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Major oopsie by Mattel. Giving a new meaning to "defying gravity"

Mattel has made a major oopsie.  On the packaging of the dolls, Mattel has linked to the porn site www.wicked.com (owned by Wicked Pictures, a porn production company) instead of Wicked movie's real site, www.wickedMOVIE.com.

The intended site www.wickedMOVIE.com

A safe-for-work screenshot of www.wicked.com.  For the not safe for work screenshot, click here. 

The wrong website appears on the box of all the Mattel range of Wicked dolls, including the Glenda doll, the Deluxe Elphaba Fashion Doll, and the Madame Morrible doll (pictured below).

Madame Morrible doll (credits: Leah Kissinger on Facebook)

Video proof provided by just2goodYT

This isn't isolated to the US.  Dolls sold in the UK are also affected as shown by the pictures obtained from dolls purchased from Amazon UK.

 Glinda Fashion Doll (credit: Thu Win/The Techy)

Deluxe Elphaba fashion doll (credit: Thu Win/The Techy)

In addition to the errant misprint on the packaging, the error also appears in the manual of both the singing Elphaba (archived via Wayback Machine) and singing Glenda dolls (archived via Wayback Machine).

Picture from the review of Mattel Wicked, Singing Elphaba Fashion Doll & Accessories Amazon listing

Picture from Mattel's PDF user guide of the singing Elphaba doll

Picture from the user guide of the singing Glenda doll

As of the publishing of this post, Mattel has published an apology but has not issued a recall of the dolls.

Mattel had sent a statement to The Techy saying: 

"Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link found on the package, and obscure the link found on any instruction materials."

This would be a costly fix for Mattel because the domain www.wicked.com belongs to Wicked Pictures and was registered on July 19, 1994. The first appearance on Wayback Machine was on December 19, 1996.  Therefore, Mattel couldn't simply buy the domain.

Wicked is a film by Universal Pictures and will be released on November 22, 2024.

If you are wondering about the title, Defying Gravity is one of the main theme songs in the Wicked musical.

See this version by Idina Menzel:

The author would like to credit iamwomanhearmepour on Reddit for breaking this news.

Update: Added statement from Mattel.

Review: Samsung Fold6 folding phone

Ever wish you could have a large display on a phone that still fits in your pocket? The Samsung Fold6 is the answer.

Design

I like the way the phone "unfolds" to have a larger display. The device is a cross between a [mini] tablet and a slab phone phone.  This phone is the best of both worlds since if you need a large display, you can simply unfold it, and when not in use, it folds down to a compact device that easily fits in your pocket.

This makes it an ideal media consumption device. I found myself using the fold more than my tablet, even around the house, since it's compact enough to put in my pocket when I'm out and about and then use it to play media when I'm cooking.

Additionally, the large inner screen makes it easy to read emails, news articles, websites, and other content. No more squinting and trying to zoom around on a website.

As with other Samsung phones, the display is quite bright and vivid, and despite its size, the phone is quite light.

The large display also makes it an ideal note-taking device with an S-Pen. I've used the Fold to take notes during courses.

Performance

The phone is quite fast and doesn't display any lags.

The camera on this device is also quite decent, and you can’t tell the difference between a picture taken by the Fold and one taken by Samsung’s other flagship devices.

One drawback of the phone is that the battery is smaller compared to traditional phones at just 4400 mAH, though there are battery improvements compared to previous generations.  However, in my experience, the device lasts about a day and a half before having to charge up again.  But again, your mileage may vary depending on your use pattern and device installed.

Usability

In the Fold6, Galaxy AI is front and center, taking up space in the menu item.  I haven't fully used all the features of Galaxy AI, but I frequently use the feature to remove items like people in the background from photos that I had already taken.

Galaxy AI also has a sketch-to-image mode, which looks quite fun. I haven't used the feature extensively, but I can see where it could be useful.

