If you never used video conferencing or “video chat” services before the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably are doing so now, trying to teach yourself how, or at least thinking about it. After all, video chats are a safe way to interact face-to-face with those you love.
I used to hate video chatting, and avoided it if I could. But isolation prompted by the pandemic has changed my outlook. I'm still not crazy about communicating this way, though it’s become necessary. In fact, I’ve been reaching out to friends and family I haven’t seen in ages (hi, Aunt Angie).
In the process, I’ve become more familiar with video-chat services — and, gosh, there are a lot of those. Nearly all are free.
You’ve probably heard about Zoom because that service has become the default pandemic option. But there are reasons to be cautious about it (see below).
If you're confused about which one to use, we're here to help.
Other consumer-friendly options include Apple FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Google Duo, Google Hangouts, Houseparty, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype, WhatsApp and WeChat. I have used them all to varying degrees, in personal and professional capacities.


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I suggest you definitely look at Houseparty, which my sister (who lives in Paris) and I love, and have embraced as our standard video chat service.
Video Chat Services (in alphabetical order):
If you’re confused about which one to use, we’re here to help. The right service for you is based on a host of factors, such as; device compatibility, ease of use, cool features, least annoying features, how many people can get on a chat at once, and which services your friends already use (or want to use). More information about each is available on their sites. And read on for some step-by-step tutorials to set you up for successful video chatting.
Apple FaceTime
If you and your friends and family are Apple-centric, this is for you.
Works on: Apple Macintosh computers and iOS devices, including iPhone smartphones, iPad tablets and the iPod touch. Heck, you can chat on the Apple Watch (but that’s audio only).
Simultaneous users: 32
The good: A FaceTime app is preloaded on Macs and iOS devices, and using it is easy since you’re already logged into your Apple account. The service’s interface, with face bubbles expanding and contracting as folks take turns speaking, is trippy. You can turn your head into a cartoon “Animoji,” too, and add filters and stickers.
The bad: Excluding non-Apple users is a big problem Apple doesn’t seem eager to fix. It doesn’t offer a desktop-web option for using FaceTime in a browser, as it does for many of its other services. The Animojis and other effects only work on iOS devices. Some may find the face-bubble shifting to be dizzying or nausea-inducing.
Facebook Messenger
Yes, the app you probably already use for text chat also does video.
Works on: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, desktop web
Simultaneous users: 50
The good: Just about everyone uses Facebook. Getting started is easy: Pick one or more friends, and then tap the little camera icon.
The bad: You can also video-chat on Mac and Windows, but Messenger there only allows two-way conversations — forget about group chats. Facebook has a history of privacy and security problems, so some of your friends may politely decline to join you.
Google Duo
This is the closest Google equivalent to Apple’s FaceTime.
Works on: Android, iOS, desktop web
Simultaneous users: 12 (up from 8 just a few weeks ago in response to the pandemic).
The good: Because Duo is preinstalled on many Android phones, and is a snap to install on iPhones, it’s good for families and friends using a blend of mobile devices. It’s very easy to use. A cool “Knock Knock” feature lets the person you’re calling see you before he or she picks up.
The bad: Though Duo works in browsers on PCs and Macs, it only allows two-way conversations — forget about group chats.
Google Hangouts
If you think Duo’s desktop limits are a drag, this may be your option.
Works on: Android, iOS, desktop web.
Simultaneous users: 25
The good: Because it works everywhere, it’s popular in Google-centric crowds (I rely on it often for personal and work-related chats). A handy Chrome extension opens it in its own app-like browser window. If you use Gmail, Hangouts is conveniently built into your mail-window sidebar.
The bad: Hangouts is a famously disorganized, complex and sometimes unfathomable service. Its usability and reliability is iffy at times.
Houseparty
You’ve probably never heard of this service, but it’s worth a look.
Works on: Mobile apps for Android and iOS, and a desktop app for Mac. A Chrome extension turns the browser into a video-chat window.
Simultaneous users: 8
The good: Because this service works just about everywhere, no one’s left out. It has an elegant, playful design (the Mac app is especially nice). Chats are easy to set up. Games are built in for fun with friends and family.
The bad: Why no Windows app? The sounds alerting you to chat requests might drive you batty. Because Houseparty is a bit obscure, you’ll have to persuade friends and family to join. The games are mobile only.
Instagram
Facebook owns this photo service, which (surprise!) has video chat.
Works on: Android and iOS
Simultaneous users: 6
The good: Because Instagram is so popular, embracing it is a no-brainer. And, like the rest of Instagram, it’s pleasingly designed and fun to use.
The bad: Only six simultaneous users? Lack of official desktop support is a problem (and video chat isn’t supported on third-party Mac and Windows apps like Grids). Video chats do work on Apple’s iPad, but look terrible (the iOS phone app doesn’t properly adapt to the larger tablet screen).
Skype
This Microsoft-owned service is an old standby worth a look.
Works on: Android, iOS, PC, Mac, Linux computers, Xbox gaming consoles and Amazon Alexa devices. It also works in a desktop browser.
Simultaneous users: 50
The good: Full-featured desktop software, but installing it is optional. With a blurred-background feature, you won’t be judged for your mess. A new Meet Now feature makes chats a snap, and participants don’t even need Skype accounts. You can call landline and mobile phones.
The bad: The desktop software can be a bit baffling to use. Skype gets a bit temperamental at times. Calls to landline and mobile phones are not free, and vary in cost depending on the country you’re calling.
Snapchat
An app famed for ephemeral photo and video posts also has video chat.
Works on: Android and iOS
Simultaneous users: 16
The good: Playfulness (You can use “face lenses” to transform yourself into a puppy, or modify your environs by making the Eiffel Tower puke rainbows, among other wacky features).
The bad: Anyone older than about 13 might find this app baffling, and be irritated by the puppy faces and tower hurling. The lack of desktop apps is a problem (not that teenagers care). You also can’t use it in a browser (teenagers still don't care).
WeChat
If you want to chat with people in other countries, this may be for you.
Works on: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, desktop web
Simultaneous users: 9
The good: Popular overseas, it’s a good option for multi-continent groups.
The bad: Setting up this app is a pain in the posterior. So is having to scan codes with phones in order to use the desktop apps. Some users appear to be permanently locked out of desktop-web access (I am).
WhatsApp
Also owned by Facebook, this app has a huge following.
Works on: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, desktop web
Simultaneous users: 4
The good: This app is elegant and easy to use. Like WeChat, it’s popular overseas, so it’s handy for chats with foreign friends.
The bad: The four-user limit is ludicrous. Scanning codes with phones for desktop access is a pain. Video chat is mobile-only, in any case.
Zoom
You’ll likely be using this service at some point. Just about everyone is.
Works on: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows. As with HouseParty, it offers a handy Chrome extension.
Simultaneous users: 100
The good: Zoom has the virtue of ubiquity; it’s everywhere. It’s reasonably easy to set up and use. A “touch up your appearance” takes years off your face. A “use virtual background” lets you pick any picture as a background (great if your house is messy). Virtual happy hours!
The bad: Free chats are capped at 40 minutes; there's a paid service with no time limit. Zoom was designed as a business tool, so the service has a utilitarian look and feel you might not like. It has had a number of well-publicized privacy and security issues, so learn how to protect yourself (or, if you’re extra-cautious, just steer clear).
3 Tutorials to Show You How It's Done
If you are new to video chats, there are tutorials available to help walk you through the process and have you connecting with family and friends in no time.
1. Senior Planet offers an easy-to-follow guide on chatting with Zoom. This technology-based educational center for older adults is also offering a variety of online resources during the pandemic including tech tips, scam alert information and virtual events.
2. CBS Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue recently did a segment called 'How to Live AND Work at Home Without Going Stir Crazy' which featured pro tips for successful video chats — including ample doses of humor along the way.
3. This guide from the BBC offers tips for using WhatsApp and FaceTime as well as suggestions for how to make a video call by simply using your computer's web browser.


