Early reviews of the new Apple Watch Series 8 and the lower-priced Apple Watch SE contain a couple of surprises.

Reviewers struggled to test two of the marquee features of the Series 8 -- the body temperature sensor and car-crash detection.

The latter hasn't been tested for obvious reasons (yet!), but what about the former?

It's intriguing. They couldn't test the body temperature feature because it needs to gather data for at least five days to set a baseline, which is longer than most reviewers have had the device.

Plus, the feature's usage is limited: It can't be used for on-the-spot checks of your body temperature. It's only for cycle tracking (for now, anyway).

Overall, the Series 8 gets high marks, as does the entry-level SE, which some are saying is a $400 smartwatch for $249.

That's actually the most surprising thing about the SE reviews. How often does Apple get praised for selling things cheaply?

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

Apple Watch 8 review roundup: Best smartwatch gets a tick better — www.cultofmac.com

The upcoming Apple Watch Ultra garners most of the oohs and aahs, and the Apple Watch SE takes the cake as Cupertino’s best-selling wearable, but gosh darn it, people like the Apple Watch Series 8, too. And by people, I mean reviewers. They say it remains the best smartwatch you can buy, even though its upgrades seem minimal.

Apple Watch SE review roundup: Amazing value — www.cultofmac.com

Considering your first smartwatch? Or an upgrade from an older Apple Watch? See if the revamped Apple Watch SE is right for you.

iOS 16.1 beta 1: All the new features and changes — www.cultofmac.com

Hot on the heels of iOS 16’s public release, Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 16.1 to developers. The upcoming version packs several new features and changes, including some Apple showcased at WWDC22.

BookFusion iOS app: A better way to read and manage your ebooks — www.cultofmac.com

Love reading? BookFusion may be the ideal app for you. It puts your entire ebook collection at your fingertips, on any device you own. You can set up a free account (upload up to 10 books), or get 20% off on the first year or first month of BookFusion's Casual, Advanced or Power plans with coupon code CULTOFMAC20. Try it free today.

Your iPhone 14 will receive an update on the day it arrives — www.cultofmac.com

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro lineup are yet to go on sale, but Apple already has an update ready for them.

Keep iPhone 14 safe on the mean streets with MagSafe Urban Folio — www.cultofmac.com

Why slap a plain-Jane case on your handset when you can get much more functionality out of a Laut MagSafe Urban Folio? It's both a protective case and a handy, detachable wallet for your cards and cash.

Everyone is ‘running away from something’ in wild 'Shantaram' trailer — www.cultofmac.com

Looking for romance, adventure and more than a little life-threatening danger? That’s easy, just head to Bombay in the 1980s. Apple TV+ releases an action-packed trailer for upcoming series Shantaram that ticks all those boxes.

How to edit and unsend messages in iOS 16 — www.cultofmac.com

Ever wanted to edit and unsend messages in iOS? Like when you texted your mom, “Finally got laid today” but meant to say “paid”? Thankfully, with iOS 16 and Apple’s other upcoming OS upgrades, you can edit and unsend iMessages. Here's how this feature works.

Today in Apple history: Apple gives users a way to delete U2's spam album — www.cultofmac.com

On this day in 2014, Apple provided a tool for wiping Songs of Innocence from iPhones after an ill-advised album giveaway provoked controversy.

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One more thing ...

"We believe that dynamic services are gonna be the coolest thing on the web, starting real soon. They are going to take the web to the next level. They are server-centric." -- Steve Jobs, Microsoft Professional Developer Conference, 1996