Consumers need to be aware of potential online banking and financial scams.

In today’s interconnected world, staying vigilant against digital scams is more crucial than ever, especially for seniors who may be targeted due to perceived vulnerabilities. Understanding common scam tactics can empower you to protect your personal and financial information.

1. The “Account Suspension” Alert

You might receive an email or phone call claiming your bank or online account has been suspended due to suspicious activity. The message urges you to click a link or provide personal information to reactivate your account.

Stay Safe: Legitimate institutions will never ask for sensitive information via email or unsolicited calls. If in doubt, contact your bank directly using official contact details.

2. The “Debt Collection” Threat

Scammers may call, asserting you owe money and face legal action if you don’t pay immediately. They often use high-pressure tactics to instill fear.

Stay Safe: Verify any debt claims by contacting the creditor directly. Never provide payment or personal information to unsolicited callers.

3. The “Tech Support” Trick

An unexpected call or pop-up message claims your computer has a virus. The scammer offers to fix the issue remotely, requesting access to your device and payment.

Stay Safe: Reputable tech companies do not make unsolicited support calls. If you receive such a call, hang up immediately.

4. The “Grandchild in Trouble” Plea

You receive a call from someone claiming to be your grandchild, stating they’re in trouble and need money urgently. The caller may plead for secrecy.

Stay Safe: Always verify the caller’s identity by asking questions only your real grandchild would know. Contact other family members to confirm the situation before taking any action.

5. The “Too Good to Be True” Offer

An email or message informs you of a lottery win or inheritance, requiring you to pay a fee to claim the prize.

Stay Safe: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Never send money or personal information to claim a prize you didn’t enter to win.

Protecting Yourself

• Be Skeptical: Always question unsolicited communications, especially those requesting personal or financial information.

• Verify Sources: Contact organizations directly using official channels to confirm any claims.

• Secure Your Information: Never share passwords, Social Security numbers, or bank details with unknown parties.

• Report Scams: If you suspect a scam, report it to local authorities or the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.

Staying informed and cautious can help you navigate the digital landscape safely. Remember, it’s always okay to say no and seek advice when something doesn’t feel right.

Your iPhone, Apple Watch, and other Apple-owned devices are getting a big overhaul. The best part? You won’t have to pay a dime for them — all you have to do is update your software. 

Several new features are coming to WatchOS 26, and the public beta software is now available for interested users to try. Just remember: before updating to the public beta, it’s encouraged to backup your device. Reddit users in the r/Apple Watch subreddit are already getting into the latest update and providing commentary on their most and least favorite features. The features touch everything from Fitness to Messages, and include a major design update across Apple’s platforms for a more unified look and naming mechanisms that reflect the year the software debuts. 

Also: The best Apple Watch of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

In addition to WatchOS updates, Apple also introduced AI feature developments, like Live Translation and on-screen Visual Intelligence, like Hold Assist for phone calls and Polls for Messages, and more. 

For those interested in trying out the beta software, WatchOS 26 is supported on the latest Apple Watches. Owners of these devices can download the OS, though it may have some bugs.

Here are the features we’re most excited to try out on WatchOS 26 now that the public beta is live. 

1. Liquid Glass design update 

Your Apple Watch interface, along with the rest of your Apple devices, is getting the Liquid Glass design treatment. Apple’s “broadest design update ever” introduces a fluid and clear across-platform display overhaul inspired by VisionOS’s visual interface. 

Liquid Glass can reflect or refract whatever is behind or in front of it to create a transparent, glassy look. 

PCMag: I visited a secret brain implant company and got a glimpse of our cyborg future

This will change how your Smart Stack, notifications, icons, and more appear. Icons on your watch’s lock screen or app page will look clear instead of their current opaque appearance, reflecting the light on your wallpaper or on apps. 

2. Apple Intelligence-infused Fitness 

The next time you record a workout on the Fitness app, you’ll have a personal fitness coach waiting for you. AI-powered Workout Buddy uses your fitness data history it has gathered through the app, to provide you with real-time insights during your workout. 

Workout Buddy rapidly considers your fitness history, paces, Activity Rings, Training Load, and more to deliver feedback and encouragement ahead of, during, and after your exercise. It is available in English for these workout types: Outdoor and Indoor Run, Outdoor and Indoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT, and Functional and Traditional Strength Training.

It’s about time Apple debuts an AI health feature that incorporates personalized data insights. Other wearables, like Oura and Whoop, have health coaches or advisors that create reports or customize activity recommendations based on a user’s activity levels and behaviors. I’m excited to test out this feature and see how it compares to the competition. 

Also: I switched to the Apple Watch after a four-year hiatus – here’s why it’s near perfect now

Workouts are also getting a facelift with more customizable workout and race route features. The Workout app has four new buttons for further customization, including Goals, Custom, Pacer, and Race Route. Apple Watch users can additionally select playlists or podcasts they regularly listen to during workouts within the Workout app. 

