Back to cell phone basics: Buying a non-smartphone

Back to cell phone basics: Buying a non-smartphone

For some people, smartphones and their always-on Internet connections and apps is a waste of money.

If you don't need apps or games and you can live without fast, robust access to the Net from your cell phone, then a smartphone might be expensive overkill. All four of the major U.S. wireless carriers still offer basic feature phones, which don't require expensive data plans. In this Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to a reader who is looking for one of these phones.

I also offer some advice regarding the new all-in-one desktop computers.

Going retro with a basic feature phone

Dear Maggie,

I have an AT&T iPhone 3GS. It's the worst telephone I've ever owned. And I'd say it wasn't even worth the $0 I paid AT&T for it at the time (a year ago). I have no intention of going to the iPhone 5 regardless of what's written about it. Although I get ok service here in the house I don't need a "smartphone" (I have 2 computers - one PC and one Mac laptop) and I have WiFi, so I don't need a handheld device to find places or play games or watch anything on the Internet or Google while I'm in restaurants or in the car. And I'm tired of paying AT&T for data I don't use each month just because I have an iPhone or a "smartphone" and "must" have data.

I might add that I was in the telecom industry for nearly 25 years (I worked for Sprint and MCI when there was an MCI) and the carriers are among the most rapacious greedy corporate enterprises I've ever gotten close to!

Stepping off my soapbox now. In your opinion, what's the best phone that's just a phone? I don't need to do anything but make and receive calls and do texting. I don't care about browsing or email or anything else. I just need a telephone that's simply a phone thank you very much!

Regards and thanks for your response,
Mark

Dear Mark,

While there are definitely more people switching from basic cell phones to smartphones these days, I know there are lots of people out there in your same shoes. Smartphones offer tons of functionality that many people now feel like they can't live without, but the reality is that all that functionality and that ubiquitous access to the Internet is pricey. In some ways, I think it's kind of surprising that there aren't more people asking me for this same advice.

The good news is that all the major carriers, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA, each continue to offer basic cell phones and what they call quick messaging devices that do not require data plans. The carriers recognize that there is a subset of customers who have no interest in a smartphone because it's either too complicated or too expensive. But the reality is that each of these carriers see their future in data. And they will do everything in their power to encourage as many customers as possible to sign up for smartphones that require data plans.

Overtime, I expect to see fewer of the more basic devices. But for now, carriers still offer a handful of basic phones that are either free or cost very little when you sign up for a two-year contract.

The great thing about these basic phones is that they are inexpensive. The carriers either give them away for free with a two-year contract, or you pay a minimal amount for the devices. But it's not just the upfront cost that's appealing, as you mentioned in your question, but it costs much less to own a basic phone than it does a smartphone, if you keep your services to a minimum.

For example, on AT&T, you could pay as little as $40 a month for your phone service. Compare this to the $80 a month you'd pay for the lowest amount of data you could get on AT&T's new Share Everything plan. Under that plan, the data service costs $40 a month for 1GB of data and it comes with unlimited text messaging and voice service.

Using a basic phone with no data or text messaging, could save you half. But as you start to add additional services, like text messaging and data, the cost difference is not as big. Adding unlimited texting to AT&T's basic feature phone plan is an additional $20 a month. And if you also wanted to add data, it would cost an additional $10 a month. (Data for feature phones is $15 a month if you subscribe to that without unlimited text messaging.) In total, if you wanted 450 minutes of voice service, unlimited text messaging and unlimited data for a feature phone, you'd pay $70 a month. That's only $10 less a month than you'd pay for smartphone, and you'd be getting much less in terms of the service and functionality of the device.

That said, it can offer some savings. And if you don't plan to subscribe to the data or you are not a heavy text messaging user, a basic phone that doesn't require a data contract is a good option.

My colleague Jessica Dolcourt recently updated her "best of" list in this category.

Here are her top choices:

• Kyocera DurXT (Sprint)
• Samsung Gusto 2 (Verizon Wireless)
• Samsung +159 (T-Mobile)
• LG Rumor Reflex (Sprint)
• Samsung Entro (Virgin Mobile)

If you want more information on each of these phones, check out her story and the reviews of these devices.

As you can see from her list, none of these devices are available for AT&T. Since you are an AT&T customer, I have listed a few devices here that I think offer pretty good value and functionality.

Josh Miller/CNET

Pantech Swift

The Pantech Swift has a QWERTY keyboard that slides out and has an angled screen. It also has a touch screen that offers some icons for accessing some of the basic features and functionality. But CNET's reviewers Jessica Dolcourt and Lynn La were not impressed with the processor speed. And they said the touchscreen is unresponsive. Even though they don't recommend this device highly, they seem to think the Pantech Swift is the most appealing Pantech handset on AT&T with a keyboard. AT&T is currently selling it for $0.99 with a two year contract.

Pantech Renue Josh Miller/CNET

Pantech Renue

The Pantech Renue is another touch screen device with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. But CNET reviewer Jessica Dolcourt said she isn't a fan of the speakerphone or the mediocre camera. What's more, the Renue has a short battery life that many consumers have complained about in their own comments and reviews of the device. While the keyboard is nice for heavy texters, she said that the short battery life and underdeveloped camera are setbacks. AT&T sells this device for $49.99 with a two-year contract.

LG A340 LG

LG A340

The LG A340 is a standard flip-phone from AT&T. This is one of the most basic, barebones devices on AT&T's network. It's equipped with enhanced audio technology for users who are hard of hearing and it has Bluetooth so it can be used with a wireless headset and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Other features include "Text to Speech" functionality that lets you listen to your text messages as they're read aloud to you. It also comes with AT&T radio. With a two-year contract, this phone is only $19.99.

LG Xpression AT&T

LG Xpression

The LG Xpression is another touch screen phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It has a 2-megapixel camera with video, a personal organizer, Bluetooth 2.1, messaging and e-mail, 3G support, microSD card support (up to 32GB), voice dialing, a Web browser, and a basic music player. The device runs LG's standard operating system, but it also includes some social networking apps, as well as AT&T Navigator and LG Instant Note, which allows easy one touch updates to Facebook, Twitter or for sending a text messages. The Xpression is now $29.99 with a two year contract.

I hope this advice and the device suggestions were helpful. Good luck!

New computer advice

Dear Maggie,

I want to buy a 27" Windows 8 All-In-One for my parents, but don't really know which one is best for them. They're not tech whizzes (though they do like to experiment and learn new things), but they need it to work well and perform smoothly for the next five or more years. Which one(s) would you recommend on a $1500-$2000 budget?

Thanks a bunch,
Josh

Dear Josh,
The CNET Reviews team likes the Dell XPS One 27 the best. You may also want to consider Apple's 27 inch iMac. It's a bit more expensive, but with a budget of $2,000, it's doable.

CNET Reviews editor Rich Brown also has written about finding the best 27-inch all-in-one desktop, where he compares the Dell to the models that Apple offers. So you should check out his story, as well.

