iHeartRadio

If you’re looking for free summer music, iHeartRadio has got you covered. iHeartRadio is a popular streaming service that provides access to a vast collection of music, podcasts, and live radio stations, all in one convenient platform. Available on various platforms including web browsers, iOS, Android, and smart speakers, iHeartRadio allows users to discover and stream their favorite songs and artists, create personalized stations based on their preferences, and explore a wide range of podcasts covering diverse topics. It’s also got a nice selection of free summer music!

• Real Fun Beach Radio on iHeart Radio: Nothing says summer like sun, sand and music!
• Songs of the Summer Radio on iHeart Radio: Hits from summers past and present.

Pandora

Pandora Radio is another popular streaming service known for its personalized music recommendations and curated playlists. Available on a range of platforms such as web browsers, iOS, Android, smart TVs, and streaming devices, Pandora offers a seamless music streaming experience tailored to individual tastes. Users can create custom radio stations based on their favorite artists, genres, or songs, and Pandora’s algorithm suggests similar tracks to keep the music discovery process engaging and diverse. Pandora has free summer stations ready to help you relax in the sun!

• Laid Back Beach Music Radio on Pandora: Tunes to accompany the relaxing waves of the ocean.
• Beach Bar Lounge Radio on Pandora: The perfect pairing for your tropical drinks.
• Summer Hits of the 90s Radio on Pandora: One of my personal favorite stations! Remember when you had to use CDs to listen to your tunes?
• Summer Now: The latest summer hits.
• Yacht Rock: Soft rock summer hits.

Need a speaker for your summer music?

These water-resistance speakers will keep the music flowing pool-side without worry. Or check out our speaker comparison chart for more options, or see our Bluetooth headphones guide for private listening.

JBL Clip 4

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$79.95

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Soundcore Mini 3 Pro Speaker

Mini 3 Pro (Black) is a perfect pocket party speaker! Get 360 of ear-dazzling audio squeezed into something smaller …

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Soundcore Flare 2

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$79.00 $77.99

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Altec Lansing Mini H2O

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$19.99 $11.00

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PoolSuite FM

PoolSuite FM is a summer oasis with ’80s vibes. It is an internet radio app that plays retro-inspired music from various genres, including ’80s dance tracks. It is designed to look like an early Mac app that transports you to a virtual vacation where the sun never sets. You can choose from multiple channels, bookmark your favorite songs, and enjoy the aesthetic videos that accompany the tunes. PoolSuite FM is available for iPhone and Macintosh Computer, and you can also listen online at their website.

• PoolSuite FM: Retro 80s and early 90s summer tunes.

LiveOne

LiveOne is a dynamic streaming service that offers a diverse range of live music performances, curated radio stations, on-demand audio content, and some free summer stations. Available on various platforms, including web browsers, iOS, Android, smart TVs, and streaming devices, LiveXLive delivers a rich music experience to its users. Notably, LiveOne acquired and integrated Slacker Radio, a well-established streaming platform with a reputation for its personalized radio stations.

• Summer Vibes on LiveOne (Slacker) Radio: All your favorite summer tracks
• SoCal Summer on LiveOne (Slacker) Radio: Songs with a So Cal vibe

From upbeat pop hits to laid-back tropical vibes and everything in between, these stations offer a diverse selection of tracks that will keep you grooving all summer long. So grab your favorite cold beverage, soak up the sun, and let these stations be the soundtrack to your unforgettable summer memories.

The post Free Summer Music Stations for 2023 appeared first on Technically Well.

What is YouTube TV?

YouTube TV is a streaming TV service offering many of your favorite cable package in one, easy-to-understand price without hidden fees, B.S. taxes, or equipment rentals.

What devices can I watch on?

YouTube TV recently expanded to many streaming boxes, including Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast and newer Samsung and LG smart TVs.  See the full list of support devices.