Video Chat Services, From A to Zoom

Julio Ojeda-Zapata

As the coronavirus spreads in this country, my wife and I have adopted a “don’t panic, but prepare” frame of mind.
About 80 people in this country were known to be infected by the scary virus in 13 states as I wrote this, with 14 known deaths. The numbers will almost certainly be higher by the time you read this.
This has triggered significant changes in how my wife and I live. After all, the virus’ mortality rate appears to steadily ramp up with age — and we’re in our late 50s. So I’ve been super cautious.
I’ve been working from home in recent days because I have some sort of mild, but persistent bug. It’s likely not COVID-19, but I have told my boss at the St. Paul Pioneer Press that I needed to play it safe.
Meanwhile, we are busily taking steps to ensure we can be self-sufficient for weeks at a time, if it comes to that.
I am staying away from malls and other crowded places. I am no longer checking books out of the public library because I’m uneasy about such volumes having passed through so many other hands. I’ve begged off all social engagements — again, because of that unidentified bug, and also because some friends are also ill. (Most in my social circle are introverts who treasure solitude, so cancelled plans are a good thing.)
But my wife and I haven’t aborted an upcoming trip to visit family in Florida, even though the coronavirus has cropped up in that state. However, we are paying close attention to travel advisories. It is currently deemed safe to take domestic flights — but that could change, the government says. (Editor's note: Since this piece was first posted on Next Avenue, the author has cancelled his travel plans.) 
Meanwhile, we are busily taking steps to ensure we can be self-sufficient at home for weeks at a time, if it comes to that.
Here is some of what we’ve done, organized by category:
Food
Experts advise stocking up on enough non-perishable food to last about two weeks. With our stockpile, we can hold out for up to a month.
Much of our food is shelf-stable, requiring no refrigeration. This includes canned veggies, bags of beans and pasta, boxes of cereal, jars of sauce and so on. My wife has also loaded up our freezer with meat, vegetables and ready-to-eat meals on the assumption that the coronavirus crisis will not trigger power outages (fingers crossed).
Medicine
This is a concern. Experts advise stocking up on prescription meds, but this might not always be easy. My insurance covers a 90-day supply of my Wellbutrin antidepressant, but not every insurer has such flexible policies, and there have been calls for prescription-refill rules to be relaxed during the coronavirus outbreak.
We have a decent supply of cold and flu meds, which should be helpful for treating coronavirus symptoms if we are unlucky enough to get infected.
Cleaning
We’re stocked up on hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper and so on. We don’t have as much hand sanitizer as we’d like, and this is hard to find as I write this, but hand washing with soap is the best way to sanitize. You can make your own hand sanitizer using rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel, although those items are getting hard to find.


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We are committed to reliable reporting on the risks of the coronavirus and steps you can take to benefit you, your loved ones and others in your community. Read Next Avenue's Coronavirus Coverage.


