PSA: Sorry, Those Apple Watch Band Swapping Sites Aren’t Going To Work Like You Thought

Ex Machina’s Stars Talk About Cinematic Robots And “Bro Billionaires”Sorry to disappoint you, recent Apple Watch buyers, but you’re not going to be able to use one of those brand new Apple Watch strap trading sites to get a whole new, extra watchband when your Apple Watch arrives. In case you missed it, a couple of Apple Watch band trading sites recently popped up, reportedly offering owners the ability to swap out the included extra watchband with someone else’s for a small fee. Unfortunately, you don’t actually get two full watchbands with your purchase, despite what Apple’s website seems to claim.
The larger of the two sites, BandSwapper, has been getting some recent blog coverage for what initially sounds like a brilliant idea. The site says it aims to help Apple Watch Sport owners switch out their unused strap by exchanging it for one of a different size and/or color. BandSwapper would collect a $6 fee then send back the new Sport Band the customer requested.

The idea for band-swapping came about because you it would allow you to order combinations of watch and straps that wouldn’t otherwise have been available. (Some straps are only sold with certain watches, that is.) But it became even more attractive an option when it appeared that Apple Sport Watch models actually shipped with two bands: one for smaller wrists and one for larger wrists. The confusion came in because Apple’s website reads “two bands” when listing what its Sport Watch package included.

After receiving your Watch, you would, in theory, only end up using one of the bands – whichever was the correct size for your wrist. The other you could swap!
Another website, StrapSwap, is offering a similar swapping service. But there, buyers and sellers connect directly and mail each other unused straps or agree to meet up locally.
The idea, frankly, seemed genius.
Sadly, it’s not going to work exactly like that.
You see, Apple Sport Watch models technically do come with two bands, but in practice, it’s not two full bands, but rather three pieces. There’s one piece that attaches to one end of the watch with the fastener, and then two additional bands (the side with the holes) that attach to the other side of the watch. These two bands come in two different lengths – a S/M size for smaller wrists and an M/L size for larger wrists.
In other words, you won’t have an entire extra band to swap.
Now, I guess you could start a new fashion trend and swap your extra half band for a half band of a different color. (I bet this look would have really taken off back in the 80’s!). But that’s not what people thought they were signing up for, in many cases. You could also swap out your current band (the two pieces) in case you have buyer’s remorse over your original selection, or just get bored with the band after some time.
Or, as noted above, you could swap for a band that you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to order because it only comes with a particular watch model.
But BandSwapper is adding to the confusion by misleading potential customers who are questioning whether or not there are two full bands included with Sport Watch purchases by referring to those claims as “speculation.”
Speculation is not confirmation. #AppleWatch #BandSwapper #SpeculationIsNotConfirmation
— BandSwapper (@bandswapper) April 10, 2015
.@earthTOmitchel thanks for the article. Your update mentions “readers have pointed out..” Please note that speculation is not confirmation.
— BandSwapper (@bandswapper) April 10, 2015
However, we have definitively confirmed – with very good authority – that the Sport Watch comes with 3 pieces, and not 2 full bands.
Plus, you can look at the picture here and see it for yourself.
I know, I know. I’m sad too.

By: Unknown On 03:18

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A Guided Tour Of The Apple Watch Retail Experience