You might also want to consider the Lenovo IdeaCenter all-in-ones. Right now they only support Windows 7. But if you wait a few more weeks, you'll likely find more all-in-one computers available running Windows 8.

I hope this was helpful. And good luck!

Ask Maggie is an advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. The column now appears twice a week on CNET offering readers a double dosage of Ask Maggie's advice. If you have a question, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me an e-mail at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put "Ask Maggie" in the subject header. You can also follow me on Facebook on my Ask Maggie page.

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• Back To Cell Phone Basics Buying A Non Registered
• Back To Cell Phone Basics Buying A Non Certified
• Back To Cell Phone Basics Buying A Non Smartphone
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• Back To Cell Phone Basics For Beginners
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What is the strategy for wordle is there a strategy to wordle create your own wordle create my own wordle how to complete wordle wordle first two words wordle ordsky wordle org free game wordle original free

Wordle: Our Simple 2-Step Strategy

Wordle: Our Simple 2-Step Strategy

Wordle  has been keeping me up at night. Literally. I almost always stay awake past midnight to solve a new puzzle.

The game has gotten all the more satisfying for me since I developed a new, two-step strategy that really seems to work every time. My win streak is at 32 now, and maybe that's nothing to you, but it's a personal best for me. I thought I'd talk you through my strategy so you can start a winning streak of your own (or keep yours going for days to come).

If you're reading this, Wordle needs no explanation to you. The puzzle was invented by Josh Wardle (Wardle -- Wordle, get it?) and bought for big bucks by The New York Times back in January. The online game gives you six chances to guess a randomly selected five-letter word, and if you get correct letters, they show up in different colors, depending on if they're in the right spot in the word or not. It's addictive and fun.

I stuck to the same starter words for a long time, and they'd usually work for me. I was a longtime user of "ADIEU" to get in a ton of vowels, and I would often move on to "STORY," to get the two other vowels (sometimes Y!) and some other major consonants going. And that strategy is still a solid one. I may go back to it if I feel I'm in a rut.

Hop on the 'TRAIN'

But these days, I'm starting every Wordle round with "TRAIN," and then moving on to "CLOSE."

TRAIN is pretty self-explanatory if you've studied which letters are most commonly used in English words. All five of the letters in TRAIN are among the top seven letters used.

All I know is that nearly every time I use TRAIN as a starter word, I get a couple correct letters, often in the right spot. And it's an easy to remember starter word for sure.

CLOSE as a second choice is interesting. It gets two more vowels out of the way, and C, L and S also turn up in the top 10 most-used letter list. Sometimes, though, I get zero correct letters out of CLOSE. But believe it or not, that helps me, too. Then I'm able to look at the keyboard showing me which letters I haven't yet guessed, and choose a word that uses any correct letters plus any major consonants I haven't yet guessed.

Correct letter, wrong spot

If you've got a correct letter, but don't know which spot it should go in, you can have some fun with your third guess. If you know that you have an F but not where it goes, guess a word with a lot of Fs, like "FLUFF." That way, you can at least determine if there's an F in three of the five spots. Remember, too, that there may be more than one of the same letter used.

X marks the spot

Here's one more oddball tip. If I have just a couple of letters in the right spot, I personally need to see how the word looks. So I type in the correct letters I have, plus Xs for each letter I have no clue about. If I know the word ends in "ON" from my guesses, I type in XXXON. Then I study the unguessed letters in the keyboard and mentally picture them where the Xs are. (I don't enter these words as guesses, I just look at them for ideas, then backspace over them and delete.)

If I know there's another letter, say an B, somewhere in the mix, I might try typing it in all the empty spots -- BXXON, XBXON, XXBON -- and see if I can picture what words work. Remember, the Xs don't stand for X, they stand for "I don't know this letter."

If the Xs make it too confusing, you can also just write down the options using blanks. That might give you a better view of possibilities. I choose an X because I like to type it right into the Wordle grid, and X seems the most like a blank to me. Since these attempts aren't really words, there's no danger of me accidentally hitting enter and wasting a guess by mistake.

There you go. That's my new Wordle process. It may not be the perfect strategy. But I almost always find myself in a good place after two rounds of guessing. 

For more Wordle tips and tricks, here's a roundup of excellent strategies. Plus, New York Times Games has released a new way to play Wordle. If you're done with Wordle for the day, try these other addicting puzzle games.

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Road trip essentials for adults best summer road trip road trip essentials for teens road trip essentials for adults essentials for long road trips summer road trip ideas fun road trip essentials 10 roads trucking 10 roads trucking greensboro nc 10 roads logistics llc

10 Road Trip Essentials for Summer Travel

10 Road Trip Essentials for Summer Travel

Road trips are awesome: Endless highways let you go anywhere and just about everywhere. From the oceans to the mountains, and every variation of flat farmland, rocky valley and scenic vista along the way, it can be all kinds of grand adventure. 

Whether you're planning on a few days, a few weeks or multiple months, the right road trip gear can make or break a trip. What follows isn't a list of gadgets, though there are a few. Instead, it's a mix of easy-to-find items, some essential apps and services and a handful of tips that will make your trip go a lot smoother. It's also mostly focused on the "road" part of "road trip," though some of these summer road trip essentials will work just fine if you're jetsetting. I hope you've got your camping and hiking gear sorted already, if that's your thing.

And who am I to offer advice? A lover of road trips. Last year I did a 10-week, 10,000-mile road trip around the US. This year, a 9,900-mile adventure that hit nine national parks. Before that, I took multiple trips across and around the US, Europe, Australia and more. Yeah. I love road trips.  

Understandably, there will be variations on what you need depending how long you're going, where you're going, your mode of travel and how many people are with you. I don't expect everyone to drive for 10 weeks in a Miata, though if you have the chance, I'd highly recommend it.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Download maps for use offline

I think it's fair to say most of us take for granted that we'll have mobile data wherever we go. Depending where your road trip takes you, you might not. If you stick to the interstates, you're probably fine. But if you want to take some incredible two-lane backroads, perhaps not. 

It's easy to download Google Maps so you can still figure out where you're going, even if you don't have data. Simply search for where you're going such as "Wrangell-St, Elias National Park." Swipe up twice so the location info fills the screen. Tap the triple vertical dots in the upper right and select download offline map. Then select the area you'll be covering on your drive. 

GPS location info doesn't require a data connection, only a reasonably clear view of the sky. As long as the maps are already loaded, you can navigate on roads and even from many trails.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Consider an unlimited data upgrade

If you're usually within Wi-Fi range, you probably don't realize how quickly certain activities can eat up your data. Music, for instance, is only a fraction of the data required for video, but listening nonstop for six hours each day during a drive can quickly nuke your plan's included data. 

If your provider has an unlimited option, it's worth considering. Some, like Google Fi, let you swap to an unlimited plan any month you want. I also like Google Fi because it has no international roaming in case your road trip is really epic. Check your current provider if you don't already have unlimited data.

Alternately, consider downloading music/podcasts/audiobooks when you're on Wi-Fi and then turn off your data connection in the car (though make sure you download the maps first!).

