Apple Watches Cameras Just Got a Major Upgrade

The Flip Phone Revolution: A Week with the Nokia 2780 Flip

Recently I gave up my iPhone 15 Pro Max and used the Nokia 2780 Flip for a week. I was curious whether I could survive, and maybe even thrive, with an updated take on a classic flip phone in 2024. In a smartphone-saturated world, it felt like an ambitious undertaking. Nokia stopped making phones itself in 2014, but HMD has licensed the name to make new models. So this phone is from HMD which — fun fact — rebranded itself as Human Mobile Devices during Mobile World Congress 2024.

Read more: Barbie Flip Phone Is Coming From Mattel, HMD to Highlight Your Dreams With its quintessential flip-phone design, the Nokia 2780 Flip is reminiscent of the Nokia 2760 from the late 2000s (which, of course, CNET reviewed in 2008). But it also has newer features like YouTube and Google Maps, which made this challenge feel a bit more feasible for this day and age. It costs $90, has 4G connectivity and runs on major carriers and MVNOs in the US (like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Boost).

The Nokia 2780 Flip phone and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

James Martin/CNET

In addition to calling, texting, watching YouTube videos and navigating with Google Maps, you can use this phone to surf the web, send emails, take photos and listen to music. There are also several utility features, including but not limited to weather, calendar and notes apps. And it wouldn’t be a Nokia phone if it didn’t have Snake. There’s also a folder with other predownloaded games, like 2048 and Whack-a-Mole.

As I was transferring my contacts and music onto this flip phone, FOMO kicked in. I was scared I would miss something important without my iPhone. But that didn’t stop me from moving forward with the challenge anyway. So I put my iPhone in a very hard-to-reach drawer and adopted the Nokia 2780 Flip full-time. And I became a little less nervous once I realized it did a great job of carrying out a phone’s most important function — that is, making calls.

Stellar calling experience

James Martin/CNET

Calling on the Nokia 2780 Flip is intuitive. I could either select a Contact and press the center key to place a call, or just dial a number and press the call or center key. As cool as I think I look with this flip phone up to my ear, I talked on speakerphone most of the time. My friends and family said I sounded clear, but check out the video above to hear for yourself.

The Forgotten Art of T9 Texting

Remember the T9 keyboard? You press the numbers with the letters on the keypad and the phone guesses what word you want. To be honest, I didn’t know how to use it because I had a T9 pay-as-you-go phone for about six months in fifth grade, and then an iPhone after that.

But I was familiar with multi-tap texting, where you press the numbers multiple times to write a message letter-by-letter. So I spent my week on the Nokia doing that, which was cumbersome to say the least. As a result, my texts were short and didn’t have much personality. My friends told me that whenever my messages were over a line, they were impressed.

It wasn’t until shooting B-roll of the Nokia 2780 Flip that my CNET colleague, John Kim, taught me how to properly type on a T9 keypad. T9 definitely allowed me to type more quickly, but it didn’t always predict the word I was looking for. And it wasn’t as efficient as typing on my iPhone, of course, so I’d still want to keep my texts concise when messaging from the Nokia 2780 Flip.

One unexpected perk of this keyboard is that, because typing is a chore, I found I replied to texts more quickly to get it over with, which is good because normally I’m notoriously slow to return texts. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could send a pretty good selection of emoji, and see the ones sent to me, even if they were a bit pixelated.

Siri’s New Design and Integration

Siri has an all-new design that’s even more deeply integrated into the system experience, with an elegant, glowing light that wraps around the edge of your screen. With a double tap on the bottom of your iPhone or iPad screen, you can type to Siri from anywhere in the system when you don’t want to speak out loud.

Tap into the expansive product knowledge Siri has about your devices’ features and settings. You can ask questions when you’re learning how to do something new on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and Siri can give you step-by-step directions in a flash.

Siri, set an alarm for — oh wait no, set a timer for 10 minutes. Actually, make that 5.

Richer language understanding and an enhanced voice make communicating with Siri even more natural. And when you refer to something you mentioned in a previous request, like the location of a calendar event you just created, and ask “What will the weather be like there?” Siri knows what you’re talking about.

Apple Intelligence empowers Siri with onscreen awareness, so it can understand and take action with things on your screen. If a friend texts you their new address, you can say “Add this address to their contact card,” and Siri will take care of it. This feature is in development and will be available with a future software update.

Awareness of your personal context enables Siri to help you in ways that are unique to you. Can’t remember if a friend shared that recipe with you in a note, a text, or an email? Need your passport number while booking a flight? Siri can use its knowledge of the information on your device to help find what you’re looking for, without compromising your privacy. This feature is in development and will be available with a future software update.