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I went to the Apple Store in downtown Toronto’s Eaton Centre today to try on the Apple Watch with a retail specialist. It’s a new way of shopping for Apple, and one that will clearly take some getting used to both for retail staff and for customers.
Close PanelList ViewPrevious of NextMore galleriesThe Apple Watch Display Case
Apple Stores now feature this long display case as a central feature. The 42mm Apple Watch, Watch Sport and Edition collections are featured on the side closest to the camera, while the opposite side holds the 38mm versions of each.
The Apple Watch Display Case
This is the same case that Apple used to show off the Apple Watch at both of its press events around the device. Here I’m checking it out with a group of local journalists ahead of the general opening of the store to the public this morning.
The Apple Watch Display Case
The display case serves a few purposes, separate from demo stations with Watches not under glass on the wings – the main one is showing off the various band styles and Watch combinations available for order.
Apple Watch Display Case
This is the Watch display section. You can see the various band combinations available for the stainless steel edition here.
Apple Watch Edition Display Case
The Edition models are on display right alongside the less expensive versions in that long display case. A software demo is running in a loop on all the watches held within, timed so that the animations on-screen cascade down the line from right to left.
Apple Watch Testing Station
These consoles feature an active, fully operational Apple Watch fixed to a plastic display case on the right, and a screen explaining what’s happening on the left. Playing with the watch provides more context for your actions on the big screen.
Apple Watch Try-On Station
This is where you get your individual guided appointment. That interactive console is at each station, and there’s also a navy blue leather placemat of sorts that the Apple rep (Kevin, in my case. Hi Kevin!) uses to lay out the various models you’re interested in. In noticed customers kept approaching these tables, and a dedicated staff person had to continually direct them to the non-staffed demo stations in the wings.
Apple Watch Try-On Drawer
To retrieve the actual Apple Watch models, the Apple rep uses their mobile terminal device on the right to talk to a receiver via RFID in the drawer, which unlocks it and allows it to open in response to triggering mechanisms hidden away underneath.
Apple Watch Try-On Drawer Open
Here’s that drawer again, now open. You can tell Apple probably spent a lot of time on making sure even this seemingly small part of the experience was up to their standards.
Apple Watch Try-On Drawer Open
Here’s a zoomed out look at the whole personal try-on appointment station, complete with those live demo displays, the leather mats, and the band/watch combinations.
Apple Watch Drawer
Here’s a close-up of that drawer. The watches are housed in little scooped out grooves, lined with a soft finish fabric probably to help ensure their cases definitely don’t suffer any dings.
Try-On Console
During my appointment, the various Watches Kevin had me use on my wrist didn’t have active software – they were running demo loops that do things like show the taptic engine. If you want to test a specific feature, like swapping watch faces, these physically embedded units are what you used.
Try-On Console
These active unit displays also let you find out more about each collection if you’re not actively running any software or providing any input to the Apple Watch paired with the screen.
Try-On Console
Here you can see how the Apple Watch used for the active interaction displays are half-encased in the console – this might help prevent the risk of theft, with the units not anchored that store personnel handle locked in demo loops, they might not be able to be activated once you leave the store.
Try-On Drawer
Kevin opened the drawer at the beginning of the appointment and asked me which bands I thought I wanted to try. The bands appear to be organized, with steel link at the top left, leather in the middle and milanese loop at the bottom right.
Stainless Steel Apple Watch With Leather Loop Bracelet
The Leather Loop bracelet was actually my favorite based on the try-on appointment. Here it is on a stainless steel Apple Watch. You can also see the sensor array located under glass on the back of the watch.
Stainless Steel Apple Watch
Here’s the front of a 42mm stainless steel Apple Watch. These are turned off by default, and a double tap of the side button activates the demo loop, as Kevin showed me.
Apple Watch Leather Loop
Here’s a close-up of the Leather Loop band. You can see that it has a quite pronounced textured grain pattern, which contrasts with the fine texture on the leather of the Modern Buckle band.
Black Aluminum Apple Watch
This is the black anodized aluminum finish. Here you can see the digital crown and side button. It’s darker than the space gray finish of the iPhone.
Apple Watch Steel Link Bracelet
This is the Steel Link bracelet, which is very, very nice, but which is also quite pricey. It’s heavy, too which is why I’m personally leaning towards the Leather Loop.
Steel Link Bracelet Release Buttons
These are the release mechanisms for individual links in the steel link bracelet. They are far, far easier to use than traditional link bracelets for watches, letting you adjust sizing without any special tools or a trip to the department store.
Apple Watch Modern Buckle
Themodern buckle is very cool, with that button releasing it. It’s kind of like a deployment clasp, for those who know watches, but the band itself is quite small.
Milanese Loop Band
Here’s the Milanese Loop band. It’s not my style, but it’s surprisingly comfortable when worn.
Apple Watch Digital Crown
Here’s the digital crown. This controls zooming and scrolling in many of the software’s interactions, and it’s amazing how good it feels to use. The movement truly feels hardwired to what’s happening on screen.
Apple Watch Aluminum Digital Crown
This is the aluminum black digital crown. There’s no coloured top piece on this one, but it still feels just as nice to use.
Apple Watch Side Button And Crown
Here’s the side of the Apple Watch, with button and crown. Kevin explained how you can use the companion app on your iPhone to adjust whether the button faces away from or towards your body.
Try-On Complete!
The try-on was over surprisingly quickly, leaving me wanting more hands-on time with the watch itself, but perfectly confident in my strap choice. The most interesting part of the experience might be how Kevin noticed I was wearing a Withings Activité and used that to launch a discussion about the Apple Watch’s fitness powers to start us off. Clearly, they’re taking a very personal approach.
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By: Unknown On 02:48

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What It’s Like To Try Out The Apple Watch In-Store

