| Cult of Mac

New Garmin smartwatches take on Apple Watch Ultra

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Garmin unveiled its the fēnix 7 Pro Series multisport GPS smartwatches.
Garmin unveiled its the fēnix 7 Pro Series multisport GPS smartwatches.
Photo: Garmin

Garmin unveiled three rugged new fēnix 7 Pro Series smartwatches Wednesday, giving Apple Watch Ultra a run for its money. The new multisport GPS watches have a lot in common with Ultra, including similar pricing depending on which features you select.

But the Garmin watches also offer a built-in LED flashlight and solar charging that helps provide 37 days of battery life in “smartwatch mode” and 139 days in “expedition mode,” according to the company.

iPhone 14 Pro provides greater location accuracy

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Here’s how much RAM the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are packing
Your iPhone 14 Pro should be able to better track your location.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max support dual-frequency GPS for greater location accuracy. This is the first time Apple has added this feature to its products.

Dual-frequency GPS is not a new technology. Select Android phones launched as far back as 2018 have had it, though it has not exactly gone mainstream yet.

Apple Watch 7 and SE hit all-time low prices

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You can get great deals right now on Apple Watch 7 and SE.
You can get great deals right now on Apple Watch 7 and SE.
Photo: Apple

Various discounts across the Apple Watch lineup appeared Thursday, including Apple Watch SE hitting an all-time low price on Amazon for the first time and models of Apple Watch Series 7 reaching or returning to all-time low prices.

Act fast, though — these deals often don’t last long.

Siri is the least attractive part of Garmin’s new Venu 2 Plus smartwatch

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With new voice assistant access, you can get a lot done on your wrist with Garmin's new Venu 2 Plus GPS smartwatch.
With new voice assistant access, you can get a lot done on your wrist with Garmin's new Venu 2 Plus GPS smartwatch.
Photo: Garmin

Fitness tracker company Garmin showed a new version of its Venu 2 Plus GPS smartwatch at CES 2022 — and this one let’s you talk to Apple’s voice-activated assistant, Siri. If you’re into that sort of thing.

Or, if you’re among the many folks who seem to prefer other helpers on their devices, you could talk to Google Assistant or Samsung’s Bixby. Previous Garmin smartwatches didn’t allow that. Plus the Venu 2 Plus works with both iOS and Android devices, Garmin said.

This smart collar wants to be your dog’s Apple Watch

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Is this dog an Olympic athlete? Her resting heart rate is amazing!
Is this dog an Olympic athlete? Her resting heart rate is amazing!
Photo: Invoxia

Devices that track your pet’s whereabouts aren’t exactly new. Your pooch might have a chip embedded right now. But Invoxia is looking to be best in show of a different sort at CES 2022. The company’s new Smart Dog Collar can monitor your pet’s vital signs via advanced technology as well as track via GPS in case he or she gets lost. Like an Apple Watch for their furry necks.

New Eos Bridge makes positioning instruments iOS-compatible

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Eos Bridge gives almost any positioning instrument iOS Bluetooth compatibility.
Eos Bridge gives almost any positioning instrument iOS Bluetooth compatibility.
Photo: Eos Positioning Systems

Montreal-based Eos Positioning Systems, known for its Arrow Series GNSS receivers, has released Eos Bridge. The device clips on your belt and gives almost any positioning instrument iOS Bluetooth compatibility.

Just by way of background, GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite Systems. As such, it underlies the better-known Global Positioning System (GPS) used in the U.S. and elsewhere. GPS is one of five GNSS constellations in play around the world, and the oldest one. You can learn more here.

What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything? An Apple Watch Series 6 wish list.

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Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is almost due for its annual hardware update, which comes like clockwork every September. First came the addition of GPS, then cellular, a thinner case with a bigger screen, a compass, and even an ECG heart monitor.

With each new model, Cupertino’s wearable creeps closer to perfection, which presents a bit of a problem. What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything?

Here’s my top 10 wish list of features I’m hoping Apple has up its sleeve.

Advertisers panic as iPhone users turn off GPS tracking

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iOS 13.3 in beta
iOS 13 has made it easier for users to shut down location tracking.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Location data, for a long time a river of gold that enriched companies with digital ad revenues, is starting to dry up as more and more consumers deactivate location tracking on their smartphones.

The growing shortage of GPS data became pronounced shortly after the launch iOS 13, which features a pop-up option to cut off tracking if your iPhone detects an app gathering data on your whereabouts.