Fitbit Sense 2 review: it doesn’t make much sense

Fitbit Sense 2 review: it doesn’t make much sense

The fitness tracker has industry-leading stress tracking, but pour one out for the future of Fitbit smartwatches

When I reviewed the Fitbit Sense two years ago, it was an ambitious smartwatch. Its successor, the Sense 2? Eh, not so much. It’s hyperbole to say the Sense 2 is a complete downgrade, but I don’t think you can truly call it a smartwatch, either. This, my friends, is what I’d call a premium fitness tracker — and if you view it from that lens, it’s a good one. But is it really $300 worth of fitness tracker, especially since the Pixel Watch is only $50 more, has nearly all the same health features, and is much smarter?

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Falling behind in smarts

Before I get into why the Sense 2 isn’t a smartwatch, we need to set the stage. In 2020, the Sense was plenty smart. It had a novel stress-tracking electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, FDA-cleared electrocardiogram (EKG) sensors, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensors, temperature sensor, contactless payments, and the choice between Alexa and Google Assistant. It was a viable alternative to the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 — even if it didn’t have cellular connectivity and its third-party app ecosystem was meh.

A lot can happen in two years. Since then, the Series 8 and Galaxy Watch 5 have caught up to the majority of the Sense 2’s health features while widening the gap in terms of smarts. There’s also now the Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro to contend with. The Sense 2’s main advantage is weeklong battery life, but that all but disappears if you enable the always-on display. In my testing, enabling the AOD meant three days on a single charge at most.

If you want weeklong battery life, you’re going to have to disable the always-on display.

And then there’s the Pixel Watch. It’s clear that Google, Fitbit’s parent company, sees that as the future of its wearable lineup. The Pixel Watch uses Fitbit’s platform for its health and fitness features; Fitbit CEO James Park even introduced the Pixel Watch at the Made by Google event. And it has all the features you’d expect from a smartwatch, including a voice assistant, emergency calling, and smart home control. If you read between the lines, it all feels like a death knell for the Fitbit as a smartwatch.

Fitbit spokesperson Jonathan Moll told The Verge that the Sense 2 was designed to “prioritize the most important features our users care about and use the most, including heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, and stress management.” It makes sense that Google would take steps to differentiate the Sense 2 from the Pixel Watch. There’s no reason for one company to have two competing smartwatch platforms, and it makes sense for Fitbit to to narrow its focus to fitness. But it feels like Google nerfed the Sense 2 a bit too much.

For example, you can’t use Google Assistant on the Sense 2. This is weird. On the original Sense and the Versa 3, you can pick between Alexa or Google Assistant. Now, your only option is Alexa. Fitbit spokesperson Jonathan Moll told me, “At this time there are no plans to deploy Google Assistant on Sense 2 or Versa 4. We look forward to bringing this feature to future devices.”

Regardless of whether you like digital assistants, their presence on smartwatches is a given these days. Sure, there’s Alexa — but that’s a whole other smart home ecosystem. Why wouldn’t you put Google Assistant on a Google smartwatch? The whole theme of the Made by Google event was that all these devices work together! If not, what’s the point exactly? I’m truly lost at the thought process here.

Previously available third-party apps like Starbucks and Spotify don’t seem to be an option anymore. At least, they weren’t listed as compatible with the Sense 2 when I tried to download them from the Fitbit App Gallery. Fitbit’s third-party ecosystem was already paltry, so this is yet another baffling decision.

Google may have nerfed the Sense 2 a bit too much

The addition of Google Maps and Google Wallet takes some of the sting out. Except, I can’t tell you how well either app works because they’re not available yet. It’s not unheard of for companies to launch features after a product hits shelves. But when you combine this with Google taking away previous third-party apps, it sure is a head-scratcher.

The Sense 2 has a combination Bluetooth / Wi-Fi radio, as did the Sense, but the Wi-Fi is deactivated, per Fitbit’s official spec sheet. Moll told The Verge, “Historically, Wi-Fi was used for updating firmware and music storage. Sense 2 and Versa 4 now use Bluetooth to update firmware, and do not have music storage capabilities.” Add offline music — which the Sense supported for Deezer and Pandora — to the casualty list.

The UI is very similar to what you’ll find on the Pixel Watch. But Google Assistant is missing this time.

All this is odd. The Sense 2’s redesigned UI certainly makes you feel like it’s meant to be a smartwatch. The refreshed design is spiffier than previous versions of Fitbit OS. It looks exactly the same as Wear OS on the Pixel Watch. For example, swiping left and right will let you view widgets. Pressing the button brings up an app list. Swiping up brings up notifications, and swiping down gets you to the quick menu. It’s a great improvement, performance doesn’t lag, and everything looks much nicer as well.

Despite its UI, the Sense 2 isn’t really a smartwatch by 2022 standards. It’s a fitness tracker masquerading as one.

A refined yet comfy redesign

The Sense 2’s software feels like it’s been deliberately limited — or focused, if you prefer — but the physical hardware has been improved all around. You can tell Fitbit’s put a lot of effort into streamlining the design so that it’s more comfortable for everyday wear.

The Sense 2 is lighter than its predecessor, though you may not notice the change in weight. I didn’t when I compared them one after another. I did, however, notice the Sense 2 is much thinner. The Sense had this tapered, trapezoidal shape on the side where the sensor bump dug into your skin. It was a means of masking the thickness when actually on your wrist. The Sense 2 doesn’t need to do that. And as far as numbers go, the Sense 2 is 11.2mm thick, while the Sense is 12.4mm. The difference in thickness is roughly that of a penny.

