Here's a First Look at the New High-end Apple Watch and What You Need to Know About It

The Series 3 is similar to the Apple Watch Series 3 that launched in 2017 for $329. It's still a great watch but has a slightly smaller screen than the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6. It's still water resistant and "swimproof," just like the other models, so you can shower or surf or whatever without worrying too much about damaging it. It does not have fall detection, a blood-oxygen app or an ECG app, but it can still detect your heart rate and alert you if it goes too high or too low, and detect irregular heart rhythms. It does not have a compass or an always-on altimeter, but it still has a regular altimeter if you want to manually check it. It has the same S3 chip that first launched in the Series 3. I have not used the latest software on one of these older models, but it probably runs a bit slower than it does on the Apple Watch SE and certainly on the Apple Watch Series 6. Finally, there's no cellular model available in the regular Series 3, so you can not leave your phone behind and still place calls or receive text messages.

• You May Also Want to Know

Privacy and Security Evaluation of the Apple Watch

Learn about the Apple Watch privacy and security features The Common Sense Privacy Program evaluates the privacy policies of popular consumer and education technology applications and services that are currently used by millions of children at home and in the classroom. We evaluated the privacy practices and performed a hands-on basic security test of five popular smartwatches used by kids and teens for parents and teachers to learn more about their security practices and how they compare to other popular smartwatches. We completed evaluations of the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, Verizon GizmoWatch, Fitbit Ace 2, and Garmin Vivofit Jr. 2, identifying the potential privacy risks and harms that may affect children, students, and families who use these devices. When evaluating whether to use smart tech paired with a mobile app at home or in the classroom, parents and teachers need a comprehensive understanding of both the privacy and security practices of a smart device. Our approach lets us compare what the smart tech company says they do with data with what our limited testing can observe about what they actually do with data. We can sometimes observe what data goes to and from the device, but we can not necessarily see what happens with the data when it reaches the external destination. In addition, for our testing purposes we also did not attempt to intercept or observe any cellular or Bluetooth wireless traffic. Our findings are intended to help parents and teachers make better informed decisions about whether to buy this device or a similar smartwatch for use with their children at home or with students at school. The category of smart devices, or the Internet of Things (IoT), covers all the objects or devices used in your home, office, or school that are connected to the internet. More and more of these smart devices are being used by children as toys at home and with students as learning tools in the classroom every day. Smart tech companies claim their devices provide greater convenience and new learning opportunities for children and students, but they also collect and share more information than ever. Connected devices and household gadgets can collect all kinds of sensitive information -- anything from audio and visual recordings of your home to the names of shows you watch, the number of steps you've taken, your child's precise location, how and when you sleep, and even the foods you eat. A smartwatch is a smart tech device that uses software with a digital touchscreen to display dynamic content on the watch face. However, not all smartwatches are the same. While smartwatches were originally seen as a luxury purchase or status symbol, their prices have fallen rapidly in the past few years. They have become more affordable and are used by more and more kids and teens every day. But there are still inexpensive watches and expensive watches -- watches with only one basic feature and watches with dozens of advanced features, and even watches designed for specific purposes or for specific segments of the population, like kids or athletes. Some smartwatches collect very little sensitive data, but others are designed to collect as much sensitive data as possible, with thousands of data points used to create a profile of the wearer. All smartwatches tell time, and most have fitness features such as a pedometer that measures your steps throughout the day. However, more expensive smartwatches also include advanced fitness-tracking features on the watch and in the companion mobile application. Other advanced features include the ability to send and receive phone calls and messages on the device, and to install third-party apps on the device and mobile application. For this article, we evaluated a popular smartwatch used by kids and teens: the Apple Watch Series 5. Our hands-on security testing of smartwatches focuses on both the hardware of the smartwatch device itself and on the privacy of the companion mobile application that is used to set up the device, extended its functionality, and transfer data between the smartwatch, the mobile device, and the internet. The Apple Watch is paired with the following iOS mobile apps: The Apple Watch mobile application launches with a welcome screen prompting the user to use their iPhone to