We've rounded up the best unlimited data plan options for the three major US carriers.

Check out Best Unlimited Data Plans for 2022 for more..

Scosche/CNET

Cars have come with USB plugs for years now, but you've probably noticed they don't recharge your phone very quickly. Some do, in which case you can probably ignore this gadget. If yours doesn't, or if you have more devices than charge ports, consider a separate USB plug for your "cigarette lighter" outlet. The better ones, like the Anker PowerDrive Speed Plus and Scosche CPDCA38 can output enough power to rapidly charge your devices. I've had an older, slower version of the latter and it's worked great for years.

If your car has Android or Apple Auto, these typically require a physical connection between the car and the phone, which precludes the use of a cigarette adapter.

Amazon

This isn't strictly a "road" essential, but I recommend one for any kind of travel. A reasonably-sized USB battery, say 10,000 mAh or so, that can fast charge your phone or other devices can be handy in many situations and a lifesaver in others. 

There are infinite sizes, shapes and colors. I don't recommend the smallest ones because they're more for emergencies and usually only give you a partial charge. I also don't recommend really massive ones as they're just heavy to lug around. A 10,000-mAh battery can charge your phone from empty multiple times. There's no "perfect" size, but it's worth starting there to figure out what you need.

I've traveled with various batteries for years. My current pick is the Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux because it's small, but has high capacity and charges my phone rapidly via USB-C. 

Windex/CNET

These were the MVP of my road trip last year: They're wet wipes, but for windows. Why are they on a list of essentials? Because there's only so much windshield wipers can do: Some bugs and grime are just too much for them to handle. These work great on even the most gruesome bug guts. 

The package is resealable too, so you can keep them tucked beside your seat for when they're needed.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

The majority of Americans live within a road trip's distance of at least one national park, often several. No matter where your road trip is headed, check if it passes near one. They're all good and worth a visit. 

Some are free, but most have an entry fee around $30 or so. Or you can get the annual National Park pass, also called the America the Beautiful or Interagency pass. This gets you in over 2,000 federal lands. Three visits to any park should let it pay for itself. 

You can get them at the park's entrance or on the USGS and REI websites.

If you are considering visiting a national park this year, check out top tips for visiting them.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst? If you have room for it, some kind of roadside emergency kit is probably a good idea. I say "probably" since the better option for most people is a AAA membership, so your phone and a USB battery pack will keep you covered. I mean, does your car even have a spare tire? Mine doesn't. It comes with wishful thinking and a phone number.

But it's possible your adventure will take you away from cell coverage, and that's a bad place to get a flat or have a breakdown. The Lifeline kit linked here is decent, for what it is. To be honest, though, I'm not sure how useful these really are. None of the items in this kit are a bad idea, per se, but will you use them even if you do break down? You can get a first aid kit separately (and you should). Same for a tire inflator. But is there anyone out there that knows enough about car repair to need a crappy screwdriver and wrench set? If so, wouldn't they already have quality tools? Do you know how to safely connect jumper cables so you don't accidentally blow up a car battery? If you said "positive to positive, negative to negative," don't buy jumper cables. Call for help.

So yeah, I feel like a USB battery pack and a AAA membership are far more useful for most people for most road trips. But hey, if you know you're going to be driving into the unknown, it's worth considering… but if you're that advanced I'd assume you already have the right gear. 

If you want some other options, check out our best emergency kits for cars.

AAA

There's one annual bill that's permanently on my "always renew" list: my AAA membership. I've only had to use it a handful of times, but it's a peace of mind that's easily worth its cost. And it's not even that expensive. Get towed once and you've paid for your membership for several years. 

And it's not just towing. They'll help you change a flat, give your car a jump and more. This is a no-brainer.

There are a ton of choices for cameras, and for most people I'd actually say your phone is fine. An expensive camera isn't going to take better pictures if you don't know how to use it. Also, you can take great photos with your phone.

If you have an older phone or want something more for rugged travel, a GoPro can take great photos and videos and doesn't cost a ton. The Hero 9 and 10 are very similar, though the 10 is a little easier to use as it has a faster processor. I used the 9 on my trip last year, and the 10 on my trip this year, and the 10 annoyed me way less and didn't lock up as much.

I actually did a whole article about this topic: Best Camera Gear for Your Next Road Trip.

Geoff Morrison/CNET

This is a bit tricky as your car and needs are probably different from mine. If you do get a GoPro, having somewhere to mount it in the car can get you some epic shots. There are a bunch of options. A suction cup mount is a good place to start. I like this one as it's inexpensive, but can pivot and swivel in just about any direction.

I also have an antenna mount I like a lot. You can see it with a long selfie stick attached with a 360 camera on top in the image above. It's from CravenSpeed and for the Miata, but they might have a version that fits your car.

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As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

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Is bluey a good show for kids bluey shows for kids is bluey a good show why bluey is the best kids show why bluey is the best show why bluey is the best kids show is bluey a good show for kids why bluey is the best show why blue is the best color why blue is the best color why blue is the warmest color why blue is so rare

Why Bluey Is the Best Children's TV Show on the Planet

Why Bluey Is the Best Children's TV Show on the Planet

When my oldest son was 3, he watched one of the consensus worst animated movies, Planes: Fire and Rescue, roughly four times a week. 

To be clear, this is a conservative estimate. An estimate designed to make myself feel better. An estimate to make you think I'm less of a horrorshow parent than I actually am. The actual number? I don't know. I don't want to know.

Kids have terrible taste in everything. And, if given the opportunity, tend to watch the same thing – over and over – until every frame is emblazoned like TV burn-in, directly on their hippocampus. I know. I've been here. Friends, I have suffered.

I am here to rescue you from this burden. 

I am here to tell you about Bluey.

Bluey is an Australian-made kids TV show about a family of anthropomorphic dogs who walk, talk and act like human beings. It premiered on ABC (Australia's version of the BBC) back in 2018 and slowly, but surely, began taking over the planet ever since. 

Bluey is the best kids TV show I have ever watched and I am obsessed with it.

Available to watch on Disney Plus in the US, Bluey is aimed at preschool children but I regularly watch it with both of my children, now aged 6 and 9. 

I definitely haven't been watching episodes by myself when the kids are at school. 

But if I was watching episodes of Bluey by myself when the kids were at school, I'd blame its uniquely calming aesthetics. I'd tell you about its commitment to quality in all its facets. I'd tell you the show regularly brings me to tears, with its relatable, yet courageous insights into family life and its lessons about what it's like to be a parent -- or just part of a family -- in the 21st century. 

Camping is my favourite episode, but there are so many classics! 

Disney Plus

Surface level explanations of the show's quality don't do it justice. Bluey is a show about a family doing everyday family things, but it's the execution that counts. An episode about playing on a trampoline with your kids becomes a quiet reflection on how work inevitably encroaches on the joy of parenthood. An episode about a baby's first steps forces parents to confront the perils of being competitive with other moms and dads. Bluey is so delicately balanced that lessons rarely feel forced and come enriched with humor that transcends age barriers. Bluey is funny no matter how old you are, and never in a – shhhh – this is an adult joke wink-wink way, but in an accessible, democratic way that keeps everyone on board. 