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Apple began offering previews of the Apple Watch at its stores this morning, and we had a chance to show up early and get a run-through of the demo process before doors opened to customers looking to make an appointment.
As expected, Apple’s changed up the layout of its Store to accommodate the Watch. In the Palo Alto store, they’ve brought in a long table containing all 38 models available to order under a pane of glass. When it’s time for your appointment, an Apple representative walks you over to a designated fitting table covered with blue leather mats (made from the same material as Apple’s iPhone cases).
Yes, the Apple Store rep will help you try on the watch. No, it isn’t really awkward.
After walking over to a table away from the crowd of reporters, an Apple retail employee went to the back to grab a tray holding (and charging) a variety of models, and after comparing the 38 and 42 mm sizes I decided the latter was more appropriate for my wrist. I got to try out several different types of bands: a fluoroelastomer sport band, the Milanese loop, and the $449 Link Bracelet (though it wasn’t adjusted, so it hung rather loosely on my wrist). For my pre-order, I don’t need anything more than the sport band (which is surprisingly comfy compared to the rubber bands that come with most fitness trackers, if a bit tricky to put on the first time), but eventually I could see myself occasionally accessorizing with one of the more premium bands.
The Sport model is light, so it’ll be comfortable to wear while you work out.  With that said, I’m a bit anxious about scratching up my Watch’s face, so I decided to at least give the steel Watch a chance. It’s a bit heavier than the Sport, but the sapphire display should stand up to use by those of us who can’t help but give our gadgets the occasional scuff. If you do go for the Sport model, you can still swap the bands for those sold for the steel Watch, so unless the contrasting metals somehow offend your taste, you shouldn’t worry about not being able to dress that up, too.
Apple Watch with the leather loop band. You don’t get to try Watch OS on the units they use for fitting demos.
Unfortunately, the models they bring out for fitting are running a video loop, not a Watch OS demo. There are demo units in the store, but those are bolted into displays that stay on the tables — you don’t get a sense of the Taptic vibration for notifications or what it’s like to check the Watch by raising your arm to turn the screen on for six seconds.
Still, you do get to try out most of the Watch’s interface. Instead of showing the apps when you first turn on the display, the watch face is the “home” screen — it’s where you can swipe down to see notifications and swipe up to see the Glances, which show bits of info from your installed apps, your reserve battery, as well as a a Control Center-like widget for toggling Wi-Fi or Do Not Disturb.
To access the actual apps installed on the in-store Watch, you either push in the Digital Crown or tap on a corresponding Glance. Apple didn’t pre-install any third-party apps for its display unit, and instead of pairing the device with an iPhone, the iPad-like display to the side of each demo unit gives a description of what you’re doing, which gives you the freedom to check things out without worrying about getting lost in the interface.
The most intriguing part of the demo experience is messaging. Each demo unit comes loaded with messages and emails to respond to or dismiss, and you have your pick of response types: pre-baked messages for quickly responding to a text, a short audio clip, a transcribed message (which worked very well in the loud-and-crowded store), and fun emojis which animate as you rotate the crown. Each option will be preferable in different contexts, and Apple made them equally easy to use quickly. To initiate a conversation, you don’t even need to go from the watch face to the app screen — you can just tap the button next to the digital crown to go to a screen with shortcuts to your recent contacts.
I also look forward to controlling music and podcasts from my wrist. The default music app ties into your iTunes library and gives you big buttons for pausing and skipping around as well as the option to use the crown to adjust volume. I generally don’t wear headphones with integrated controls, so reaching for my wrist to make quick volume adjustments (or skip the ads in podcasts) seems like it’ll be a huge convenience compared to getting my phone out of my pocket and unlocking it, even with Touch ID.
My biggest concern upon first use is that the touch-targets in the top left corner are a bit tiny, and in some apps the text isn’t actually a button you can press. It’s one of those things that could frustrate a lot of people, but just as the Home button offers an escape hatch on your iPhone, Watch owners can push in the crown at any time to get back to more familiar territory.
If you’re still on the fence about picking up an Apple Watch, I’d recommend scheduling a quick visit to the Apple Store. Photos  of the Watch on other people’s wrists simply don’t give an accurate idea of what it’s like to have it on. That goes for software too — the Watch OS offers new modes of interaction that you should try before committing to living with.

By: Unknown On 23:33

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Apple Watch Pre-Orders Will Start Just After Midnight Pacific On April 10th

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We knew the date; now we know the time.
Apple Watch pre-orders will officially begin at 12:01 a.m. PDT on April 10th, according to a just updated Apple Store front page.
Want an Apple Watch and live in New York? Hope you like staying up ’til 3 a.m.!
Why might Apple fire sales up at such a late hour? The company generally doesn’t explain its reasoning for anything, but we can make a few assumptions:
Traffic control. Apple’s pre-order pages consistently buckle under the weight of a zillion Apple devotees pounding the refresh key. By pushing it to midnight pacific, they’re limiting it to the people who really, really want to get their pre-order in first and are willing to stay up late to do so . And if the servers do still buckle, there are less people to see the complaints on Twitter Apple generally goes by a west coast clock; by starting it at midnight, their “first day sales” numbers will account for a full 24 hoursIt’s Apple, not some company debuting their wares on Kickstarter. Whatever timing they choose, it’s unlikely to be a factor that negatively impacts sales — so they might as well choose a time that makes things easier for them.
Pro tip: if Apple.com goes down, sometimes Apple’s Apple Store iPhone app continues to work and accept orders.