set up the watch. The app asks the user to pair their new smartwatch and uses Bluetooth to pair the Apple Watch to the user's iPhone and mobile app. Once connected, the watch app allows the user to customize their Apple Watch experience by selecting their wrist preference and displays Apple's privacy policy and terms of use for review. Do not worry, we already read the privacy notice and terms and conditions for you and summarize our findings in our privacy evaluation. A user is automatically logged into their existing Apple ID username and password on the mobile device to personalize their Apple Watch. If a user does not have an Apple ID, they can create a new Apple ID account and are asked to enter their birth date to confirm their age. If a user provides a birth date that indicates they are under the age of 13, the mobile app requests that a parent or guardian provide consent for the child or student. A parent must provide consent through the Family Sharing setting of their Apple ID account, where they can create an Apple ID for their child. A parent must first review Apple's parent privacy disclosure, then enter their child's personal information, including an iCloud.com email address and a password that meets strong and complex password requirements. The mobile app requests to always collect route location tracking information to provide more relevant weather and route-related information to users on the watch. In addition, the mobile app provides notice that it will always share the iPhone Apple ID account holder's settings and information to personalize the watch and mobile app. The user is also asked to provide personal information for fitness tracking and activity app purposes, including their age, sex, height, weight and disability status. Lastly, the mobile app asks the user about their level of physical activity (Daily Move Goal) to start using the Apple Watch for fitness training and to receive daily goal-related notifications. The mobile app also provides a tour of the different ways to personalize the smartwatch, including keeping the watch up to date with automatic software updates, creating emergency contacts, and notice of SOS fall detection. The mobile app also lets users customize their watch face and syncs all the user's settings to their watch. After the Apple Watch is synced with the mobile app on the iPhone, the mobile app allows the user to change any of the settings of the watch or activity app, personalize the clock face with Face Gallery, and load additional Apple Watch apps from their iPhone at any time. The Apple Watch hardware is packed with new technologies, which also means that the device has data-collection capabilities that raise privacy and security concerns. The chart below shows what we found in both the hardware of the smartwatch itself (in the row labeled "Device"), and the companion mobile application installed on a mobile device (in the row labeled "App"). Learn more about what is inside the Apple Watch and read our tips on privacy and security below. What can all that hardware do? Apple Watch has a "brain" with a S5 64-bit dual-core processor chip. That means Apple Watch can quickly collect and process information within the device itself. Apple Watch can "feel" with an accelerometer, gyroscope, pedometer, optical heart rate sensor, and force-touch haptic feedback in the device. That means Apple Watch can collect information about when and how an individual touches the watch display and can detect their steps when walking or running. The watch can also detect a user's heart rate and amount of sleep they achieved the night before, and can display all that health-related information on the smartwatch or mobile app. Apple Watch has "ears" with a multidirectional microphone that listens for Siri voice commands and phone calls. That means the Apple Watch can listen to and process multiple conversations at the same time and focus on the direction that voices and sounds are coming from. Apple Watch has a voice that is spoken through its watch speakers that make synthesized sounds and respond to commands with Siri. That means the Apple Watch knows which sounds it makes and the content of the synthesized conversations it has with users. Apple Watch has a "face" with its retina display watch face and its companion iOS Watch mobile app. That means the Apple Watch can display images to children and students on their watch face or on a mobile device through the digital screen. Apple Watch has connectivity with 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and cellular connectivity for sending and receiving data. That means the Apple Watch can send and receive information it has collected or processed. Apple Watch has energy with a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 18 hours of use. That means the Apple Watch is able to collect and process sensitive health-related information continuously while it is powered on and being worn on the individual's wrist. Apple Watch connects with other watch apps and smart home products through the App Store and Apple HomeKit. That means other third-party watch apps and compatible smart home products can connect to the Apple Watch through the smartwatch device or mobile app and could collect and use personal information from the Apple Watch and mobile app for a different purpose. If you would like to see how the Apple Watch compares to other popular smartwatches for kids, read our article comparing Smartwatch Privacy for Kids During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

