While smartwatches have reigned supreme as a wearable tech for the past few years, smart rings are all the rage now. Samsung’s Galaxy Ring was the first of the major smartphone manufacturers to add to the smart ring space, and while it’s the first major brand, it’s not the first smart ring to hit the market. A few smart rings, like the Oura Ring, have been out for a few years, which means they are largely free of bugs and tried and tested in 2024.

Smart rings track the same things smartwatches do, such as steps, sleep and a general overview of your overall health. They tend to have significantly more battery life than smartwatches, with no distracting screen. Like smartwatches, the best smart rings on the market can even help save your life with proper vitals tracking and notification systems to alert you when something is wrong. 

Here are my three favorite smart rings that can track your fitness and could even save your life.

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The smart ring landscape: Key features, pricing and compatibility

As the market for smart wearables continues to expand, several innovative options have emerged, each offering unique features tailored to different user needs. We will look into the standout characteristics of four notable smart rings: the Oura Ring 4, Samsung Galaxy Ring and RingConn Gen 1. From advanced sleep-tracking capabilities to budget-friendly options, each ring presents a distinct value proposition that caters to various lifestyles and preferences. Additionally, we will examine their pricing and compatibility to help you make an informed decision.

Oura Ring 4

• Key Features: Exceptional sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring and a subscription service for detailed analytics.
• Price Point: $350
• Compatibility: Compatible with both iOS and Android.

Samsung Galaxy Ring

• Key Features: Advanced sleep tracking with AI algorithms and seamless integration with Android devices.
• Price Point: $400 (most expensive)
• Compatibility: Exclusively for Android users.

RingConn Gen 1

• Key Features: Budget-friendly option with essential health tracking features but fewer advanced functionalities.
• Price Point: $280 (most affordable)
• Compatibility: Compatible with both iOS and Android.

A woman wearing a smart ring. (Samsung)

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The best ring for most people

Oura Ring 4 

If you’re looking for one of the best smart rings on the market that will do everything you want with a simple setup, consider the Oura Ring 4. It’s a brand-new release that began shipping Oct. 15 and can be ordered for $350, which is $50 more expensive than the prior Oura Ring 3. It comes in four different colors and four different size options.

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Image of a smart ring. (Oura)

The Oura Ring 4 packs a suite of fitness-focused features such as a workout heart rate tracker, which can be synced with Oura’s desktop and mobile app to show detailed analysis of your burned calories, active and inactive time, and heart rate. One of the most celebrated features of the Oura Ring 4 is its outstanding sleep tracking, which can measure and log your nighttime temperature changes, blood oxygen levels, and sleep cycle stages.

It does come at an expensive price point, though, at $350. We’ve seen Oura Ring prices go up every revision, and I think Oura has done an excellent job justifying the new price point with new features. It’s worth considering it’s only a $50 price increase from the Oura Ring 3, and it’s the better ring. One downside, however, to the Oura Ring 4 is you will need to pay an additional $6 for the Oura Ring subscription service, which is how you store your ring’s analytics.

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The best smart ring for Android phone users

Samsung Galaxy Ring

If you own an Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy ring is the best option for a smart ring. Priced at $400, Samsung’s Galaxy Ring was released in the summer of 2024, and it has many of the same features as the Oura Ring 4. However, unlike the Oura Ring 4, the Galaxy Ring takes sleep tracking a step further. Samsung has developed its own AI algorithm to determine your sleep patterns, all while offering a daily sleep score.

Image of a smart ring. (Samsung)

Your health data will be stored in the Galaxy Health App, which you can use directly from your Android smartphone. It’s important to note that the Galaxy Ring is only compatible with the Android operating system. IOS owners, unfortunately, don’t have access to the Galaxy Health app. The Galaxy Ring is compatible with other devices in the Samsung gadget ecosystem. This means that if you have a Samsung smartwatch, it will share data with your Galaxy Ring. However, this compatibility comes at a cost, and this is the most expensive smart ring on this list, at $400.

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The best smart ring on a budget 

RingConn Gen 1

The RingConn Gen 1 offers some of the high-end features of the Oura rings without the monthly subscription fee. It’s also the cheapest smart ring on this list, at $280, but it’s frequently on sale. It comes in three different colors and 10 different sizing options, allowing it to be worn on fingers of all sizes.

Image of smart ring. (RingConn)

The RingConn Gen 1 features stress and general wellness tracking. It also has a sleep tracker, activity counter and vitals tracking, such as a heart rate tracker, a blood oxygen monitor and temperature sensors. Reviewers have noted that while the health information tracking with the RingConn Gen 1 is great, the activity tracker could be more exact. You also don’t get as many features as you would with the competing Oura brand of smart rings, but you also save a bit of money off the top and the subscription fee.