By: Unknown On 09:27

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Apple Watch Demo Videos Put Potential Buyers Behind The Wheel

Microsoft Is Saying Exactly “Nothing” About The Surface Pro 4Apple has released a series of four videos today that show — explicitly — exactly what the Apple Watch can do, how it will do it and why you might be interested in buying one.If it seems to be a bit late in the cycle to get something like this out, I agree. Apple’s early marketing around the Watch has focused mainly on its construction, originality and possibilities for customization. That’s not a bad thing at all, but it’s much more suited to a product that’s entering an upgrade cycle. The last few years of iPhone or iPad releases is a good example of this. If you’re going to convince someone they might like to purchase the new one you’re going to highlight differentiating design, color, materials or functionality.For a completely new category of product, Apple had to dig back — all the way to the original iPhone — to remember how to position these things. It’s probably difficult to recall, but the first iPhone was such a radical departure from anything that had come before it that Apple had a ton of explaining to do.Part of that explaining was laying out the features and functions (and their theoretical usefulness) in a series of to-the-point instructional videos like this one. They went over things that seem second nature now: deleting a voicemail, reading and flagging email, browsing the web in a ‘real’ web browser.The instruction was largely based on the fact that we were moving from buttons to a brand-new interface: multi-touch.So a set of four videos, which will be expanded in the future, that explains very plainly how Apple Watch features work and why you’d want to use them makes a lot of sense. The Watch is also introducing the ‘new’ Digital Crown and Force Touch mechanisms to Apple’s interface lexicon. Those new interaction methods add additional possibility, but also need an introduction that ties them in with explicit actions like sending emoji, checking your calendar or transmitting your heartbeat.Related ArticlesNew York Times Will Deliver One-Sentence News Stories To Apple WatchApple Explores Ways To Secure, Set Up And Sell iOS Devices While Still In The BoxHow The Apple Watch And iPhone 6 Plus Might Flip Your Mobile Computing HabitsAnother thing that is emphasized heavily throughout these videos is how features like glances, Force Touch and the very nature of ‘a watch’ will enable you to interact with apps or messages quickly and get back to what you were doing before. This very, very strong selling point for the Apple Watch has thus far been missing from its marketing — including during both of its on-stage appearances.We’ve made the point here on TechCrunch that the primary early selling fulcrum of the Apple Watch would be that it would save you time by letting you use your phone less. Apple has apparently caught on to this sales bullet and project lead Kevin Lynch recently spent a lot of time emphasizing it during an interview with Wired.“People want that level of engagement,” Lynch says. “But how do we provide it in a way that’s a little more human, a little more in the moment when you’re with somebody?”That point is made in both straightforward and subtle ways throughout these videos, and I would expect to continue to see it highlighted as Apple gets into the full swing of selling the devices. The long-term possibilities of Apple Watch as a lubricant are another matter entirely — but that’s down the road and there is plenty of time to paint that picture later. For now, the metric is still (or finally, depending on how you look at it) time saved.

By: Unknown On 08:57

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Nomad’s Pod Is A Clever Portable Backup Battery For Apple Watch

These Are The Top 20 US AcceleratorsThe Apple Watch isn’t available yet, but that hasn’t stopped accessory makers from coming out of the woodwork to pre-announce a thriving ecosystem of companion devices for the wearable. Nomad, maker of the ChargeKey and the NomadClip, among many other MFI-certified power accessories, is joining the fray with the Pod, a portable battery pack for Apple Watch, and the Stand, an Apple Watch (get ready for it) stand.
The Nomad Pod is the more interesting of the two, given how many stand accessories we’ve already seen announced for the upcoming smartwatch from Apple. Nomad’s design builds an 1,800 mAh backup battery directly into a device just a bit smaller than a hockey puck, with special port built into the top to accommodate the Apple Watch’s charging puck, so that the Apple Watch can be charged on it directly, no additional cable required.

There are multiple cable options available with the product, too, though, as it offers a new USB-C connector for in/out power transmission, as well as a micro USB charging port and a standard USB out for non-fancy, older cables. The top of the unit lifts off to reveal a cable spool, where you wind the 1 meter version of the stock Apple Watch charger to fit the induction charging accessory into the battery itself.
It’s a clever workaround, since it means Nomad is basically just making a stock USB battery bank with a range of output options to cover its bases, but users will nonetheless get tangle- and outlet-free charging for their watch, including up to four full charges of the Apple Watch based on Apple’s announced specs.
Nomad says it’s been in communication with Apple, and is simply awaiting the final physical dimensions of the Apple Watch charger to it can get the Pod to production. Of course, you could always just use existing power banks with the cable to achieve the same results, but Nomad’s design gets points for space-saving creativity. It’s set for a June 15 shipping timeframe, and is up for pre-order now for $60 in one of three color variants.

