The obvious advantage of a hoop is that it’s smaller and easier to wear across the clock, including while sleeping and exercising. But there are other benefits. I'm testing the RingConn Gen 2, which competes with the industry-leading Oura Ring. Unlike Oura Ring, Ringconn has no monthly or annual subscription fees.

Unlike most smartwatches, smart rings don't require day by day charging. The Ringconn claims a battery lifetime of 10 to 12 days, which seems about reasonable to me based on my usage. It's liberating to not need to charge it every single day, especially for those who wear it while sleeping. I also sleep with my Pixel Watch 3, so I actually have to search out a time through the day to charge it after I don't depend on the watch to trace my movements.

Unlike a smartwatch, rings don't have displays, so you could have to open the smartphone app to view your data. In most situations I don't find this bothersome, but when walking or doing other exercises it's nice to give you the option to see your heart rate and other metrics just by the watch. This is very true for those who don't like carrying a phone with you or whether it is difficult or dangerous (e.g. while cycling) to have a look at your phone.

Detection of sleep apnea

One reason I wear the ring is to judge my sleep. I suffer from sleep apnea and although my CPAP machine reports nighttime apnea events, I wish to get other readings to confirm its data. Apple just added sleep apnea detection to its latest watch, but most personal fitness devices don't try and report sleep apnea. Ringconn has added this feature to its recent ring. The company claims 90.7% accuracy, however the device is just not FDA-approved and I’m not aware of any peer-reviewed studies that may support this claim. In my experience, apnea events were measured some nights but not others, although my CPAP machine detected some events. Anything lower than five per hour is taken into account normal.

Although the numbers reported by my CPAP and the ring don't match exactly, they were close, suggesting that it appears to be an affordable approximation of what happened on the nights the feature worked.

Not for medical diagnosis

All major fitness equipment manufacturers warn users to not depend on their equipment for diagnostic purposes. You should see a physician if you could have reason to consider that you could have sleep apnea or one other medical condition. Doctors have much more accurate ways to measure apnea. But the advantage of a fitness machine is that it gives you a way of the way you're doing over time, not only an occasional snapshot from a medical sleep study. The same goes for other metrics you possibly can measure at home, including blood pressure and SPO2.

SPO2

Because of my apnea, I sometimes track my SPO2 while sleeping to find out my blood oxygen levels overnight. Fitbit (which is built into Google Watch) gives me a nightly average and range, but doesn't show the way it goes up and down over time. Fitbit only measures SPO2 when you sleep. The Ringconn measures SPO2 through the day and night and displays a graph of its highs and lows over time. There can be the choice to take an quick measurement.

I compared the outcomes to those of a pulse oximeter and to Wellue's medical-grade continuous oxygen monitor O2Ring Oximeter, which might be worn all night. Again, the numbers weren't exact, but they were close and trending in the identical direction. As with other metrics, these are indicators and never diagnostic tools. Sleep Foundation Recommends: “Anyone monitoring their blood oxygen levels should talk to their doctor about what level is right for them and what level should be considered too low.”

The Ringconn app also graphically records heart rate, which closely matches the outcomes from my Google Watch. When you click on the measurement icon, probably the most recent measurement and your current tariff are displayed. With most fitness watches, you don't need to press anything to get your current rate. The average heart rate, resting rate and range are also displayed.

Like many fitness trackers, the Ringconn reports heart rate variability (HRV), i.e. the variation within the time interval between heartbeats. “The variability of your heart reflects how adaptable your body can be,” it says Cleveland Clinic. “If your heart rate fluctuates a lot, this is usually evidence that your body can adapt to many types of changes. People with high heart rate variability are typically less stressed and happier.”

Sleep tracking

Like most sleep trackers, the ring measures total sleep time, time in bed, and sleep stages: awake, REM, light, and deep. It also measures respiratory rate and skin temperature.