One area where Samsung devices shine is the Samsung Dex feature. On my recent vacation to Scotland, I forgo my laptop and brought a touch-screen monitor, which I plugged into my phone.  This greatly reduced the number of devices I had to carry around and keep track of.  Plus, I could play media content from my phone.

Durability

One of my concerns about getting a folding phone was its durability. In my time with it, it has withstood the rigors of daily life. Unlike previous generations, the hinge looks robust, and the device folds flat, which left a small gap between the two screens.

The phone has an IP48 rating, which means it should be resistant to water and dust, for the first time.

Summary

In summary, the Fold6 is a good all-round device.  Though its battery life may not be that good or the camera that great, its biggest strength is compactness.  It offers the benefits of a large screen without the bulkiness.

Review: Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5

I received the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5  as part of a review program in return for an unbiased review.  Mobvoi had no editorial rights to my review, and they received no preview copy of the evaluation.

The watch costs £329 at the time of this review.

Pro:

• Extremely long battery life (upward of 4 days)
• Lightweight
• Activity tracker
• A highly readable secondary display
• Goes into an essential mode to save battery if there's no activity
• Syncs Do Not Disturb (DND) with phone

Cons:

• The vibration motor is a bit weak
• Proprietary charger
• No Google Assistant
• Can go into essential mode and lose connection with the watch.

Style

The product inherits the design style of previous Mobvoi watches and subtly improves on it.  For example, the two protruding crowns that graced previous Mobvoi watches are gone.  Instead, the Pro 5 has one rotating crown and one recessed button.  A single tap of the top button triggers the recently used app list.  And double pressing that top button launches Google Wallet.  The rotating crown triggers the "back" button and the button to launch the app.  Double pressing the crown launches the most recently used app.  However, you can't customize the action of the controls.  For example, you can't change the app launched by double pressing the top button.

The crown is less pronounced than the previous generation watches, so that's a step in the right direction.  In addition, the crown is now rotating and can be used to scroll through items.

The watch utilizes a low-power secondary display that is easily read under bright sunlight.  The watch face of this lower power display cannot be changed, though.

The watch band of the Pro 5 is silicone, which means it does not suffer the stress creases of the Pro 3 Ultra.  Thankfully, the band is longer than the Pro 3 Ultra.  The band of the Pro 5 measures around 10 inches.

Technology

Activity tracking

The TicWatch Pro 5 (and just about most other smartwatches), this watch tracks heart rate, steps, activity, etc.  However, it comes with a few added features.  It has IHB AFiB Detection and 24-hour stress monitoring.  A "one-click measurement" feature measures pulse, Oxygen, breathing, and stress all in one go.  As with the Pro 3, the Pro 5 didn't sense the sport that accurately, and you had to manually select the sport.  The watch can auto-detect walks, runs, and cycling, but in my experience, it only said I had walked for 1 minute, while I know I have walked for at least 10-20 min during my commute to work.

Vibration motor

The vibration motor on this watch isn't as strong as the Samsung, but it's strong enough.

Battery life

Mobvoi watches are the king of battery life, and the TicWatch Pro 5 is no slouch.  The watch's battery easily lasts 2-3 days and, for me, pushes on to the 4th day.  This means I do not have to worry about charging my watch daily.  The watch also comes with fast charging, so it doesn't have to dwell on the charger for long. It can charge the watch from 30% to 100% in under an hour.  The website says a 30-minute charge will give you 65% battery.  And this technology is not reliant on the charger since the Pro 3 Ultra charger also gives you a fast charge on the Pro 5.

Mobvoi says it would last 80 hours in normal "smart" mode.  One new feature Mobvoi introduces with the Pro 5 is the "smart essential mode."  The watch will switch to essential mode automatically.  Under Smart Essential Mode, during the scheduled time slot, your TicWatch will only switch to Essential Mode if you wear it to sleep or leave it off your wrist for more than 30 minutes.

The essential mode only uses the secondary display and allows you to see your steps and battery life along with the time and date.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 classic lasts about a day of heavy use and will often have 40% battery life at the end of the day unless I top it up during the day.

