The clock is ticking on Google’s smartwatch platform

Last week, I wrote about the new software update for Wear OS, Google’s smartwatch platform. I thought (and think) that it’s a good update for existing users and potentially a foundation that the company could build on to make something that’s actually competitive with both the Apple Watch or even Samsung’s Galaxy Watch.

The update “breathes new life into Wear OS smartwatches,” but the emphasis is very much on existing smartwatches. You see, I also wrote that this update does not mean that you should go out and buy a new Wear OS watch — and therein lies the problem for Google. There’s a “life support” metaphor in “breathing new life” if you want to reach for it.

Android users have perennially been waiting for the next thing to save the…

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Even light drinking increases risk of death

Analyzing data from more than 400,000 people, researchers have found that consuming one to two drinks four or more times per week — an amount deemed healthy by current guidelines — increases the risk of premature death by 20 percent.

Tropical frogs found to coexist with deadly fungus

In 2004, the frogs of El Copé, Panama, began dying by the thousands. The culprit: the deadly chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Within months, roughly half of native frog species there went locally extinct. A new study suggests that frogs remaining in El Copé developed the ability to coexist with chytrid fungus due to ecological and/or evolutionary changes. The results could mean good news for other areas hit hard by chytrid fungus.

How Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 6 tablet compares to the iPad Pro

The new Surface Pro 6 has been announced, and Microsoft promises big gains over the previous generation thanks to its jump from dual-core to quad-core 8th Gen Intel Core processors. Of course, the jump forward in power comes with a bump up in price. This generation starts at $899 compared to the $799 starting price for the previous generation.

We’ve broken down what’s inside of Microsoft’s latest 2-in-1 so that you can compare it with the model that it’s replacing, as well as the latest iPad Pro. Though the Surface Pro 6 and iPad Pro are quite different, they both help people get work done and thus, are both carefully considered by those who are thinking of buying a capable 2-in-1 machine.

Take a look at the specs below:

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