Overall, the RingConn Gen 1 is a great entry-level smart ring. It’s not as feature-packed as some of the competitors, but it’s priced well and is an excellent way to see if a smart ring is for you. You can always upgrade to a different smart ring if you like the RingConn Gen 1, but I think it’s a great starting point for most people in the world of smart rings.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Smart rings are the newest thing that’s here to stay in the wearable tech arena. These rings monitor your health like a smartwatch, and they also track your vitals in detail. A smart ring could save your life in a medical emergency, alerting you to an issue with your heart rate before you even notice. Since the release of the Samsung Galaxy Ring, more big brands have been looking for ways to get into the smart ring space, and it’s an exciting time to see what the future holds for smart rings. Maybe we will see the likes of Google or Apple release a smart ring in the near future.

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Meta is “working with the public sector to adopt Llama across the US government,” according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The comment, made during his opening remarks for Meta’s Q3 earnings call on Wednesday, raises a lot of important questions: Exactly which parts of the government will use Meta’s AI models? What will the AI be used for? Will there be any kind of military-specific applications of Llama? Is Meta getting paid for any of this?

When I asked Meta to elaborate, spokesperson Faith Eischen told me via email that “we’ve partnered with the US State Department to see how Llama could help address different challenges — from expanding access to safe water and reliable electricity, to helping support small businesses.” She also said the company has “been in touch with the Department of Education to learn how Llama could help make the financial aid process more user friendly for students and are in discussions with others about how Llama could be utilized to benefit the government.”

She added that there was “no payment involved” in these partnerships.

There’s also the cozying up to the government that Meta’s AI rivals are doing. OpenAI and Anthropic recently said they would share their models with the US AI Safety Institute ahead of time for safety screening. Google’s on-and-off-again relationship as an AI vendor for the Pentagon is well documented. In a recent blog post, OpenAI said its models were being used by DARPA⁠, the U.S. Agency for International Development⁠, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

While we wait to learn about Meta’s AI work with the government, Zuckerberg teased a bit more about the next Llama model on the Q3 earnings call. He said version four is training on “a cluster bigger than I’ve seen reported for anything else others are doing” and that he expects “new modalities,” “stronger reasoning,” and “much faster” performance when it debuts next year.

He acknowledged that Meta plans to continue spending more on AI in 2025, which is “maybe not want investors want to hear in the near term.” But he sees the upside as being worth it.

“I’m pretty amped about all the work we’re doing right now,” he said. “This may be the most dynamic moment I’ve seen in our industry, and I’m focused on making sure that we build some awesome things and make the most of the opportunities ahead.”

As a business, Meta is still continuing to grow. The company reported revenue of $40.5 billion for Q3, a 19-percent increase from a year ago, and $17.3 billion in profit. And it claims that 3.29 billion people use at least one of its apps each day, an increase of 5 percent from a year ago.

Update, October 30th: Added more details from Meta spokesperson.

In a groundbreaking moment for the art world, Sotheby’s will auction the first-ever artwork created by a humanoid robot. 

Ai-Da, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, has produced a striking portrait of computing pioneer Alan Turing that will go under the hammer this month.

A fusion of art and artificial intelligence

Ai-Da, created in 2019 by British gallerist Aidan Meller, is a marvel of modern technology. Equipped with artificial intelligence algorithms, cameras in her eyes and bionic hands, she can paint autonomously without human intervention. Her latest work, “AI God,” is a 7.2-foot portrait of Alan Turing, estimated to fetch between $130,000 and $196,000.

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First humanoid robot artist standing in front of the art she created  (Ai-Da)

The significance of the subject

The choice of Alan Turing as the subject is particularly poignant. Turing, a foundational figure in modern computing, also expressed concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence in the 1950s. Meller emphasized that the portrait’s muted tones and fragmented facial planes symbolize the challenges Turing foresaw in managing the rapid growth of AI.

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First humanoid robot artist  (Ai-Da)

Ai-Da’s artistic journey

The auction for Ai-Da’s portrait of Alan Turing is scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 7. While this may be Ai-Da’s debut at Sotheby’s, it’s far from her first artistic endeavor. Since her first solo exhibition at the University of Oxford, her works have been featured in major exhibitions worldwide, including the Venice Biennale and the United Nations AI for Good Global Initiative. In 2022, she gained attention for painting portraits of music icons like Billie Eilish and Paul McCartney.

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The first humanoid robot artist created Paul McCartney art. (Ai-Da)

Blurring the lines of creativity

Ai-Da’s rise comes at a time when the boundaries between human creativity and machine-driven output are increasingly blurred. Her art raises fundamental questions about the nature of artistic expression. Can a machine truly create? What role does human intuition play in art, and how do AI-driven works fit into the larger conversation around creativity?

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First humanoid robot artist (Ai-Da)

Kurt’s key takeaways

As the art world eagerly anticipates the auction, it’s clear Ai-Da’s work represents more than just a novelty. It’s a pivotal moment that challenges our understanding of art, creativity and the role of AI in society. Whether this marks the beginning of a new era in art or a temporary fascination with AI, Ai-Da has undoubtedly secured her place as a trailblazer in the world of digital art. As we witness this intersection of artificial intelligence and creativity, we’re reminded that the future of art may be more diverse and technologically integrated than we ever imagined.

How do you feel about humanoid robots creating art? Do you see it as a threat to human creativity or an exciting new frontier? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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