7 Most Surprising Things About Owning an Apple Watch

I've had an Apple Watch for a little over a week now. The most common question people ask you when you've got Apple's wearable computer on your wrist is, "Has it changed your life?" Which is an odd question to ask about a gadget that starts at $349 and is, in large part, an accessory to your phone.
But the question points to the peculiar state Apple and its customers find themselves in at the moment. Anticipation and chatter about the Watch is high, but few people have actually seen one in the wild. The Watch's rollout is unique compared to previous Apple products in that customers can, for the most part, only order it online and that initial supply appears to be extremely limited.
So has the Apple Watch changed my life? No. But it is an incredibly well-designed, compelling product. (I'm wearing a 38-millimeter stainless-steel model, which retails for $949 with a matching link bracelet.) A full review is coming—once the blush of newness has worn off—but in the meantime, here are the most surprising things about using an Apple

Spectacular photos from space

    It is one of the more massive galaxies known. A mere 46 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC 2841 can be found in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. This sharp view of the gorgeous island universe shows off a striking yellow nucleus and galactic disk. Dust lanes, small, pink star-forming regions, and young blue star clusters are embedded in the patchy, tightly wound spiral arms. In contrast, many other spirals exhibit grand, sweeping arms with large star-forming regions. NGC 2841 has a diameter of over 150,000 light-years, even larger than our own Milky Way and captured by this composite image merging exposures from the orbiting 2.4-meter Hubble Space Telescope and the ground-based 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope. X-ray images suggest that resulting winds and stellar explosions create plumes of hot gas extending into a halo around NGC 2841.
    In June 2000, swarms of earthquakes and a massive volcanic eruption rocked Miyakejima, a small Japanese island about 110 mile) south of Tokyo. At the height of Oyama’s activity, lava fountains gushed from the summit, hot gas and rock rushed down its slopes, layers of ash blanketed the surrounding landscape, and toxic gases leaked from the ground. By September 2000, Japanese authorities had ordered a mandatory evacuation of all Miyakejima’s residents. Most of the 3,600 people living on the island relocated to Tokyo. But by 2005, with the intensity of Oyama’s volcanic activity diminishing, authorities began to relax the evacuation order. Thousands of people have returned. By 2015, the island had a population of 2,775 residents. In many respects, life has returned to normal. Fishing, farming, and tourism are Miyakejima’s primary industries. Six elementary and junior high schools operate in its towns and villages. But normal is a relative term. Since Oyama still periodically emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide, residents and tourists are supposed to carry a gas mask with them at all times. One third of the island remains off limits. A system of alarm sirens is ready to sound off should sulfur dioxide levels get too high. The Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 captured this image of Miyakejima on February 11, 2015. While forests have recovered somewhat, broad barren patches of ash remain around Oyama’s caldera. The island’s towns and villages are arranged in a ring along a highway that traces Mikayejima’s coast. Several ports and an airport are visible, facilities that would be crucial if Oyama were to awaken and force another evacuation.
    This image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the Orion Nebula and the process of star formation, from the massive, young stars that are shaping the nebula to the pillars of dense gas that may be the homes of budding stars.

Facebook to start hosting other sites' content this May

Facebook might start natively hosting full Buzzfeed, National Geographic and The New York Times articles and videos as soon as this month, according to The Wall Street Journal. This new feature is called "Instant Articles," and the social network has been working on it since March, at the very least. Facebook is reportedly offering news organizations special ad models that maximize their earning potential to entice them to sign up. One of the models it's proposing will even allow publishers to keep 100 percent of what they earn from ads they themselves sell, as well as 70 percent of the revenues from ads Facebook sells for them.
The report says Facebook doesn't mind earning almost nothing from the arrangement, because this project was never meant to earn the company money -- it's more of a tactic to get people to stay on the website for longer hours. The social network is hoping users would prefer reading posts and watching videos on their news feeds over loading website links, which apparently takes around eight seconds every time.

Nintendo apologizes for amiibo frustrations, promises to do better, reissue toys Polygon