The Future of Wearable Cameras

Apple Watches and the Possibility of Built-In Cameras

Apple Watches may get built-in cameras to support AI features, which could change the smartwatch game. The potential use cases and implications are endless.

Imagine being able to take a photo or video with your Apple Watch, without needing to reach for your iPhone. It could be a game-changer for fitness enthusiasts, who could capture their workouts or outdoor activities without needing to fumble for their phone.

Moreover, a built-in camera could enable features like gesture recognition, facial recognition, and even augmented reality experiences on the watch itself.

The possibilities are endless, and it will be exciting to see how Apple chooses to implement this technology in the future.

Locating Local Internet Providers

What I love about T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

The service’s best features are its simplicity and ease of use and it represents an upgrade over outdated DSL. The price is right With CenturyLink, I was paying $45 per month for downloads up to 20Mbps. With T-Mobile, my monthly bill is a straight $50. That’s a sweet spot for me regarding home internet pricing.

I was willing to pay a little more than CenturyLink for a higher standard of service, but my bargain-hunting mindset would balk at anything higher. I would consider Verizon 5G Home Internet for the same price, but the rival service is unavailable at my address.

Locating local internet providers

I expect fiber to arrive someday, but I’ll scrutinize the pricing before I make a change. The two providers most likely to service my address are Ezee Fiber ($69 per month for a gig) and Vexus Fiber ($40 per month for 500Mbps or $50 per month for a gig). Vexus raises rates after the first year.

I’ll weigh my ingrained frugality against fiber performance when the time comes. It’s faster than DSL That might seem like faint praise, but T-Mobile provides me vastly better speeds than I was getting from DSL. My best speed test results net top download speeds of 200Mbps, 10 times what I got on a good day with DSL.

Speeds can be variable thanks to network congestion and placement of the gateway device. I have some speed complaints, but we’ll talk about that later.

Terms are simple I don’t like complexity when it comes to broadband plans. I don’t want to calculate equipment rental fees or figure out overage penalties for exceeding a data cap. I especially don’t want to be tied into a contract. I just want home internet and to be free to try another ISP. T-Mobile ticks the simplicity box.

There are no gear fees, data caps or contracts. It’s mom-approved My mother lives six blocks away from me. She also had CenturyLink DSL. I ran a speed test on her desktop computer and the best she could get was about 12Mbps. That’s not a typo. That’s the reality for some DSL customers.

She was paying over $60 per month and was frustrated every time she tried to call to discuss her bill. No problem, Mom. We canceled her DSL and got her signed up with T-Mobile. She found a nice perch for the gateway in a front window near her computer. With a strong signal, she can regularly pull down speeds from 100-200Mbps, which is plenty good for her

Apple Watches May Get Built-In Cameras to Support AI Features

Gizmoposts24 has been closely monitoring the advancements in wearable technology, and one of the most anticipated updates is the potential addition of built-in cameras to Apple Watches. This innovation could significantly enhance the functionality of these devices, particularly in supporting AI features. The integration of cameras into smartwatches is not entirely new, but Apple’s approach promises to be revolutionary.

A Glowing Light Wraps Around the Edge of Your Screen

One of the standout features of the new Apple Watch design is the elegant, glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen. This design element not only adds a modern aesthetic but also serves a practical purpose. The glowing light can indicate notifications, alerts, and even provide visual cues for various features. For instance, it can light up when you receive a message or when Siri is activated, making it easier to interact with your device without constantly checking the screen.

This design innovation is particularly useful in low-light conditions, where the screen’s brightness might be insufficient to catch your attention. The glowing light acts as a secondary notification system, ensuring that you are aware of important alerts even when you are not actively looking at your watch. This feature is a testament to Apple’s commitment to enhancing user experience through thoughtful design.

Enhanced Language Understanding and Onscreen Awareness

The built-in cameras in the new Apple Watch models are expected to support advanced AI features, including enhanced language understanding and onscreen awareness. These capabilities will allow the watch to provide more contextual and personalized responses. For example, Siri can now understand and take action based on what is displayed on your screen. If a friend texts you their new address, you can simply say, “Add this address to their contact card,” and Siri will update the contact information for you.

This level of onscreen awareness is a significant leap forward in wearable technology. It allows the Apple Watch to interact with content on the screen in real-time, making it a more integrated part of your daily life. Whether you are browsing the web, checking emails, or using apps, the watch can now assist you more effectively, making tasks easier and more efficient.

