sflocal

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sflocal
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  • Apple Watch Ultra is impressive, but can't replace my dive watch just yet

    sflocalsflocal
    The Oceanic+ app is also a subscription-only app and at $80 yearly, will be a dealbreaker for many.
    hodarwatto_cobra9secondkox2

  • Adding water cooling to the Mac Studio does surprisingly little

    sflocalsflocal
    I watched the video as a curiosity and it didn't disappoint.  If anything, it just reaffirmed for me the silliness that is the PC-fanboy mantra of over-complicating things.  It's silly, and in the end it proved that Apple actually did something right with thermal designs.


    FileMakerFellerolsStrangeDaysjony0

  • U-Haul reveals drivers' license details stolen in data breach

    sflocalsflocal
    Typical, inexcusable excuses.  Companies now feel this is the norm.  They will put security on the back burner as it's just too much work to protect their customers.

    Having one's driver's license information brings it that much closer to easy identity theft.

    Only way to make these companies wake up is to slam them with serious fines.  Security should be front-and-center each and every day and if they're not able to do that, they have zero business keeping our details in systems accessible on the Internet.
    muthuk_vanalingamnetroxFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra

  • Apple Watch Ultra debuts as a giant & rugged titanium model

    sflocalsflocal
    melgross said:
    sevenfeet said:
    Wcitizen said:
    Apple may call it Ultra but it’s by no mean a Pro watch. There’s still a world of difference between what the Apple Watch is able to do to support more extreme sports and activities and a true Pro watch such as a Garmin Fénix 7 or even an Amazfit T-Rex 2. And I’m saying this as a very, very long and passionate Apple user that already owned two Apple watches. The “Ultra” industrial design is only slightly better than the original design in dealing with impacts but it’s still far from the robustness that you need with a Pro watch. Sturdiness is not only about the materials used but also about the form. Battery life is another detail that is so far from what you can currently get on a Garmin or Amazfit top of the line watches (which can last for at least two weeks).
    I realize that there are still extreme applications that the Apple Watch Ultra might not be applicable for. The T-Rex 2 is a far more cost effective solution ($299) and since it's not really a proper smart watch, it can last a lot longer. A more apt comparison would be the Garmin watch. That costs $699 and has a host of extreme sports features, some that the Apple Watch Ultra can do, some of which are still exclusive to that device. And the Garmin can do limited recharge via solar cells in the design, a useful feature.

    But for me, the biggest "Holy Crap" moment was that they went ahead and built a proper dive computer watch. As someone who has been scuba diving for 25 years and my wife and teenage daughter also dive, this is a game changer. I've been looking to buy a new dive computer to replace one I've been carrying for two decades. I think I finally have the one I want. But there are some questions I have. Will it account for Nitrox or Tri-ox diving? Can you attach a radio control to determine the amount of air in your tanks (some of the better dive computers have this)? And I'm sure some more frequent dive masters and instructors will have more questions. I just got a Series 7 a year ago, so my watch isn't old. But one with a dive computer may be too good to pass up, especially since that's the amount of money I was looking to spend anyway.
    This is going to be more competitive to the higher Garmin. They go to $1,000, and are the most popular smartwatch/fitness device over $500. Since most divers don’t use Nitrox or Tri-ox, I don’t think Apple is thinking about that. I haven’t dived for years, but this should serve for most divers.
    In the keynote video while they were showing the watch during a dive, the display showed "Dive - Air" which to me implies that alternate O2 selections are available which I would think includes different O2 variations.  If it didn't, then there would be no need to display "Dive - Air" if "air" was the only option.

    I'm a scuba instructor (20+ years) and if this has the option of wireless air integration then many of us divers will go the Apple route.  As Oceanic was involved, their official response on that subject in their support forum was "not at the moment".  I think Oceanic has a transmitter that is compatible with the Ultra and is just waiting for the right time to drop that bomb.

    I bet the first thing in the morning all the executives at the other dive manufacturers are going to be in meeting rooms saying "WTF"?  This is huge in the diving industry.  I'm seriously excited to see where this goes.

    mbenz1962watto_cobra

  • Apple ditches physical SIM cards from all US iPhone 14 models

    sflocalsflocal
    ralphie said:
    I think the whole no sim tray is a deal made with US carriers to force you into their high priced roaming when traveling.  Should be investigated.
    Just stop.  Conspiracy theorists like you would be better off venting on TikTok.
    VermelhodoozydozenronnnetroxStrangeDayswatto_cobrachia