Hands-on: Huawei Talkband B2 Fitness Band and Bluetooth Headset

The cat is out of the bag: the Huawei Talkband B2 is now available for purchase. I’ve been playing with the half fitness band / half bluetooth headset for the past 24 hours- not nearly long enough to provide a review – but long enough to start formulating some opinions. We’ll post our full review next week, but until then, here are some early impressions:

• The band itself is more comfortable than that of competing products from the likes of Jawbone and Fitbit. The sizes are incremented with 10 holes , ensuring various wrist sizes equal comfort. I found the fit to be comfortably snug and secure.


• The snap-back-hat style clasp is also effective (where similar products from competitors have been difficult to initially snap in place and troublesome to keep snapped throughout the day).


• Removal of the watch face (aka the bluetooth headset) is absolutely effortless as is fitting it back into position


• The earpiece seems a little big, but not to the point of discomfort. The rubber ear piece is also removable so you can theoretically replace it with a different size from an aftermarket supplier.


• The Talkband charges via MicroUSB- no annoying proprietary connections or irritating docks.


• Downloading the app from the Play Store and syncing it with UP by Jawbone was easy peasy.


• The device looks nice while worn on the wrist but when examined more closely it seems a bit like cheap plastic. However, considering the likelihood of wearing while exercising (and therefore sweating), this may be a strength rather than a weakness. Keep in mind the Talkband B2 is water and dust resistant.

That’s just a quick rundown of my initial first impressions after 24 hours wearing the B2. It’ll take me awhile longer to formulate concrete opinions, but stay tuned for the full review in the near future!

Sony Xperia Z3 on T-Mobile is receiving Lollipop with Band 12 support starting at midnight

Sony Xperia Z3 owners on T-Mobile are in for a treat tonight. Starting tonight at midnight, the Xperia Z3 will begin receiving its update to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

According to T-Mobile product guru Des Smith, the update brings Band 12 support to the device, making it one of the few to support T-Mobile’s 700 MHz A block spectrum. We had a feeling Lollipop was around the corner, with T-Mobile’s software updates page essentially telling us as much a few weeks ago.

Charge up your devices and get them ready, as an Xperia Z3 Compact owner who recently received Lollipop on his device I can attest, you’re in for one helluva upgrade.

Huawei Honor Band Zero is a minimalistic circular smartwatch

Huawei is teasing a new smart watch today. It’s being called the Huawei Honor Band Zero, with that name being chosen thanks to its minimalistic design. It’s a circular smart watch that seemingly doesn’t have any buttons, and appears to boast a steel chassis.

And that’s about all we know so far. Huawei hasn’t issued any press releases or dished out any additional info, so we’re only left to our guesses. Our first guess is that this could be a souped up fitness wearable, as the watch shares the same “Band” moniker used for the Huawei Talk Band B1 or B2. Whether it’ll use Android Wear for those fitness needs is up for date, as Huawei could just as easily use their own custom platform such as the one featured in the aforementioned TalkBand devices.

We also imagine it isn’t going to be some game changing smart watch, so we’ll expect industry-standard specs such as the Snapdragon 410 found inside the more classic design of the Huawei Watch.

It does look like a decent design for those who prefer this style, though, so if this is something more your taste then be sure to keep an eye out for more!

[via Twitter]