ET Recommendations: Gadgets, game and app

Garmin Fenix 3 HR Get it for: Rs 52,999

Back in September 2015, when we reviewed the Garmin Fenix 3, one of our gripes was that it was an expensive smartwatch that didn't have a heart rate sensor. Now, Garmin has launched a variant of the Fenix 3 with continuous heart rate monitoring. Viewed from the front, the Fenix 3 HR looks exactly like the Fenix 3.

Underneath, you'll see a slightly raised heart rate module. It features a 'chroma' display which is similar to colour e-ink — it consumes less power and is easy to view in bright or dim light. Garmin has smartly chosen to keep the text font large on the watch making it easy to read. There are three buttons on the left and two on the right side of the dial — each has its own primary function (mode change, backlight on, select exercise) and also doubles up for navigation through the menu up, down, select, back).

Like many other smartwatches, it connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and can display notifications and weather updates. You can see number of steps, distance covered, heart rate as well as altimeter and barometer readings. In addition, you can choose to set the watch to track various exercises (golf, swimming, open water rowing, bike, running and so on). As expected, the built-in GPS works great and fixes in your precise location in seconds.

The watch comes with a snap-on charger which has a slide lock to keep the watch from falling out during charging. A single charge of the watch easily lasts over a week – this is with a constant Bluetooth connection to the smartphone. The good thing is that Garmin has also fixed the issue of date/time sync that we had with the Fenix 3.

The Fenix 3 HR's price is on the higher side but for fitness enthusiasts who don’t mind spending for a GPS fitness tracker with continuous heart rate monitoring, this one is a fantastic option.

- By Karan Bajaj




Sky Force Reloaded Game for iOS and Android Get it for: free

About 12 years ago, a mobile phone game appeared and challenged the notion that you couldn't have advanced 2D/3D graphics in a small Java-based game. It was popular on the Symbian platform but was ported to other platforms later. A revamped version of the game was released in 2014, on the 10th anniversary, and now the developers are back with 'Reloaded'. The gameplay stays true to the original — just touch to drag your airplane around, it will fire automatically. Along the way, you collect stars, power-ups for your weapons and health. You also need to rescue stranded people. Reloaded gets even better graphics than the 2014 version (phone hardware is much more capable) with new levels, new enemies and harder boss fights. It's a throwback to the classic arcade-style shoot-em-up. What's not to like?

- By Hitesh Raj Bhagat



Opera VPN
App for iOS
Get it for: free

There are many ways to access blocked websites and content on a computer. However, when it comes to smartphones there is no easy way. Opera aims to change this with their a free VPN app — currently available for iOS only. The app automatically connects to a VPN server but you can also manually select a region if you want.

Once connected, you don’t have to do anything – simply use the phone as you normally do and you will notice that websites and content that were earlier blocked are now accessible — this will get around a local restriction (like an office firewall) and should work even if the content owner has region blocked it. A VPN icon appears on the left side of the clock on top to indicate when it's active.

You can enable ad blocking and prevent trackers from following you. Keep in mind that the app only works for the device it is installed on — if there’s a laptop/tablet tethered to your iOS device, the VPN will not function on that device.

- By Karan Bajaj