One drawback of the watch is that the TicWatch Pro 5 uses a proprietary charger.  However, this problem is not unique to the TicWatch Pro 5.  Even Samsung's wireless charger is proprietary and won't charge with ordinary Qi chargers.  However, Samsung sells a charger device that charges 2 devices plus a watch simultaneously.  And the watch can reverse charge from a Galaxy phone.

Wear OS version

The watch comes with Wear OS 3, upgradable to Wear OS 3.5.  With this change, you pair the watch with the Mobvoi Health app rather than a separate Wear OS app.  Unlike the Samsung Wear app, you can't fully customize the watch's settings through the phone.  However, like the Samsung device, TicWatch Pro 5's "do not disturb" setting syncs with the phone, which is a significant improvement over the previous watches.

Although the watch has the same apps as Google's and Samsung's Wear OS 3.5 watches, the TicWatch Pro 5 doesn't come with Google Assistant.  However, during my 2 weeks of use, I rarely used the assistant on my watch.  Although it supports control of my smart home devices, it does not support routines.  When I'm at home, I tend to use my Google Home devices anyway, and if I'm on the way, I will use my headphones to trigger the Google Assistant from my phone.

Now let's segue to software updates.  When it comes to smart devices, OS updates are just as important as hardware features.  Mobvoi doesn't have the best track record for updating their watches.  The Pro 3 and Pro 3 Ultra's promised OS 3 update was severely delayed.  And according to XDA developer, Mobvoi told a customer that the update would come in Q3 of 2023.  This spans a 3-month period from July to September.

Mobvoi released a statement on Twitter, which says the reason for the delay is due to the dual system architecture used by the E3, Pro 3, and Pro 3 Ultra:

We sincerely acknowledge your concerns and understand that you may be disappointed by the fact that our TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, TicWatch Pro 3, and TicWatch E3 have not yet been upgraded to Wear OS 3. We apologize for any inconvenience and frustration this may have caused. Our commitment to delivering the upgrade remains unwavering. We share the same enthusiasm and eagerness as you do about this upgrade.

Please allow us to clarify the reasons behind this. Our TicWatch utilizes the SDW4100 chipset and a Mobvoi proprietary dual system architecture. This necessitates further architecture upgrades and performance debugging when updating to Wear OS 3 to guarantee the highest level of software quality and user experience. Rest assured, we are actively working on this matter.

We will soon be conducting an extensive closed beta testing phase. Please stay tuned for our official announcements if you are interested in participating.

According to this post on Reddit, Mobvoi has once again slipped their Q3 deadline. 

I emailed the Mobvoi rep for their plan to update the Pro 5 to WearOS 4, and they replied to me with the following statement:

Hi,

Sorry I missed your email. For the W4 update, currently we have not received such information. We will announce it as soon as it is confirmed 

Sleep sensing

The watch comes with sleep sensing, which tracks the quality of sleep.  Compared to previous watches, the watch now comes with real-time SPO2 sensing.  Also, the watch is more comfortable to wear during sleep.

TicWatch Pro 5 Watch specs (from TicWatch website)

Physical specs

Dimensions (mm): 50.1(H) x 48.0(L) x 12.2(D)

Weight: 44.3g

Color: Obsidian (Black)

Watch Case: Metal, 7000seriese aluminum and high-strength nylon with fiberglass

Watch Strap: Solid silicone (interchangeable), 24mm.