Unfortunately, Amazon’s Fire TV boxes and streaming sticks are not compatible at this time (likely due to the dispute between Amazon and YouTube).

Where is YouTube TV available?

It is only available in certain markets right now.  You can start the sign-up process and it will tell you if your area is eligible.  Or you can check the list of available markets.

What channels do I get?

For $39.99/month: AMD, BBC. Bravo, Cartoon Network, CNN, E!, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, FOX News, FOX Sports, FreeForm, FX, FXM, FXX, National Geographic, Pop, SyFy, TBS, TNT, truTV, USA and more!  Most markets also have live streaming for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.  During the sign-up process, you will see a list of the channels your specific region can receive before you commit.

You can also add ShowTime for $11/month.

Price and channels may change since this article was last updated. Check the website for the latest offerings.

How many devices can I stream to simultaneously?

You can watch on 3 devices at the same time.

Can each person have their own login and shows?

Yes!  You can link up to 6 Google accounts together and each person can have their own set of shows to DVR.  Switching accounts in the YouTube TV app is a little cumbersome (one person needs to sign out and another person needs to sign in), so this works best if each person has their own device to watch on.

Do I get DVR?

Yes! You can mark your favorite shows and they will “record” to the cloud whenever they air.  There are no storage limits, although recordings expire after 9 months.  When you watch a DVR recording, you can fast-forward through commercials, but YouTube TV will sometimes replace recordings with an “On Demand” version that can’t be fast-forwarded (boo1).

Do I get On-Demand?

Yes, when you add a show to your library, you will see the On-Demand versions available.  Unfortunately, YouTube does gives priority to the On-Demand version over the DVR recordings, which prevents you from fast-forwarding through commercials.

Is there a contract? “Broadcast Fee”? Box rentals? Other hidden fees?

Nope, but you will likely need to pay your local sales tax on the monthly charge  You can cancel at any time without an additional fee.

Can I authenticate with network apps? For example, can I log in to the CNN app?

Yes, many apps allow you to select YouTube TV as your provider.

Can I use this service when I’m away from home?

Yes, if you stay in the United States.  You’ll lose access to your local channels if you leave your home area, but you can watch other local channels if you are in an area serviced by YouTube TV.  You can access your DVR recordings anywhere (even DVR recordings from your local channels) as long as you have an internet connection.  There may be some other regional viewing restrictions in place as well.

A free 7-day trial of the service is available, so try it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

The post YouTube TV FAQs: Stream Locals with DVR appeared first on Technically Well.

I cut the cord several years ago after watching my cable rise steadily.  I love Netflix and Amazon Prime Streaming, but at times I miss not being able to watch The Walking Dead in real-time so I can stand by the water cooler the next morning with my co-workers.  Sony recently announced that their streaming service — PlayStation Vue — is available nationwide, and it’s a surprisingly good deal.

What is Playstation Vue?

PlayStation Vue is a streaming TV service offering many of your favorite cable package in one, easy-to-understand price without hidden fees, B.S. taxes, or equipment rentals.

So do I need a PlayStation game console to use it?

Surprisingly, no!  While the service obviously works with the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, it also works on the Amazon Fire TV (including the less-expensive Stick), Chromecast, and iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads.  The tricky part is that you first need to authenticate your location with a PlayStation 3, 4, or a Fire TV device before the service will work on the Chromecast and iOS devices.  This is done to verify that your IP address’ location matches the information in your PlayStation profile.

What channels do I get?

For $39.99/month: AMC, Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, Comedy Central, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, DIY Network, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, Freeform, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, FX, FXX, HGTV, HLN, IDTV, MSNBC, NatGeo, NBCSN, Nick Jr, Nickelodeon, NicToons, OWN, Oxygen, POP, Science Channel, Spike, SyFy, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, TruTV, TV Land, USA, WE tv.  Additional On-Demand only offerings: ABC, NBC, Fox (no live streaming of these networks)

There are upgraded tiers available, but many people will find what they need in the base package.

