When things go sideways with Windows, there's Ctrl-Alt-Delete to get you to the Task Manager where you can investigate what's causing the problem and end any unresponsive apps. When something goes wrong on a Mac, there's Command-Option-Escape to call up the Force Quit Applications window. But when an app freezes or starts acting sluggish on a Chromebook, where do you turn? Is there a keyboard shortcut that can put an end to your troubles?
I have good news for Chromebook users. There is such a keyboard shortcut, and it's quite simple. When something is amiss on your Chromebook and you need to force quit an app, hit Shift-Escape. This keyboard shortcut calls up Chrome's Task Manager. Since Chrome apps are the only kinds of apps that a Chromebook runs, Chrome's Task Manager is the only task manager you need on a Chromebook. Just click on the app that's giving you problems and hit the End Process button.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
At the top of the Task Manager, you'll see Chrome listed. You can't select it and force quit it because Chrome OS isn't anything more than the Chrome browser with a bit of window dressing, which means that quitting Chrome would amount to shutting down your Chromebook. If you are experiencing an issue that force quitting an app can't solve, then shut down your Chromebook by clicking the system tray in the bottom-right corner of your display and then clicking the power button. Or if you're really stuck, hold down the power button for 3 seconds to power down your system.
For more tips, learn how to print from a Chromebook, run Windows programs on a Chromebook and the best way to use Dropbox on a Chromebook.
Ford Bronco Raptor Beats Early Estimates With 418 HP
Ford Bronco Raptor Beats Early Estimates With 418 HP
What's happening
Ford's CEO says the 2022 Bronco Raptor will have 418 horsepower -- more than expected.
Why it matters
Ford's ultrapopular Bronco will need all the power it can get when taking on Jeep's V8-powered Wrangler 392.
What's next
Ford is hinting it'll build an all-electric Bronco model on a new flexible EV architecture.
Tthe 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor's output will handily beat the Blue Oval's own early power estimates, as it turns out. According to a tweet Tuesday by Ford CEO Jim Farley, the steroidal SUV's 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 will generate 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque -- previously, the automaker had only disclosed that its engineers were targeting 400 hp.
Those figures could give a bit more daylight in terms of performance versus ordinary Bronco models equipped with the up-level 2.7-liter turbocharged engine, which gives 330 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque. It suggests that with the right gearing, the wider, heavier, four-door-only Bronco Raptor could yet be quicker than the much smaller, much lighter two-door Bronco models equipped with the aforementioned 2.7T engine. (Base Raptors weigh 5,733 pounds, while a base two-door Bronco with the V6 can weigh as little as 4,491 pounds.)
The Ford Bronco Raptor isn't solely concerned with acceleration, of course. Its primary draw is its high-speed off-road capability, afforded by a unique long-travel suspension (13 inches of the stuff up front and 14 inches out back) and nearly 10-inch wider stance. With its knobby 37-inch BF Goodrich K02 tires, this SUV ought to be capable when it comes to low-speed rock crawling, too, with 13.1 inches of ground clearance.
With great power and great bulk comes unimpressive fuel economy. Even with Ford's well-respected 10-speed automatic as standard equipment, it was revealed earlier this week that the Raptor will net just 15 mpg city, 16 highway and 15 combined on the EPA test cycle.
The new 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor flies into dealers later this year wearing a $69,995 price tag (including $1,495 for delivery), and an all-boxes-checked example will land somewhere around $82,000, in the neighborhood of the V8-powered Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392. That's a lot of cash, but then again, it'd be all but impossible to build a Bronco capable of so much performance for that amount of money in the aftermarket.
Oh, and if that's still not enough torque for you, Ford has repeatedly hinted that an all-electric Bronco is on the way. It's expected to ride atop a different, dedicated EV platform, however, so it could be quite a different beast altogether.