Respirators
Here’s an example of what not to buy. There has been a run on a special kind of a medical mask with an N95 rating meant to block at least 95% of small particles. When the coronavirus arrived, my wife bought a half-dozen 3M N95 respirator 10-packs. But when authorities told the public to not rely on such masks since they are said to be ineffective as general coronavirus protection, we returned most of ours.
Work
I am fortunate to have the kind of computer-based job that can be done anywhere, so I’ll be OK professionally speaking if the coronavirus strands me at home. And I have taken pains to make my home office a pleasant and comfortable place to work.
My most important piece of equipment, aside from my computer, is my standing desk. The contraption lets me switch from a sitting to standing position based on how my body feels. Such position changes invigorate me and raise my mood.
I have tested a bunch of standing desks as a tech writer. Vari’s Electric Standing Desk and Standing Work Station are full stand-and-sit desks that replace a regular, non-adjustable desk. One has a motor for raising and lowering; the other has a mechanical lever to adjust the height in a jiffy. There are also desk converters available (Ergotron has several sizes and price ranges) which sit atop a desk to add sit-stand adjustability.
Exercise
I am an avid athlete, focused mostly on long-distance bicycling. I dread having to curtail my riding because of the coronavirus, but I might have no choice. The alternative is indoor, stationary bicycling, but this can be expensive. Fancy Peloton exercise bicycles cost thousands.
You can press your existing bike into service for a relative pittance. Get a “trainer” contraption, as I have, that elevates your bicycle rear and places your back tire on a metal roller for friction to simulate how a road or trail feels. Get on, and start pedaling!
Some trainers cost $1,000 or more, but you can get a basic model for $50 to $150. This BikeTrainerWorld post has a good rundown of the latest options. For something fancier, look at Kinetic trainers.
Reading
Although I'm not checking out library books anymore, there is an alternative — e-book loans.
Instead of walking out of a public library branch with physical volumes, you borrow the digital equivalent using your phone, tablet or computer from the comfort and safety of your couch. The e-book files expire at the end of loan periods, so there is nothing to return.
Audiobook loans from public libraries work the same way. Libraries work with such companies as Overdrive and Bibliotheca that, in turn, broker deals with publishers to make their books available for lending in audio and text form.
Install Overdrive’s Libby app or Bibliotheca’s CloudLibrary app on your phone or tablet (or access the e-book catalogs on your computer from the home page of your library). Enter your library card number, and you are ready to check out books with a few taps or clicks.
Uncharted Territory
This article might make it seem like my wife and I have everything figured out, but this is far from the case. We find ourselves in uncharted territory, which is scary. New problems and challenges are sure to crop up.  At least we have each other, and that always makes me feel better.


Coronavirus: How to Prepare to Stay At Home

You’d think the generations that grew up with traditional wristwatches would be eager to try so-called smartwatches, such as the much-ballyhooed Apple Watch that went on sale in April. And, to some extent, you’d be right.
Brian Wooley, for one, gets why the Apple Watch, the latest consumer-electronics gizmo from a certain Cupertino, Calif., technology company, is generating so much excitement.
“It’s Apple, so of course the tech geeks are going to go ape over it,” said Wooley, 42, who lives in Lynchburg, Va. “For me, though, there’s no appeal.”
Folks like Wooley represent a long-term challenge for Apple as the company aims to add its smartwatch, unveiled with fanfare in 2014 and now available for purchase, to its stable of smash hits.
(MORE: Should You Buy the New Apple Products?)
Many consumers over age 50 understand watches — after all, they've used timepieces all their lives, or at least did so until smartphones showing the time came along. But smartwatches may be a tough sell for this cohort, especially those who care more about thriftiness and practicality than jumping on the newest high-tech bandwagon.
Curious But Skeptical
Some who have quizzed the 50-and-older crowd about the Apple Watch have found lukewarm interest at best.
Andrew Parker, who runs the tech-help company iTOK, caters to an older clientele that has scant enthusiasm for newfangled wrist computers.
(MORE: Why You Should Get Microsoft’s New Fitness Band)
“They are curious about it,” Parker said. “But for them, it’s one more device. If they have a phone and a computer, why do they need this?”
Indeed, when iTOK last year polled its clientele on the tech they wanted for Christmas, not one person mentioned a smartwatch. Most said they wanted no new tech since they were content with their phones, tablets and computers.
Some voiced concerns about a smartwatch’s compact display, which could be difficult for them to read. Others balked at the steep cost, Parker added. The Apple Watch starts at $350 and tops out in the tens of thousands.
The Exception: Health Tracking
Some people 50+ have a keen interest in the health-monitoring features of the Apple Watch and other wrist devices, however, Parker noted.
Indeed, the Apple Watch looks to have an impact in the health-tech arena from the very start. Hearing-aid maker Starkey, for instance, is adapting its line of iPhone-friendly models to interact with the Apple Watch. This means users will soon be able to open a Starkey hearing-aid app on the watch to adjust the ear devices, as they can do on their phones.
(MORE: What’s That You Said About New Hearing Aids?)
The Apple Watch’s activity app shows daily movement and exercise, will track your fitness stats, “learn” your levels and provide personalized goals. The idea is that better tracking can motivate behavior changes and ultimately better long-term health.
But Can It Take A Licking?
But Robert Herbst, a boomer living in Larchmont, N.Y. doesn’t quite believe the Apple Watch will be able to take much of a punishment when it comes to rigorous physical activity outside of a gym. The attorney used to climb mountains in Nepal and points out that the middle of a glacier isn’t a good place to have a battery or tech malfunction.
His preference? Traditional watches, which he has worn since the fourth grade. As an adult, Herbst has owned but two — a Seiko diver’s watch from 1976 to 1990, and a Rolex Submariner from 1990 to the present. They are “shockproof and waterproof,” he says.
As summer gets going, he anticipates hearing stories of people forgetting to take off their pricey smartwatches before jumping in the water. Though the Apple Watch can tolerate a bit of splashing, according to its maker, it is not designed to be submerged in a pool or bathtub.
Sentimental Reasons For ‘Dumb’ Watches
Jay Belle, a 61-year-old web content writer in San Diego, Calif., doesn’t want to spend money on something he thinks is destined to break. He’ll stick with his collection of traditional watches — one for nearly every occasion. “For example, if I am going out to dinner with my wife, I will wear my Rolex or my father’s watch,” he said. “My father’s watch has sentimental value, so I think that is more valuable than any other watch on the market.”
Sidney Kirby, a 54-year-old retiree in Little Rock, Ark., finds the cost of the new smartwatch prohibitive. What’s more, he finds the destined-to-be-obsolete tech to be overkill.
“We have cars that can park themselves and robot vacuum cleaners and that’s all great, but I love the simplicity of some things. And having a basic, simple watch works great for me,” he said.
Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer at ojezap.com/themobilewriter. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap. 