Durability: 5ATM, Open Water Swim/MIL-STD-810H

Technical specs

Operating System: Wear OS 3.5

Chipset Platform: Snapdragon® W5+ Gen 1 Wearable Platform

Memory: RAM: 2GB / ROM: 32GB

Display: 

• 1.43 "466*466 326ppi
• Full Color Always On Display AMOLED + Ultra-low-power Display
• Corning Gorilla Anti-fingerprint Cover Glass

Connectivity: 

• Bluetooth 5.2
• Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz
• GNSS: GPS+Beidou+Glonass+Galileo+QZSS

NFC Payments: Google Pay, 13.56MHz

Battery Capacity: 628mAh (typical)

Compatibility: Android 8.0 or newer

Application: Mobvoi Health

Additional features:

• Speaker
• Mic
• Vibrator
• PPG
• Barometer
• Compass

Sensors:

• Accelerometer
• Gyro Sensor
• HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor
• SpO2 Sensor
• Skin Temperature Sensor
• Low Latency Off-Body Sensor
• Barometer
• Compass

Conclusion

Mobvoi is a champion with battery life, and their dual-display technology is extremely legible even in bright sunlight.  TicWatch Pro 5 continues this trend of excellence in the TicWatch Pro 3 and Pro 3 Ultra.  

The watch has a couple of minor negatives.  But the biggest is Mobvoi's track record regarding software upgrades.  Their TicWatch E3, Pro 3, and Pro 3 Ultra have not received the promised Wear OS 3.0 update.  Even then, Wear OS 3 is 3 generations behind Wear OS 3.5.  Plus, there is Wear OS 4 on the horizon, making Wear OS 3.0 4 generations behind.

Although I can recommend the watch based on hardware features alone, Mobvoi's updated track record is not the greatest.  And the reply from the Mobvoi rep isn't reassuring.  Therefore, I can only recommend with the caveat that the watch will be delayed in being updated to Wear OS 4 or not updated at all.  If the software is important to you, I would give this a miss.

Quick camera test Dell WB5023 vs Logitech Brio

Photograph test

Dell WB5023

Low light (no lamp)

Illuminated by lamp

Logitech Brio

Low light (no lamp)

Illuminated by lamp

Video test

Dell webcam video test

Logitech Brio audio / Video test

Samsung S23 Ultra

Original video

Conclusions

The Logitech Brio beats the Dell webcam in most conditions, despite shooting at only 1080p (2.1 MP) on a Chromebook; the Dell webcam, on the other hand, shoots at 3.7 MP (1444p) on the same Chromebook.

In addition, the audio quality of the Logitech is much better than the Dell webcam. The Dell webcam's microphone is disabled by default. According to Dell, you must enable the setting through the Dell Peripheral Manager (DPeM) software first. And the software is only compatible with Mac and Windows.

AEG 8000 Series AP81A25ULT Cordless Vacuum Cleaner review

Today I will be reviewing the AEG 8000 Series AP81A25ULT Cordless Vacuum Cleaner - Bronze.  I needed a new vacuum cleaner since I move to a new property.

Pros:

• Agile in vacuum mode
• Decent price
• Decent battery
• Light at the end to see dark spaces

Cons:

• Heavy to use one-handed and if you're trying to vacuum the ceiling
• The trash bin is tricky to open

The AEG 8000 costs £390 from AO.

I was initially considering a Dyson cordless cleaner.  I had worked for Curry's before and I liked the lightweight nature of a Dyson.  They kinda have a reputation for being one of the best cleaners.

However, the AEG gives Dyson a serious run for the money.

The vacuum picks up dirt quite well.  It is agile when vacuuming the floor.  However, it is not so comfortable for one-hand operation for cleaning ceilings and other tight spaces.

Although it seems like a gimmick, it allows me to see when I'm vacuuming in dark spaces.

The interface of the vacuum is pretty simple too.  There are only two buttons.  One to turn it on, and the other to adjust its suction strength.  The battery indicator isn't too granular and can only measure the remaining power to the nearest 30%

The cleaner also comes with a "tree" to charge and hold all the accessories.  That's rather neat and handy for those living in a small house.

However, the vacuum cleaner's bin is a bit tricky to release and re-install. In addition, you have to touch the dust a bit when removing the filter "cap" for the bin.

All in all, the device is a good device at a decent price. The pros of the device greatly outweigh the cons.