Some episodes hit on a level that you truly don't expect. One episode, titled Camping, explores the strange nostalgia of a short-term vacation friend. I was sobbing by the end. Any episode where the kids dress up as "grannies" is hysterical and I challenge any mother to watch Sleepytime and leave with dry eyes. Fathers will find a role model in Bandit, maybe the best father in television history. He's creative, charming, and has me challenging my own assumptions about what it means to be an effective dad in 2022. Bandit is the north star and we're all left trailing in his wake. 

Ultimately Bluey is the rarest of shows. It speaks directly to parents without alienating children. It has lessons to teach but never patronizes or oversteps the mark. It's perfectly balanced and endlessly rewatchable. There's never been a kid's show like Bluey, Almost every episode is operating at the level of a high quality Pixar short. Watch it immediately. You won't regret it. For real life.

Just don't blame me if your kids start speaking with Australian accents. 

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Wear same clothes everyday what is a pair of pants two pair of pants this is a pair of pants why are pants called a pair this pair of pants wear the same clothes more we wear the same shirt wear the same clothes more two pair or pairs wearing the same clothes wearing the same clothes every day

Wearing the same pair of pants for a year straight connected me to my past

Wearing the same pair of pants for a year straight connected me to my past

"We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" -- Matt Smith as Doctor Who

The lines on our faces. The scars on our bodies. The electric white of worn denim in the crook of our knees. I was reminded recently why I love raw denim, a fabric that hasn't been treated, prewashed or distressed. My raw-denim jeans start off as a deep, dark blue. As I wear them, a faded line curves along the shape of the pocket knife in my front left pocket. Threads poke out on the seams. An oval of ivory forms on my right knee. My jeans are a story.

That story starts decades ago in Galesburg, Illinois, with two kids running across the lawn of our childhood home. It's me chasing after my older brother Ara. I'm dressed in his hand-me-downs: a striped shirt and red corduroy pants rolled way up at the cuffs. I'm his shadow. I don't want to wear dresses. I want to wear what my brother wears. I want to be like him. All these years later, I haven't changed. It's jeans and T-shirts for us both.

I'm 365 days into wearing the same pair of jeans. (Don't worry. I do wash them.) Along with hundreds of others around the globe, I am participating in a jeans-wearing competition called the Indigo Invitational. One year. One pair of raw jeans that started as pure, unadulterated denim.

My pants are surviving thanks to my amateurish patch jobs. I love these jeans and this "denim-head" community more than ever. It's now the final day of the competition, and it's bittersweet. 

When crotch shots are OK

I'm not a crotch shot kinda person, but on March 22, 2021, I posted one to a Facebook group. I took a closeup of the nether regions of my jeans (I wasn't wearing them at the time) where a series of faded spots were starting to show through the fabric, threatening to leave unseemly holes in the crotch (known in the denim-head community as a "crotch blowout"). My post asked for help battling the breakthroughs. The denim denizens of the Indigo Invitational Fade Competition Facebook page didn't bat an eye.

I received a sweet outpouring of suggestions (use old tea towels for patches, find a good denim repair shop) and encouragement. The responses gave me the motivation to get to work on saving my jeans myself. I'm a sewing hack. But it's working. I'm doing my own repairs and my jeans persevere. 

It helps that denim is such a small-d democratic fabric.

Brian Szabo, Indigo Invitational co-founder

Indigo Invitational co-founder Bryan Szabo, a freelance writer and editor who lives in Budapest, Hungary, has pondered why this diverse international group of jeans aficionados is so darn friendly.

"It helps that denim is such a small-d democratic fabric. Though it used to have strong blue-collar and rebellious associations, those connections have largely faded," he tells me. "We're all connected by our love of denim, and I think that the members of the community understand that that love is a beautiful and fragile thing." 

This is the second year of the Indigo Invitational. In Year One, 115 "faders" (dedicated wearers who enjoy watching their jeans fade over time) signed up, and 65 finished. Year Two -- which kicked off on Oct. 1, 2020 -- had 850 registrants. Dedicating yourself to wearing a single pair of jeans for months on end and then submitting photographic proof every month isn't easy. There's a high attrition rate. As of July, there were just under 400 competitors still in the mix for Year Two. I'm one of them, and my pants continue to tell their story. My story.

My big brother Ara and me. I've always wanted to be just like him. I later received those pants he's wearing, as a hand-me-down.

Amanda Kooser/CNET

Thanks, brother

My brother isn't participating in the Indigo Invitational, but he's the reason I am. In 2012, our late stepdad (we called him "Pop") sent Ara a pair of raw-denim Tellason jeans, made in California. Pop was like that. He was a librarian, who adored research, and had somehow researched himself into the chill little corner of the fashion world where denim-heads dwell. 

I saw my brother's jeans, how they held together, how they faded, how they became unmistakably his, and I wanted that for myself.

This was in keeping with my history as his little sister. I always followed along in his wake, climbing into apple trees, examining colorful rocks on the ground, crawling into caves. He was -- and still is -- an explorer, a vision of what shy, quiet me could become if I only followed his path. That impulse hasn't changed decades later. But there was no way short, lady-hips me was going to fit into my grown lanky brother's hand-me-down jeans, so I had to find my own way into raw denim.

I was tired of fast fashion -- cheap, mass-produced clothes that don't last -- and of jeans that fall apart in mere months. My thighs rub together when I walk, and I would burn through jeans by way of crotch blowouts where the thin fabric would just break apart, usually when I was out in public. 

My first pair of raw denim was from Canadian brand Naked and Famous. In 2016, I bought "The Straight" in a fabric described as a "12.5 oz indigo rope dyed Japanese selvedge denim, woven on vintage shuttle looms in a right hand twill construction." You don't have to know what that all means, just know it was a door into a new world for me.

Sisterhood of the raw-denim pants

Raw denim, which goes against the fashion trends of pre-faded, pre-ripped, pre-softened jeans, would be a lonely place for women if it weren't for the internet. Most faders are guys, who have a million more denim options to choose from. Only a select few manufacturers make raw jeans for women. 

Suzy Marnell is a self-described military brat, who lives in Texas with her husband and three young boys. I know her through the Indigo Invitational Facebook group, where she's been posting photos of her Brave Star competition jeans and the repairs she's made to keep them in the competition. 

Marnell knows what it's like to live our double lives as jeans aficionados embraced by an internet community, but with few real-world jeans buddies who share our passion. "I have a ton of online friends I have made over the years through Instagram and Facebook raw-denim groups, but the majority of my friends in real life have no idea that I am such a nerd for denim," Marnell said. 

Indigo Invitational competitor Suzy Marnell did her own repairs on her denim.

Suzy Marnell

Like me, Marnell has lasted into the final month of the competition. She credits her fascination with the evolution of her jeans for keeping her engaged. She describes her experience as a woman in the raw-denim community as "entirely positive." But we can commiserate on the biggest challenges of being women faders: It's hard to find a pair that fits just right. 