Price and channels may change since this article was last updated. Check the website for the latest offerings.

How many devices can I stream to simultaneously?

The short answer: 5.  The long answer: You can only stream to one type of a device at a time.  So you can stream to a PlayStation 3 and a Fire TV at the same time, but you can not stream to a PlayStation 3 and a PlayStation 3 at the same time.

5 devices? So I can, uh, “share” my login with my friends?

Nope! All the devices must come from one IP address.

Do I get DVR?

Yes! You can mark your favorite shows and they will “record” to the cloud.  Really, I think Sony just records everything by default, and then tags which users belong to which recording.  You can fast-forward through commercials and rewind as needed, but you can only access the recordings for 28 days.

Do I get On-Demand?

Yes! Many networks offer On-Demand much like cable providers do.  For example, I’ve been catching up on many current season FX shows, but see that the ABC On-Demand option offers far fewer episodes.

Is there a contract? “Broadcast Fee”? Hidden taxes? Box rentals? Uncontrollable urges to cry when the bill arrives?

No.  As a Comcast survivor, I found this hard to believe.  And you can cancel at any time without an additional fee.

Can I authenticate with network apps? For example, can I log in to the AMC app?

Yes! This is another nice benefit. Many of the top networks allow you to sign in with your PlayStation Vue credentials.

Can I use this service when I’m away from home?

No. Live streaming is limited to in-home viewing from your established IP address.  However, some On-Demand content is available while you’re away from home in the iOS app.  DVR recordings are limited to in-home only.

How much bandwidth do I need?

10mbps or higher is recommended.

Sling TV sucks on the Fire TV Stick. How is the PlayStation Vue?

It’s a lot better, surprisingly.  PlayStation Vue’s UI is a little slow on the Fire TV Stick, but streaming is fairly smooth and a lot less glitchy compared to Sling TV’s app.

A free 7-day trial of the service is available, so try it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

The post PlayStation Vue FAQs: A Great Value for Cord Cutters appeared first on Technically Well.

With this update, you can finally disable the iPhone’s built-in step tracking.  This is especially useful if you use an app like SyncSolver to count your steps from your Fitbit (it stops your iPhone’s steps from mixing in with your Fitbit’s steps).

To disable the iPhone’s built-in step tracking:

1. Go to “Settings”, then “Privacy”.
2. Select “Motion & Fitness”.
3. Turn off the “Health” app.

You’ll still need to remove the old step data from the Health app.

1. Open the “Health” app and tap your “Steps” dashboard (or go to “Health Data > Fitness > Steps”)
2. Under the graph, tap “Share Data”
3. Under Data Sources, tap “(Your name)’s iPhone”
4. Tap “Edit” in the upper-right corner, then tap “Clear All” on the left-corner.

Now you’ll have pure step data from SyncSolver.

From Apple’s change log, iOS 8.2 also contains the following improvements to HealthKit:

• Adds the ability to select the unit of measurement for distance, body temperature, height, weight and blood glucose
• Improves stability when dealing with large amounts of data
• Includes the ability to add and visualize workout sessions from 3rd-party apps
• Addresses an issue that may have prevented users from adding a photo in Medical ID
• Fixes units for vitamins and minerals
• Fixes an issue where Health data wouldn’t refresh after changing data source order
• Fixes an issue where some graphs showed no data values
• Adds a privacy setting that enables turning off tracking of steps, distance and flights climbed

The post iOS 8.2 is released with HealthKit Improvements appeared first on Technically Well.

Update: Since the release of the Apple Watch, I find myself using the watch’s native workout app and really don’t use Digifit any longer.

To get the most benefit out of Digifit, you will need to pair it with a Bluetooth heart rate monitor.

So why do I like Digifit?