Pokemon Go Halloween 2021: Pumpkaboo, Misunderstood Mischief Research and more
Pokemon Go Halloween 2021: Pumpkaboo, Misunderstood Mischief Research and more
The second leg of Pokemon Go's Halloween 2021 event is coming to an end in a couple of days. Until Oct.31, certain ghost- and dark-type Pokemon are appearing in the game more frequently than usual, and you have your first chance to get four new ghost Pokemon from the Kalos region. On top of that, the next portion of the Misunderstood Mischief Special Research story is now live, and you'll earn extra candy for catching, transferring and hatching Pokemon. Here's everything you need to know about Pokemon Go's Halloween 2021 event.
New ghost Pokemon
As part of the Halloween event, four new ghost Pokemon have arrived in the game: Phantump, Trevenant, Pumpkaboo, and Gourgeist. All four were originally introduced in Pokemon X and Y for the Nintendo 3DS, making this your first chance to catch them in Pokemon Go.
Alongside Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist, a new size mechanic has been added to the game. Just as in mainline Pokemon titles, Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist can appear in various sizes, and the ones you encounter in Pokemon Go will visibly vary depending on how large or small they are. The game is also holding a new Collection Challenge tasking you with catching a Pumpkaboo of every size.
Featured Pokemon
In addition to the aforementioned new ghosts, the following Pokemon will appear in the wild and in raid battles throughout the Halloween event. The mythical Pokemon Darkrai has also returned to five-star raids, while Mega Absol has made its debut in Mega Raids.
Wild spawns
Halloween Mischief Pikachu
Halloween Mischief Piplup
Gastly
Haunter
Murkrow
Misdreavus
Shuppet
Purrloin
Yamask
Litwick
Phantump
Pumpkaboo
One-star raids
Murkrow
Yamask
Galarian Yamask
Phantump
Pumpkaboo
Three-star raids
Alolan Marowak
Banette
Halloween Mischief Drifblim
Lampent
Five-star raids
Mega Raids
7 km eggs
Spinarak
Misdreavus
Shuppet
Litwick
Golett
Phantump
Galarian Yamask
Misunderstood Mischief Special Research
Another leg of the season-long Misunderstood Mischief Special Research story is now live in Pokemon Go. You can see the full list of tasks and rewards below.
Stage 11/16
Earn 3 candies walking with your buddy - 10 Yamask Candy
Catch 30 ghost-type Pokemon - 10 Phantump Candy
Catch 30 dark-type Pokemon - 10 Pumpkaboo Candy
Reward for completing all three tasks: Pikachu encounter, 15 Ultra Balls, 40 Gengar Mega Energy
Other event bonuses
Just as during the first part of the Halloween event, a new Special Research story called What Lies Beneath the Mask? is now live in the game. The following bonuses are also still active;
2x transfer candy
2x hatch candy
2x catch candy
Guaranteed candy XL when walking with your buddy
Pokemon Go's Halloween 2021 event runs until 8 p.m. local time on Oct. 31. You can read up on everything else happening in the game this month in our Pokemon Go October events roundup.
Stay cool with a DIY refrigerator that traps Han Solo in carbonite
Stay cool with a DIY refrigerator that traps Han Solo in carbonite
Star Wars fans everywhere know what happens when you cross paths with Darth Vader on Bespin. When poor Han Solo was dipped in carbonite for safe transport to Jabba the Hutt in "The Empire Strikes Back," we all waited with bated breath for "Return of the Jedi" hoping our favorite space smuggler survived. (He did!)
While you can always buy a Han Solo in Carbonite mini-fridge from ThinkGeek for $150 (within the US and Canada), it's arguably much more fun to craft your own.
This walk-through of the build process shows the work of master movie prop maker Frank Ippolito, who found accurate parts from the Star Wars replica prop community. He also added extra features like glowing lights and blinking side panels, just like in "The Empire Strikes Back."
In the video, posted to Adam Savage's YouTube Tested channel Wednesday, Ippolito shows host Norman Chan the step-by-step process he used to transform a boring refrigerator into a geektastic movie prop by using a silicone mold of Han Solo, LED lights, gray paint and panels.
