Tag Archives: TAG

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Apple and Google Agrees on Something Again – AirTags Needs Better Standards for Improved Privacy.

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Apple and Google hardly agree on many things when it comes to their consumer offerings. When we say that they hardly agree, of course we do not mean that they are always on each other’s throats on every single issue. They offer two wildly different products that arrive at the same solution most of the time. Take Android and iOS for example, both highly successful smartphone platforms that offer an app ecosystem, smart integrations, and even machine learning based digital assistants. Both platforms look vastly different and function even more so in the hands of consumers though. There is a common denominator for both Google’s and Apple’s offerings though – privacy and security.

In this case though, while Apple and Google share the same concern over privacy and security, their approach can also be quite different. Android’s privacy and security layer has a slightly different depth compared to Apple’s. The Apple Play Store and Google Play Store ensure that app developers comply to certain practices and regulations to stay relevant, but both Apple and Google offer slightly different guidelines for their app marketplaces. Still, if developers want to have their app listed on both stores, their apps naturally must comply to both Apple’s and Google’s guidelines. Not so for location tracking devices so far though.

Apple introduced a clever Bluetooth based location-tracking tool we now know as AirTags. While the AirTags were intended as a sort of keychain or tool to keep track of your things at home or as a reminder for you not to leave things in your favourite café, the reality is a little different. A few weeks after AirTags were introduced, there were reports of the tiny pucks used for stalking purposes. To be fair, while AirTags was the center of attention in many of these cases, Apple’s solution was not the one being used in privacy invasion cases. Solutions from manufacturers like Samsung got involved shortly after they were introduced. To be fair though, thanks to the sophistication of the AirTags, offenders preferred Apple’s solution.

Over the years, Apple has introduced new measures as a stop gap solution to ensure that users are not being unwantedly tracked by other individuals. One of the solutions was a sort of notification when an AirTag device that your iPhone does not recognize comes in proximity via Find My app on the iOS. But this is only a solution for AirTags, what about others in the field? This is where Google also comes in.

Google does not make their own Bluetooth based location-tracking tool, but their partnering manufacturers do. Players like Samsung, Tile, and a few others make tracking devices that can easily pair to both Android and iOS devices. That also means there needs to be a standardized specification to ensure that all the trackers are as safe as one another to use. Yes, it is a beneficial thing for us the users.

Google and Apple’s partnership in the issue of standardizing Bluetooth based locating-tracking tools is a big step forward for this segment in the industry. In one way, it allows other players in the industry to catch up to what Apple has done with their AirTags. It ensures that industry players comply to a certain standard in making these little tracking devices, meaning there will be standardized parts produced by a single or multiple manufacturers creating economies of scale allowing the technology to be a lot more accessible. Standardized parts not only ensure that the industry can be policed at higher standards, but it also offers plenty more compatibility for users. It could allow Android users to use an AirTag to track their keys, for example and vice versa.

For now, standardized specifications for these trackers are not yet a reality. Google and Apple have submitted their draft proposal to the authorities for now, which means you can only expect to see some sort of results in the coming few months. Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have expressed their support in the program, which is a good sign for the proposal. Google and Apple expects to have some sort of production guideline and implementation by the end of 2023 with support for both iOS and Android in the same timeline.

Accessories, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

TAG Heuer X Super Mario is a US$ 2,000 Smartwatch and We Are Not Sure About It

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TAG Heuer is a respectable watchmaker. They are one of the most recognisable brands in the world of watch makers and collectors. Sure, compared to brands like Patek Philippe, Hublot, and even Rolex, TAG Heuer seems to sit at a lower position. Still, they make watches that would still cost you anywhere from MYR 3,000 and above. They also made some of the most memorable collection pieces in the world of watch making.

TAG Heuer is a little different than most luxury watchmakers though. They are a little more adventurous with their branding. While plenty of watchmaking brands refrain from being title sponsors in the sporting world, TAG Heuer was aggressive in promoting their brand in the sporting world. Their most significant push was into the world of Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsports, as official timekeepers for the longest time.

