Browse The Web From Your Apple Watch

Apple Bytes: 

Have a look through the apps on your Apple Watch and you won’t find the Safari web browser. This seems like a reasonable choice considering the small size of the screen and the limited input options.

But if you need to get a webpage up on your smartwatch, know that it is possible. There’s a hidden browser app already on the watch, and you’ll also find a couple of third-party options available to install.

A warning, though, you’ll definitely come up against limitations and the experience is nowhere as good as it is on a phone or a laptop.

You can’t launch the web browser built into the Apple Watch from the standard grid or list of apps. Instead, you’ll have to access it by opening up a link from another smartwatch app. You can use the Mail and Messages apps for this, and all you have to do is send yourself an email or message containing the URL that you want to visit.

This might seem like a long-winded way of getting online, and it is, really. But just in case you ever need it, you can make things easier by emailing yourself a list with the websites you regularly need access to, for example.

Another way of getting to a website is by using Siri on your Apple Watch. Say “Siri, go to…” followed by the URL you want to visit. A list of web results will appear—just tap Open Page underneath the link you want to open it. This works well for sites with simple URLs that can be easily spoken out, like apple.com or google.com.

When it comes to entering text into websites, you can use the usual methods available on your watch, including voice dictation, the scribble handwriting feature, and the on-screen keyboard. It’s not ideal for entering large amounts of text, but it’ll do if you need to search for a few keywords, for example.

Bear in mind that not all websites will load properly (or even at all) on such a tiny screen, and it can be difficult navigating around menus and pop-up dialogs. In some cases, the built-in browser will switch to a simpler view, like the Reader View in Safari on the desktop, so you’ll just get the text and nothing else. Tap on the URL at the top to switch between these views.

You can also navigate backward and forward by tapping on the address bar. Other gestures you can take advantage of are using the Digital Crown or a finger on the screen to scroll, and double-tapping on the screen to zoom in and out. To clear all the collected browsing data, open Settings and choose General, Website Data, and Clear Website Data.

The built-in web browser on the Apple Watch is probably your best bet when it comes to loading up webpages, as Apple has access to parts of the smartwatch’s code that third-party apps can’t get to. Nevertheless, if you want a more fully-fledged experience, you’ve got options.

First up is the free Parrity app, which actually uses a connected iPhone to load and render pages before transferring the results over to your Apple Watch. You can still interact with pages on your wrist, enter new URLs, and even go back on your browsing history, but your iPhone will always need to be around for anything to happen.

Then there’s µBrowser, which will set you back $1. This works entirely independently on the watch and does a very decent job of rendering websites, albeit with some issues (support for multiple fonts is rather limited, for example). You can search the web, enter URLs, and go back to pages that you’ve recently visited.

Credit: popsci.com

Streaming Services Are Hiking Their Prices

The cost of streaming television shows and movies, once seen as a much cheaper alternative to owning a cable box, is rising.

Streaming services including Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu and Netflix are upping their monthly subscription fees now that they've gained a foothold in the market and can count on more consumers cutting the proverbial cord.

Amazon is raising the cost of its annual Prime subscription, which includes access to its original streaming content, by $20 to $139 a year while Netflix increased its monthly rate by up to $2. A premium Netflix subscription now costs $19.99 per month, allowing customers to view TV shows and movies on up to four devices at a time.

Given the sheer volume of content available for streaming, consumers are subscribing to multiple platforms to keep up with their favorite shows, often paying more than one monthly streaming bill. "I've realized once you have a few of them, it becomes almost like a car payment," one streaming subscriber told CBS News correspondent Lilia Luciano.

"Any streaming platform you can imagine, I'm subscribing to right now," another streaming fan said. Companies like Netflix are hoping that incremental price hikes are worth it for consumers who want to binge new seasons of their favorite shows.

Indeed, streaming platforms have invested billions of dollars in creating content that's earned them Oscars and other industry awards. In 2021, for example, Netflix spent an estimated $17 billion on creating and producing original content. That increased spending, combined with inflation, has driven up costs for consumers.

"Services really see content as their weapon to ensure people subscribe, and they stay subscribed, in this dog-eat-dog environment," entertainment analyst Paul Erickson said. He expects streaming providers to continue hiking their prices as long as consumers are willing to absorb the costs. The price increases will end when consumers "start leaving the service or they stop subscribing," Erickson said. "But I think that's a ways off, especially if you're raising prices incrementally over time."

Experts also think streaming services will start expanding their offerings with more live sports coverage. It won't all be in one place, of course, and consumers who want it all will have to subscribe to multiple streaming services.

"You've selected a lot of this content and these services, and what you're getting for that money, it's more relevant to you," Erickson said. "And that's the important part."

Credit: cbsnews.com

Executive Board Minutes

Computer Technology Club, Inc. - Executive Board Minutes
February 11, 2022

Alan Marcus, President, called the meeting to order at 9:00AM. Members in attendance: Bill Balch, Jim Trimboli, Bob Kenlay, Bob Irish, Linda Irish, Bob Roesener, Steve Maly, Richard Cunningham, Don Forgette, and Alan Marcus.

The Secretary’s report was read by Bob Kenlay. No corrections or additions necessary.

Jim Trimboli then read the current Treasurer's report. The current balance is $1538.50.

Jim Trimboli notified the board that he has refiled our registration with the State of Florida. He passed around copies of the paperwork.

Alan Marcus mentioned that he has downloaded a program on “Streaming Basic” for presentation at the club meeting before the question session. After a lengthy discussion, It was suggested that we stay with the basic questions for future meeting topics.

Future meeting topics:

Feb. 16 - "Streaming on TV” by Computer Technology Club

Mar. 16 - “Computer Settings” by Richard Cunningham

Apr. 20 - “Computer Q & A” by Alan Marcus

The meeting adjourned at 9:50AM.

Respectfully submitted,
Bob Kenlay, Secretary

What It Takes To Relieve EV Range Anxiety

The automotive industry is going electric. But many Americans remain skeptical that they could make the switch to an electric car. America has spent a century building up the infrastructure to support endless nationwide road trips in gasoline-powered cars. Electric cars, with their limited range, make some buyers nervous.

Americans are more demanding than other drivers. That’s one conclusion from the 2022 Global Automotive Consumer Study, published last month (Jan 2022) by the professional services firm Deloitte.

Survey respondents were asked, “How much driving range would a fully charged all-battery electric vehicle need to have in order for you to consider acquiring one?” Americans averaged an answer of 518 miles.

We’re a demanding group. German drivers gave an average answer of 383 miles. Drivers in China, now the world’s largest car market by number of new cars registered, would buy in at just 258 miles.

That range is possible for a price. Exactly one car currently on the market could meet survey respondents’ range demands. The Lucid Air, a luxury sedan built by a California startup, has an EPA-certified range of up to 520 miles. The only configuration able to travel that distance, the Dream Edition, carries a starting price of $169,000. Or, rather, it did. Lucid has sold out of them for 2022.

That price tag is another hurdle the survey highlighted for EV sales. Respondents cited three main hurdles to changing their minds about EV adoption: range, lack of charging infrastructure, and the higher cost of EVs.

To get its results, Deloitte surveyed more than 26,000 consumers of driving age world-wide. Just 1,031 were American.

Credit: marketwatch.com

You Can Hide Your Home From Maps Street View

If you would prefer for your home to be hidden from Street View inside Apple Maps and Google Maps, all you have to do is file a request.

Apple has a webpage that explains the process (HERE), while Google takes requests inside Google Maps (HERE).