3. Smart Stack improvements

Smart Stack’s prediction algorithm is improving. The algorithm now includes more contextual data, like sensor and routine data, to hint at certain apps or functionalities. For example, a hint for the Functional Strength Training workout might pop up once you enter your gym in the morning, or the Backtrack hint might pop up once Apple Watch registers you’re in a location with no cellular connectivity. 

4. Notifications 

Apple Watch Notifications are getting, thankfully, self-aware. Instead of loudly pinging you in silent environments — something that constantly happens to me in my quiet office — the new feature interprets the ambient noise of your environment to adjust your notification volume while delivering a text or app update. 

5. Live Translation 

Apple Intelligence brings Live Translation to Messages in Apple Watch. The AI-powered feature translates conversations to a user’s preferred language on their wrist. 

Also: I was on the fence with the Apple Watch 10, but these 3 features changed my mind

The feature is available on Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2, and it currently supports English (US, UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese (simplified).

6. Messages 

Apple Watch will use the context clues from your Messages to suggest relevant actions, like sending a Check-In when a user is on their way home or an Apple Cash pop-up when a friend sends you the dinner bill. Apple also says that Smart Replies are getting even smarter with its on-device language model, which provides “precise” and “relevant” responses to conversations. 

7. Wrist Flick  

Move over Double Tap. A new hand motion just dropped for the Apple Watch. Wrist Flick is designed for dismissing notifications and calls, or silence pings. All a user has to do is turn their wrist. 

8. More updates across the board 

The Notes app arrives on Apple Watch. As does Hold Assist and Call Screening, two new iOS feature that notify user to return to a call on a phone call hold and screen unknown numbers. Live Listen, an accessibility feature for those deaf or hard of hearing, provides live captions on your iPhone using audio that Apple Watch monitors. 

Also: Every iPhone model you can update to iOS 26 (and which ones don’t support it)

The Watch acts as a remote control to start or pause these conversations. Lastly, watch faces will be easier to customize with a redesigned watch face gallery, and photo faces use custom content to shuffle images on your watch screen. 

Which Apple Watch models support WatchOS 26? 

You’ll need an iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE in addition to following Apple Watches. Keep in mind that some Apple Intelligence-powered features, like Live Translation and Workout Buddy, require one of the following iPhone models: all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Max with Apple Intelligence enabled. 

• Apple Watch Series 6
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Ultra
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)

FREMONT — Construction of a massive industrial complex in South Fremont began this week, with a development team and city officials holding a groundbreaking ceremony and Mayor Raj Salwan hoping that his city “is where the future gets built.”

The 473,250-square-foot complex spread over six buildings is only missing a key tenant, said Salwan, who added he is “all in on the AI boom.”

“We’re here, not just to break ground, but to lay the foundation for Fremont’s future,” Salwan said Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony. “This project deserves a marquee tenant.”

The Campus at Bayside project is from developers CBRE, 9th St. Partners and Clarion Partners, who are searching for companies to open up shop in the Warm Springs neighborhood’s Bayside Technology Park, which is also home to Tesla, Zoox, Bloom Energy and Seagate. In 2022, Clarion bought the nearly 28-acre property located at Lakeview and Gateway boulevards for $123.3 million from developers John Arrillaga and Richard Peery.

The developers said the complex’s need for power is significantly higher than other similar industrial properties in the region. Five of the six buildings are expected to be able to push out 4,000 amps at 480 volts per building.

Salwan invited tech companies with innovative focuses — such as artificial intelligence and air-taxis, or flying passenger vehicles — to consider leasing or buying any or all of the project’s six buildings.

The campus will open in two phases. First, about 250,000 square feet over three buildings will be finished in the middle of next year, with the rest happening at a to-be-determined date.

Salwan called the development “exceedingly rare” in the Bay Area, noting how many tech companies’ work-from-home policies have driven workers out of offices since the coronavirus pandemic. The mayor considered the campus something to celebrate because it is expected to appeal to assembly line-style tech manufacturers.

He also doubled down on his desire to bring more artificial intelligence-focused businesses to the city.

“That’s the future,” Salwan said. “We want to embrace it, and we know that’s going to disrupt a lot of industries.”

Tom Ashcraft, a co-founder for 9th St. Partners, called the development “a much needed project for advanced manufacturing.” He also said companies that could “support the continued growth of AI” would be a good fit for the complex.

Matt Taylor, of CBRE, said the development will be “a unique campus” for the “higher-end motif in the area.”

Originally Published: July 24, 2025 at 12:08 PM PDT

As a clear indication of its intent to scale, Create, formerly Create PT,  has welcomed digital technology and training mastermind, Ollie Bell to its Board as Managing Director.