They are also, to this day, the only luxury watchmaker that dabbles in the world of smartwatches. Of course, because Apple develops their own watch with a very guarded WatchOS, Samsung’s Tizen OS is also a brand exclusive, and FitBit’s interface is not exactly created for smartwatches, TAG Heuer is left with Google’s Wear OS. Then again, this is not TAG Heuer’s first Wear OS smartwatch.

SBG8A13.EB0238 STILLLIFE 2 4 5
Source: TAG Heuer

The Connected series, as they call it is the watchmaker’s only Wear OS line-up. It is still currently the only luxury Google Wear device to hit the market. With prices starting at US$ 2,000, you can have your TAG Heuer Connected built with different materials to suit your taste. Now, you can look dorky with a new Super Maria limited edition too.

Yes, to be fair, the Super Mario collaboration from TAG Heuer is not really an announcement of a new product. It is merely an expansion, or a limited edition of an existing product line. The collaboration also brings with it new watch faces exclusive to the series. They are all Super Mario inspired. With the new watch faces, you also get new notification animations, especially when you hit a fitness goal let’s say.

While it is merely just a Google Wear OS device, there are some uniqueness to a Connected that makes it somewhat desirable. It has a proper crown that rotates and pushes in as a button for easier navigation of Wear OS. It has two very well-defined button too for more navigation work on your watch. Physical buttons and knobs on a smartwatch, we think, is the best way to navigate its interface still. The TAG Heuer x Super Mario Connected watch obviously has the very recognisable Mario branding on the crown. But all Connected smartwatches comes with TAG Heuer’s signature thick bezel look and stellar build quality; those are given because, TAG Heuer.

SBG8A13.BT6254 STILLLIFE 1 1 1
Source: TAG Heuer

You can expect the TAG Heuer x Super Mario Connected smartwatch to cost north of US$ 2,000 (MYR 8,401*). It is a special limited edition after all. In a sense, the Super Mario smartwatch should also appeal to the younger crowd, which is what TAG Heuer wants anyway. There is a problem, however. That problem lies mostly with Wear OS.

Wear OS is in a weird place now. We want to say that Google’s Wear OS is undergoing a transformation journey, one that we cannot see. Google announced that they are partnering exclusively with Samsung to move Wear OS into the future. Samsung’s huge success with their Tizen OS means that they are a prime candidate to co-develop the next wearable OS with. Samsung will also be giving up Tizen OS for that matter but gaining a whole new community of developers in return.

There are rumours that the next Wear OS that is co-developed with Samsung will require a new set of hardware to properly run. That also means that older hardware like TAG Heuer’s Connected smartwatch might not be able to run Wear OS. While Qualcomm has claimed that older Snapdragon for wearables can run later versions of Wear OS, we cannot be sure until the next iteration of Wear OS hits devices.

  • SBG8A13.EB0238 LIFESTYLE JAUNE 1 ICON 16 9
    Source: TAG Heuer
  • SBG8A13.EB0238 STILLLIFE 2 16 9
    Source: TAG Heuer
  • SBG8A13.EB0238 LIFESTYLE RAINBOW 1 9 16
    Source: TAG Heuer
  • SBG8A13.BT6254 STILLLIFE 1 1 1
    Source: TAG Heuer
  • SBG8A13.EB0238 STILLLIFE 2 4 5
    Source: TAG Heuer

The TAG Heuer X Super Mario smartwatch comes with its own special edition case and obviously its own special straps. Its looks are subjective to its wearer, to be fair. To us, it looks like a regular smartwatch. It features whatever the regular Tag Heuer Connected smartwatch features too, including the current generation Google Wear OS.

It is a cool smartwatch to own if you have the money. At the same time, it might be a risky buy. Smartwatches are not statement piece material. A smartwatch must be functional as well, and of course, updated. In that case, the TAG Heuer x Super Mario Connected smartwatch’s price tag comes with a big ‘if’. It is great if it updates to the next Wear OS, it will be a glorified paper weight if it does not.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1=MYR 4.20 on xe.com as of 14/07/2021