"I think that discourages a lot of people, especially women," she said. But when you do find that right fit, it's magic. It becomes your second skin, your collaborative storyteller. 

One competitor shares a photo to the Facebook group of his legs. It highlights the "stacks," the pile-up of denim above his boots that happens when the pants are long and not cuffed. He had locked himself out of his car and was passing the time enjoying the white fades developing in the material. There's a dad in the group who joined the Indigo Invitational along with his daughter. At the start of the competition, they took photos together along a railroad track, arms around each other, new denim crisp in the glowing sunlight.

Szabo estimates the denim-head community is only about 5% female, but he's seen an uptick in interest over the last few years and hopes denim brands will take notice of a growing following of dedicated women.

"The more [jeans-makers] work on their fits and fabrics, tailoring each to the female form, the easier it will be for us to bring more women into this community," he said. "Once they find a pair that fits them right, the female experience of raw denim is nearly identical to the male one. It's revelatory. There's no going back."

Revelatory. I can attest to that. It doesn't matter whether I look cool to anyone else wearing raw denim; it makes me feel cool. That's saying a lot considering the awkward kid I was: the one wearing oversized Doctor Who T-shirts and begging my mom for a pair of Keds and a Guess bag so I could look just a little bit like the popular girls at school who wore oversized jean jackets, listened to Paula Abdul and had tons of friends. 

To wash or not to wash

But enough about my history. Let's get into how this whole one-jeans/one-year thing works. For starters, yes, I absolutely have worn the same pair of jeans every single day since Oct. 1, 2020. I've worn them to band gigs, while planting summer squash in the garden, while climbing the ladders at Bandalier National Monument, while fossil hunting in the Manzanita mountains, while standing at my computer for hours and hours. 

Here were my jeans, brand new, a year ago -- dark and crispy.

Amanda Kooser/CNET

I have worn these jeans so much that I'm now sewing patches into the crotch and stringing thread into the thin spots. Others in the competition are doing the same. I see updates on Facebook, where some of the most dedicated members are women posting their pants progress across the months. At this point in the competition, our jeans are showing the strain of so much time and motion.

It's not a requirement to wear your Invitational jeans every day, but most competitors strive to log as much time as possible. Some sleep in their pants. Some don't wash them. At all. They lay them out in the sun or spot-clean them to keep the funk-odor at bay. It's a way to get high-contrast fades that show the stark difference between the dark blue indigo and the white weft hidden in the threads. These are showstopper fades. Desirable fades. Real lookers.

Here is the same pair now. My flashlight has worn a hole through my denim. You can also see the faint outline of a coin on the smaller pocket.

Amanda Kooser/CNET

The whole "to wash or not to wash" question can be a heated topic. 

Here's how Szabo does it: "I try to make it to around the 200-wear mark before washing them for the first time, but making it this long isn't exactly easy in the summer, when I'm more active and tend to get my hands (and jeans) dirty." His ultimate advice is perfectly practical: If your jeans stink, wash them.

I've washed my Care Label jeans eight times so far. I do not have electric fades. Mine are what are called "vintage fades," where there's an overall lived-in and worn look to my pants. This will have an impact on my potential performance in the Indigo Invitational, where an international panel of eight judges (denim bloggers and influencers) and community voting will decide who has the best pants at the end of the year. 

"It's hard to ignore high-contrast fades. They're difficult to achieve, and they really jump off the screen at you," Szabo tells me. He expects those sort of fades will perform well this year, where one of the top prizes is a week-long trip to Japan, a country famous for raw-denim manufacturers and brands. That reward is sponsored by denim makers Soso, which is putting up $1,500 for airfare and a hotel stay. Other sponsors have pledged gift certificates, jeans, jackets and custom denim for winners.

I'm here for the camaraderie, to know I'm not alone in this, and for the incentive to focus in on a single pair of jeans.

I ogle eye-popping fades and think "Wow!" But I wouldn't trade my beat-up, lake-blue, multi-washed jeans for anything. I'm not here for the prizes. I'm here for the camaraderie, to know I'm not alone in this, and for the incentive to focus in on a single pair of jeans. And I'm here to be like my brother, and to be a cooler kid now than I was back when it felt like popularity mattered.

I'm taking Szabo's advice: "We urge all competitors to run their own race. Don't try to match your fades to those that appear to be the frontrunners. Tell a story that is yours and yours alone."

Listen to the pants

My jeans have something to say for me. They talk about how I keep my Google Pixel 3A in my back left pocket where it leaves a faded rectangle. They talk about how I like to be prepared, as you can see by the pocket knife fade in the front left and the cylindrical fade of a tiny flashlight on the right. The hushed tones of my right-knee fade speak of me kneeling in the ground, pushing morning glory seeds into the dirt. A UK public-libraries pound coin in the coin pocket etches a secret white circle into the fabric, telling of my love of reading and writing

"Denim is a storytelling fabric like no other," Szabo said. 

When you buy jeans that have already been blasted or pre-faded or distressed, you're wearing someone else's tale. When you put on a new pair of raw-denim jeans, you're holding the pen and it's the first word in the first sentence of the first chapter of a yarn of your very own.

---

Source

Apple Watch: It's been 5 years since my original review, and it holds up

Apple Watch: It's been 5 years since my original review, and it holds up

I'd love to say that when I first put on the Apple Watch, I'd never seen anything like it before. But of course, that's not true. By late 2014 I'd been surrounded by smartwatches for a few years. So when Apple announced it was making its own watch, my thought (as so often with Apple) was: finally.

The first smartwatch I reviewed at CNET was the Martian Passport, an analog watch that could make phone calls. It sounds so primitive now, but it was cool in early 2013. The Pebble Watch followed, and the Steel version became my favorite: It was like a Casio watch turned into a useful little pager-assistant. It was simple and had long battery life, and it was great.

There were others, too: Samsung's first smartwatches were ambitious (a camera?). Google's first Android Wear watches arrived in 2014. Meanwhile, there were Fitbits and Jawbone trackers galore.

I say this to lay the groundwork for the Apple Watch and what its impact was. Like the iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, the Apple Watch wasn't the first smartwatch... but it made the biggest footprint. It was another step validating that a world of wearables was here to stay. 

I was able to wear the Apple Watch a month before it went on sale. I spent a ton of time with it, getting used to both how it handled phone calls, and the activity tracking rings. I looked at my heart rate measurements. I accidentally ordered an Xbox One with an early Amazon app.

The Watch was, much like the first iPhone, sometimes feature-limited. But it also had some features that already stood out.

My original review was updated a year later, which you can read here. Some parts have changed, clearly, and Apple has updated the OS. But I'll comment on what I wrote then, and how I felt, and how that's evolved. Quotes from the original review are in italics.

The gold Apple Watch, way back when.