By: Unknown On 11:09

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How 11 Of Your Favorite Apps Look On Apple Watch

| TechCrunch #site-logo { background: url(http://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/techcrunch-2013/images/logos/green.png) no-repeat !important; }Got a tip? Let us know.MenuSearchNewsChannelsStartupsMobileGadgetsEnterpriseSocialEuropeAsiaTrendingTinderNSAAndroidGoogleMicrosoftAppleTwitterFacebookAll TopicsAll GalleriesTCTVShowsTCTV NewsBuilt in BrooklynCrunchWeekFly Or DieGadgetsIncubatedInside JobsTC CribsAll ShowsAll VideosEventsTechCrunch EventsDisruptStartup BattlefieldCrunchiesMeetupsInternational City EventsHackathonIncludeNews AboutGoogle I/O 2014CESSXSWWWDC 2014All EventsSearch TechCrunchSearch TechCrunchSearchCrunchBaseFollow UsFacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInYoutubeRSSEmailMoreLinkedInYoutubeRSSEmailDisrupt NY Paula Long, CEO of DataGravity will be speaking at Disrupt NYGet $1000 Off Tickets NowHow 11 Of Your Favorite Apps Look On Apple WatchPosted 12 hours ago by Sarah Perez, Anna Escher0
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In preparation for Apple’s first wearable device, mobile developers have been busy creating all kinds of apps designed especially for the Apple Watch’s small screen. The watch, which is said by early testers to be so usable that they found they were no longer pulling out their iPhone as often, allows you to interact with a variety of apps and notifications, ranging from productivity apps to social apps to travel and transportation apps, and much more. Here are a few previews.

Evernote

This note-taking app lets you dictate a quick note from your Watch, plus view recent notes, set reminders, find notes made near you, and see content related to an upcoming meeting.

Salesforce

The Apple Watch app gives you a quick snapshot of your business analytics, like the top 10 sales opportunities for your company or for a particular division.

Uber

An Apple Watch app lets you connect with Uber’s on-demand car service from your wrist. The app lets you call for an Uber, then track how long until it arrives.

NYTimes

See the top headlines, receive breaking news and swipe through stories.

Facebook

News Feed, status and photos from your wrist.

Instagram

View and like photos; make comments on your feed.

Twitter

Tweet, check your feed and reply to tweets; see trends.

WeChat

Message from the Apple Watch.

Nike+ Running

This running app lets you track your distance, duration and pace from your Apple Watch. Friends can also cheer you on, and, using Bluetooth headphones, you can listen to music wirelessly during your workout.

Shazam

Tapping on the app icon will prompt your iPhone to listen to what’s playing. The Apple Watch then displays the name of the song, the artist, and the lyrics.

ESPN

This app lets you get sports-related notifications, like the scores from your favorite teams.

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By: Unknown On 04:15

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The Apple Watch Compared To The Competition

Obama Plans to Boost American Wages With Tech TrainingAfter nearly half a year of suspense, we finally have all the details about the Apple Watch, including when it’ll launch, how much it’ll cost, and what the user experience will be like. That means we can take a step back and look at how it compares to the rest of the smartwatch market.
To make this a fair fight, we’ve taken the Apple Watch and put it up against premium smartwatches — other devices made from expensive-feeling metal and glass, with apps that communicate with those on your phone to keep you from spending all of your time staring at your iOS- or Android-powered pocket slate.
The Apple Watch’s Glances, a collection of relevant moments from the wearer’s favorite apps that power most of the experience, are rather similar to the Google Now cards on Android Wear, providing a bit of information and a quick way to get to the real app experience on your phone. More in-depth app experiences are also available on Android Wear (and will be on the Apple Watch come April 24), letting you do things like order a car or respond to tweets. The offerings on both sides of the iOS/Android divide will be sparse for the next few months, so right now you’re not losing out on major third-party experiences by choosing one over the other.
Both are a bit more elaborate than the sparse “Time” interface on the new Pebble Time Steel, which places important information on a timeline that stretches both forward and backward in time. The Pebble Time is also compatible with the 6,500+ apps the community made for the original Pebble, though those won’t take advantage of the new timeline interface.
Rather than give users the option to use any standard wristband (as Pebble and most Android OEMS have done), Apple is offering its own bands, with fancier Milanese and link bands serving as up-sell options in the place of storage or processing power. That’s probably more convenient for someone looking to jump right into having something that looks nice, though prior watch fanatics might miss the ability to use their own bands.
While some Android OEMs have started to push materials like stainless steel to provide a more premium heft and feel, Apple is still the only smartwatch maker with a genuine gold option for those looking for a luxury timepiece. If you’re willing to drop $10,000, the Apple Watch Edition might be for you — that, or you could buy every other smartwatch that comes out over the next few years.
Right now, it’s pretty easy to tell most people which smartwatch you should get. Hardcore iPhone user? Get an Apple Watch. Love the customization features in Android? Pick an Android Wear device on the Google Play Store. Don’t think you spend too much time on your phone? You probably don’t need either.
Notably, Pebble’s watches are your best option if you see yourself switching between mobile operating systems, since you’ll be able to make the switch without buying new gear for your wrist.

By: Unknown On 03:49

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What Your Favorite Apps Look Like On Apple Watch (Plus New Ones!)

