New Apple Watch apps need to work without an iPhone

A new requirement for Apple Watch developers will be a boon for users. Apple sent out a notice that new apps for the Apple Watch will need to run natively on the smartwatch before it’s submitted to the App Store. This means the apps will work on the Watch itself without having its paired iPhone nearby. Previously, Watch apps were streamed from the iPhone, meaning you needed to have the phone with you at all times and apps were slow to launch and a bit sluggish. Having apps run natively on the smartwatch will result in quicker response time and the ability to run more smoothly.

Developers who want to submit starting June 1^st will have to adhere to this. The apps will be built with the new watchOS 2 SDK because support for the 1.0 SDK and any apps built with that will be discontinued.

Source: SlashGear

Medical Grade EKG analysis coming to Apple Watch via 'Kardia Band.'

The Apple Watch has always been about tracking health and now the first of what we hope are many health-focused third-party accessories is coming. AliveCor announced that it will bring "the first medical-grade EKG band" to the Apple Watch with the "Kardia Band," in addition to a new smartphone app for users of its heart-rate reading devices. 

Users can record a single-lead EKG by simply touching Kardia Band’s integrated sensor that communicates with the Watch app, Kardia by AliveCor. The Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Detector then uses Kardia’s automated analysis process (algorithm) to instantly detect the presence of AF in an EKG, the most common cardiac arrhythmia and a leading cause of stroke. 

The kardia Band is undergoing approval for clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration and can't come to market until it has been cleared. AliveCor, the company behind the band, expects it to come to market as soon as "late spring." This could be the first of many accessories that address specific health concerns and help monitor users more comprehensively.

Source: Macrumors

Apple to livestream March 21 media event

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple's confirmed that it is holding its next media event on March 21st at the intimate Town Hall at the campus in its 1 Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino. The event is the first product launch since the September 2015 bonanza in downtown San Francisco and is going to be live streamed at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Details can be found here.

Expected at this event are a new 4-inch iPhone which will be an updated version of the iPhone 5/5S form factor, a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro (taking over the iPad Air) as well as more Apple Watch straps and accessories. Apple could also unveil some new MacBooks now with new Intel Skylake processors and improved specs as well as elaborate on new software features for iOS, Mac OS X El Capitan, tvOS and watchOS. Timing for the event is odd since Tim Cook and some Apple executives will be at a federal court hearing in California to address the Justice Department's order to unlock an iPhone to aid in an investigation.

While products and technologies will be front and centre, specially since Apple's biggest rivals have played their cards at Mobile World Congress (and their latest smartphones are already shipping), all eyes will be on Apple CEO Tim Cook to see if he uses the event as a podium to discuss the DOJ matter.

Study: Apple Watch trumps standalone fitness trackers in terms of privacy and security

Privacy and security aren't issues most of us have in mind when thinking about our fitness trackers. Mostly though of as 'dumb' devices or a collection of sensors that are designed around tracking physical activity, they don't seem like the types of gadgets that will be susceptible to attacks or data exploits. 

A recent study held by Open Effect called Every Step You Fake took a look at eight fitness trackers and wearables and determined that seven out of the eight fitness trackers emit persistent unique identifiers (Bluetooth media addresses, etc,). Many were shown to have vulnerabilities in their companion smartphone apps and some can even be used to create fake fitness band records. Apple's Apple Watch, which features activity tracking features, a hear rate monitor and various motivational features to keep user's moving, was the only device that did not exhibit security vulnerabilities. This is likely because, watchOS, as an extension of the ironclad iOS platform, surely has key security loopholes covered in their Watch products.

Check our the full report here.