Why Boomers Won't Crave the Apple Watch

This year’s mammoth, high-tech Consumer Electronics Association trade show — known as CES — is underway in Las Vegas, with about 160,000 attendees from 140 nations. Each year, health and wellness products are a big draw, and their presence has been increasing, with a 40 percent uptick in exhibits last year alone.
This year is no different, as more and more players join the gear and gadgets game. Checking out all these new tech options requires a standard bit of skepticism, because notoriously, many products announced at the convention never see the light of day.
That said, the show offers tantalizing glimpses into the latest health and fitness trends. Here are seven of the products that stood out:
Smartphone Specs
ThinOptics aims to resolve the perennial “Where the heck are my reading glasses?” dilemma once and for all by turning them into smartphone accessories. The Silicon Valley company has designed compact reading specs that tuck into a special pocket on a phone case when not in use.
The glasses could take some getting used to, since they have no earpieces and hang on the bridge of your nose. But bundling them with your phone is genius.
(MORE: What's That You Said About New Hearing Aids?)
ThinOptics has $39 cases for various Apple and Samsung phone models, or you could get a “universal pod” eyeglass holder that attaches to any phone or phone case.
(MORE: 5 Reasons People Over 50 Should Love The Big i-Phone)
Cheap And Chic Fitness Watch
Leading fitness-tech firm Withings recently wowed wannabe fitness-watch owners with the French-designed, Swiss-made Activité wrist device, which is gorgeous but induces sticker shock at $450. Now it has released an Activité Pop watch that is a mere $149, is nearly as attractive and tracks a ton of fitness and health stuff.
(MORE: Why You Should Get Microsoft's New Fitness Band)
The Pop is good for runners and swimmers and also monitors sleep cycles. It’s kind of a social network on your wrist, too, since you can compete with all your friends to achieve fitness goals via a companion app. The Pop comes in an assortment of cool colors like Shark Grey, Bright Azure and Wild Sand.
Tech For Bicyclists
Most of us don't compete in bicycle races, but we do adore our leisurely weekend rides. And with an add-on tech accessory or two, we can get more out of our rides while feeling all futuristic.
For starters, French tech startup Connected Cycle has created a high-tech pedal that will record a rider’s speed, route, incline and burned calories. This Internet-connected pedal reminds you where you parked, too. The Connected Pedal is due later this year.
(MORE: 5 New Gadgets to Make You Healthier)
How about a cycling jacket that lights up? Visijax’s $120 Commuter Jacket is festooned with LEDs that let drivers know when you’re signaling for turns. Another LED array on the back flashes constantly. The lights run off a rechargeable battery pack.
Auto-Adjusting Belt
Millions of us loosened our belts a notch or so after mammoth holiday meals, but what if your belt could do that automatically?
Meet Belty, which was among the hits of this year’s CES. CNET calls it a “ridiculous but strangely popular showstealer.” From Paris-based Emiota, the Belty is motorized to make the necessary adjustments as the waist of its wearer expands or contracts. It is due late this year.
Healthy Lounge Chair
Deleterious effects of prolonged sitting are well documented, but the TAO Chair claims to be “an invisible gym in your living room.”
The chair prompts you to engage in a series of isometric pushing maneuvers, which are duly registered by embedded sensors that track how many calories you’ve burned. This data is displayed on a screen built into the chair’s right arm.
A TAO app guides the user through dozens of exercises that hit different muscle groups. This isn’t the equivalent of a gym workout, to be sure, but it is better than eating chips.
The chair’s maker, TAO Wellness, hasn’t announced a release date, but the product got lots of buzz at CES.
Tiny Sleep Sensors
Companies like Select Comfort are happy to sell you beds costing thousands and incorporating sensors to monitor your sleep cycles. But a company called SevenHugs is offering just the sensors at a greatly reduced cost.
SevenHugs’ high-tech system, dubbed HugOne, consists of a central monitoring station along with tiny sensors called MiniHugs that tuck under the mattress cover to keep track of how well or poorly you sleep.
“There is no need to wear anything during the night, and no need to synchronize or recharge anything,” the company says. “All you need to do is sleep.”
The HugOne gear, priced at $165, is now available for preorder.
Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap.
 


We Want These 7 Cool New Health Gadgets

The hotly anticipated Microsoft wearable fitness gadget known as the Band is out now, and after wearing it for a week, I’m getting hooked.
Some context: I recently joined a gym and started doing serious cardio and weights for the first time in ages. So I was open to a wrist-borne fitness tracker after years of largely ignoring such products.
My timing may have been right, since the Microsoft Band is shaping up to be one of the best such gizmos in its price range ($200). Though a smidgen dorky-looking, it is jam-packed with features — including a bunch of advanced sensors that measure everything I do.
(MORE: The Truth About Fitness Apps and Devices)
5 Reasons I Like Microsoft Band
Here are five reasons I think it might be a keeper:
1. It works with almost any modern smartphone. Microsoft, an underdog in the phone space, had an incentive to make the Band compatible with Apple and Android handsets, as well its own Windows Phone smartphones. (Sorry, BlackBerry users.) I had no trouble linking my Band to my iPhone 6 using Bluetooth and Microsoft’s Health app.
Some stuff, like voice input, is Windows Phone-only, but for the most part Microsoft is making the Band a truly universal device.
2. It has a ton of sensors. I will have to use the Band longer to gauge their accuracy, but these sensors are exciting because they have the potential to document my world and my interaction with it in lots of useful ways.
Among others, the Band incorporates a heart-rate sensor, a UV sensor to gauge sunshine exposure (something you won't find on the upcoming FitBit Charge HR), a skin-temperature sensor and a galvanic-skin-response sensor for gauging emotional-stress levels. Users don’t have full access to every sensor yet, but Microsoft is working on that.
The Band also has GPS support (unlike the new FitBit), meaning you can track outdoor-workout routes with just the wrist device and leave your bulkier phone at home.
(MORE: Five New Gadgets to Make You Healthier)
3. The Band monitors and measures your workouts. Press a button on the device before you start exercising and it will keep track of everything you do. It looks at your sleep patterns, too. Press that button before you doze off to learn how well (or how poorly) you slumbered.
The Band handles more basic stuff, too, like setting step and calorie-burning targets and keeping track of how well you meet those benchmarks. I received an 'attaboy' message to let me know I met my steps goal for the day.
The Band provides limited exercise guidance on its own, but its companion Health app is brimming with enough workout information to keep you active and engaged for years.
4. It works with other fitness apps. If you are a MyFitnessPal or RunKeeper user, you are in luck. You can log in to those fitness- and nutrition-tracking services from within Microsoft’s Band app to consolidate your health data.
Microsoft is promising support for more and more such services over time, as well as for fitness devices made by other companies. The Jawbone fitness-tracker maker is already on board.
5. It does more than health stuff. The Band is versatile with an attractive (but minute) touchscreen for accessing your smartphone’s recent e-mails, texts and phone calls along with calendar items, weather forecasts, Facebook, Twitter and more. You can even link a Starbucks card to your Band and then use the gadget to pay for your lattes.