How to Remotely Trigger Your iPhone's Camera with Your Apple Watch

Your Apple Watch can perform all sorts of neat tricks, not the least of which is remotely triggering your iPhone camera-and allowing you to review the photos, too. Why Would I Want To Do This? There are two primary reasons why someone would want to use a remote trigger for a camera (any camera, not just the iPhone camera): to trigger the camera when they are not behind it, or to keep the camera perfectly still and fixed relative to the scene. RELATED: How to Sync Photos to Your Apple Watch In the first case, it's handy any time it's impractical or impossible for you to trigger the camera. Group photos that you want to be in require a remote trigger. If you want to photograph yourself against some sort of scenery (like a national monument or a sweeping landscape) in a fashion that an outstretched arm or selfie stick wo not accommodate, you need distance between you and the camera. A remote trigger is also really useful if you want to photograph something there you presence would change the outcome (like you want to capture something goofy your dog only does when you are out of the room). In the second case, it's handy any time you need to keep the same framing across multiple photos. If you are making a little stop-animation GIF of action figures or trying to capture a time-lapse photo of pedestrians outside your office window or clouds skittering across the sky. Remote triggers have long been the photographer's go-to solution for such keep-the-camera-perfectly-still applications. It's also handy if you are taking pictures in low light conditions and you want to minimize lens blur. For iPhone owners with Apple Watches, the convenience of remotely triggered photography is built right into their iPhone/Apple Watch duo. Let's take a look at how, no extra software required, you can start taking remotely triggered photos right now. How to Use the Remote Trigger Using the Apple Watch's remote camera trigger could not be an easier experience. In fact, you will spend more time setting up the camera than you fiddling with the remote trigger app. Speaking of setup, let's take a look at our setup for this tutorial so you will have a frame of reference for the following screenshots. For this tutorial we've enlisted the help of Spawn and LEGO Office Worker Guy, our favorite photo tutorial sidekicks, who you may recall from such classic How-To Geek articles like What Is White Balance and Why You Should Use Digital Image Sharpening. In the photo above, you can see the individual figures both on the table and as they will be framed in the iPhone camera. We've set up the iPhone using a LOHA flexible table top tripod, which is perfect for our intended stop-motion film wherein Spawn eats LEGO Office Worker Guy's head. (We kid; both they and the Action Figure Screen Actor's Guild had us sign contracts specifying there would be no real or simulated action figure cannibalism.) Even though you do not need to open the camera app (since the trigger app on the Apple Watch will do so automatically), you should obviously take a moment to frame the photo the way you want. Especially because you can not physically reframe, crop, or zoom from the Apple Watch. Once you are happy with the physical setup of the iPhone, it's time to turn your attention to your watch. Tap on the digital crown to pull up the app menu, as shown in the far left screenshot above. Select the Camera app (a silver icon with an arrow pointing down to the button on a camera. Your Apple Watch will reach out to your iPhone, via Bluetooth, as seen in the middle screenshot. After connecting, the app will finish loading and you will see a live preview of the scene in front of your iPhone's camera (go ahead, wave your hand in front of the lens like you know you want to). In the photo above, you can see the whole operation in action with the actual scene, the scene from the perspective of the iPhone, and then that same iPhone view transmitted as a live preview to the Apple Watch. On the bottom of the Apple Watch interface there are two buttons: a button that looks just like the trigger button on the iPhone camera app (the unmarked circle), and a smaller button with "3s" written on it. The main button instantly triggers the camera and the secondary button offers a 3 second delay so that, if you are actually in the photo, you can click the button and have time left over to put your arms back into a more natural position. How to Remotely Review Your Photos If you want to do a quick check of the photo without running back over to the tripod, you can do so on the Apple Watch. After you take first photo, a little preview of the photo will appear in the lower left corner, seen above center. Tap on the smaller photo (just like you would in the on-phone iPhone camera application) to access the photo. Swipe back and forth to review the recently taken photos and then select "close" in the upper left corner to return to the main screen. That's all there is to it! With the built-in apps on your iPhone and Apple Watch you can take easy-peasy remotely triggered photos. You will spend more time figuring out how to keep your iPhone secured and in place than you will fussing with the app itself.