You Can Keep Your iPhone In Your Pocket. Don’t Believe Me? Just WatchIn preparation for Apple’s first wearable device, mobile developers have been busy creating all kinds of applications designed especially for the Apple Watch’s small screen. The watch, which is said by early testers to be so usable that they found they were no longer pulling out their iPhone as often, allows you to interact with a variety of apps and notifications, ranging from productivity apps to social apps to travel and transportation apps, and much more.
A number of the bigger-name apps were announced today on Apple’s stage at its press event in Cupertino, but other developers are using the Apple’s wearable platform as a way to experiment with new ideas, like an Apple Watch-friendly version of email, for example, or status updates that automatically send your friends your location. Below are some of the forthcoming apps for Apple Watch, old and new, so you can get an idea of what’s in store.
(Note: some of these apps were previously aggregated by sites like WatchAware or AppWatchList, which attempted to create collections of soon-to-launch apps ahead of their official reveal. Others were announced today at Apple’s event, or posted to the Apple website.)
PRODUCTIVITY
BetterWorks: The BetterWorks app for Apple Watch will show real-time goal data on wearable devices, offering a lightweight way to show busy executives and employees the progress of their goals without interrupting the work at hand. The app makes it easy for workers to get a quick snapshot of where current goals stand, add short check-ins and cheer on coworkers achieving their goals.

EasilyDo: An organizer app that includes useful notifications
Launch Center Pro: Lets you create multi-step tasks then launch them with a touch.
Mailbox: The simple, swipeable email triage app is coming to Apple Watch.
Todoist: To-do list app that lets you check off your to-do items as well as use the microphone to assign due dates for tasks.

Jiffies: An event-clock app that shows you all your upcoming events as circular segments for the 24-hour day cycle.

Braintoss: This app lets you put reminders and tasks in your email inbox using the Apple Watch. Say what you want to remember and tap the email address that’s in the app, and Braintoss will send that thought to your email so you don’t forget it.

Glimpse: Glimpse lets you define a small part of a webpage to save to your Apple Watch. When you launch Glimpse it updates that portion of the webpage only to give you live status without having to scroll around. It’s an alternative to having to use a web browser on the watch’s small screen.

TL;DR Email: a quick email experience built for both the iPhone and Apple Watch that’s focused on very fast email reading, handling and creation. The idea is to create a different type of email reading experience for Apple Watch, taking advantage of the Watch’s Dynamic Notifications. This means every notification coming to the Watch can adapt itself to look different based its content.
Evernote: This note-taking app lets you dictate a quick note from your Watch, plus view recent notes, set reminders, find notes made near you, and see content related to an upcoming meeting.

24me: A personal assistant on the go with all kinds of notifications: from bill payments reminders to time to leave for meeting based on traffic, meeting reminders, friends birthdays, agenda and a lot more.
Slated: A companion app to the Slated translation keyboard, this app is a sort of customizable phrasebook and universal translator. You say something, it says it back in your choice of language.
Salesforce: The Apple Watch app gives you a quick snapshot of your business analytics, like the top 10 sales opportunities for your company or for a particular division.

Gneo: The company previously created a design-focused calendar and task management app for iOS that was picked as Apple’s Editors’ Choice. The new app will bring a similar experience, but designed for Apple Watch.
Workflow: The powerful task automation app will be available on Apple Watch.
Things: The popular task management and to-do list app is coming to Apple Watch.
Omnifocus: Another popular task management app for iOS is coming to Apple Watch.
Trello: The flexible tool that lets you organize anything, from to-do’s to checklists and more.
FINANCE
PortfolioWatch: This app lets you monitor your stock portfolio. At a glance you’ll be able to see the total profit (or loss) for the day. You can also drill down to see an individual stock’s performance and manage your holdings as well as view charts.

Unspent: Helps you track your spending money and setup budgets for different spending categories.

Mint: View your monthly spending goals and track your progress toward meeting them from your Apple Watch.

Citi Mobile: See your checking, savings, and credit card balances as well as your five most recent transactions. Receive notifications of payment due dates.

TRAVEL/NAVIGATION
Uber: An Apple Watch app lets you connect with Uber’s on-demand car service from your wrist. The app lets you call for an Uber, then track how long until it arrives.
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American Airlines: This American Airlines Apple Watch app will allow you to check in to your flight, see if it’s on time, and see how far away your gate is. You can also receive notifications alerting you to when it’s time to leave for the airport, and, during your flight, you can view a map with the time remaining. The app will also tell you where you Baggage Claim terminal is as well as connection details.
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Citymapper: The app uses real-time route and timetable data to show when your bus or train arrives. A handy feature is it taps your wrist when your stop is coming up so you don’t miss it.

Starwood SPG: An app for use at properties from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. With thhis app, guests can see their reservation details, get directions to their hotel, view Starpoints balance and more. But the coolest feature comes by way of SPG’s Keyless technology which lets you check in and unlock your hotel room door – all from their wrist.
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RWY Go: An Apple Watch app for pilots. The app displays every nearby airport in the world along with your relative orientation, distance and bearing.
Expedia: This app lets you check itineraries for your upcoming trips and get detailed flight and hotel information. This includes gates, terminals, times, and seat assignments for flights, and check-in and check-out times, ratings, locations, addresses, and phone numbers for hotels.