Europe's Space Agency Prepares to Solve 5 Mysteries of Jupiter
Europe's Space Agency Prepares to Solve 5 Mysteries of Jupiter
Home to a tangerine storm larger than Earth, owner of peachy winds so frigid you'd probably freeze on impact, and collector of 79 separate moons, Jupiter is something of a spectacle. Even its enormity is barely comprehensible. Take every planet in our solar system, slap their masses together, multiply that by two and you get a chunk about the size of it.
Who knows what could be going on over there. I mean, really.
Which is why, in April 2023, the European Space Agency plans on sending a space probe to join NASA's Juno orbiter in studying the Jovian lifestyle. It's called Juice, or the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. "Juice will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons -- Ganymede, Callisto and Europa -- with a suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments," ESA said in the mission's overview.
And on Monday, the agency also laid out five specific mysteries it wants to tackle once Juice gets to its destination at this mammoth of a planet in, hopefully, 2031.
ESA's first major question is the obvious one you might've guessed from Juice's full name: What's going on with Ganymede, Callisto and Europa?
In short, these three moons are at the forefront of the agency's endeavor because they're all suspected to have some sort of water on, or under, their surfaces. Europa, in particular, is projected by astrobiologists to have a hefty amount of H2O and, well, water equals the potential for alien life, which leads us to another of Juice's queries.
Has there ever been life on any of Jupiter's moons -- or, I guess, on Jupiter? In truth, probably not on the latter, because there's neither land nor water on this planet. There's only gas and atmospheric water vapor. Basically, if you tried to stand on Jupiter, you'd just fall in until you were crushed by the planet's immense gravity concentrated toward the center. That's if you could make it that far.
But returning to Europa, an icy world very much with solid ground, scientists currently have this region at the top of their lists of places we might find evidence of extraterrestrial life. In fact, NASA is building a spacecraft dedicated to scanning Europa for such remnants. It's called the Clipper, and it's quite impressive.
Jupiter, center, and its moon Europa, left, are seen through the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam instrument 2.12 micron filter.
NASA, ESA, CSA, and B. Holler and J. Stansberry (STScI)
Next, turning to Ganymede, another of ESA's wonders is: Why is Ganymede the only moon in our solar system with its own magnetic field? This one's pretty odd. Ganymede's magnetic field is so strong, in fact, that it even gives rise to auroras in its atmosphere, similar to the way Earth's magnetic field produces the northern lights when electrons get caught within.
Ganymede in the shadow of Jupiter, with its aurorae glowing.
NASA, ESA
But for some unknown reason, the rest of its moon community can't relate to its magnetic ventures. It's an outsider that way. "Juice's tour of Jupiter will include multiple flybys of these ocean-bearing moons, before culminating in orbit insertion around Ganymede -- the first time a spacecraft will have orbited a moon in the outer Solar System," ESA said.
Further, getting a little more general, ESA also wants to know if, and how, Jupiter's complex space environment shaped the trajectory or conditions of its moons. With 79 individual satellites orbiting it, this Jovian world basically holds its own solar system -- if Jupiter were the sun, that is.
And finally, the fifth and final box ESA hopes to tick while dissecting Jupiter is how such colossal balls of gas come into existence in the first place. Though colored with hues on the cooler end of the spectrum, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn are also wispy cradles of zippy molecules floating around our solar system. What would give rise to these extreme mini-universes?
If all goes well, by the 2030s, we may have some answers.
WWE Extreme Rules 2020: Results, awful main event, ratings and full recap
WWE Extreme Rules 2020: Results, awful main event, ratings and full recap
WWE called this years Extreme Rules "The Horror Show at Extreme Rules." That was, I think, mostly meant to spotlight the main event, a Wyatt Swamp Fight, but it unfortunately encapsulated much of the show. Despite a strong WWE Championship match, this was a very weak pay-per-view.