The 4 Downsides
The Band is not perfect. I can already tell it has four gotchas, though these are hardly in the dealbreaker category:
1. It’s hard to read stuff on it. The Band’s display is bright and beautiful, but its small size makes e-mails and other detailed information difficult to read. Portions of e-mails get garbled at times.
2. It has a nonstandard charger. Like the popular Pebble smartwatch, the Band’s USB cord for charging has a special way to attach that means you are in trouble if you lose the cable. A standard micro-USB cord won’t work.
I had the Band for only a few hours when I lost track of its cable and panicked. I didn’t lose it … but I do misplace stuff, and I’ll probably lose the Band cable at some point (bet on it).
3. Did I mention the dorkiness? The Band’s physical design is, well, weird. Its display is a long, straight rectangle that rests oddly on the curved wrist.
The device does not work well with the screen located on the top of the wrist, where a standard watch would go, since that positions the display incorrectly for comfortable reading. It works better on the underside of the wrist.
While I can't say the Band is the most comfortable wrist device in the world, I'm getting used to it.
4. It isn’t waterproof. The Band will take a bit of splashing, but can’t be submerged. That's too bad, since the Pebble is waterproof.
Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap. 


Why You Should Get Microsoft's New Fitness Band

I had it in my head that I hated big smartphones. A compact handset is, after all, easier to use with one hand, more comfortable to tote around and kind of adorable to boot.
Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus has me rethinking my large-phone antipathy.
The 5.5-inch smartphone, released last month, is enormous compared to its immediate predecessors, the 4-inch iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c (which are still on the market). Apple also rolled out a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 last month, but it’s the big boy that has me intrigued.
(MORE: Should You Buy the New Apple Products?)
It dawned on me that the iPhone 6 Plus is the perfect phone for someone, like me, who is entering a second century of life and having to make a number of physical adjustments.
Here are five reasons I’m falling in love with Apple’s honkin’ handset:
1. It is great for reading. I am a voracious reader, but the older I get, the more I hate to lug around hardcovers. Even toting a tablet or an e-book reader is a pain. On the other hand, standard-size phones are too small for comfortable reading. My eyesight isn’t what it was, after all.
(MORE: Are You Ready to Get a Tablet?)
The iPhone 6 Plus is just the right size, it turns out. It slips in my sportcoat pocket or in the front pocket of my slacks and jeans, yet its display is large enough to accommodate a generous amount of text at a comfortably readable size and wonderfully high resolution.
I began powering through more books, more quickly, once I got my hands on an iPhone 6 Plus. I whipped through The Kite Runner and The Martian in days. The new, huge Apple phone made this easy.
2. It is great for writing. I hate to lug stuff around, as I said. This is especially true after last winter, when snow shoveling did a number on my arm, which has yet to fully recover.
I try to avoid schlepping a notebook computer as a result, even though I am a writer. I have experimented with tablets and add-on keyboards, which together are a somewhat less of a burden, but the iPhone 6 Plus takes this to a whole new level.
The phone, though small compared to a laptop or tablet, is large enough for comfortable spurts of word processing and other productivity tasks.
Pick up an ultraportable keyboard, such as ZAGG’s terrific ZAGGkeys Flex or ZAGGkeys Universal, and you’re ready to do email and edit work files at the cafe. These keyboards incorporate stands for your iPhone, so there is nothing else to carry around, yet are light and compact.
3. It is great for watching. Watching video on a small smartphone is also a bit of a pain. YouTube videos aren’t too much of a problem, but there’s no way I will watch three-hour movies like Lord of the Rings on such a compact display.
The iPhone 6 Plus solves that problem beautifully. It is my new best buddy for whipping through episodes of Outlander before I go to sleep, while munching on my Corn Flakes or on my city-bus commute. Its screen is just large enough that I do not become fatigued during viewing marathons. My wife and I can even watch movies together on the couch.
(MORE: How to Become a Boomer Tech Genius)
4. It is great for gabbing. When making calls with the iPhone 6 Plus, I do feel a bit like I am holding a Pop-Tart up to my ear. I’m sure that feeling will pass eventually, but I love the ease with which I can engage in video chats via Apple’s FaceTime, Microsoft’s Skype or Google’s Hangouts.
Older iPhones felt a bit too cramped for this, but an iPad feels like overkill. The iPhone 6 Plus is just right for comfortable videoconferencing.
5. It is great for shooting. Apple’s iPhones have tended to have the best phone cameras, but their smaller screens have made it difficult to get a full appreciation for just-snapped pictures. Even though fantastic iPhone photo-editing apps are available, those of us with less-than-optimal eyesight have waited until pictures were transferred to our computers.
With the iPhone 6 Plus, I do not have to wait. The latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system brings with it huge improvements to Apple’s camera app, and I am fully availing myself of them on that big, beautiful screen. I did a ton of on-the-go tweaking while on a hike around my ‘hood' to shoot fall colors last weekend (including the one with this article).
It is important to note that the iPhone 6 Plus has a slightly superior camera than the iPhone 6. An “optical image stabilization” feature found only in the large phone aids in low-light photography by compensating for hand shake and subject motion.
Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap. 