Although sleep trackers are generally pretty good at measuring how long you sleep, they have an inclination to be notoriously inaccurate with regards to sleep stages. My results from Ringconn normally differ from those from Fitbit and my sleep tracker app. As Johns Hopkins Medicine points out: “They often measure inactivity as a substitute for sleep estimation. Most sleep monitors give estimates of how much you actually sleep. … Still, tracking devices can be useful for identifying patterns in your sleep habits.”

The ring's activity screen shows steps (very near what Fitbit reported), calories from activities, and basal metabolic rate calories, that are also near what Fitbit estimated for me. It displays the activity intensity ratio as a percentage of inactive, low, moderate, and intense, and permits you to track outdoor and indoor running and outdoor cycling, but not the larger variety of activities that Fitbit and lots of other trackers cover.

Diploma

While there is no such thing as a tracker that tracks all the things and is 100% accurate, the Ringconn seems to deliver pretty good results based on my two weeks of testing. At $299, the value is competitive with smartwatches, although you possibly can get Fitbit and other activity trackers for significantly less. For me, the undeniable fact that I only need to charge it weekly at most is an enormous selling point, and I feel the trending information it incorporates will prove useful over time.

Originally published: January 9, 2025 at 8:00 am PST

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and COLLEEN LONG

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump used his image as a successful New York businessman to develop into a star, a reality TV star and eventually president. Now he can finally enjoy one in every of town's most visible symbols of success when he rings the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.

It will probably be a remarkable moment of recognition for Trump, a New York native who gave up his full-time life in his eponymous Trump Tower in Manhattan and moved to Florida. After Trump won the 2024 election, the US stock market surged, partly because he capitalized on Americans' concerns concerning the economy.

The ringing of the bell is a robust symbol of US capitalism – and photo opportunity in New York. Despite his a long time as a New York businessman, Trump has never done this before.

The individuals who confirmed the bell ringing weren’t authorized to debate the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It was not clear whether Trump, a Republican, would meet with the embattled New York mayor. Democrat Eric AdamsWHO has warmed as much as Trump and isn’t ruling out a change of party.

The exchange often invites celebrities and business leaders to attend the opening and shutting ceremonies. During Trump's first term as president, his wife Melania Trump rang the bell to advertise her “Be Best” initiative to advertise child welfare.

After the Nov. 5 election, the S&P 500 rose 2.5%, marking its best day in nearly two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,508 points, or 3.6%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 3%. All three indices surpassed the records that they had set in recent weeks.

Trump has long courted the business world due to his own status as a wealthy real estate developer who gained additional fame because the star of the TV show “The Apprentice,” by which competitors tried to impress him with their business skills.

The larger business community has applauded his guarantees to maintain corporate taxes low and cut regulations. But there are also concerns about his stated plans to impose sweeping tariffs and potentially goal firms he believes are usually not aligned along with his own political interests.

The Republican spends most of his time at his home in Florida, but was in New York for weeks this spring during his hush money trial there.

He was convicted, but his lawyers are pushing for the case to be dropped in light of his election.

While he spent hours every day in a Manhattan courthouse during his criminal trial, Trump took his presidential campaign to the streets of the heavily Democratic city, holding a rally within the Bronx and showing up at venues for working-class New Yorkers: a bodega, a construction site and a hearth station.

Trump returned to town in September to satisfy with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in his Manhattan Tower.

The US stock market has tended to extend prior to now regardless of which party wins within the White House, with Democrats making larger gains on average since 1945. But under the surface, Republican control could mean big changes within the winning and losing industries, and investors are increasing the bets previously placed on what those are higher tariffs, lower tax rates and fewer regulation that Trump's favors will mean.

Ringing the bell has been a convention because the nineteenth century. The first guest was a ten-year-old boy named Leonard Ross in 1956, who won a quiz show by which he answered questions on the stock market.

Often, listed firms would ring the bell at 9:30 a.m. to commemorate their initial offerings when trading began. But the performances have develop into a vital indicator of culture and politics – something Trump hopes to capitalize on as he has promised historic economic growth.