Review: Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra

Today I'm reviewing the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra worth, as of the time of this review, £267.43 on Amazon UK.   The LTE version costs £329.99.  I received the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra LTE product as part of a review program in return for an unbiased review.  Mobvoi had no editorial rights to my review and they did not receive any preview copy of the review.

Pro:

• Extremely long battery life (upward of 3 days)
• Lightweight
• Faux leather/silicon wrist strap (if that's your style)
• Activity tracker
• An extremely readable secondary display

Cons:

• Short wrist strap
• The vibration motor is meh
• Protruding side buttons
• Leather wrist strap 
• Proprietary charger
• LTE version locked to Vodafone

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra... that's quite a mouthful.  It seems the company is just tacking on words to the name.  It reminds me of this video by Mrwhosetheboss.

https://youtu.be/wadg_mLOPJQ

But I digress.  If you have the TicWatch Pro 3, the Ultra version is more or less the same as the TicWatch Pro 3.  Unlike the Pro 3, the Ultra has an internal compass.  They both have great battery life.  In fact, no watch to date beat Mobvoi's Pro 3 and Pro 3 Ultra in terms of battery longevity.

Style

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra LTE has a dual-screen display.  The second low battery secondary display reminds me of the Casio non-smartwatches.

Unlike the non-Ultra version ie TicWatch Pro 3, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra's Secondary display can change colors.  However, that setting isn't in the main watch settings and is controlled by the Essential mode app.

To change the color:

1. Open the Essential Mode app (using its launcher icon)

2. Swipe left for settings

3. Scroll down until you get the option for backlight color

Thanks to u/DYNALogix on r/WearOS

If you want to boost the brightness of the screen, you can double-click the top page button.

The LTE version is made of faux leather/silicon hybrid.  Although it looks more stylish than the non-Ultra or non-LTE version, the leather band has a few caveats.

After about two weeks of wearing, it suffered some stress on the bands, causing marks around the holes.

Also, I find the buttons a bit protruding and uncomfortable under certain conditions.  The bezels on the watch are also large, making the watch a bit bulky.  However, unlike the Samsung Watch 4, the bezels are useless; it does not have a rotating crown.  Although the crown on the Samsung may be a bit of a gimmick for some, I use it fairly often, especially when it's raining since the touches may misregister if the screen is wet.

For me, the strap was a bit small.

In fact, out of the three watches I own, the Pro 3 Ultra is one of the smallest circumference bands.  However, you can probably get bigger bands aftermarket.

Technology

Activity tracking

As with the TicWatch Pro 3 (and just about most other smartwatches), this watch tracks heart rate, steps, activity, etc.  However, it comes with a few added features.  It has IHB AFiB Detection and 24 hours stress monitoring.

The step counter was fairly accurate and was about 50 steps off from the Galaxy Watch 4.  This is a small margin of error and can be attributed to perhaps me being more dominant on the arm that I wore the Galaxy Watch 4.  One good thing about the Mobvoi watch is that it syncs with Google Fit, unlike the Samsung watch.  Samsung Watch only syncs with Samsung Health and you need a third-party app like Health Sync.  In my experience, it didn't sense the sport that accurately and you have to manually select the sport.

Vibration motor

The vibration motor on this watch isn't that strong compared to the Samsung but it's strong enough.

Synergy with phone

One feature on the Samsung that I miss is the synergy with the phone.  The Samsung Watch syncs the do not disturb mode with the Samsung Note 20 Ultra.  In addition, with the Samsung, any alarms ringing on the phone also ring on the watch, which is nice.  The TicWatch Pro 3 and Pro 3 Ultra, however, lacks this feature.

Google Assistant

Unlike the Samsung watch, the Pro 3 Ultra comes with Google Assistant.  However, during my 2 weeks of use, I rarely use the assistant on my watch.  Although it supports control of my smart home devices, it does not support routines.  When I'm at home, I tend to use my Google Home Hub Max anyway and if I'm on the way, I will use my headphones to trigger the Google assistant from my phone.