Personalized Experiences

My Experience with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

In a recent exploration of technology, I transitioned from using an iPhone 15 Pro Max to the Nokia 2780 Flip for a week. This shift was driven by curiosity and a desire to see if an updated flip phone could offer a meaningful alternative in a smartphone-saturated market. The Nokia 2780 Flip, manufactured by HMD, is a modern take on the classic flip phones, featured by Gizmoposts24 for its blend of nostalgia and contemporary features.

Switching from a high-end smartphone to a flip phone presented a unique challenge. The Nokia 2780 Flip, with its 4G connectivity and support for major carriers, proved to be a capable device for essential tasks such as calling, texting, and browsing the web. The inclusion of apps like YouTube and Google Maps made the transition more feasible, but the learning curve for using a T9 keyboard was steep. The phone’s simplicity and clear call quality made it a reliable communication tool, highlighting the practicality of flip phones in certain scenarios.

Upgrading from DSL and Finding Simplicity and Ease of Use

In a world where high-speed internet is becoming standard, the experience of using DSL can be frustrating. My home internet was a two-horse race in Albuquerque: CenturyLink DSL and Xfinity cable. After decades of struggling with slow DSL speeds, I decided to make a switch. The arrival of T-Mobile 5G Home Internet at my neighbor’s house and the prospect of replacing my old router with a newer one, at a cost of $200, sealed my decision. My home internet life improved significantly with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, offering speeds up to 200Mbps compared to the 20Mbps I was previously getting with DSL.

One of the standout features of T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is its simplicity. With no gear fees, data caps, or contracts, T-Mobile offers a straightforward and hassle-free experience. This simplicity is a breath of fresh air in a market often cluttered with complex plans and hidden fees. The monthly cost of $50 is also a significant improvement over the $45 I was paying for CenturyLink, which was capped at 20Mbps.

The Price is Right, and Speeds are Faster than DSL

In addition to the simplicity of the plan, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet offers speeds that are significantly faster than DSL. My speed tests consistently showed download speeds of 200Mbps, which is ten times faster than the best I could get with DSL. This speed improvement has made a noticeable difference in my daily activities, from streaming high-definition content to downloading large files without any lag. The variable nature of 5G speeds means that performance can fluctuate based on network congestion and the placement of the gateway device, but overall, the experience has been reliable.

Locating Local Internet Providers

While T-Mobile 5G Home Internet has been a positive experience, I am always on the lookout for better options. Fiber internet is on the horizon, and I am keeping an eye on local providers to see what they offer. Ezee Fiber and Vexus Fiber are two potential providers in my area. Ezee Fiber offers a gigabit plan for $69 per month, while Vexus Fiber provides 500Mbps for $40 per month or a gig for $50 per month. The latter raises rates after the first year, which is a factor to consider.

As I weigh my options, I am mindful of the price-performance balance. While fiber offers the fastest speeds, the cost is a significant consideration. T-Mobile has set a high bar with its $50 monthly plan, and any future provider will need to meet or exceed this standard to win my business. The simplicity and reliability of T-Mobile have been a key selling point, and I am confident that any future provider will need to offer a similar level of convenience.

Practical Implications

The Importance of Simplicity in Broadband Plans

One of the most compelling reasons to switch to T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is the simplicity of the plan. There are no hidden fees, data caps, or long-term contracts. This straightforward approach is a breath of fresh air in a market where complexity often reigns. For consumers, simplicity means less stress and more time enjoying their internet connection without worrying about overage charges or confusing billing.

My mother, who also switched from CenturyLink DSL to T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, has experienced significant improvements. With speeds ranging from 100-200Mbps, she can now enjoy faster internet for streaming, browsing, and communicating. The simplicity of T-Mobile’s plan has made her internet experience much more enjoyable, and she no longer has to deal with the frustrations of slow speeds and complicated billing.

The Future of Home Internet

As technology continues to evolve, the future of home internet looks bright. Fiber optic internet is on the horizon, promising even faster speeds and more reliable connections. However, the pricing of fiber internet will be a crucial factor in its adoption. Providers like Ezee Fiber and Vexus Fiber offer competitive plans, but the long-term costs need to be carefully considered.

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet has set a high standard for simplicity and performance, and future providers will need to meet or exceed this benchmark. As I continue to monitor the market, I am hopeful that the future of home internet will bring faster speeds, lower costs, and more user-friendly plans. The transition from DSL to 5G has been a game-changer, and the next step in this evolution will be even more exciting.