ETA: Quickly check driving times to the places you drive the most right on your App. The app for Apple Watch also outlines the traffic conditions on the route whether it be good, slow or really bad. While driving, the app tells you how close you are to your destination.

Poison Maps: Find the nearest points of interest from your Apple Watch, and stores them for access even when offline.

TripAdvisor: Find things to do from your Apple Watch, including restaurants, sights and other tourist destinations.

SHOPPING AND DINING
Retale: The popular, location-based shopping and savings app with over 3 million users, is coming to Apple Watch after launch. The Retale Apple Watch includes a “Store Finder,” retailer ads and deals served to users’ wrists, and allows users to sync preferences, favorites, lists and actions across devices. Retale’s Apple Watch app will also introduce new features to help users to track down items and the best deals locally, including nearby retailer options and map routing.

Daily Bread: A grocery list app that keeps track of items you buy most often and reminds you pick them up when it thinks you are low.

Deliveries: This package tracker app lets you find out when your shipped items are going to be delivered.
Deliveries from @junecloud is coming to Apple Watch! Details and interactive demo: http://t.co/kRdyW1Trqb pic.twitter.com/k1Vwz6lIrt
— WatchAware (@WatchAware) March 3, 2015
Fetch: A personal buying assistant for Apple Watch. You simply tap the watch face and say anything you want to buy, and then a (human) buying assistant will go find the best price and place the order for you. Fetch also supports any on-demand service – so you can use your watch to order food delivery (DoorDash, etc), dry cleaning pick-up (Washio), grocery delivery (Postmates, Wunwun, Instacart, etc). And it works for travel too, so you can just tap the watch face and say you need to be on the next flight to LAX, or that you want your hotel reservation extending for an extra day.
Chameleon: With this app, your Apple Watch will know the best money-saving deals and coupons for the store you are in. Chameleon recognizes when you have walked into any of our supported retailers and pulls in all of the promotions for that location. Many of these coupons can even be redeemed right from your wrist, helping shoppers save serious money with minimal effort.

Target: The retailer’s mobile app will know where you are in the store thanks to its use of iBeacons. This allows it to smartly sort your shopping list for you, guiding you to the next item. And when you’re near something on the list, you’ll also receive a reminder alert.
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OpenTable: See details about your upcoming reservations and find your way to the restaurant with a map.

eBay: Track items you’re bidding on or watching, receive outbid notices, and more.

NEWS/BLOGS
CNN: Users will get breaking news across 12 personalized categories, including Top Stories, Health, Entertainment, Politics and more. You tap to open a story and can choose to save it or continue reading on your iPhone. You can also launch live CNN TV on your iPhone, right from your wrist.
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Yahoo News Digest: Similar to its iOS counterpart for iPhone, the Apple Watch app will notify you twice daily of the top stories around the world.
Gem News: The app allows people to access information, like news and blogs on smart watches in a smart way. The company’s focus is to bring “real” information, such as news and blogs to the Apple Watch, while taking full advantage of unique features of the Apple Watch. The app uses the unique Glance feature of the Apple Watch to make news and blogs “Glance-able.”
NPR One: Use your Apple Watch to search for specific shows using dictation, see story names and episodes, and control basic playback functions for the playlist that lives on your iPhone.

NYTimes: See the top headlines, receive breaking news and swipe through stories.

FeedWrangler: An RSS reader that lets you scan the headlines, mark items as read, save items to read later, and even read the full article in the app itself.
.@_DavidSmith previews an interactive version of @FeedWrangler for Apple Watch: http://t.co/kRdyW1Trqb pic.twitter.com/yMW1cjURZe — WatchAware (@WatchAware) March 3, 2015
SOCIAL
Facebook: News Feed, status and photos from your wrist.
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Instagram: View and like photos; make comments on your feed
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Pinterest: Check notifications from the Apple Watch.

Twitter: Tweet, check your feed and reply to tweets; see trends
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WeChat: Message from the Apple Watch.
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Match.com: Match’s mobile flirting app is coming to Apple Watch.
Primary: Lets you browse your Instagram feed from your Apple Watch. You can “like” photos or hide ones you don’t want to see again. You can also turn captions off for a minimal view.

Waldo: Sends automatic status updates to your friends and family based on where you are and what you’re up to. Since status updates are automatic, Waldo allows you to quickly look at “cards” of each of your friends to find out where they are and what they’re doing – all from your wrist.

Dude: A context-aware messaging on your Apple Watch. Pick your current location from a list of nearby places, and select a contact or choose to tweet it. The app creates a context-aware sentence which is built based on time of day & current location.