It was refreshing to wear such a lightweight device after testing the Apple Watch Ultra. It didn’t catch on any sleeves or jacket cuffs, even when I was wearing several layers while hiking. It was also comfy for sleep tracking and all-day wear. I hardly noticed it while running or working out, which is a nice change of pace from the chonkers I’ve been testing as of late.

The new design also means completely different sensor arrays — both on the bottom of the watch and in the display. Where the Sense had a metal top ring for EKG and EDA readings, the Sense 2 builds that capability directly into the display’s bezels. The result is it looks even more like the Apple Watch. And while I wish those bezels were thinner, I’m glad Fitbit is making use of the “wasted” space.

The Sense 2 (top) is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, and it has a physical button where the Sense had an awful inductive groove.

But the best change is that Fitbit replaced the Sense’s infuriating inductive groove with an actual physical button. That groove was a confounding design choice. Not only was it prone to accidental presses, but the haptics also weren’t strong enough if you were trying to use the long-press shortcut. I often sat there pressing, confused why my shortcut wasn’t launching. I eventually got the hang of it, but peruse any Fitbit forum or subreddit, and you’ll find plenty of frustrated users.

I had none of these issues with the physical button. Plus, it’s so much more satisfying to press something and know it’s registered. The button, while raised, doesn’t protrude too far. I haven’t experienced any accidental presses so far — even while wearing multiple layers and a winter coat.

A thoughtful tool for stress management

Fitbit clearly put a lot of effort into stress tracking. With the Sense 2, Fitbit’s made some meaningful improvements to the lineup’s most unique feature.

Quick refresher: The Sense watches measure stress via an EDA sensor. EDA sensors detect minuscule changes in your skin’s sweat levels. That, along with other metrics like heart rate variation, can be used as an indicator of stress. Or, as Fitbit dubs it, “body responses.” Previously, the EDA features worked more like spot-checks that users had to initiate. The Sense 2 upgrades the original’s EDA sensor to a cEDA sensor. The “c” stands for continuous, meaning you can now get automatic alerts in real time.

The EDA scan is one of a few recommended actions if you receive a body stress alert.

Basically, if the Sense 2 detects a body response, you’ll get a nudge to log your mood. You’ll also see prompts to take a few stress-relieving actions like a guided meditation, a two-minute EDA scan, or going on a short walk.

It works! Mostly. In my experience, the alerts lagged a bit and often came at inopportune times. For example, I had a bit of a car rental snafu when I visited Iceland last week. It was 4:30AM ET at Keflavik International Airport, I hadn’t slept on the flight, my phone was malfunctioning, and the car rental agency was so new none of its information was on Google yet. It worked out, but I was one misfortune away from hyperventilating into a paper bag. You’d think the Sense 2 would’ve been buzzing incessantly on my wrist. Instead, it only notified me about 30 minutes after everything was sorted. When prompted to log my mood, I hit the “Frustrated” emoticon.

By that time, I wasn’t able to do a guided meditation session, go on a walk, or sit still enough for a two-minute EDA reading to alleviate my stress. I was in a car, giving my husband directions to our next destination. Another time, I got a body response alert while trekking up Seljalandsfoss waterfall in the freezing rain and wind. I logged my mood as “excited,” but I wasn’t interested in anything but being present in the moment. It became a recurring theme. Whenever I had powerful body responses, I was too preoccupied to do more than note how I was feeling. And that’s if I even noticed the alerts, to begin with.

The sensor arrays are different as well. The Sense 2 (right) has a “continuous” EDA sensor to detect body responses.

The execution might be a little clunky, but Fitbit’s stress management feature is still the best I’ve ever tested. I didn’t always respond to alerts as intended, but overall, it is good to take a step back and acknowledge how you feel in a high-stress moment. I appreciated that Fitbit acknowledges that bodily stress can be positive or negative and that it may not always align with your mood.

The stress data is also presented thoughtfully. For instance, you get both a Stress Management score and a weekly summary. The former looks at your body responses, exertion level, and sleep patterns to give you an idea of how your cumulative stress may impact you on a given day. The weekly summary visualizes how many body responses you got each day in the previous week, as well as your most common moods.

Stress management can be challenging, especially if you’re someone who tends to ignore bodily signals until burnout kicks in. (It me.) The mix of quantified data and logging is a helpful visualization tool, and I appreciated it wasn’t linked to athletic performance.

The physical button is a smart addition. You can also see the new embedded sensors in the bezels.

Sleep tracking

Fitbit’s always had some of the best overall sleep tracking features. It’s recently added profiles, which categorize you as a type of animal based on your sleep patterns and give you sleep hygiene insights based on those patterns. (It’s similar to what Samsung does with its Galaxy Watches.) You get a new profile on the 1st of every month. I’d love to tell you how it works, but there’s a catch. You’ve got to wear it for 14 nights out of the month in order to get a sleep profile for the next month, and it only offers profiles on the first of the calendar month. In September, thanks to my review queue, I only got 12, which meant I didn’t get a profile for October and won’t get one until November 1st, six weeks after I started using the Sense 2.

I recognize that I’m an edge case. This reviewer life has me constantly rotating between devices, and I’ve only got two wrists. Customers sticking to one Fitbit will have less of an issue, but there’s no good reason to tie sleep profiles to the first of the calendar month rather than updating them on a rolling basis.