Previously Director of Client Services at the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) and before that Commercial Director at Future Fit Training, Ollie has his feet firmly in the education space, whilst also pioneering the power of emerging technology. Ollie’s past achievements include consulting on strategy and tech integrations with many of the sector’s leading training providers plus working with Google to create and deliver an award winning, sector specific, digital upskilling program.

“Fitness professionals are the industry’s most valuable, yet under-appreciated asset. By developing and harnessing their potential we unlock huge growth commercial and opportunities,” says Ollie. “Create champions fitness professionals through the delivery of an exceptional tech-driven training experience, whilst also developing products that solve recruitment and retention issues for employers.”

Ollie joins Create at a pivotal time in the company’s evolution. Co-founded in 2017 by gym owner turned entrepreneur, Adam Rhodes, CEO and Josh Thursby, Commercial Director, Create delivers quality fitness education to more than 80 learners every month, many of whom have used their learnings from Create to springboard and develop successful careers in the global fitness industry.

On his appointment, Ollie says: “Create is on an exciting journey and I am thrilled to join as it moves into its next phase of growth. Having already delivered thousands of highly skilled Personal Trainers into the workforce via employers that include PureGym, The Gym Group and David Lloyd Leisure, Create is well established and highly respected yet still has a relatively low visibility in the industry. We are set to change this and grow the brand into one of the industry’s leading training providers.

“Looking ahead, our focus is on integrating the latest technology and digital innovations to deliver an exceptional learner experience. Through the development of career pathways, across fitness and health, wellbeing, digital and business education programmes that map to an evolving industry, we will continue to support individuals through CPD programs that align to employer needs, creating an environment that builds careers for life and retains talent for employers.”

Create is already an official CIMSPA training partner, with all its training and education mapped to CIMSPA standards.

Adam Rhodes, Founder of Create adds: “Over the last 7 years, we have built a successful digital training platform focused on supporting Personal Trainers into work. The next step is to expand our product offer to be able to train and upskill a wider segment of the physical activity workforce. Alongside, we are also developing a suite of tech-driven products that solve widespread training and recruitment challenges for operators. This move will cement our position as one of the most innovative, exciting and results-focused training providers in the sector.

“As well as being a really genuine, likeable individual, Ollie brings with him a rare and valuable combination of skills and experience that marries emerging technology with education. His innovations have already won multiple awards in both the fitness and education sectors and his input will be absolutely critical to the onward success and growth of Create.”

For more information about Create, visit: www.creatept.com

Privacy Manager

Wearable fitness trackers are becoming increasingly popular for tracking heart rate, progress, calories burned, and other key metrics. Many people rave about how their Apple Watch or another fitness tracker helps them stay motivated and closer to achieving their goals.

While I’ve definitely used a few different trackers over the years, I also enjoy roaming free without the numbers and stats. Recently, researchers have explored whether wearable fitness trackers actually help you stick to your workouts and fitness goals. Let’s check out the latest research.

The study

Despite the growing research revealing the benefits of exercise in managing type 2 diabetes and improving heart health, blood sugar, and quality of life, research also reveals that around 90% of those with the condition aren’t meeting the weekly physical activity recommendations. In other words, studies show most people with type 2 diabetes aren’t getting enough exercise, with low motivation and a lack of tailored support reported as common barriers to frequent physical activity.

In a study published in the journal Diabetes and Endocrinology, researchers sought to explore a novel approach combining remote coaching and wearable technology. 125 adults who had recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes worked with an exercise specialist to create a customized six-month workout plan. The goal was to gradually increase daily lifestyle activity and moderate-to-vigorous exercise, aiming for around 150 minutes of movement per week. Specialists offered support remotely via phone or video calls.

Half of the adults used a smartwatch with movement and heart rate sensors, along with a mobile app, to track their activity. They also received personalized text messages about their progress and could message their coach, adjust their activity plans, and get feedback in real-time. The other half didn’t wear smartwatches but still received remote coaching.

The results

Here are the interesting results:

• Those who wore the smartwatch were ten times more likely to work out regularly and seven times more likely to continue being physically active following those six months.
• Those who wore the smartwatch were also three times more likely to remain active one year later, even after the support from the exercise specialist ceased.
• 50% of the smartwatch group were meeting the recommended activity levels compared to only 17% of the control group who didn’t wear smartwatches.
• The participants reported that the personalized messages, easily accessible smartwatch data, and plan flexibility were major motivators.
• Even when participants found the technology challenging to understand and navigate at first, they learned quickly.

Concluding thoughts

This study reveals that a smartwatch or wearable technology fitness tracker really could help you stick to your workouts. Those who wore the watch were ten times more likely to exercise frequently and seven times more likely to continue exercising after six months. If you’re like me and you sometimes find new technology a little daunting, this study also shows that many of us can quickly adapt and learn how to use these nifty advanced smartwatches to optimize our fitness. 

This aligns with previous research, which reveals that fitness trackers and similar devices can be highly effective in increasing physical activity levels by an average of 1,800 steps per day, which is quite impressive.