The main event saw Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman faceoff in a nonsensical short film at the Wyatt Swamp. Wyatt won, I think, but it was too confusing and boring to really matter. (And it wasn't for Strowman's Universal Championship). The Eye for an Eye match between Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins had fantastic action, but it was let down by its dumb stipulation. Asuka versus Sasha Banks was excellent -- right up until the finish, which was lacklustre in several ways.
For a full recap of the show, including the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions, scroll below.
The Fiend wins Wyatt Swamp Fight (I think)
This sucked. Like WrestleMania's Boneyard and Firefly Funhouse bouts, this Swamp Fight was a short film that pitted Bray Wyatt, as Bray Wyatt and not The Fiend, against Braun Strowman. Strowman's Universal Championship was not on the line. Unlike the Boneyard and Firefly Funhouse, this was not fun at all.
Remember Bray Wyatt's promos? How they sounded kind of cool sometimes, but mostly were just empty dribble that didn't need to be paid attention to? That was the Wyatt Swamp Fight.
It began with Strowman confronting Wyatt by the entrance to the Wyatt Swamp. Bray is on his rocking chair, but laughs and disappears. Then Strowman runs to find him, beating up miscellaneous swamp dudes as he tried to find Bray. He's then hit in the back with a shovel, and then we see he's been attacked by a clone of himself. Clone Strowman hits him in the head with the shovel.
Real Strowman wakes up, chained to a rocking chair. Wyatt walks in and says... stuff. "To be the monster you were I need to destroy the monster you've become," lines like that but a way too much of them. Bray brings out a lady with a snake. The snake bites Strowman.
Strowman wakes up by a fire, and then beats up more swamp dudes. He sees visions of who I think is Sister Abegail, but in any case is the lady with the snake. I stopped paying attention because it didn't make any sense and was actively painful to watch, and when I snapped back to it, Bray and Strowman were fighting.
Strowman chokeslams Bray onto a boat. The boat animates itself and rides into the lake, but then rides itself back. Bray and Strowman fight some more. Strowman throws Bray into the swamp. He looks relieved. Bray jumps out of the swamp and pulls in Strowman. The show ends with The Fiend laughing into the camera.
The Boneyard match was fun. Firefly Funhouse was fun. Money in the Bank was fun. Every short film thing they've done since hasn't really worked. This didn't just not work, it was bad. Really bad.
Drew McIntyre retains WWE Championship
If Asuka versus Sasha Banks was let down due to its finish, Drew McIntyre versus Dolph Ziggler ended up being the night's overachiever. Drew McIntyre ended up pinning Ziggler following a Claymore Kick to end a very strong bout.
It opened with Ziggler revealing a surprise stipulation for the match: It's extreme rules, but for Ziggler only. If McIntyre uses a weapon, gets counted out or disqualified, Ziggler is the new champ. The stipulation kind of screams "McIntyre will win this match," but it ended up being fun.
But really, this match's biggest strength is that it wasn't inhibited by an obstructive stipulation or a silly finish. Ziggler's character has been weakened by regular losses, but Ziggler the performer was on top of his game tonight, and did an admirable job at coming off as a threat to McIntyre. That said, even after Ziggler hit a Famouser, Zig Zag and then a Urange onto a chair, it was hard to believe McIntyre was losing the match.
Lots of cool spots throughout, including when McIntyre called for the Claymore but ended up getting slammed with a chair to the leg by Ziggler. At the end of the match, Ziggler called for a Superkick but got countered with a Claymore for the pin. Life is all about circularity, y'all.
Rating: 3.75 stars. Super fun match.
Asuka vs. Sasha Banks
Fantastic match with a dumb finish. After Asuka accidentally sprayed the referee with green mist, Bayley hit Asuka in the back with one of the Tag Title belts and then -- and this is where it gets too silly -- puts a referee shirt on herself and counts the pin. She demands the timekeeper ring the bell, and Bayley and Banks walk out with all the gold.