The price is not right

I’ll be blunt. If you want a durable tracker that can withstand extreme elements or one with hyper-accurate GPS data, this ain’t it. The Sense 2 has built-in GPS, but if you really care about accurate route maps, you’re better off with a Garmin or another fitness watch with multiband GPS. Case in point, you only have to look at these screenshots of a recent hike to see that Fitbit’s GPS isn’t the greatest. The same goes if you’re looking for in-depth training plans and more raw data.

Then again, Fitbit’s always been a platform for general users. Its greatest strength is that it has always presented raw data in a digestible format. That’s what makes the Sense 2 — and other Fitbit devices — great for building healthier habits in a gentle, holistic way. It’s got great recovery tools in its Sleep Score, Daily Readiness Score, and, now, stress management features, as well as simple but convenient tools for logging calories, weight, and water intake. Its Active Zone Minutes metric is excellent for helping beginners visualize whether they’re getting an adequate amount of exercise per week.

So the Sense 2 is a good overall health tracker but a not-so-great smartwatch. Compared to dirt-cheap fitness bands, you’re getting a prettier design and a unique take on stress tracking. I’m just not sure why anyone would pay $299.95 for a fancier fitness tracker with fewer overall features when you can get an entry-level smartwatch for less. I can understand wanting a fitness tracker and not a smartwatch, but in that instance, there are also more affordable options.

RIP future Fitbit smartwatches.

For iPhone users, the Apple Watch SE costs $249. For Android users, the 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is $279.99. I mean, come on, the Google Pixel Watch costs only $50 more than the Sense 2 at $349.

Fitbit’s other trackers muddy the water even more. The $229.95 Versa 4 has the vast majority of the Sense 2’s features, and even the $179.95 Charge 5 has an EKG sensor. If you just want a basic tracker, the Inspire 3 is out here for $99.95. Unless you find the Sense 2 on sale for under $200 or really want stress tracking, this isn’t a good deal.

Somebody at Fitbit (or Google) didn’t do the math right. It would’ve been a smarter move to retire the Versa line and let the Sense 2 take the place of the Versa 4, especially if you were going to nerf the smarter features on both devices. But that’s not what happened, and even if it had, it’d just be delaying the inevitable. The Sense 2 is a casualty of Google’s ambitions for the Pixel Watch. And it’s possible that we’re only a Pixel Band away from all Fitbit trackers sharing a similar fate.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge

Tech firms say laws to protect us from bad AI will limit ‘innovation’. Well, good | John Naughton

Tech firms say laws to protect us from bad AI will limit ‘innovation’. Well, good | John Naughton

For too long, the industry has escaped legal liability in the pursuit of its own interests – and the EU has had enough

Way back in May 2014, the European court of justice issued a landmark ruling that European citizens had the right to petition search engines to remove search results that linked to material that had been posted lawfully on third-party websites. This was popularly but misleadingly described as the “right to be forgotten”; it was really a right to have certain published material about the complainant delisted by search engines, of which Google was by far the most dominant. Or, to put it crudely, a right not to be found by Google.

On the morning the ruling was released, I had a phone call from a relatively senior Google employee whom I happened to know. It was clear from his call that the company had been ambushed by the ruling – its expensive legal team had plainly not expected it. But it was also clear that his US bosses were incensed by the effrontery of a mere European institution in issuing such a verdict. And when I mildly indicated that I regarded it as a reasonable judgment, I was treated to an energetic tirade, the gist of which was that the trouble with Europeans is that they’re “hostile to innovation”. At which point the conversation ended and I never heard from him again.

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Rivian recalls 13,000 EVs over loose fastener that could affect steering

Rivian recalls 13,000 EVs over loose fastener that could affect steering

The Rivian R1S is just one of the vehicles affected by the recall. | Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge

Rivian’s recalling about 13,000 electric vehicles (EVs) over a loose fastener that could affect drivers’ ability to control the car (via CNBC). The recall affects nearly every vehicle Rivian has produced this year, and spans the carmaker’s entire lineup, covering certain 2022 R1T pickup trucks, R1S SUVs, as well as the electric delivery vans (EDVs) it's building for Amazon. Rivian produced a total of 14,317 vehicles in the first three quarters of 2022 and delivered over 12,000.

According to a notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fastener connecting the front upper control arm and steering knuckle may not have been “sufficiently torqued.” This could potentially result in separation, “causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.” The safety report says drivers with affected vehicles may notice excessive noise, vibration, harshness from the front suspension, and a change in steering performance or feel.

“It’s important not to minimize the potential risks involved and why we are volunteering to conduct this recall,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wrote in an email to customers viewed by CNBC. “In rare circumstances, the nut could loosen fully. I want to reiterate that this is extremely rare, but it does reinforce why we are acting with such urgency and caution.”

Rivian issued the recall after investigating seven reports related to the defect, none of which involved any injuries. The EV maker says it will properly secure the steering knuckle fasteners in the vehicles affected by the recall at no added cost. This is Rivian’s second recall this year, with the company recalling about 500 R1T electric pickups in May due to a faulty airbag system that may fail to deactivate when detecting a child in the front passenger seat.