• You can setup custom dashboards: Your phone’s screen can show the stats that are most important to you while you’re working out.  You can even customize these dashboard based on the activities you are doing (for example, you can have one dashboard for biking and another for weight lifting).  My dashboard shows:
  • My current heart rate (which is handy to tell if I’m working hard enough)
  • Number of calories burned so far
  • Total workout time
  • The current time (so I can tell if it is soon time to leave for work)
• You can track weight training: Once you have the heart rate monitor on your chest, you can watch your heart rate jump up during your reps.  You’ll also have a total calorie count that you can use to brag to your friends on social media.
• It works great for P90X: I was surprised to find that you really can burn over 600 calories if you work hard enough.  And when you work out that hard, you of course need to brag about it, which is easy with Digifit, because…
• It has a lot of sharing options: After your workout, you can post your results to Facebook and Twitter which is fairly standard.  However, you can also send your workouts to RunKeeper, Dailymile, and Training Peaks.  You can also email a CSV or TCX file of your workout to yourself.  And finally, your workouts automatically post to Apple’s Healthkit.

• 

  It’s easy to see the rest periods between sets with Digifit’s heart rate graph.

  It provides a nice heart rate graph of your workout: You can track when you are working your hardest with the nice heart rate graphs that Digifit supplies, both in real-time while you’re using the app, and on their website after you finish.

• And, yes, it can track outdoor runs, too: It has the same mapping capabilities of the other apps.

Digifit works out great for me, as most of my friends use Runkeeper and I can easily share my indoor Digifit workouts with them.  I know that Runkeeper recently introduced a similar indoor tracking feature, but I still prefer the nice dashboard customizations that Digifit provides.  And I like that I can use it to record basically anything that gets my heart pumping, whether it is the elliptical, P90X, or a weight routine at the gym.

Check out Digifit in the App Store (iOS)

The post One of My Favorite Fitness Apps: Digifit appeared first on Technically Well.

Last year, the new FitBit channel was launched on IFTTT.  If you haven’t heard of it before, IFTTT is like an automation system for the internet, allowing you take data from one service and do something with it another service.

Activating your Fitbit on IFTTT is easy:

1. Sign up for (or log in to) the IFTTT.com website.
2. Click “Channels” at the top.
3. Find “Fitbit” in the list and click on it. Follow the instructions to activate the channel.

There is also an IFTTT iPhone app available.  Setting up the push notifications for IFTTT on my iPhone wasn’t immediately apparent to me, so here are the steps to set it up:

1. Search the App Store for IFTTT, then locate and download the app.
2. Open up IFTTT, log in, and tap the “recipe” icon on the top-right
3. Tap “Channels” and look for “iOS Notifications”
4. Tap Activate and follow the steps

Now that you have IFTTT setup and ready, here are the ways to supercharge your Fitbit!

• Log Your Daily FitBit Activity in a Google Spreadsheet
  You can use this IFTTT recipe to keep track of how active you were on a day-by-day basis by logging your steps and activity minutes to a Google Spreadsheet.  This allowed me to see that Fridays are usually my least active day, so I now plan to take some extra laps around my workplace on Fridays.
• Log Your Sleep in a Google Spreadsheet
  This is also useful if you want to look for trends in your sleep.  For example, I found that I’ve been getting less than 7 hours of sleep on average, which I intend to change in the new year.
• Get a Notification If You Haven’t Reached Your Daily Goal by a Certain Time
  Assuming that you are syncing your Fitbit throughout the day to your mobile phone or computer, you can use this IFTTT action to get a push notification if you’re running out of time to reach your daily step goal.
• Log Your Weight by Sending a Text Message
  This makes it very convenient to log your weight on Fitbit.  Just remember not to get too hung up on your daily weight fluctuations, as your body weight can change up to 2 pounds or more from its normal functions without actually gaining any fat.
• Tweet When You Achieve Your Daily Step Goal
  If you met your step goal for the day, you may as well brag about it on social media!
• Use Your Fitbit to Raise Your Own Virtual Pet
  This doesn’t involve IFTTT, but if you need some additional motivation, you can try caring for a virtual pet by feeding it your Fitbit steps.