Last month a crush of online Nintendo fans looking to snag new amiibo figures apparently brought down GameStop's website, leaving fans frustrated with the process and seemingly limited supply of the toys.
As rumors of a silver Mario amiibo hitting this month continue to mount, Nintendo today released a statement apologizing for frustrating fans and promising to do better.
Specifically, the company says it plans to reissue some of the out-of-stock toys in the future.
"We appreciate the enthusiasm that our fans continue to show toward amiibo. Sales for the product have exceeded our expectations. We understand how frustrating it can be at times if consumers are unable to find certain figures, and we apologize for that," according to the statement sent to Polygon. "W e're trying to meet the demands of our fans and consumers by increasing the amount of amiibo we manufacture and ship to retail. We may continue to see consumer demand outpace supply levels for certain characters at times, but we will do our best to prevent that from happening.
© Provided by Polygon silver mario amiibo (lightly watermarked) "As our library of amiibo continues to grow, some figures will be easier to find than others. We are constantly looking for the opportunity to reissue amiibo and are already making plans to bring back some currently out-of-stock amiibo figures. Stay tuned for details."
In January, Nintendo officials said they were planning on releasing  more of the Marth Fire Emblem figures in the U.S. sometime this year.
This statement seems to extend that sentiment to other hard-to-find toys. We've followed up with Nintendo for more clarification and will update this story when they respond.
The company also writes that it plans to make it easier for consumers to know when new amiibo are on the way through "press announcements, timely updates on our social media channels and working closely with retailers."
"We remain committed to keeping amiibo affordable and easy to access as a platform to enhance game-play experiences," according to the statement. "These plans include Animal Crossingamiibo cards that will become available by the end of 2015, and a free-to-download app for Wii U called amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits that launched on April 30, 2015, that lets consumers enjoy playable scenes from certain NES and Super NES games with amiibo."

Facebook launches open Internet.org platform amid net neutrality debate in India Reuters

Facebook Inc opened up its Internet.org platform to new websites and applications from developers on Monday, a move the social media giant said would boost efforts to get people online in low-income and rural areas in emerging markets.
However, the decision drew criticism from some online activists in India who expressed concern over Facebook's control over all data accessed on the service and said it violated the principles of an open web.
Internet.org offers free access via mobile phones to pared-down web services, focused on job listings, agricultural information, healthcare and education, as well as Facebook's own social network and messaging services.
It has been launched in nine countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, including India, bringing over 8 million people online, said Chris Daniels, vice president of product for Internet.org, who was in New Delhi to speak with partners and operators.
The platform will be open to all developers who meet certain guidelines, including that they produce content that can be browsed on both basic mobile phones as well as smartphones and is accessible in limited bandwidth situations, Facebook said.
The U.S. company partnered with Reliance Communications (RLCM.NS) to launch Internet.org in India in February.
But a number of e-commerce firms and content developers pulled out of the service after activists claimed it violated principles of net neutrality - the concept that all websites on the internet are treated equally.
Nikhil Pahwa, volunteer with pro-net neutrality campaign group savetheinternet.in, said the service would cause a permanent shift in the way the internet works.
"Did we give unlimited free calls to people so that more people start making calls? So why this almost patronizing approach to the Internet. You're effectively disadvantaging other companies and broader usage of the web," said Pahwa, who is also the founder of Medianama.com, a New Delhi-based digital media publication.
But Daniels said Internet.org was open to mobile operators and involved no payments, either to or from the developers.
"The principles of neutrality must co-exist with programs that also encourage bringing people online," he told Reuters.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a video post: "Access equals opportunity. Net neutrality should not prevent access. We need both, it's not an equal Internet if the majority of people can't participate."

Microsoft is working on two high-end Lumia phones for Windows 10

Microsoft is working on two new high-end Lumia phones for Windows 10. A flagship device, codenamed Cityman, is currently being developed, alongside a high-end handset codenamed Talkman. Unleash the phones first reported details on Cityman and Talkman, and The Verge can confirm the codenames are accurate. We understand Microsoft is taking a similar approach to Apple with two devices that have bigger displays, but similar specifications.
Cityman is the true flagship Windows 10 phone
Cityman is designed to be the true flagship phone for Windows 10, and it will reportedly include a 5.7-inch QHD display, Qualcomm octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 20-megapixel camera at the rear. Microsoft is planning to use a removable rear cover for access to the battery and microSD slots, despite the presence of 32GB of internal storage. Cityman will support the new Continuum for phones feature to transform a phone into a PC, and Microsoft is planning to bundle some additional hardware with the phone to enable this.
Microsoft’s second Talkman Lumia will be slightly smaller than Cityman. It will reportedly feature a 5.2-inch QHD display, a Qualcomm hexa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 20-megapixel camera. While most of the specifications are the same as Cityman, the processor appears to be the big change. Both handsets are also expected to include a triple-LED flash to support different tones for photos, alongside a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Microsoft revealed last week that Windows 10 will ship for PCs in the summer, but that the phone version of the operating system will come later. Both of Microsoft’s new Lumia devices are expected to ship with Windows 10 later this year.

Samsung and Samsonite are working on smart luggage

There have been more than a few efforts at smart luggage, but this is one you're likely going to notice. Samsung and Samsonite (appropriately enough) are teaming up to develop smart bags that will likely be easier to buy and more accessible. They should include include loads of location and mobile notification features, such as GPS tracking, anti-tampering alerts and warnings when you wander away.

However, that's just the start. Samsonite is working with airlines on baggage that checks itself in -- drop them off and they'd tell the airport about your airline, the weight and your destination. Also, Samsung is experimenting with self-propelled luggage that follows you around the airport.

That last technology is still too cumbersome to be practical (the engine takes up a third of the size), but the days of having to lug (and worry about) your belongings across the airport may soon be over.