Greta Thunberg on the climate delusion: ‘We’ve been greenwashed out of our senses. It’s time to stand our ground’

Greta Thunberg on the climate delusion: ‘We’ve been greenwashed out of our senses. It’s time to stand our ground’

Governments may say they’re doing all they can to halt the climate crisis. Don’t fall for it – then we might still have time to turn things around

• ‘Stop setting things on fire’: nine great ideas to save the planet

Maybe it is the name that is the problem. Climate change. It doesn’t sound that bad. The word “change” resonates quite pleasantly in our restless world. No matter how fortunate we are, there is always room for the appealing possibility of improvement. Then there is the “climate” part. Again, it does not sound so bad. If you live in many of the high-emitting nations of the global north, the idea of a “changing climate” could well be interpreted as the very opposite of scary and dangerous. A changing world. A warming planet. What’s not to like?

Perhaps that is partly why so many people still think of climate change as a slow, linear and even rather harmless process. But the climate is not just changing. It is destabilising. It is breaking down. The delicately balanced natural patterns and cycles that are a vital part of the systems that sustain life on Earth are being disrupted, and the consequences could be catastrophic. Because there are negative tipping points, points of no return. And we do not know exactly when we might cross them. What we do know, however, is that they are getting awfully close, even the really big ones. Transformation often starts slowly, but then it begins to accelerate.

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Elon Musk suggests making Taiwan a ‘special administrative zone’ similar to Hong Kong

Elon Musk suggests making Taiwan a ‘special administrative zone’ similar to Hong Kong

Billionaire recommends in interview that Taipei let Beijing control some of the island and believes conflict over Taiwan is inevitable

Elon Musk has suggested tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

The billionaire’s remarks were published just days after he floated a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine which drew condemnation in Ukraine.

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Blizzard will be taking Overwatch 2 offline again

Blizzard will be taking Overwatch 2 offline again

The downtime will begin at about 9PM ET. | Image: Blizzard

Blizzard will be taking the Overwatch 2 servers offline once again to fix more of the issues that have cropped up during the game’s rocky launch. The company plans to shut the game down at about 9PM ET (6PM PT), and expects the downtime to last for an hour. This downtime will be the third in two days, as Blizzard had to take the game offline twice on Thursday.

Blizzard detailed the fixes in the works and some updates on a few of the bigger issues in a post on its forums. In Friday evening’s downtime, Blizzard plans to fix Watchpoint Packs not appearing as available for players who preordered them, and to address the LC-208 error that is preventing some players from logging in.

In Friday’s post, Blizzard confirmed that the change to its SMS Protect phone number requirements is now officially in effect. Originally, Overwatch 2 players were required to have a postpaid phone number registered to their accounts to be able to play. However, in response to players’ outcry, Blizzard said it would be softening the policy so that people who had played the first Overwatch with a connected Battle.net account no longer needed to register a phone number to play the sequel.

“Weekend gamer hours will be its biggest test yet”

The company is also looking into the long wait times players might be experiencing before matches. To address them, “we are changing configurations within this system today and hope to somewhat shorten that wait throughout the day,” Blizzard said in the post.

Blizzard is optimistic about the fixes it implemented on Thursday. The changes “resulted in a quadrupling of our capacity and an eventual reduction in login queues overnight,” according to the forum post. Blizzard will continue monitoring things over the coming days, as “weekend gamer hours will be its biggest test yet.” Hopefully, things might be starting to smooth over for Overwatch 2.

Elizabeth Holmes sentencing date delayed amid request for new trial

Elizabeth Holmes sentencing date delayed amid request for new trial

Theranos founder, convicted of fraud and facing 20 years in prison, requested new trial because of key prosecution witness concerns

A judge has agreed to move the sentencing date for Elizabeth Holmes to evaluate the Theranos founder’s request for a new trial.

Holmes, who was convicted on four of 11 counts of fraud for her role in the blood-testing company, was to be sentenced on 17 October. She requested a new trial in September after a key witness for the prosecution said he regretted the role he played in her conviction.

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Acer’s Swift Edge could be the 16-inch OLED laptop we’ve all been waiting for

Acer’s Swift Edge could be the 16-inch OLED laptop we’ve all been waiting for

Is this the OLED future? | Image: Acer

The race to market a truly portable, affordable, and long-lasting OLED laptop is on. Asus is currently the major player. Not only has it made several attempts this year, but it’s come the closest so far with its AMD-powered Zenbook S 13.

But Acer, today, is throwing its hat in the ring. The new Swift Edge is a 16-inch, 3840 x 2400 OLED device that weighs just 2.58 pounds — which would make it the lightest 16-inch laptop in the current market (though LG’s Gram 16 is very close).

And here’s the really good news: it’s got AMD Ryzen inside. Specifically, the model being sold in North America includes the Ryzen 7 6800U, the same eight-core processor that powers the Zenbook S 13.

Image: Acer

That’s a screen, all right.

It’s always exciting to see OLEDs becoming more accessible and more portable. But among a number of promising OLED notebooks that have been released this year, including Dell’s XPS 13 Plus and Asus’ Vivobook S, battery life has proven to be a challenge. The former model only lasted me five hours to a charge, while the latter tended to die around four and a half.

One thing those models have in common, in addition to the OLED screen: Intel processors. Across the board, Intel’s 12th Gen chips have suffered on the efficiency front this year — and that’s all the more apparent in high-resolution OLED laptops, which are notorious battery guzzlers.

Image: Acer

Who doesn’t need to bring their OLED laptop on wilderness treks?

But there is a machine out there that’s bucked that trend and one that still gives me hope for this form factor: the aforementioned Zenbook S 13. That OLED, 2880 x 1800 13-incher is also powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 6800U. Not only did this laptop display some of the best performance we’ve ever seen from integrated graphics, but it also lasted almost eight hours to a charge under my workload.

