first generation of wireless technology, digital phones constituted the second. The third generation, 3G, is a loosely defined bit of smartphone terminology referring to service with higher speeds and better data capabilities. Devices categorized as 4G offer even faster capability and high-speed broadband Internet.

Is there other smartphone terminology you’re wondering about? Post questions in the comments below.

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From iPhone . . .

. . . To iPhone: Apple’s iCloud makes switching between Apple devices nearly effortless. Go to “Settings,” “iCloud,” and select all of the options you would like to sync. It can back up nearly everything to the cloud, even your Safari browsing history, Notes, and passwords stored in Keychain. When you get a new iPhone or other Apple device, linking it to your Apple ID will automatically prompt it to download all of your information to the new device.

. . . To Android: The easiest way to do this will be through a Google account, which you’re going to want to use with the Android OS anyway. Set up a Google account online by visiting Gmail. Next go to your old iPhone’s “Settings,” then “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” and select “Add Account.” Add your Google account, then select the options that you want to transfer to your Android device.

Open your new Android device and log in to your Google account—the rest will be done for you automatically. If you skipped setting up a Google account before using your Android, you can still sync everything; just add your account manually under “Accounts & Sync.”

From Android . . .

If your old device is an Android, Google is likely already storing data in the cloud for you. Under “Settings,” go to “Accounts & Sync” and click “Google.” Select each item you would like to sync from the list, like “Contacts” and “Calendar.” Select “Sync Now” and your information will be stored securely and linked to your Google account.

. . . To Android: Start your new Android and input your Google account information—you’re done.

. . . To iPhone: On your new iPhone, go to “Settings,” “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” and select “Add Account.” Add your Google account, then select all the options you would like to sync from the cloud.

Switching between any combination of devices is made easy by storing data in the cloud. For more information, check out our previous article on syncing contacts to a new Android device.

Have you made the switch between Apple and Android devices? How did the cloud work for you?

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The Apple HomeKit will let you group actions for various devices together with a single trigger. Here’s a look at what a day with HomeKit might look like.

1. Set an Alarm

You need to wake up a little earlier tomorrow, so you tell Siri the night before to set an alarm for 6:00 a.m. At 5:30, the heat comes on; at 5:45, the curtains rise, letting in the early morning light. At 5:55, the lights come on dimly, and by the time your morning power music starts at 6:00, you’re pretty much already awake. When you get to the kitchen, your coffee is already brewed and an automatic dispenser has just released food for your dog.

2. Do the Chores

Apple HomeKit knows when you leave for work thanks to a geo-fencing location trigger. Your phone remotely activates a robotic vacuum to clean the house and automatic dispensers to water the plants. You threw in some laundry before you left, but because it isn’t urgent, your iPhone will wait until your smart energy meter indicates that demand is lowest, usually in the middle of the night, to run the load. This saves you money and reduces the peak energy demand, saving precious natural resources.

3. Return from Work

Leaving work triggers the oven at home to preheat and the climate control to gradually return to your ideal settings. As you approach, HomeKit opens the garage door and turns on the porch light if it’s dark outside.

4. Grill on the Deck

It’s a Friday afternoon, and you get home just before some friends are set to arrive. Tell Siri it’s barbecue time: she cranks summer music via Spotify on the deck speakers, lights the grill, and turns up the freezer’s ice maker. Later, you can monitor the baked beans in the oven while sipping beer on the deck.

5. Say, “Goodnight, Siri”

It’s been a long day, and all you want to do is go to bed. Siri will turn off all the lights, lock the doors, close the curtains, and ask you if you want to set an alarm for that basketball game on your calendar for the morning.

This isn’t some Wallace and Gromit, sci-fi future home—all of the devices required to make this scenario a reality already exist. We’ll soon see if the Apple HomeKit can make them all communicate to forever change how humans complete even the simplest of tasks.

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The iPhone 6 images reveal that the new phone will be slimmer, featuring curved edges and rounded corners, a return to one aspect of the original iPhone design and similar to several generations of iPods. Apple is expected to offer two different screen sizes for its next handset: a 4.7-inch model and a larger, 5.5-inch “phablet” variation. The casing in the leaked photos appears to be that of the smaller size.

On this model, the power button has been moved to the right side above a SIM card slot, according to analysis by AppleInsider. The volume buttons on the left side of the phone have been elongated, and the mute toggle remains above the volume controls.

On the back of the chassis, the Apple logo is punched out of the metal. This could be to allow better transmission for an internal antenna, as in the iPad mini, according to GSMArena.com. BGM provides more interesting speculation that the cutout is to accommodate wireless charging or near field communication (NFC). NFC capabilities, combined with the existing Touch ID fingerprint authentication, might enable users to make payments by simply tapping their iPhones against a device at a cash register.

Another noteworthy feature visible on the leaked iPhone 6 images is the round cutout for the flash. The iPhone 5s has an oval opening to allow the two independent LEDs required for the highly touted True Tone flash, which is designed to produce richer, more accurate photos. Either Apple is scrapping the True Tone idea for its next iPhone, or engineers have figured out a way to get the functionality of two differently colored LEDs into one.

The iPhone 6 is widely expected to be released in September, a year after the iPhone 5s, though Macworld predicts an August release date for at least one model.

What do you think of Apple’s decision to offer a larger, phablet-type iPhone?

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