The anti-apartheid advocate and South African President Nelson Mandela rang the bell, as did Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone along with his castmates from the film “The Expendables”. This also applies to actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Renner for an “Avengers” film, in addition to to Olympians Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin.

In 1985, Ronald Reagan became the primary sitting US president to ring the bell.

“With tax reform and budget control, our economy will reach its full potential and put the bears back into permanent hibernation,” Reagan said on the time. “We’re going to let the bull go.”

The crowd of dealers on the ground chanted, “Ronnie! Ronnie! Ronnie!”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose in 1985 and 1986, but suffered a decline in October 1987 referred to as “Black Monday.”

Originally published: December 11, 2024 at 12:08 PM PST

Nearly two dozen people – the vast majority of them Alameda County residents – were recently arrested as a part of a serious operation to dismantle a nationwide burglary ring targeting marijuana dispensaries across California, state and native law enforcement officials announced Thursday.

The arrests were the culmination of a months-long investigation into at the least 15 break-ins at marijuana dispensaries in nine different counties, from the California-Mexico border to the state's coastal wine country, based on the California Attorney General's Office. In total, the suspected burglars stole about 975 kilos of marijuana, leading to total damage of $1 million, the agency said.

Oakland Police investigators and members of town's Ceasefire program played a key role in identifying the suspects and coordinating their arrests, said Deputy Chief Frederick Shavies of the Oakland Police Department.

“This operation has made not only the city of Oakland safer, but the entire state of California,” Shavies said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao praised the arrests as an indication of town's commitment to eradicating crime.

The investigation began in February, lower than two months after Oakland undercover detective Tuan Le was shot and killed during a break-in at a harborside marijuana plantation. The Dec. 29 shooting was the primary killing of an on-duty Oakland police officer in about 15 years.

At least two cops who helped arrest suspects in Les' death also played key roles in the following nationwide crackdown, Shavies said.

Still, Shavies made no suggestion of any connection between the officer's death and the operation announced Thursday. He said he had no information that any of the suspects arrested within the operation were involved within the burglaries along the Embarcadero the morning Le was shot.

Most, if not all, of the suspects arrested within the operation are expected to be prosecuted by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office due to county's high variety of burglaries, authorities said.

The Bonsall home on the market is spectacular, featuring 4 bedrooms, five bathrooms, a sparkling pool and a wine cellar. The sprawling grounds include a casita, chapel, stone bridges and a vineyard.

There's also a four-car garage, and that's where authorities found 1000’s of stolen beauty products after they raided the ability last December, uncovering $300,000 price of makeup and other goods in what one agent called a “mini-shop” that prosecutors said were auctioned off online.

The residents on the time were a married couple who at the moment are trading a wine cellar for a cellar. Authorities said Michelle and Kenneth Mack were behind a multimillion-dollar theft ring that targeted cosmetics stores akin to Ulta Beauty and Sephora. The goods were sold on Amazon under a reputation called “Online Makeup Store,” authorities said. The items went for about half the retail price.

In February, the state Attorney General's Office announced it will file charges against the Macks, together with charges against women who were allegedly recruited to steal the items.

“It was complex, it was orchestrated, it was organized, and in response, it deserves, it requires an organized response – and that's exactly what you're seeing here,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a press conference on the time.

In June, the Macks pleaded guilty in San Diego Superior Court to 3 counts each – conspiracy, organized shoplifting and receiving stolen goods – and were sentenced to 5 years and 4 months each.

Kenneth Mack, 59, was sentenced to the prison term earlier this month. He will spend the primary yr of his sentence in prison, although local prison rules allow him to be released halfway through that point. He will serve the rest of his sentence on probation with community service.

Online jail records indicate he can be released from custody in mid-December. Michelle Mack, who turned 44 last week, can be sentenced just a few weeks later, on Jan. 9, and faces prison time. Attorneys for each didn’t reply to requests for comment.