This Zenbook is, of course, a sample size of one, but it’s not at all a surprising result; AMD laptops have produced better battery life across categories this year. I have more faith in an AMD-powered OLED laptop than I do in an Intel-powered one at this point in the cycle, so I’m all for this Swift Edge — and a groundbreaking OLED 16-incher that’s truly portable, powerful, and efficient would be a great thing to have on the market.

Meta’s flagship metaverse app is too buggy and employees are barely using it, says exec in charge

Meta’s flagship metaverse app is too buggy and employees are barely using it, says exec in charge

Mark Zuckerberg recently demonstrated the current quality of Meta’s Horizon Worlds avatars. | Mark Zuckerberg / Meta

Meta’s VR social network Horizon Worlds — the company’s flagship “metaverse” app — is suffering from too many quality issues and even the team building it isn’t using it very much, according to internal memos obtained by The Verge.

In one of the memos to employees dated September 15th, Meta’s VP of Metaverse, Vishal Shah, said the team would remain in a “quality lockdown” for the rest of the year to “ensure that we fix our quality gaps and performance issues before we open up Horizon to more users.”

Horizon Worlds lets people build and interact in virtual worlds as legless avatars, sort of like Roblox meets Minecraft. It’s a key initiative following CEO Mark Zuckerberg rebranding of Facebook to Meta; the company is spending billions per year to build his vision of the metaverse. The multiplayer platform was released on Meta’s Quest headset in December of last year. It hit 300,000 users earlier this year and is supposed to be coming to mobile and desktop via a web version sometime soon, though Vishal’s memos imply a web launch could be pushed back.

“Simply put, for an experience to become delightful and retentive, it must first be usable and well crafted.”

“Since launching late last year, we have seen that the core thesis of Horizon Worlds — a synchronous social network where creators can build engaging worlds — is strong,” Shah wrote in a memo last month. “But currently feedback from our creators, users, playtesters, and many of us on the team is that the aggregate weight of papercuts, stability issues, and bugs is making it too hard for our community to experience the magic of Horizon. Simply put, for an experience to become delightful and retentive, it must first be usable and well crafted.”

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A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck)

Though Meta has teased its work on more lifelike avatars, the current quality of Horizon’s graphics pales in comparison to some of its non-VR competitors like Fortnite. Zuckerberg himself was recently memeified after he posted a screenshot of his Horizon avatar to celebrate the launch of Horizon for Quest users in France and Spain. He quickly posted a follow-up image of a more advanced avatar, saying he would share “major updates to Horizon and avatar graphics” at the company’s annual Connect conference which is scheduled for October 11th.

“Why don’t we love the product we’ve built so much that we use it all the time?”

A key issue with Horizon’s development to date, according to Shah’s internal memos, is that the people building it inside Meta appear to not be using it that much. “For many of us, we don’t spend that much time in Horizon and our dogfooding dashboards show this pretty clearly,” he wrote to employees on September 15th. “Why is that? Why don’t we love the product we’ve built so much that we use it all the time? The simple truth is, if we don’t love it, how can we expect our users to love it?”

In a follow-up memo dated September 30th, Shah said that employees still weren’t using Horizon enough, writing that a plan was being made to “hold managers accountable” for having their teams use Horizon at least once a week. “Everyone in this organization should make it their mission to fall in love with Horizon Worlds. You can’t do that without using it. Get in there. Organize times to do it with your colleagues or friends, in both internal builds but also the public build so you can interact with our community.”

He went on to call out specific issues with Horizon, writing that “our onboarding experience is confusing and frustrating for users” and that the team needed to “introduce new users to top-notch worlds that will ensure their first visit is a success.”

Shah said the teams working on Horizon needed to collaborate better together and expect more changes to come. “Today, we are not operating with enough flexibility,” his memo reads. “I want to be clear on this point. We are working on a product that has not found product market fit. If you are on Horizon, I need you to fully embrace ambiguity and change.”

He said that employees working on Horizon will their targets for growing users in VR lowered and that the coming 2D version of Horizon for web wouldn’t likely have a user target but instead a “high quality bar.”

In a statement shared with The Verge, Meta spokesperson Ashley Zandy said the company is “confident that the metaverse is the future of computing and that it should be built around people.” She said the company is “always making quality improvements and acting on the feedback from our community of creators. This is a multiyear journey, and we’re going to keep making what we build better.”

Tesla’s first Semi trucks will be delivered to Pepsi in December

Tesla’s first Semi trucks will be delivered to Pepsi in December

The Semi Truck is finally entering production. | Image: Tesla

Tesla has started production on its long-awaited Semi truck, and plans to start delivering it to Pepsi by December 1st, according to a tweet from CEO Elon Musk. The soft drink company ordered 100 of the electric transport vehicles in December 2017, just a month after it was announced.

Tesla promises that the Semi can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 20 seconds even when “fully loaded” and keep up “highway-level speeds even up steep grades.” It also promises that you’ll be able to recharge up to 70 percent of its 300 or 500-mile range in 30 minutes. And according to Musk, it’s “super fun to drive.”

500 mile range & super fun to drive

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 6, 2022

Before 2022, news about the semi was relatively scarce. Then, in May, Tesla started accepting reservations and charging a $20,000 deposit, and in August, Musk said that the version of the truck with a 500-mile range would begin shipping this year. Reservations were closed in August.

While Tesla may have followed through on Musk’s recent shipping promise, the company isn’t exactly known for hitting deadlines. Its consumer-focused Cybertruck has been delayed a few times — Musk says to expect that in 2023, along with the second-generation Roadster, which was announced alongside the Semi, originally slated for 2020, then 2022.