James Martin/CNET

An excellent design, with luxury overtones

Apple wants you to think of the Apple Watch as fine jewelry. Maybe that's a stretch, but in terms of craftsmanship, there isn't a more elegantly made piece of wearable tech. Look at the Apple Watch from a distance, and it might appear unremarkable in its rectangular simplicity compared with bolder, circular Android Wear watches. It's clearly a revamped sort of iPod Nano. But get closer, and you can see the seamless, excellent construction.

The first Apple Watch came in aluminum, steel and ramped all the way up to a gold model costing more than $10,000. Compared to other smartwatches, it screamed luxury.

Certain touches felt luxurious, too: the fine-feeling Digital Crown, which spun ever so smoothly like a real watch part, for instance. The OLED display, which was a first for an Apple product, looked crisp and bright.

The most amazing part, maybe, were the watch bands. Apple created a really nice series of specially designed straps, from a steel link to a clever magnetic Milanese mesh that were extremely expensive and impressively engineered. 

Its watch face designs were great, too, and they integrated some information from the iPhone that aimed to add at-a-glance ease of use. There was a Mickey Mouse watch face that danced! The Solar face showing sunrise and sunset, and the astronomy face that showed planetary alignments and moon phases, felt like magic. I wanted more, but Apple's assortment of watch faces was limited, and it didn't allow for third-party watch face design. That's still the case now.

A lot of the Apple Watch reminded me of the strides Apple began with the iPod Nano, which also had watch mode... and a Mickey Mouse watch face.

Sarah Tew

New technologies at first: fantastic haptics, a force-sensitive display

All Apple Watches have a new S1 processor made by Apple, that "taptic" haptic engine and a force-sensitive and very bright OLED display, which is differently sized on the 38mm and 42mm models. The watch has its own accelerometer, gyrometer and heart-rate monitor, but no onboard GPS. It uses Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz Wi-Fi to connect to your phone or your home network. There's a built-in speaker and microphone, but no headphone jack.

As I wore the watch on the first day, I felt a rippling buzz and a metallic ping: one of my credit card payments showed up as a message. Apple's "Taptic Engine" and a built-in speaker convey both a range of advanced taps and vibrations, plus sounds. Unlike the buzz in a phone or most wearables, these haptics feel sharper: a single tap, or a ripple of them, or thumps.

Sometimes the feelings are too subtle: I don't know if I felt them or imagined them. My wrists might be numbed from too many smart devices. I set my alerts to "prominent" and got sharper nudges on my wrist.

The first watch introduced some ideas that eventually made their way to other iPhones. A "taptic engine" delivered on some amazingly refined vibration effects, ranging from a purr to a ping to a gentle tap. These were way ahead of what anybody else was doing -- and they weren't just a gimmick. The notification types associated with unique vibrations felt distinct. Sometimes, the vibrating taps on the first Watch weren't as powerful as I wanted. But with later updates, the haptics made parts of the interface seem real: virtual wheels, clicking as if moving with invisible gears.

The more advanced haptics made their way to the iPhone next, making us used to them now. Other phones, game consoles like the Nintendo Switch, and VR accessories, have evolved haptics since, but the Apple Watch was the first mainstream device that upped the haptics game.

Force Touch was another wild idea: Apple made its watch display force-sensitive, meaning a deeper press could work like pushing a button. Though this idea was refined further into 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S, 3D Touch was a technology that never became as necessary as expected, and current iPhone models have dropped the pressure-sensitive display tech completely.

The Apple Watch still has Force Touch, though, and I think it always will.

Digital Touch: I never used it much after that.

Sarah Tew

Lots of features. Too many features?

As you can see, this is a lot of stuff. Did I have fun using the watch? Yes, mostly, but there are so many features that I felt a little lost at times. There are so many ways to interact: swiping, touching, pressing harder into the display, a button and a clickable digital crown-wheel. Plus, there's Siri. Do I swipe, or click, or force touch or speak? Sometimes I didn't know where an app menu was. Or, I'd find getting back to an app I just had open would require an annoying series of crown clicks, swiping through apps, then opening the app again.

There's a reason I used the word "complicated" to describe my feelings using that first Apple Watch. Setting up bits of information, called complications, was slow and not always intuitive. Apps took a while to load, and were sometimes so slow that it was easier to check my phone instead. Quick glances and notifications, and phone calls, were fine. Apple Pay on the watch was clever, but would I use it? I wished the watch had more battery life.

I didn't like the overcomplicated feel. The design of the OS, and the card-like swappable mini-view apps that used to be on the Watch like a dock, changed over time. It's gotten better since.

Storing music on the watch, while it took a while to sync, was easier than attempts on Samsung Gear or Android Wear. Of course, I had to hunt for a good pair of Bluetooth headphones to connect with the watch.

Today I still forget to dive into and make the most of the apps on the watch. I just dusted off Walkie Talkie: it's cool. There's noise monitoring. One app lets me remote control my iPhone camera, which has been a huge help for my stay-at-home self-shot videos. The Remote app helps me when I lose the Apple TV remote every other day. 

Third-party apps, and the grid of options? It turns out I don't use them much at all. I don't dig down deep into the layers of functions. I prefer what's on the surface: watch faces, and their readouts. But I've come to appreciate the watch's surprising number of options and settings. It's better than not having them at all.

The rings were the beginning.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Fitness: The ring idea was just the beginning

The Apple Watch doesn't work any fitness miracles that the rest of the wearable world hasn't already invented, and it doesn't ship with any new magical sensors that change the game. But the Apple-made integrated fitness apps, Activity and Workout, are far and away the best fitness apps on any existing smartwatch that isn't a dedicated "fitness watch" (Samsung Gear, Android Wear, Pebble and the like). A clever three-ring method of tracking daily activity, which simultaneously measures and rewards daily calorie burn, active exercise and standing up, feels like a fusion of rewards and metrics seen on the Nike FuelBand, Jawbone Up, Fitbit and others. 

I appreciated Apple's complete-the-ring motivational activity tracker, which felt inspired by wearables like the Nike FuelBand (not surprising, since Apple's head of fitness, Jay Blahnik, arrived from Nike). For the red ring's daily goals, it's great. It felt too easy to complete the blue Stand ring, and it still does.

There are tons of fitness advancements Apple has made on the Watch in the last five years: GPS, resting heart rate, workout controls, social sharing, third-party app integration, swimming, modes for accessibility, activity trends -- and I haven't even discussed Apple's massive health aspirations like adding ECG, checking for falls, monitoring elevated or irregular heart rate or women's health tracking. There is some form of coaching and motivation, too. But I'd still love to see more of that. I hit a wall when trying to be fit, and there's only so much watches seem to help.

The first Apple Watch was more of a Fitbit. Now, it's more of a health companion. Those two worlds still feel like they need to dovetail and grow. There are missing features, too, like sleep tracking, which feels like the inevitable next step.

You still need an iPhone, just like in 2015.

Sarah Tew

It was, and still is, an iPhone accessory

Much like most other smartwatches, the Apple Watch isn't a standalone device -- it's a phone accessory. Android Wear, Samsung Gear, Pebble and others work the same way. But here, you must own an iPhone 5 or later to use the Watch. A few Apple Watch functions work away from the phone, but the watch primarily works alongside the phone as an extension, a second screen and basically another part of your iOS experience. It's a symbiote.