5 Reasons People Over 50 Should Love the Big iPhone

For Apple fans, Christmas comes early every year. It’s around this time that the tech company famous for the Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod announces major upgrades to existing products — and, every so often, something entirely new.
So it was this week. Apple revamped its iPhone line with fresh models that are bigger than the existing ones. And the tech trendsetter joined the “wearable” revolution with the first Apple-branded smartwatch, called Apple Watch.
Apple revealed new services, as well, including one designed to make payments easier.
This is all well and good ... but should you buy any of these products or services? There are reasons to do so, and reasons to stay away.
(MORE: 11 Best Apps for a Fresh Start This Fall)

Bigger Phones
As expected, Apple announced iPhones that are substantially larger than the current 4-inch 5s and 5c models. The larger phones include the iPhone 6, coming in at 4.7 inches, and the jumbo iPhone 6 Plus at 5.5 inches.
This aligns Apple better with competing smartphone makers such as Samsung and HTC, which have been offering large-format smartphones for awhile. But does this mean you should take a bite out of the Apple and buy a big phone?
Reasons to go for it: Some of us aren’t getting any younger and our eyesight isn’t what it used to be. The larger the phone, therefore, the better. The new iPhones and especially the Plus model amount to small tablets that also happen to be phones. And with a nifty screen-scaling technology, you see exactly what users of smaller phones see — just blown up nice and big.
(MORE: Are You Ready to Get a Tablet?)
Reasons to avoid it: There's a reason Apple stayed with smaller iPhones for so long. They're easier to use with one hand. Plus, you might feel silly holding such a big gadget up to your ear.
Bottom line: If you’re intrigued by the new iPhones but unsure about them, visit a store and try handling larger phones from other makers before the iPhones are available, starting Sept. 19.
 
Apple Watch
Also as expected, Apple revealed its first all-new device since the iPad in 2010. The Apple Watch is a curvy, metallic beauty of a smartwatch with a gorgeous display and a variety of high-fashion wristbands.
Reasons to go for it: Who wouldn’t want one of these on their wrist? The new watch makes other so-called “smartwatches” suddenly look dowdy (though those competitors are available now, while the Apple Watch won’t be for sale until 2015). Also, if you have an iPhone 5 or newer model, the Apple Watch will pair up with it. And the Apple Watch is loaded with health-monitoring stuff.
(MORE: The Truth About Fitness Apps and Devices)
Reasons to avoid it: The Apple Watch starts at $349. Luxury-watch aficionados will gladly pay that, but the price is a bit steep for average mortals. That’s what a high-end smartphone costs, after all. Another caveat: It’s always risky to throw down big bucks for a first device of its kind.
Bottom line: A prudent course is letting early adopters deal with Apple Watch bugs, and go for the second or third generation (assuming there is one).
 
Apple Pay
Tech firms have been trying to retire credit cards for awhile and Apple’s new stab at this is Apple Pay. It will let users tap their iPhones or Apple Watches against in-store terminals to consummate their transactions.
Reasons to go for it: For some, the promise of credit card-free shopping is hugely appealing. And that tap-to-pay thing is already catching on; similar store terminals are already set up at the likes of McDonald’s and CVS pharmacies. And users of Android phones have been able to use a Google Wallet service for payments. Although smartpay services haven't taken off yet, if anyone can make this idea happen, it’s Apple.
Reasons to avoid it: You’re wise to be very, very cautious with payment information. High-profile data breaches at Target, Home Depot and other places have taught consumers to be extra-wary. Besides, digital wallets could be like 3D HDTVs: They are certainly cool, but how necessary are they, really?
Bottom line: Even we gadget geeks have to ask: How is it easier to pull out your phone to pay, instead of your wallet, really?
Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap. 


Should You Buy the New Apple Products?