There’s also Tesla’s full self driving technology, which Musk promised was just around the corner for years; currently, the feature is in beta (though in some ways that’s a generous term). When it was announced, Tesla said the Semi would feature at least semi-autonomous driving, though there’s currently no information about it on the truck’s webpage.

How the Pixel, Apple, and Galaxy watches compare on paper

How the Pixel, Apple, and Galaxy watches compare on paper

Breaking down the features and capabilities of the Pixel, Apple, and Galaxy Watches. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Google has announced the Pixel Watch, its first flagship wearable. While it has a clean circular design, the company is just now getting into a field that competitors like Apple and Samsung have been succeeding in for years. While detailed impressions of the Pixel Watch’s real-world performance and battery life will have to wait for a full review, let’s take a look at how it compares on paper.

The Pixel Watch’s design vs. the Apple Watch

Aesthetics are obviously subjective, but there are some design aspects that we can compare and contrast objectively. One of the most notable is shape and controls; like the Galaxy Watch 5 series, the Pixel Watch has a circular design, whereas the Apple Watch’s case is a rounded rectangle. Like Apple’s wearable, though, Google’s adorned its watch with a rotating crown, a button, and a touchscreen for controls, while Samsung uses a two-button plus touch-sensitive bezel and touchscreen interface.

Size is also relatively important when it comes to wearables; big watches can dominate thinner wrists, while small watches can look a bit like toys on larger arms. The Pixel Watch comes in one size, 41mm, which is roughly similar to the smaller sizes of the Apple Watch Series 8, SE, and Galaxy Watch 5. Both Apple and Samsung offer bigger models for a slight price bump, an option Google currently isn’t giving us.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

A look at both the Pixel Watch’s controls, as well as its form factor.

In terms of materials, the Pixel Watch is made out of stainless steel and is available in gold, matte black, and silver. The Apple Watch Series 8 is available in both aluminum and stainless steel (with the latter at a hefty markup), and the SE is only available in aluminum. Samsung builds its standard Watch 5 out of aluminum as well but steps up to titanium for the sports-focused Watch 5 Pro.

How good is the Pixel Watch’s fitness tracking?

Speaking of sports, one of the main selling points of the Pixel Watch (and most smartwatches) is its usefulness as a fitness tracker. Compared to the Apple Watch Series 8 and Galaxy Watch 5, the Pixel Watch has a similar bevy of sensors; it has an optical sensor for tracking heart rate, can take ECGs, and can read your blood oxygen level. All the watches offer sleep tracking as well. Samsung’s sensor, however, does have some additional capabilities, like the ability to estimate metrics like body fat, mass, and water, and Apple added temperature-based retrospective ovulation estimates to the Series 8.

Image: Google

The Pixel Watch includes Fitbit’s “Active Zone Minutes” system and can track 40 exercises.

It’s worth noting that the Pixel Watch locks some fitness features away behind a $9.99 a month Fitbit Premium subscription while including six months of the service with the watch. After that time period, you’ll have to pay if you want to keep getting a readiness score, sleep score breakdown, or wellness reports. The subscription also offers access to guided workouts and mindfulness exercises, similar to Apple’s $9.99 a month Fitness Plus service — though it’s worth noting that Apple doesn’t gate any data or analytics behind its subscription (not that its watch understands the concept of readiness or rest days). Samsung doesn’t charge extra to give you a sleep score or sleep coaching.

Like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch, the Pixel Watch does offer some level of automatic workout tracking for activities like walking and running. It also comes with three free months of YouTube Music.

What sorts of features does the Pixel Watch have versus Apple and Samsung?

The Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch both run the same operating system, WearOS 3, so they should broadly support the same apps and features. All the watches we’re comparing today offer hard fall detection and an emergency SOS feature, though it’s worth noting that Google’s fall detection isn’t coming until later this year. You can also buy a cellular version of each watch as well; here are the carriers Google’s supporting with its wearable.

Unlike the Apple Watch SE, the Pixel Watch features an always-on display, just like the higher-end Apple Watch and Samsung’s models.

Google isn’t currently offering a rugged, sports-focused watch like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro or Apple Watch Ultra (which we didn’t include in this roundup due to its much higher price point). The Watch 5 Pro includes features like a sapphire crystal covering the display — the Pixel has a “Custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass” — and GPS backtracking, which is also available on the Apple Watches.

What phones can I use the Pixel Watch with?

Google pitches the Pixel Watch as a companion to its phones, but its site says the wearable is compatible with any phone running Android 8.0 or newer, the same as the Galaxy Watch 5 (the two watches use the same OS, after all). Unfortunately, that means it’s not compatible with iPhones — and the Apple Watch won’t work with Android phones.

The best anti-Prime Early Access Sale tech deals happening at Target

The best anti-Prime Early Access Sale tech deals happening at Target

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

If you’re not an Amazon Prime member (or prefer not to shop at Amazon), Target’s competing with the upcoming Prime Early Access Sale with deals of its own — no membership needed. Through Saturday, October 8th, the retailer is holding the Target Deal Days event, offering discounts on a variety of tech products. These include gaming accessories, headphones, TVs, and a range of other items that are up to 50 percent off for a limited time. Plus, if you end up finding a cheaper price elsewhere, Target will match it within 14 days of purchase until December 24th. The retailer is also offering free, contactless pickup if you want to go that route.