One thing I noted back then was that you needed an iPhone to use the Apple Watch. Unlike other wearables that can pair with Android or iOS, or even sync with a computer, the Apple Watch was always designed to live symbiotically with the iPhone.

That's still the case now. Even with independent cellular options, and an on-watch App Store, you can't use the Watch without pairing to an iPhone. And it still won't work with Android. It's a shame, because a fully standalone watch could be a really helpful tool for many people who don't have iPhones, and it could even be a phone alternative (for kids, maybe).

Apple's AirPods created a gadget trinity where the Watch, the iPhone and AirPods can all work seamlessly together. But that trinity is an expensive one. The entry price of the Apple Watch has dropped, at least. But it feels like an extension of the iPhone more than its own device, even now.

The Apple Watch Series 5: much better, with a few similarities.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Today: the best watch in a war of attrition

You don't need an Apple Watch. In many ways, it's a toy: an amazing little do-it-all, a clever invention, a possibly time-saving companion, a wrist-worn assistant. It's also mostly a phone accessory for now. In the months and years to come, that may change: with Apple's assortment of iPads, Macs, Apple TV and who knows what else to come, the watch could end up being a remote and accessory to many things. Maybe it'll be the key to unlock a world of smart appliances, cars and connected places. In that type of world, a smartwatch could end up feeling utterly essential.

I think back to what the Apple Watch was competing against back then: Jawbone, Pebble, Fitbit, Google's Android Wear, Samsung's watches, the Microsoft Band. A lot of competitors are gone now. Fitbit was acquired by Google. Samsung still has watches. Garmin makes lots of dedicated fitness watches. There are still plenty of more affordable relative newcomers, too.

The original Apple Watch, with the Pebble Steel, Moto 360 and the original iPod Nano with wristband (clockwise from top left).

Sarah Tew

In a field of fewer alternatives, the Apple Watch's consistent addition of new features and ongoing performance improvements has made it the best option. It's Apple's commitment to gradual improvements that has made it a stand-out watch now, especially compared to the struggles of Google's Wear OS.

The Apple Watch is still an iPhone accessory. And it's still not an essential product. But it's become a really fluid and useful device, one with lots of key upgrades that work, and one that's a lot easier to use.

What's the best smartwatch now? The Apple Watch. That doesn't mean I don't want to see improvements: battery life, sleep tracking, a watch face store and most importantly, Android support and true standalone function. If the last five years are any indication, Apple will tackle these problems on its own... time.

---

Source

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Apple Watch: It's been 5 years since my original review, and it holds up

Apple Watch: It's been 5 years since my original review, and it holds up

I'd love to say that when I first put on the Apple Watch, I'd never seen anything like it before. But of course, that's not true. By late 2014 I'd been surrounded by smartwatches for a few years. So when Apple announced it was making its own watch, my thought (as so often with Apple) was: finally.

The first smartwatch I reviewed at CNET was the Martian Passport, an analog watch that could make phone calls. It sounds so primitive now, but it was cool in early 2013. The Pebble Watch followed, and the Steel version became my favorite: It was like a Casio watch turned into a useful little pager-assistant. It was simple and had long battery life, and it was great.

There were others, too: Samsung's first smartwatches were ambitious (a camera?). Google's first Android Wear watches arrived in 2014. Meanwhile, there were Fitbits and Jawbone trackers galore.

I say this to lay the groundwork for the Apple Watch and what its impact was. Like the iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, the Apple Watch wasn't the first smartwatch... but it made the biggest footprint. It was another step validating that a world of wearables was here to stay. 

I was able to wear the Apple Watch a month before it went on sale. I spent a ton of time with it, getting used to both how it handled phone calls, and the activity tracking rings. I looked at my heart rate measurements. I accidentally ordered an Xbox One with an early Amazon app.

The Watch was, much like the first iPhone, sometimes feature-limited. But it also had some features that already stood out.

My original review was updated a year later, which you can read here. Some parts have changed, clearly, and Apple has updated the OS. But I'll comment on what I wrote then, and how I felt, and how that's evolved. Quotes from the original review are in italics.

The gold Apple Watch, way back when.

James Martin/CNET

An excellent design, with luxury overtones

Apple wants you to think of the Apple Watch as fine jewelry. Maybe that's a stretch, but in terms of craftsmanship, there isn't a more elegantly made piece of wearable tech. Look at the Apple Watch from a distance, and it might appear unremarkable in its rectangular simplicity compared with bolder, circular Android Wear watches. It's clearly a revamped sort of iPod Nano. But get closer, and you can see the seamless, excellent construction.

The first Apple Watch came in aluminum, steel and ramped all the way up to a gold model costing more than $10,000. Compared to other smartwatches, it screamed luxury.

Certain touches felt luxurious, too: the fine-feeling Digital Crown, which spun ever so smoothly like a real watch part, for instance. The OLED display, which was a first for an Apple product, looked crisp and bright.

The most amazing part, maybe, were the watch bands. Apple created a really nice series of specially designed straps, from a steel link to a clever magnetic Milanese mesh that were extremely expensive and impressively engineered. 

Its watch face designs were great, too, and they integrated some information from the iPhone that aimed to add at-a-glance ease of use. There was a Mickey Mouse watch face that danced! The Solar face showing sunrise and sunset, and the astronomy face that showed planetary alignments and moon phases, felt like magic. I wanted more, but Apple's assortment of watch faces was limited, and it didn't allow for third-party watch face design. That's still the case now.

A lot of the Apple Watch reminded me of the strides Apple began with the iPod Nano, which also had watch mode... and a Mickey Mouse watch face.

Sarah Tew

New technologies at first: fantastic haptics, a force-sensitive display

All Apple Watches have a new S1 processor made by Apple, that "taptic" haptic engine and a force-sensitive and very bright OLED display, which is differently sized on the 38mm and 42mm models. The watch has its own accelerometer, gyrometer and heart-rate monitor, but no onboard GPS. It uses Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz Wi-Fi to connect to your phone or your home network. There's a built-in speaker and microphone, but no headphone jack.

As I wore the watch on the first day, I felt a rippling buzz and a metallic ping: one of my credit card payments showed up as a message. Apple's "Taptic Engine" and a built-in speaker convey both a range of advanced taps and vibrations, plus sounds. Unlike the buzz in a phone or most wearables, these haptics feel sharper: a single tap, or a ripple of them, or thumps.

Sometimes the feelings are too subtle: I don't know if I felt them or imagined them. My wrists might be numbed from too many smart devices. I set my alerts to "prominent" and got sharper nudges on my wrist.

The first watch introduced some ideas that eventually made their way to other iPhones. A "taptic engine" delivered on some amazingly refined vibration effects, ranging from a purr to a ping to a gentle tap. These were way ahead of what anybody else was doing -- and they weren't just a gimmick. The notification types associated with unique vibrations felt distinct. Sometimes, the vibrating taps on the first Watch weren't as powerful as I wanted. But with later updates, the haptics made parts of the interface seem real: virtual wheels, clicking as if moving with invisible gears.

