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You Can Make Phone Calls Direct From The New Apple Watch

Even if your phone is in NSW and you’re in QLD.

Finally! After waiting for all the cool stuff we saw on 'Beyond 2000' to become a reality, Apple has delivered. Not quite with a Go Go Gadget arm, but with a watch you can use to take and make calls on, no matter how far away your handset is.

Apple

In past iterations of the Apple Watch you could take phone calls if your phone was within a certain radius. Now, thanks to a special made teeny tiny e-sim card (with the same number as your phone) within the watch, Optus and Telstra users (with Vodafone joining shortly) can use their watch as a phone anywhere in Australia, even if their handset is in another state.

This means you can take the dog for a walk and leave your phone at home on charge all while not risking missing that important call you're waiting on. You can't leave your phone at home and take the watch to Bali though as it doesn't work as roaming. Sorry.

As with the Apple Watch Series 2, the new Series 3 is also water resistant, meaning you can effectively leave your phone at home and just wear your watch to the beach. No more trying to hide your phone under your towel while you go for a dip, and yes, you can take a call while you're out swimming.

The new Apple Series 3 has a bunch of other cool features, too. Coming soon is the ability to access 40 million (!) songs from the watch, so you can pair it with your wireless headphones and go for the longest run off your life -- no more having to strap your phone to your arm and no more playlists on repeat.

Apple

For the first time Siri speaks on this new watch, too, using the in-built speaker. Tracking activity, including flights climbed and outdoor workouts, has been improved thanks to the new barometric altimetre inside the watch.

It also features an updated Heart Rate app, giving even more insight to your heart rate. You can choose to receive a notification when your heart rate is elevated above a specific threshold while inactive. This is handy when, say, you've had a few too many coffees or you've unexpectedly been called into the boss's office. Or, it might be a sign of something more serious (at which point you should go see your doctor).

Apple

Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular starts at $559 and comes in gold, silver or space grey aluminium, or silver or space black stainless steel. Without the cellular functionality it starts at $459 and comes in gold, silver or space grey aluminium. The two sizes remain the 38mm or the 42mm.

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