4G/LTE

Although my version provided by Mobvoi is the LTE version, it is tied to the Vodafone network.  However, there is an unofficial workaround on Reddit.  The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is slightly more open but I found out only certain networks and certain plans support the esim on the watch.  Your watch and your phone must be with the same provider.  

In other words, if you want to use the watch to make independent calls, you need to be with a certain network (on your phone) and you have to pay more to support the watch.  Last I checked, none of the supported providers support the watch on their PAYG plan.  You need to be in with a contract with the network.  There isn't a PAYG plan just for the watch.

I miss my Huawei Watch 2 when you can simply pop a sim into the smart watch and use it as a phone.

Battery life

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra has no contender in the battery life category.  It has extremely long battery life.  With its 577 mAh battery and secondary FSTN display, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is the king of battery life.  Mobvoi says it would last 72 hours in normal "smart" mode and 45 days in the essential mode.  The essential mode only uses the secondary display and allows you to see your steps and battery life along with the time and date.

Wear OS version

The watch comes with Wear OS 2.33.  However, no other smartwatch apart from the Samsung Watch 4 comes with Wear OS 3.0, so I'm not going to count this as a con, unlike other review sites.  The TicWatch Pro 3 and Pro 3 Ultra are slated to be upgraded to Wear OS 3 later this year.

Watch Specs

These are the watch details from Mobvoi's website.

Model: TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS

Dimensions (mm): 47 x 48 x 12.3

Weight: 41g

Color: Shadow Black

Watch case: Stainless steel and high-strength nylon with fiberglass

Screen: Corning Gorilla Anti-fingerprint Cover Glass

Operating System: Wear OS by Google

Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear™ 4100 Platform and Mobvoi dual processor system

Memory: 

• RAM: 1GB
• Onboard storage: 8GB

Display: 1.4“ 454x454 326ppi Full Color Always On Display AMOLED + FSTN

Connectivity: 

• Bluetooth 5.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (Wifi 4)
• GNSS: GPS+Beidou+Glonass+Galileo+QZSS

NFC Payments: Google Pay

Additional features:

• Speaker
• Mic
• Vibrator
• Barometer

Sensors: 

• Accelerometer
• Gyro Sensor
• HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor
• SpO2 Sensor
• Low Latency Off-Body Sensor
• Barometer

Battery capacity: 577mAh

Durability: IP68, Pool Swim/MIL-STD-810G

Conclusion

Mobvoi is a champion with battery life and their dual-display technology is extremely legible even in bright sunlight.  TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra continues this trend of excellence in the TicWatch Pro 3.  It has a couple of negatives though.  The watch is slightly bulky and the wristband is smaller than other watches, including the TicWatch Pro 3.  Also, unless you're with Vodafone or plan to switch to Vodafone, don't get the LTE version.  The Bluetooth version will suffice and you will save a couple of bucks as well.  For a more in-depth review, please see Brian Burriston's excellent review on Notebookcheck.net: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobvoi-TicWatch-Pro-3-Ultra-GPS-in-review-Small-update-of-a-good-smartwatch.574006.0.html.

If battery life is your main concern, get the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra.  If you have a Samsung phone and would like the greater synergy between your phone and watch, get the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 classic.

This blog participates in the Amazon affiliate program and if you buy through the links, we may earn an affiliate commission.  This does not affect the quality of the review, however.

Fossil Gen 6 Watch (FTW6078) review

Today I'm reviewing the Fossil FTW 6078, which currently sells for £255.82 (as of November 22, 2020).

Pros: 

• Stylish
• Fast

Cons:

• Battery drain (doesn't last 2 days)
• Slips off-hand if moving

Battery

Right off the bat, I would like to say, the battery of the Fossil sucks.  If you turn on background HR, you won't last 2 days.  At most the battery would last 1.5 days.  By the end of Day 1 after charging, the battery remaining was 25%.