There's now a second sexual revolution of sorts, and it involves erotica — the written kind that women tend to prefer over graphic sexual imagery.
Women have been reading sexually explicit fiction for centuries, of course. But until recently, finding and buying it could be difficult and embarrassing, not to mention expensive.
These days, however, two trends are converging: The rise in e-reader sales and the popularity and acceptance of erotic fiction. E.L. James’ bondage-themed Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels have been big factors in the genre’s entry into the mainstream.
James “brought erotica to Costco, to Wal-Mart, to my grocery store,” says top erotica author and editor Alison Tyler. “Now, even my shy local banker is talking about the cast of the upcoming movie.”
Access to titles is easy. Women can browse the Internet and purchase the books with the tap of a touchscreen. They can read them privately in public, using e-book readers, which are growing in popularity among those aged 30 to 64.  
And as erotica becomes increasingly respectable and mainstream, they can share the e-books among their friends and relatives without fear or shame. As Tyler puts it: “The doors have been opened.”
A Growing Trend
The trend has been a long time coming, erotica-industry experts say.
“Fifty Shades put erotica in the mainstream,” says Vida Engstrand, a spokeswoman for Kensington Publishing. But e-book sales “had been growing since well before E.L. James hit the mark,” she adds.
In 2011, the year 50 Shades was released, electronic sales of Kensington’s aphrodisia erotica imprint already accounted for 57 percent of the total, up from roughly 2 percent in 2008, Engstrand said.
(MORE: How Reading Can Be Like Falling in Love)
E-book readers such as Amazon’s Kindle and tablet computers like Apple’s iPad are rapidly displacing traditional computers as preferred devices for digital-book reading.
The bulk of e-book readers say they do so on a dedicated reader or tablet, rather than on a desktop or laptop computer, according to 2013 data from the Pew Research Group. About a third of those surveyed use their phones to read e-books as well, too, according a Pew report released earlier this year.
And guess which is the most popular e-book category? Yep, it’s romance and erotica, according to the Book Industry Study Group — followed by the mystery-and-thriller category and general fiction. Cookbooks, graphic novels and travel books are the least likely to be read digitally.
The E-Book Erotica Link
It’s no mystery why so many boomer women prefer reading their erotica on electronic gizmos.
“It is a brown wrapper,” says Brenda Knight, publisher of sexual-book publisher Cleis Press. “Women of a certain age like discretion.”
E-book readers and tablets “have definitely changed the game for the erotica genre,” says Tom Corson-Knowles, founder of TCK Publishing, which sells romance novels, among other categories.
“In the past, buying erotica was an awkward, strange and embarrassing chore,” he notes. “People buy based on emotion. When the overwhelming emotion you feel is shame or embarrassment, you’re obviously not as likely to buy.”
Now, since “readers can browse, shop and read erotica from anywhere and at any time with their (Internet-connected devices), it takes all those bad feelings away,” Corson-Knowles adds.
Not all women want to be covert about reading erotica while in public, though. Knight said she sees “ladies in their 70s and 80s” reading Fifty Shades on the bus.
Likewise, “I’ve seen women reading Fifty Shades in public everywhere from New York to London to Dubai, so I think the stigma has certainly lessened,” says leading erotica author and editor, Rachel Kramer Bussel.
Female erotica readers are increasingly talking about the books with their friends and family, too.
“The rise of Fifty Shades has opened up erotica to readers who might not have known about it and also means women are sharing favorite books with friends, co-workers and family members,” Kramer Bussel says. “Not everyone is sharing their reading habits, but women are more comfortable doing so.”
Changing Times
It wasn’t always this way. Traditionally, women who liked erotica could find only a limited supply. Tyler remembers decades ago when a company “published a mimeographed list of titles to choose from” and charged about a dollar per page.
Back then, it was common to find dozens of romance titles at most bookstores, but little or zero erotica.
(MORE: Is Technology Making Us Smarter -- Or Dumber?)
Back in the Victorian era, erotica “was so illegal you could be arrested for publishing it,” says University of Puget Sound professor Darcy Irvin, who studies censored materials of the 19th century. “It was far more expensive than regular books, meaning by and large women wouldn’t have owned it. They did read it, but they would have had access through a male person, a husband, lover or brother.”
How times have changed.
“Let’s do a test,” Tyler says. “Type ‘erotica’ into Amazon and you get, oh, 133,620 results. And I think those are books that have ‘erotica’ in the title.”
Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer at ojezap.com/themobilewriter. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap. 


Why Boomer Women Are Hot for Erotica E-books

Peggy Gerbeling knew her hearing loss had become a problem when she stopped taking calls from friends. “I’d see them on the caller ID, but I wouldn’t pick up,” said Gerbeling, 65, of Plymouth, Minn.
That’s because she couldn’t make out what they were saying — it was all a dim muddle.
Then Gerbeling found out her daughter was pregnant. Knowing that she'd someday want to speak to her future grandchild by phone, the retired nurse was motivated to get help.
(MORE: How to Manage Hearing Loss)
She found it in a new generation of hearing aids, created when Apple partnered with traditional hearing aid companies to improve technologies. The new devices work much like high-end phone headsets, but with added features for the hard of hearing.
Waiting for Hearing Help
Gerbeling is hardly alone in hesitating to find help. More than 36 million Americans have a hearing loss, but only one out of five who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
(MORE: Need a Hearing Aid? Get the Best Advice and Fit for You)
Boomers, the post-WWII generation once associated with youth, are notorious for avoiding hearing aids. They often wait seven years after the onset of hearing loss to seek technical assistance, according to Minnesota-based hearing aid makers ReSound and Starkey. About 12 million boomers suffer from some kind of hearing loss, Starkey estimates.
Companies like Starkey, ReSound and Beltone hope that as devices become increasingly inconspicuous, more people will turn to them before a problem is severe. And they tout the built-in Apple technology as more effective, easier to adjust and way more cool than your dad’s hearing aid.
This new breed of hearing aid links up wirelessly to Apple’s iOS devices, such as the iPhone and the iPad, much as cell phone headsets have done for years. This gives hearing aid owners control via their Apple-device screens. They can make and take calls, listen to music, engage in video chats and heed car-navigation prompts, with the sound from all such activities coming through the hearing aids. The audio quality is something the companies are proud of and that users say they appreciate.
(MORE: How to Overcome Fear of Technology)
Through their screens, users can fine-tune the hearing aids for different kinds of situations, such as loud concerts and restaurants. That would have been all but impossible in the past, when users needed clunky "relay" devices stuffed into their pockets or dangling from their necks to sync their phones with their medical devices.
A Range of Options
Starkey’s Apple-enhanced hearing aids are dubbed Halo, ReSound sells a product called LiNX and Beltone offers First.
The hearing aids don’t come cheap, running into thousands of dollars. But those on tighter budgets aren’t out of options.
Cutting-edge, but less-costly, products for the hard of hearing are available. They include the Bean, an in-ear device similar to a hearing aid but without requiring audiologist visits. It operates more simply — focusing on amplifying quiet sounds, such as conversations in restaurants, so they're easier to make out. These devices are $479 apiece or $858 a pair.
Also available: desktop phones, such as Amplicom’s PowerTel 7-Series devices, with a host of features for the hard of hearing. These include amplified earpiece volume which have sound “boosting” tone adjustments with an emphasis on harder-to-hear higher frequencies, extra-loud ringing accompanied by a visual indicator and “wrist shaker” accessories that vibrate when calls come in. These phones cost as little as $100 each.
Is It Worth The Cost?
For those able to afford one of the iPhone-compatible hearing aids, and wondering if they’re good investments, users insist they’re worth every penny.
Gerbeling, who tried Starkey’s Halo hearing aid, said her life has been transformed in sometimes surprising ways. One of the first things she noticed: She can again hear her car’s turn-signal clicking sounds.
She hadn’t been to the movies in years because it was “a big, terrible noise,” but caught two flicks after being fitted for her new hearing aid. When Gerbeling went out to eat, she no longer frantically scanned the restaurant for a location with the right kinds of acoustics.
In these and other locations, she could make a few adjustments on her iPhone screen to hear what she wanted without being overly distracted by other sounds in the area.
She has run into only one minor problem: Starkey couldn’t get the Halo to fit her ear properly, so she’s making do with a slightly older model while the problem is worked out.
That small issue aside, “I’m back in business,” Gerbeling said. “People who think a hearing aid makes them look old are completely wrong. It’s not being able to hear that makes them look old.”
Editor's Note: Next Avenue's updated Hearing Loss Guide can answer your questions on age-related hearing loss and the latest hearing aid technology. 
Julio Ojeda Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap. 


