Month: April 2017

College student uses his Apple Watch to save his life after roll-over crash

Dan Uff April 28, 2017 0

(ABC2NEWS.COM) “College student Casey Bennett, 22, describes his near death experience lightly, saying he’s just happy to be alive,” Cassie Carlisle reports for WMAR-TV. “‘Airbags smell like gunpowder when they go off. I thought the car was on fire because I saw smoke and just kinda smelled something burning and I was like, ‘Oh no! Now I have to plan how to get out of this before the car explodes,’ and then I kinda like looked around and was like, okay, it’s not on fire,’ Bennett said chuckling. ‘The next thought was, you’re upside down again.’ Bennett said during the roll, his phone flew out of the center console and smacked his nose. It came to rest on the shattered windshield out of reach.”

“Once the car stopped, Bennett found himself dangling from the driver’s seat, restrained only by the seatbelt as the car rested on its side,” Carlisle reports. “‘I was trying to figure out if I could get out, and I was like nope, you’re just going to have to hang out here,’ Bennett said. It was then that he pushed one button on his Apple Watch. ‘I just pressed down this side button on here for six seconds and it called 911,’ Bennett said. The Apple Watch also sent a text to his emergency contacts letting them know he’s in trouble, as well as his location.”

“‘I’m sure someone else called 911, but it was just really cool to be able to talk to someone for six minutes because it would’ve felt like much longer, waiting, like not knowing if someone was coming,’ Bennett said,” Carlisle reports. “Firefighters helped him climb through the sunroof of the totaled Jeep Patriot, and he walked to the ambulance waiting for him. The emergency message from the watch alerted his dad who was around the corner at home, and he met Bennett at the scene then rode with him to the hospital. Once there, the watch sent another message to his emergency contacts updating his location… He sent a message to Tim Cook, thanking them for the emergency function on the watch, and he got a response saying they were glad he was okay.”

His optimism and renewed respect for his seatbelt keep him moving forward, and faith helps him trust what's around the corner.

Rumor: Apple finalizing designs for Amazon Echo rival

Dan Uff April 27, 2017 0

“The rumors saying that Apple is working on a Siri-based Amazon Echo rival are back, with a noted insider saying that Apple is currently finalizing the design for the unnamed product,” Chris Smith reports for BGR.

“‘Apple is currently finalizing designs for their Alexa competitor, expected to be marketed as a Siri/AirPlay device,’ Sonny Dickson said on Twitter,” Smith reports. “Dickson, who has a decent track record when leaking details about unreleased Apple products (especially iPhones) also said the upcoming Echo rival is ‘believed to carry some form of Beats technology, and is expected to run [an iOS variant].'”

Read more in the full article here.

Exxon Speedpass comes to Apple Watch

Dan Uff April 27, 2017 0

Now you can pay for gas at most Exxon Stations using your Speed Pass on an Apple Watch.

Just download the app from the iOS App Store. It will then install another app on the watch. The watch relies on the app on the iOS device (iPhone for example) for the actual payment transaction.

The feature should be available now.

Google Maps now lets you remember where you parked

Dan Uff April 26, 2017 0

(PCWorld.com): Ever have a mini panic attack because you couldn't remember where you parked your car? You may never have to live through that frustrating situation again, thanks to Google.

The company on Tuesday introduced a new Google Maps feature for iOS and Android that will help you remember where you parked.

On Android, tap the blue dot and press "Save your parking" to add your spot to the map. From there, you'll see a label on the map identifying where you left your car. You can tap that label to add additional details like the exact spot number, an image of your parking spot, and the amount of time before the meter expires. The app will even give you a reminder 15 minutes before your meter expires, if you enter this information. You can also send your parking location to friends.

The experience is similar on iOS: just tap the blue dot and select "Set as parking location." From there, you can tap on the parking label to share it with friends or view photos of your parking area.

Google Maps for iOS also offers an automatic parking detection feature that should make things even easier, should you choose to set it up. Connect the app to your car using USB audio or Bluetooth and your parking spot will be automatically added to the map when you disconnect and exit the vehicle, Google Maps Product Manager Jeff Albertson explained in a blog post.

The update comes after Google in January introduced a new beta Maps feature that gives you a heads up about the parking situation near your destination, so you can be mentally prepared if parking is limited. The Google-owned traffic and navigation app Waze, meanwhile, has a "where to park" feature that can help you locate a spot, as well as a "where I parked" option.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.