My suspicion is confirmed with Fossil replying to my comment asking how big are their batteries.  It is only 300 mAH, which lasts up to 24 hours with normal usage

Hi. 300 mAh, 3.88V; up to 24 hours with normal usage.

— Fossil (@Fossil) November 18, 2021

When the watch reaches low power, the watch suggests switching to watch-only mode, which basically turns the smartwatch into a dumb watch that only shows the time.

The display turns off when not in use.

On the plus size, owing to the small battery size, the watch charges relatively quick.  In my experience, it charges to 100% in just like 30 minutes.

Style

There's no denying that the Fossil is stylish, and I think it would be good for formal events as a dress watch.  The watch is a bit bulky though but that's expected from smartwatches nowadays.

The turning dial is a nice touch, but I don't find it as useful.  Throughout my two-week trial, I barely used the rotating side dial.  However, I like the fact that the Fossil has two assignable buttons.

In addition, during my outdoor trials, I find the watch sliding around when I'm in motion.

 

Connectivity

The watch has the following sensors: " Accelerometer, Altimeter, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyroscope, Off-body IR, PPG Heart Rate, SPO2."  That seems to be the standard on most modern smartwatches.  The watch uses the "Wellness" app to gather data in addition to Google Fit.  The Wellness app, however, doesn't reliably update heart rate to the Google Fit servers.  Also, it does not update the SPO2 data to the Google Fit servers.  To make matters worse, the Fossil Watch does not have a companion fitness app like Samsung Health, Huawei Health, or Mobvoi Health.  With my TicWatch Pro 3, although SPO2 data doesn't upload to Google Fit, I can view it on the Mobvoi Health app, which is a good workaround.

Watch Specs

These are the watch details from Fossil's own website:

Product Details

Sku: FTW6078

Platform: GEN 6 SMARTWATCH

Case: 42 mm, Stainless Steel

Strap: 18 mm, Interchangeable

Lifestyle: Always on Display now brighter with more colours. Thousands of watch faces to personalise your look and always see the time. Hundreds of apps from assistant to fitness, payments, music, social, news, games, stop watches, and more. With a 3 ATM design and charging in about half an hour, it’s perfect for all your activities.

Health: Automatically tracks activity goals, steps, sleep, heart rate, cardio level, SPO2 (blood oxygen), and more. Activity modes with GPS keep you on track with your distance and path. Advanced sensors provide the data to power all your health and fitness apps.

Preloaded Apps: Agenda, Alarm, Battery-Optimised Activity Mode, Calendar, Cardio Level Tracking, Cardiogram, Contacts, Enhanced Phone Dialer App, Facer, Google Assistant, Google Fit (Workout, Heart Rate, Goals, Breathe), Google Maps, Google Pay™, Google Play Store, Nike Run Club, Noonlight, Smart Battery Modes, Spotify, Stopwatch, Timer, Translate, Wellness App with Sleep Tracking

---

Tech Specs

Operating System: Powered with Wear OS by Google

Compatibility: Wear OS by Google works with phones running the latest version of Android™ (excluding Go edition and phones without Google Play Store) or iOS. Supported features may vary between platforms and countries with compatibility subject to change.

Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear 4100+

Memory: 1 GB RAM, 8GB Storage

Display: 1.28" Color AMOLED / 416 x 416 / 326ppi

Input: 2 Additional Push Buttons (configurable), Rotating Home Button, Touchscreen, Voice

Sound/Actuator: Loudspeaker, Microphone, Vibration

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS, NFC SE, WiFi

Sensors: Accelerometer, Altimeter, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyroscope, Off-body IR, PPG Heart Rate, SPO2

Battery: 24 Hr + multi day Extended Mode **Varies based on usage and after updates install**. USB data cable with magnetic dock snaps to split rings on watch caseback and spins 360 degrees for ease of use. Approximately half an hour to reach 80%.

Water Resistance: 3 ATM

Watch gallery

 Concluding remarks

Personally, I think the watch is more style over function.  While stylish, the watch's short battery life is a major handicap.