What’s That You Said About New Hearing Aids?

Those lights flickering in Las Vegas this week aren’t coming from the Strip. They’re emanating from health and fitness gadgets at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
 
There’s been a notable emphasis on products for boomers, with a "Silvers Summit" track providing talks and presentations on a wide range of boomer-relevant topics. (Check out the PBS NewsHour video, "Can New Apps Lead to a New You for 2014?")
 
After sifting through dozens of health-tech devices featured there, below are a few that look promising, either because their manufacturers have proven track records or because the gear brims with originality and potential.
(MORE: 10 Top Wellness Apps to Meet Your Goals)
 
But beware: CES is famous for touting tech products that never see the light of day.
Fall in love with one of the gizmos described here, and your heart might get broken. It’s a good bet, though, that you'll find another like it sooner or later.
 
FootLogger: Watching Your Every Step
Fitness trackers built into high-tech bracelets and watches are all the rage, but how about one built into an athletic-shoe insole? That’s what 3L Labs offers in its new FootLogger ($100), due later this year.
 
The insole houses multiple pressure sensors along with a three-axis accelerometer to monitor a user’s activity levels.
 
It measures stride, stance, cadence and more, and is designed to spot poor walking patterns that can take a toll on the spine and other parts of the body. The maker says FootLogger can even detect gait abnormalities that can predict dementia and falling problems in the elderly and frail.

(MORE: New Studies Reveal a Link Between Alzheimer's and Changes in Gait)
 
iHealth Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor
A company called iHealth Lab has staked out a position as one of the most advanced makers of consumer health-tech gear, and it made a splash at CES this year.
One of the products it showed off, an Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor, is worn inside a vest and takes continual readings that are fed to Android or iOS smartphones via Bluetooth wireless. The company’s CES arsenal also included an Ambulatory ECG gadget to monitor heart activity while connected to a user’s chest, with data pushed to a mobile device, and a Wearable Pulse Oximeter for monitoring pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation via a wristband with a fingertip sensor attachment.
These devices are due during the second half of this year -- pending FDA approval. Pricing has not been released. ihealthlab.com
 
Sleep Number X12
Select Comfort, the company known for the adjustable Sleep Number beds, showed off its new X12 model with the claim that it is "probably the best bed in the world."
The X12 is more adjustable than earlier models, with a high-tech remote that can alter the bed’s firmness and positioning -- flat for sleeping, angled upward for reading -- with the tap of a button. The high-tech clicker even responds to voice commands, turning on your bed’s built-in nightlight or giving you a massage with a few simple words. Does your partner snore? A command stops that by slightly elevating his or her head.
You can monitor your sleep patterns on a smartphone or tablet using a Sleep Number app, as well. Sensors in the bed measure your movement, average breathing and heart rate, and send this data to your device. The X12 turns this into a game, awarding SleepIQ points and showing you how to improve your scoring.
The X12, due in February, is not cheap at $8,000 for a queen-sized version. sleepnumber.com

 
(MORE: 7 Big Myths About Body Fat)
 
The Aura: Find Peaceful Sleep
Withings, known for its high-tech scale and activity bracelet, later this year will offer the Aura ($299) bedside device to help you sleep.
 
The futuristic gizmo, which looks like the love child of an alarm clock and nightstand lamp, has a variety of lighting patterns along with soothing music to help you conk out more quickly, snooze more deeply and wake up more cheerfully.
 
The unit, which mointors the noise, light and temperature in your bedroom, is paired with a pad under your pillow that can sense your heart rate, breathing and movements.
As with other health and fitness gadgetry, data is uploaded to the Internet for long-term tracking.

 
The Kolibree: Earn Points for Brushing Your Teeth Better
A smart … toothbrush?
The Kolibree (estimated cost: $100 to $200) is designed to monitor your brushing habits, which is no more outlandish than a smart fork which was the talk of last year’s CES.
If you missed a spot (or more), Kolibree will tell you. It even turns brushing into a game by awarding points for your technique. Brushing well may be more important than you realize. As Next Avenue has noted, oral health is the key to total health.
 
The brush links via Bluetooth to your phone and a Kolibree app lets you keep track of your progress over time. Multiple people using separate heads can use the brush, with data recorded for each user.
 
If this sounds like a gadget you want, contribute to the maker’s Kickstarter campaign when it launches later in the year.
Julio Ojeda-Zapata is a technology journalist and occasional author. His latest book is The Mobile Writer at ojezap.com/themobilewriter. Find him at ojezap.com and follow him on Twitter @ojezap. 


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