The more advanced haptics made their way to the iPhone next, making us used to them now. Other phones, game consoles like the Nintendo Switch, and VR accessories, have evolved haptics since, but the Apple Watch was the first mainstream device that upped the haptics game.

Force Touch was another wild idea: Apple made its watch display force-sensitive, meaning a deeper press could work like pushing a button. Though this idea was refined further into 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S, 3D Touch was a technology that never became as necessary as expected, and current iPhone models have dropped the pressure-sensitive display tech completely.

The Apple Watch still has Force Touch, though, and I think it always will.

Digital Touch: I never used it much after that.

Sarah Tew

Lots of features. Too many features?

As you can see, this is a lot of stuff. Did I have fun using the watch? Yes, mostly, but there are so many features that I felt a little lost at times. There are so many ways to interact: swiping, touching, pressing harder into the display, a button and a clickable digital crown-wheel. Plus, there's Siri. Do I swipe, or click, or force touch or speak? Sometimes I didn't know where an app menu was. Or, I'd find getting back to an app I just had open would require an annoying series of crown clicks, swiping through apps, then opening the app again.

There's a reason I used the word "complicated" to describe my feelings using that first Apple Watch. Setting up bits of information, called complications, was slow and not always intuitive. Apps took a while to load, and were sometimes so slow that it was easier to check my phone instead. Quick glances and notifications, and phone calls, were fine. Apple Pay on the watch was clever, but would I use it? I wished the watch had more battery life.

I didn't like the overcomplicated feel. The design of the OS, and the card-like swappable mini-view apps that used to be on the Watch like a dock, changed over time. It's gotten better since.

Storing music on the watch, while it took a while to sync, was easier than attempts on Samsung Gear or Android Wear. Of course, I had to hunt for a good pair of Bluetooth headphones to connect with the watch.

Today I still forget to dive into and make the most of the apps on the watch. I just dusted off Walkie Talkie: it's cool. There's noise monitoring. One app lets me remote control my iPhone camera, which has been a huge help for my stay-at-home self-shot videos. The Remote app helps me when I lose the Apple TV remote every other day. 

Third-party apps, and the grid of options? It turns out I don't use them much at all. I don't dig down deep into the layers of functions. I prefer what's on the surface: watch faces, and their readouts. But I've come to appreciate the watch's surprising number of options and settings. It's better than not having them at all.

The rings were the beginning.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Fitness: The ring idea was just the beginning

The Apple Watch doesn't work any fitness miracles that the rest of the wearable world hasn't already invented, and it doesn't ship with any new magical sensors that change the game. But the Apple-made integrated fitness apps, Activity and Workout, are far and away the best fitness apps on any existing smartwatch that isn't a dedicated "fitness watch" (Samsung Gear, Android Wear, Pebble and the like). A clever three-ring method of tracking daily activity, which simultaneously measures and rewards daily calorie burn, active exercise and standing up, feels like a fusion of rewards and metrics seen on the Nike FuelBand, Jawbone Up, Fitbit and others. 

I appreciated Apple's complete-the-ring motivational activity tracker, which felt inspired by wearables like the Nike FuelBand (not surprising, since Apple's head of fitness, Jay Blahnik, arrived from Nike). For the red ring's daily goals, it's great. It felt too easy to complete the blue Stand ring, and it still does.

There are tons of fitness advancements Apple has made on the Watch in the last five years: GPS, resting heart rate, workout controls, social sharing, third-party app integration, swimming, modes for accessibility, activity trends -- and I haven't even discussed Apple's massive health aspirations like adding ECG, checking for falls, monitoring elevated or irregular heart rate or women's health tracking. There is some form of coaching and motivation, too. But I'd still love to see more of that. I hit a wall when trying to be fit, and there's only so much watches seem to help.

The first Apple Watch was more of a Fitbit. Now, it's more of a health companion. Those two worlds still feel like they need to dovetail and grow. There are missing features, too, like sleep tracking, which feels like the inevitable next step.

You still need an iPhone, just like in 2015.

Sarah Tew

It was, and still is, an iPhone accessory

Much like most other smartwatches, the Apple Watch isn't a standalone device -- it's a phone accessory. Android Wear, Samsung Gear, Pebble and others work the same way. But here, you must own an iPhone 5 or later to use the Watch. A few Apple Watch functions work away from the phone, but the watch primarily works alongside the phone as an extension, a second screen and basically another part of your iOS experience. It's a symbiote.

One thing I noted back then was that you needed an iPhone to use the Apple Watch. Unlike other wearables that can pair with Android or iOS, or even sync with a computer, the Apple Watch was always designed to live symbiotically with the iPhone.

That's still the case now. Even with independent cellular options, and an on-watch App Store, you can't use the Watch without pairing to an iPhone. And it still won't work with Android. It's a shame, because a fully standalone watch could be a really helpful tool for many people who don't have iPhones, and it could even be a phone alternative (for kids, maybe).

Apple's AirPods created a gadget trinity where the Watch, the iPhone and AirPods can all work seamlessly together. But that trinity is an expensive one. The entry price of the Apple Watch has dropped, at least. But it feels like an extension of the iPhone more than its own device, even now.

The Apple Watch Series 5: much better, with a few similarities.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Today: the best watch in a war of attrition

You don't need an Apple Watch. In many ways, it's a toy: an amazing little do-it-all, a clever invention, a possibly time-saving companion, a wrist-worn assistant. It's also mostly a phone accessory for now. In the months and years to come, that may change: with Apple's assortment of iPads, Macs, Apple TV and who knows what else to come, the watch could end up being a remote and accessory to many things. Maybe it'll be the key to unlock a world of smart appliances, cars and connected places. In that type of world, a smartwatch could end up feeling utterly essential.

I think back to what the Apple Watch was competing against back then: Jawbone, Pebble, Fitbit, Google's Android Wear, Samsung's watches, the Microsoft Band. A lot of competitors are gone now. Fitbit was acquired by Google. Samsung still has watches. Garmin makes lots of dedicated fitness watches. There are still plenty of more affordable relative newcomers, too.

The original Apple Watch, with the Pebble Steel, Moto 360 and the original iPod Nano with wristband (clockwise from top left).

Sarah Tew

In a field of fewer alternatives, the Apple Watch's consistent addition of new features and ongoing performance improvements has made it the best option. It's Apple's commitment to gradual improvements that has made it a stand-out watch now, especially compared to the struggles of Google's Wear OS.

The Apple Watch is still an iPhone accessory. And it's still not an essential product. But it's become a really fluid and useful device, one with lots of key upgrades that work, and one that's a lot easier to use.

What's the best smartwatch now? The Apple Watch. That doesn't mean I don't want to see improvements: battery life, sleep tracking, a watch face store and most importantly, Android support and true standalone function. If the last five years are any indication, Apple will tackle these problems on its own... time.

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