Yo: You can Yo your friends with just a Yo or your location or a photo. You can also subscribe to items from yostore.co in order to receive links and photos from sources like BuzzFeed, NBA, USA Today, and more.

Zello: Turns your watch into a Dick Tracy communicator with a push-to-talk Walkie-Talkie feature that lets you chat with your contacts in real-time using the speaker/mic on your iPhone or Bluetooth headset.
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Infinitweet: This app convert tweets of any size to images, bypassing Twitter’s 140 character limit. The primary method of input is voice.

Pinner for Pinboard: Pinner is full-featured app for popular social bookmarking site Pinboard. Users can browse, edit, read, and share bookmarks from their wrists. The most exciting features are quick access to popular and recent bookmarks and using voice to search for tags .

Pop: A simple video texting app, previously launched on iOS, is bringing some of its features to the Apple Watch. There’s no camera in this watch, and no video playback. But the app will show a GIF of messages as you receive them, which is a clever workaround.

Looksee: A new photo that lets you connect and collaborate by using “looks” created by top Instagrammers. A community is built around each unique look and you can share your photo collabs directly to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Scroll through your Looksee watch feed to see photo previews. Tap to view full size image, location, profile pic, and filter look used. Long press to like the photo.

Glide:  This messaging app’s users will be able to receive notifications of incoming messages and preview a video message that was sent to them. They will also be able to act on these notifications and quickly reply using pre-defined text messages without having to take out their iPhone. Users can also review the last few messages they received and open Glide on their iPhone directly to that chat in order to record their video message response.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Fitness Spades: Gamifies your workouts (The idea is rather than do the same workout routine, users draw cards which dictate the workout to)

Nike+ Running: This running app lets you track your distance, duration and pace from your Apple Watch. Friends can also cheer you on, and, using Bluetooth headphones, you can listen to music wirelessly during your workout.
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Run 5K: A “couch to 5K” fitness app, Run 5k is a voice-guided training app to help new runners. The app tells you when to jog, when to walk and when to rest.
Beautiful jogging coach app 5K Run shares an interactive version of their Apple Watch app: http://t.co/kRdyW1Trqb pic.twitter.com/v5Ug9d6yL8
— WatchAware (@WatchAware) March 3, 2015
Slopes: Track your skiing and snowboarding speeds plus other stats using GPS.
Stepwise: A pedometer, calorie and weight fitness tracker. StepWise shows your steps, distance walked, and percentage of success against your daily goal with a glance using a visual progress indicator.

Deadline: This app uses your health data and questionnaire, to estimate your longevity. As a reminder that life is short, you’ll see a countdown to your demise.

Runtastic: This running app displays your speed, distance, duration, pace, and how many calories you’ve burned on your wrist.

Strava: See real-time stats like elevation gain, average speed, distance, and heart rate during your ride or run.

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
Highnote: Designed for musicians and dancers, this app let you adjust the tempo and key of the tracks in your music library as you are playing.

Fandango: After buying tickets on the service, the Apple Watch app will display the show time, theater location and phone number.

Pacemaker DJ: This app uses the Autopilot DJ feature from your iPad app which quickly mixes the tracks you choose so everything blends together seamlessly.

Shazam: Tapping on the app icon will prompt your iPhone to listen to what’s playing. The Apple Watch then displays the name of the song, the artist, and the lyrics.
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ESPN: This app lets you get sports-related notifications, like the scores from your favorite teams.

MLB.com At Bat: This app lets you check schedules, receive live updates including pitch-by-pitch updates, and view the stats for your favorite teams. You can also check out player details, highlights and scores from around the league.
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BMW i Remote: Designed for BMW i, this app will check the charge status of your electric BMW i and receive a notification when the car is fully charged. You can also check range, door-lock status, service reminders, and more, as well as adjust the cabin temperature from your wrist.

Hyundai Blue Link: This app connects to your Blue Link equipped Hyundai vehicle.
SMART HOME/HOME AUTOMATION
Honeywell: This app will control your Honeywell home system from your Apple Watch. Presets like “I’m Away” or “I’m Going to Sleep” make your thermostat more efficient. You can also switch to “out of Town” mode to save energy.

Lutron: This app allow you to control your home’s lights, shades, temperature and other things.
OnSwitch: Control the Philips Hue and LIFX smart bulbs from your Apple Watch.

MISC
Colordrop: The Colordrop Watch app can then be used to compare colors at a closer level, and get quick look information like color codes and RGB values. Colordrop can be a helpful tool to help choose, compare and learn about colors. Graphic designers can use Colordrop to create color schemes, while interior designers can create palettes and color schemes for their work.
StaySafe: This panic button app will resemble the company’s iOS version, but will also be leveraging the heartbeat monitor to the watch version. The app will include the ability to start and stop tracking sessions, extend a session, view the time remaining on a session, and discreetly trigger the panic button alarm.

Snake: Because the watch would not be complete without this classic small screen game. (No link yet, but it’s being built!)

By: Unknown On 03:04

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