Laura is a copy editor for 9to5Mac who occasionally writes about social media and Apple features.
In her previous career, Laura was a middle school English teacher for 12 years, and frankly, she is having difficulty writing about herself in the third person. The love of her life is her dog, Billy, a near-perfect lab/collie that she rescued six and a half years ago (or did he rescue her? someone get her a bumper sticker).
Aside from walking her dog every day, in her free time Laura enjoys traveling, frequenting the gym, reading every book that she can get her hands on, shopping at Trader Joe’s, and playing euchre with her friends.
The Major League Soccer season began February 21, and for members of adiClub, you can now enjoy a free 1-month trial of Major League Season Pass on Apple TV. Keep reading below to learn more.
Strava, the popular app that tracks your workouts and lets you share them with your community, today expanded its Best Efforts feature to include more categories for cyclists. Keep reading below the fold to learn more.
Aviron, a connected fitness company, today announced the launch of the Aviron App, now available on iOS devices and compatible with its new partner, Concept2 rowing machines. Keep reading below to learn more.
While not new on Peloton Bikes, Treads, or Rows, milestone reminders are now available on the Peloton app for both iOS and Android to keep you motivated while working out or while working toward a specific goal. Head below to learn more.
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives swiftly voted on a bill that would force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or risk being banned in the US. In light of the bill moving onto the Senate, TikTok CEO Shou Chew has tapped into the app’s 170 million users, telling them to protect their constitutional rights and let their voices be heard.
In celebration of Heart Month, the Apple Heart & Movement Study released updated trends in activity and cardio fitness, including which states are – and are not – meeting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week threshold. Head below the jump to learn more.
It was recently announced that Gympass, a leader in corporate wellness, would be integrating Apple Fitness+ for its subscribers with a Basic plan and above, giving them access to everything Apple Fitness+ has to offer. Head below to learn more.
Withings is late to the game when it comes to giving users the ability to track their menstrual cycles, but with the release of its ScanWatch Light – a hybrid smartwatch – users can now not only track their cycles with the ScanWatch Light, but also within the Withings app itself. Keep reading below for more details.
Strava, a leading digital community for athletes with over 120 million members, today announced its new partnership with Fi – a smart connected dog collar and health platform. Head below to learn more.
Our colleague Ben Lovejoy over at 9to5Mac reported two days ago that Peloton was to eliminate Apple GymKit support later this month. Amidst member backlash, Peloton has now said they will keep Apple GymKit support for the Bike+. Keep reading below to learn more.
Did you also not know that Zumba, a leader in the fitness space for over two decades, has never had its own version of an app? Welcome to the club! The world’s largest dance-fitness company has finally joined the App Store and Google Play Store for the first time. Head below to learn more about the Zumba app.
In 2020, a group of California researchers wanted to see if fitness trackers, such as the Oura Ring, could detect early signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (spoiler: they can). What the study also found, however, was a correlation between the depressive symptoms reported by the study’s participants with the body temperature data that Oura provides. Head below to learn more.
I have been using my 1More Fit Open Earbuds for a week now in place of my second-generation Apple AirPods, and I have become strangely fond of these over-the-ear headphones (I didn’t expect to). The sound quality is solid, the fit is comfortable, and they charge quickly. Head below for more details on the 1More Fit Open Earbuds.
There is a lot to love about the Oura Ring, including its in-depth sleep analysis and its accuracy when tracking physical activity. While Oura Ring has had a Daytime stress feature for some time, it is now rolling out Resilience metrics into the app. Head below to learn more.
When my dad called me a month ago to tell me we were getting new phones because we were switching cell phone providers, he informed me that he would be getting the iPhone 15. I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly. “Wait, you’re getting an iPhone?” I asked, twice. “Yeah, what’s the big deal?” he countered, as if this was normal, as if he hadn’t been a decades-long Samsung devotee.
After just over a month with his new iPhone 15, my dad’s got a respectable list of things he’s enjoying, and some things that he believes Samsung did – and does – better.
For about a month, I have been using two pieces of work-from-home office equipment while writing – the E7 Pro Standing Desk and the C7 Premium Ergonomic Office Chair. Both are incredibly impressive pieces of furniture with a lot to love, even if some of the features are overly complicated. Head below to learn more.
At the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2024, Sennheiser unveiled three new pairs of headphones – including the Momentum Sport – which can help track your fitness while you listen to music across multiple health platforms. Keep reading below the fold to learn more about Sennheiser’s Momentum Sport headphones.
Deepwater Asset Management last week announced their 2024 predictions, and out of the 13 items included, one that caught our attention was the prediction that Apple would acquire Peloton. Head below for more details.
Insta360, the popular 360° camera for capturing action shots, is now compatible with Garmin and Apple Watches, allowing users to sync data to their camera footage. Keep reading below the fold for more details.
Strava, a leading digital community for athletes with over 120 million members, is doing The Spotify and allowing members to show off their personalized Year in Sport. Head below for more details.
Zwift, the connected online cycling and running program, now allows subscribers to utilize Apple Watch heart rate monitoring amongst other new features in its latest update, rolling out between now and March. Head below for more details.
After having spent the last month with my Oura Ring and the Oura Ring companion app for iOS, I can definitively say that despite a beautiful app and some helpful features, unless you are someone looking to track or improve your sleep, I don’t think that the Oura Ring is worth it. Head below the fold to learn why.
After having spent a month with my Oura Ring and many more months than that with my Apple Watch, there are a few features that both the Oura Ring and its companion app have that Apple Watch and Apple Fitness would be keen to pay attention to.
SwingVision, an Apple Design Award-winning app in innovation, today introduced its expansion into pickleball. Initially an app meant to act as a tennis coach helping users to perfect every aspect of their game, SwingVision is making its way into America’s fastest-growing sport.