The Macks, who’re parents, will even lose their home. The court agreed that it may very well be sold to cover the $3 million the couple agreed to pay Ulta and Sephora as a part of the settlement. Funds seized by their banks will even be used to make restitution.

The two-story, 420-square-meter house was already up on the market. The couple put it up on the market two months after the raid, but just days before the Attorney General's Office filed formal charges in mid-February.

At the time, the couple offered the home for $3.2 million. The price has since dropped. It has been listed since Friday at $2.75 million.

An affidavit in a search warrant requested days after the December raid sheds more light on what led investigators to trace down the pair. The turning point within the case got here when suspected members of the ring were arrested on the East Coast. One of them said she received instructions from someone in California who offered to cover travel expenses for raids on specific retail stores and the theft of certain goods.

A number on the alleged ring member's phone was linked to Michelle Mack, and messages led investigators to consider the items were being peddled online. That eventually led them to the web makeup store linked to a post office box in Bonsall that was related to Michelle Mack. The items were being sold cheaply online. “This deep discount suggested the items were being peddled,” the affidavit states.

Amazon sales records show that Online Makeup Store has sold nearly $8 million price of cosmetics through the positioning since 2012, the affidavit said. According to recent court filings, sales through the positioning totaled about $1.4 million in 2021 and about $1.89 million in 2022.

The packages sent to the PO box got here from people – including one from Pennsylvania – who had been arrested multiple times for theft, including at Ulta stores.

A search of those lots and other locations, including the house of one other defendant within the case, uncovered stolen property valued at over $387,000.

CNBC, which followed the case, reported that investigators began to seek advice from the gang of thieves because the “California Girls” and regarded Michelle Mack to be the leader.

One of the co-defendants was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison earlier this yr.

Originally published: July 29, 2024 at 5:21 am

Main features and price of the Galaxy Ring

Play Samsung ecosystem

Ring is a distinct segment product

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck spent Independence Day without one another – although the pop star showed off her wedding ring despite their ongoing marital problems.

The “Love Don't Cost a Thing” singer, 54, shared a carousel of Instagram snaps on Thursday showing off her straw hat while posing in a garden and field within the Hamptons.

“Happy Fourth,” the Bronx native captioned the snaps, the last of which highlighted the ring peeking out from her khaki bags as Affleck reportedly spent Independence Day in Los Angeles.

Lopez's solo photo shoot comes about per week after her first date with Affleck, 51. Both were spotted entering his office constructing in Beverly Hills around the identical time — after not being photographed together for weeks.

It was a tricky few months for Affleck and Lopez, who employed within the early noughties before starting families with Jennifer Garner and Marc Anthony after which divorcing them.

The couple reconciled in 2021 and married the next 12 months.

Their on-off love story largely inspired Lopez's latest album “This Is Me…Now” in addition to the accompanying self-financed art musical and making-of documentary.

An insider told We weekly last month that the couple “cannot get on the identical page [and] discussed the potential for divorce lower than two years after marriage.”

The incident occurred around 7:45 p.m. at Skyline High School, 12250 Skyline Blvd., Oakland police Lt. Robert Trevino told reporters gathered on the scene.

Trevino said when officers arrived, they found a person and a girl affected by gunshot wounds. They were taken to area hospitals, where they were in stable condition Thursday evening.

A 3rd victim was taken to a close-by hospital, in line with Oakland Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt.

Trevino said the shooting occurred at the college and appeared to have stemmed from some type of argument.

An outline of the suspects was not available on Thursday evening.

“We know there were multiple suspects,” Trevino said, “but we are trying to determine the exact number.”

A student to ABC7 News He heard gunshots while taking photos along with his friends. He said people ran but were then escorted off the college grounds and into the locker room.

Staff photographer Jane Tyska contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

The current situation at Skyline High School in @Oakland after a double #Shoot through the graduation ceremony. A person and a girl are in stable condition at an area hospital. Story by TK. @OakTribNews @EastBayTimes pic.twitter.com/t3k9j2yhhQ

– German German) May 24, 2024