We’ve sorted through the full offering of deals to compile a list of the best tech deals at Target. And if you do change your mind and decide you want to check out what Amazon’s selling, be sure to check out our guide to the best Prime Early Access deals on Amazon devices, too.

Target’s Deal Day sale deals

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Sony’s excellent WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds are on sale.

Earbuds deals

• Sony’s noise-canceling WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds are on sale for $249.99 ($29 off). These offer some of the best noise cancellation of any true wireless earbuds and terrific sound quality, making them our top pick as a result. Read our review.
• Apple’s second-generation AirPods are on sale for $89 instead of $129.99, which is nearly its best price to date. These buds sound good and offer decent battery life, but they lack active noise cancelation and water resistance. Read our review.
• If you want a pair of noise-canceling earbuds, Apple’s first-generation AirPods Pro are on sale for $169.99 instead of $249.99. While they lack the second-generation’s swipe controls, the last-gen AirPods Pro still sound better than the other non-premium models in the AirPods lineup, they cancel out noise very well, and they come with swappable silicone tips. Read our review.
• You can buy Samsung’s bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live earbuds for $99.99 instead of $169.99. These buds offer a loud, powerful sound, though their active noise cancellation doesn’t rank among the best out there. Read our review.
• Shure’s Aonic 50 headphones are amongst the best noise-canceling over-ears we’ve tested with great sound quality. You can buy them for $299 ($100 off).

TV and streaming stick deals

• Target is selling the latest LG OLED C2 4K TV in a number of sizes, but the 55-inch is the one that’s seeing an attractive discount right now. It’s on sale for $1,349.99 instead of $1,799.99. The 4K TV sports a 120Hz refresh rate, low input lag, and new features like a “dark room” setting to reduce eyestrain.
• Google’s 4K-ready Chromecast is available for $39.99 instead of $49.99. This is the best streaming device on the market, one that also offers support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos content. Read our review.
• Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max is available for $34.99 ($20 off). If you’re embedded within Amazon’s ecosystem, this is the best streaming stick to buy, one that’s faster than its predecessor, works with Alexa, and supports Wi-Fi 6. Read our review.
• The Fire TV Stick 4K with slightly fewer features is still a good deal. You can get it for 50 percent off at Target, where it is selling for $24.99. Read our review.
• Samsung’s latest The Frame TV is also on sale. You can buy the 55-inch TV bundled with a Dolby Atmos-ready HW-Q910B 9.1.2-channel Soundbar for $2,397.99 ($401.99 off). The 4K TV displays customizable images of art when turned off, making the TV resemble an actual canvas. It also boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync adaptive sync technologies that are useful for gaming.
• You can buy the 58-inch version of Vizio’s M7 Series Quantum TV for $599.99 instead of $769.99. The TV touts FreeSync support and a variable refresh rate (VRR), but keep in mind that it has a 60Hz refresh rate display. It features Chromecast built-in, so you can cast shows and movies from your smartphone and access major streaming services.

Smart display and speaker deals

• Amazon’s second-gen Echo Show 8 is on sale at Target for $69.99 ($60 off). The latest Echo Show 8 is our favorite smart display, and you can use it to make Zoom calls, stream shows, and more. Read our review.
• Amazon’s smaller, second-generation Echo Show 5 is on sale for $34.99 ($50 off). Compared to the Echo Show 8, this one should be a better fit on a nightstand as a smart alarm, though it lacks support for Zoom calls. Read our review.
• Meta’s Portal Go, a battery-powered portable smart display that’s great for video calls, is on sale for $116.35 instead of $179. Read our review.
• Amazon’s fourth-gen Echo is on sale for $59.99 ($40 off). The spherical smart speaker features a built-in smart hub and offers great sound quality. Read our review.
• While it doesn’t sound as good as the fourth-gen Echo, the fourth-gen Echo Dot still sounds nice for the price. You can buy it for $24.99 ($25 off), and you can also use it to perform tasks like setting alarms via Alexa. Read our review.
• The third-gen Echo Dot is also discounted. It offers decent sound (but not as good as the fourth-gen model) and the same Alexa functionality. You can buy it for $17.99 ($22 off). Read our review.

Gaming deals

• Target is taking $50 off of the Xbox Series S console and throwing in a free Xbox controller to boot. While its 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution isn’t as impressive as the Xbox Series X’s 4K power, the Series S is still a good, tiny, digital-exclusive console. Read our review.
• Xbox accessories are also on sale. You can buy Microsoft’s official wireless controller for Xbox in some of its fancier colors for $54.99 ($10 off), for example.
• The digital edition of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch is down to $39.99 ($20 off). Read our review.
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for PlayStation 5 is on sale for $39.99 ($30 off). Read our review.
• You can buy It Takes Two for Xbox and PlayStation for $19.99 instead of $39.99.
• The popular dance video game Just Dance 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox is on sale for $19.99 instead of $49.99.
• You can buy the digital version of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury for Nintendo Switch for $39.99 ($20 off). Read our review.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 is on sale for $24.99 instead of $59.99 for PlayStation and Xbox. Read our review.

Image: Allison Johnson

Target is throwing in gift cards when you buy Google’s new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones from them.