These are just some of the ways you can power up your Fitbit.  If you like IFTTT, be sure to check out the FitBit channel on IFTTT for more ideas!

Need a Fitbit? Check out the Fitbit store on Amazon.

The post 6 Ways To Supercharge Your Fitbit appeared first on Technically Well.

The Wristband Manager app was recently updated to incorporate support for HealthKit.  It can take your data from Fitbit and place it into Apple’s Health app for you.  While this does require a few more steps than native integration would, this may be the best solution for now as it doesn’t look like Fitbit plans to update their app for HealthKit any time soon.

UPDATE: Sync Solver was also recently released that also places your FitBit data into Apple’s Health app.  Unlike Wristband Manager, it will try to automatically sync throughout the day, which is a very convenient feature.

Unfortunately, all steps are lumped together at midnight for each day, so the steps automatically counted by your iPhone 5S (or newer) get mixed in.

Sync Solver suggests doing the following:

• Open the Health app and navigate to Health Data > Fitness > Steps > Share Data.
• Next, tap Edit in the top right corner and drag Sync Solver to the top of the list of Data Sources. This will make Sync Solver the highest priority Data Source in Health, which will instruct Health to use data from Sync Solver instead of the built-in sensor on the iPhone.

If you still see double-counting, you need to manually delete the iPhone steps periodically.  Here is a semi-quick way to do that:

• Tap the orange “Steps” graph on your Dashboard (or navigate to “Health Data” > “Fitness” > “Steps”).
• Tap “Share Data” underneath the graph.
• Under “Data Sources”, tap “(Your name)’s iPhone 5S/6/6 Plus”.
• A list of the iPhone’s steps (only) should appear. Tap “Edit” in the top right corner.
• Tap “Clear All” in the top-left corner, then tap the “Delete All” confirmation pop-up.
• Go back and you should only see your Fitbit steps on the Steps graph (you may need to restart the Health app to redraw the line graph).
• Repeat every so often to eliminate the double-counting between Wristband Manager / Sync Solver and your iPhone (and hope that a future iOS update will allow you turn off the iPhone’s pedometer in the Health app altogether).

While it’s definitely not a perfect solution, this at least allows you to get your step data into Apple’s Health app.

Check out Wristband Manager on the App Store

Check out Sync Solver (with automatic background syncing) on the App Store

The post Sync Fitbit to HealthKit appeared first on Technically Well.

The post iOS 8.0.2 Brings HealthKit to the Masses appeared first on Technically Well.

The new tool includes a “HealthKit” for developers, which allows all those great health and fitness apps in the App Store to work together. Things like heart rate, calories burned, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels can be kept together in one app that makes the information easily accessible.  Users will also be able to create an emergency card with important health details — like blood type, current medication and allergies — that is available from the Lock screen.

Secure sharing options will also be available, such as being able to send certain vitals to a health care provider or allowing a nutrition app to communicate calorie numbers to a fitness app.

No iWatch was announced at today’s event, but Apple’s interest in tracking health information does open the door for a new type of activity tracker.

The post Apple Announces Health App appeared first on Technically Well.

The Moves app uses your phone’s accelerometer, GPS, and — if you have an iPhone 5S — the M7 co-processor to automatically track your walks, bike trips, runs, and other activity.

Many consumers have already been uneasy with Moves’ location tracking, so it is no surprise that many users are now upset with the new connection with Facebook.  The social media site also recently announced that it would start allowing you to track your friend’s location, although it is not clear at this point if the Moves app will be part of that service.  According to Moves’ blog post:

For those of you that use the Moves app — the Moves experience will continue to operate as a standalone app, and there are no plans to change that or commingle data with Facebook

If you’re OK with Moves’ privacy policy, then this may be good news for you: the Moves app is now free.

The post Facebook Acquires Fitness Tracking App “Moves” appeared first on Technically Well.