So we don't know if Sasha Banks is the champion or not (the announcers all disagreed about this afterward), making this effectively a non finish. And a bad non finish at that.
The match itself was fantastic, with crisp and fluid action. Lots of back and forth, including an excellent series of counters towards the end which ended with Banks tapping out in the Asuka Lock while the ref was distracted by Bayley.
Rating: 3.25 stars. Such a fun match right until the end.
Seth Rollins 'takes out' Rey Mysterio's eye
Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins are both outstanding wrestlers. Their Eye for an Eye match had fantastic action. But it was hamstrung by the stipulation, which was literally that to win the match you had to take out your opponent's eye. Since we know that wasn't going to happen, the match lacked the structure and tension it should have had. It ended with Seth Rollins cramming Rey Mysterio's face into the corner of the ring steps, like he did on Raw to begin this storyline. He then barfed afterwards.
The bout had plenty of memorable spots, like Mysterio finding innovative ways to slam Rollins into the barricade (see above) and, later, Curb Stomping him (also see above). Then there were the silly bits, where one or the other would try and use a chair or a Kendo stick to take out an eye. Rollins at one point got a steel spike and tried to stab Mysterio.
Not only was it dumb, it was also fairly distressing to watch a man try to murder another man under the auspices of a pro wrestling match. The ended was lambasted on Twitter -- Mysterio had a lollipop-looking eye under his mask to make it look like it was extricated -- but, honestly, watching Rollins try to stab Mysterio with a spike or a pen, and ultimately watching him force Mysterio's eye into the steel steps, was not fun. It was unpleasant, and not the good "I can't wait to see him get his comeuppance" way. Just not enjoyable.
Rating: 2 stars. Great action, but completely let down by the stipulation. These two would have easily had a 4+ star match without it.
Apollo Crews can't compete against MVP
Apollo Crews was scheduled to defend his United States Championship against MVP but, due to an attack by Bobby Lashley on Raw, isn't cleared to compete. So MVP claims to be the new United States Champion, raising the belt he had made and which he's been parading around on Raw.
Bayley retains SmackDown Women's Championship
After a lengthy match (or at least, it felt like a lengthy match), Bayley defeated Nikki Cross to retain her SmackDown Women's Championship. Sasha Banks distracted the ref, allowing Bayley to hit Cross with brass knucks, her faceplant finisher and get the pin.
This match wasn't super fun to watch. Nikki Cross is a popular performer, but her matches and character really need fan feedback to truly work. Bayley is at day 280 of being SmackDown Women's Champion, and similarly that storyline needs fans in the crowd anticipating her defeat to truly work. Of course, there are NXT students in the crowd making noise, but it's not quite the same thing.
Bayley and Nikki worked hard, and it certainly wasn't bad. But it's not one I'd go out of my way to watch.
Rating: 2 stars. Would have likely been much better with a crowd.
Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro win Tag Team Titles
The main show begins with a SmackDown Tag Teat Title Tables match between The New Day and Shinsuke Nakamura. It ended in spectacular fashion, with Cesaro powerbombing Kofi Kingston off the turnbuckle to the outside through two tables stacked atop each other. It was sweet.
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura undoubtedly have the feel of two singles guys thrown together as a team because creative had nothing else for them, but they absolutely work together. Having them win the gold is a smart move: The New Day are a credible team no matter what, so the loss doesn't hurt them, while being champions solidifies Cesaro and Nakamura as a threatening tag team.
After the match, Cesaro goes to ringside and tells Michael Cole he and Nakamura are sick of being overlooked. "Overlooked no more," assures Michael Cole. We'll see about that.
The match was fine, punctuated by some exhilarating spots like Big E's terrifying spear to Cesaro through the middle ropes and a huge trust fall by Kingston. Ultimately though, despite the aforementioned awesome finish, I couldn't help but feel like these four talented stars could have put a better match on without the tables stipulation.
Rating: 3 stars.
Kickoff-Show Results
Kevin Owens pins Murphy with a stunner in a short match.
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.