Smartphone deals

• Target is offering $100 and $200 gift cards when you purchase the new, unlocked Google Pixel 7 and Google 7 Pro, respectively. The Pixel 7 is available starting with 128GB of storage for $599, while the Pixel 7 Pro with 128GB starts at $899. Read our hands-on impression of the new Pixel 7 phones.
• You can also buy the older, unlocked Google Pixel 6A for $349 ($100 off). The phone offers a smaller 6.1-inch OLED display that’s smaller than Google’s other new Pixel phones, but note that it only offers a 60Hz refresh rate and less RAM than either the Pixel 6 or Pixel 7. Read our review.
• Target’s discounting both of Samsung’s latest unlocked foldable phones. The 128GB configuration of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is available for $899.99 ($100 off), while the Galaxy Z Fold 4 with 256GB of storage is on sale for $1,499 ($300 off). Read our reviews of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.
• You can also score discounts on both the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S22 and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra unlocked with 128GB of storage. The former is selling for $699.99 ($100 off), while you can purchase the latter for $999.99 ($200 off). Read our reviews of the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra.
• Motorola’s newest Moto G Stylus phone is one of our favorite budget-friendly smartphones that comes with a stylus. You can buy it from Target with 256GB of storage for $349.99 ($150 off). Read our review.

Tablet and e-reader deals

• Amazon’s latest ad-supported Kindle Paperwhite with 8GB of storage is on sale for $99.99 instead of $139.99 at Target. The newest Kindle Paperwhite sports a nice, high-resolution display along with water resistance and USB-C support. Read our Kindle Paperwhite review.
• Various configurations of the latest iPad Mini are on sale, starting at $399.99 ($100 off) for the Wi-Fi-enabled model equipped with 64GB of storage. The iPad Mini offers a more powerful processor than the base iPad (which starts at $329.99) as well as support for the second-gen Apple Pencil. Read our review.
• Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 is a convertible you can use with a detachable keyboard (sold separately) as well as a speedy 120Hz refresh rate and Thunderbolt 4 support. Target is discounting various configurations, selling, for example, the model equipped with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and an Intel Core i5 processor for $969.99 instead of $999.99. Read our review.
• Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet offers a sharp 1080p display that’s impressive for its price and good performance. You can get it for 50 percent off with ads and 32GB of storage for $74.99. The ad-supported 32GB Fire HD 10 Plus, which features support for wireless charging and more RAM, is also on sale for $104.99 ($75 off). Read our review.
• If you prefer an even cheaper, smaller tablet, Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is available with ads for $44.99 ($45 off), while the ad-supported Fire HD 8 Plus is $54.99 ($55 off). The Plus model charges faster, supports wireless charging, and features 3GB of RAM compared to 2GB in the standard Fire HD 8. Read our Fire HD 8 Plus review.

Smartwatch and fitness tracker deals

• Target is discounting various configurations of the Apple Watch Series 7. You can, for example, buy the LTE-enabled 41mm model for $349.99 ($150 off). While it lacks Apple Watch Series 8 features like temperature sensors for menstrual tracking, this smartwatch is otherwise very similar. Read our review.
• The stylish Fitbit Luxe is one of our favorite Fitbits and is on sale for $99.95 ($100 off). This special edition features a golden band that makes the fitness tracker look even more like jewelry. Pretty is nice, but it also tracks statistics like heart rate, sleep, exercise, and more.
• Samsung’s last-gen Galaxy Watch 4 is also on sale in various configurations. You can buy the 40mm, GPS-enabled model for $179.99 ($20 off). This smartwatch is easiest to pair with Samsung phones, though it can work with other Android phones. It runs on Google’s Wear OS 3 platform and offers features like body composition analysis. Read our review.

Home security deals

• Ring’s Floodlight Cam Wired Plus is on sale for $139.99 ($60 off). It features a 1080p camera and custom motion detection zones, though you’ll have to pay extra for some Ring features like stored video recording.
• Ring’s hardwired Ring Video Doorbell is available for $39.99 ($25 off). This also features a 1080p HD video doorbell as well as night vision support and custom motion detection zones, though again, you’ll need to pay extra for some Ring features.
• Target is discounting various Blink Outdoor cameras starting at $59.99 for just one instead of $99.99. These battery-powered cameras offer a 1080p resolution, work with Alexa, and come with motion detection alerts.

Robot vacuum deals

• You can buy the iRobot Roomba j7 for $399 (about $200 off). For something more capable, you can buy the j7 Plus, which comes with an auto-emptying docking station for $599.99 ($200 off). This is our favorite robot vacuum, one that comes with customizable mapping zones and good battery life. Read our review of the iRobot Roomba j7 Plus.
• Roborock’s S7 is our favorite robot vacuum and mop hybrid. The robovac comes with voice control, and while it lacks AI obstacle avoidance, you can designate keep-out zones. You can buy it for $409.90 instead of $649.99. Read our review of the Roborock S7 Plus.
• The older Roomba s9 Plus is also on sale for $799 ($200.99 off). While it lacks the AI obstacle avoidance the j7 offers, it boasts higher suction.
• The iRobot Roomba i3 EVO is discounted to $299.99 ($50 off). Like the j7, it offers the same suction level, almost the same battery life, voice control, and smart mapping capabilities.

Miscellaneous deals

• You can buy our favorite instant camera, Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 11, alongside a pack of film containing 10 prints for $69.99 instead of $86.99.
• Target is selling a four-pack of Apple’s item-tracking AirTags for $94.96 instead of $99.99.
• If you want a cheaper location tracker (that you don’t need to buy an extra accessory to clip onto your suitcase or a bag), the Tile Mate tracker is on sale for $17.99 instead of $24.99.
• The GoPro Hero10 action camera is capable of shooting in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second and is on sale for $399 ($50 off). Read our review.