Not to boast or anything, but I've been sleeping pretty well this past week. I'm taking less time to fall asleep, spending less time awake during the night, and logging a decent amount of deep sleep.

I know this because I've been using two apps in tandem to get a better handle on my sleep. The first is Apple's Health app (pictured above), which now supports sleep tracking via the Apple Watch. The second is a $4 app called AutoSleep, whose detailed data goes well beyond what Apple's own app provides.

Using two separate sleep tracking services might seem strange, but it turns out that these apps make a great team. While AutoSleep provides more granular information, Apple's Health app does a better job of encouraging healthier sleep habits in the first place. Together they seem to be making a difference for me.

Apple's built-in bedtime enforcement

Although sleep tracking apps have been available on the Apple Watch for several years now, last month Apple added a proper sleep section to its Health app in iOS 14 and added built-in sleep tracking on the Watch. These additions have enabled several things that weren't possible before:

• Under the sleep section of the Health app, you can set sleep schedules and get reminders to start winding down before bedtime. (I mentioned these features a couple of weeks ago in my list of iOS 14 tips.)
• The Apple Watch's motion and heart rate sensors can automatically detect when you've fallen asleep and record that data to the Health app, so you don't have to download any extra apps. (You can set up this tracking in the Apple Watch app, under the Sleep section.)
• During bedtime, the Apple Watch protects against accidental input by making you twist the Digital Crown to unlock it. Tapping the screen only shows a dim readout of the time, and the always-on display in Series 5 and Series 6 models will be off.
• When you're supposed to be sleeping, your phone enters a bedtime mode, and you must hit "Dismiss" to show the usual Do Not Disturb screen. It's an extra little barrier between you and unlocking your phone.

For my first few nights with the new Apple Watch Series 6, I used Apple's own sleep tracking features exclusively, but a few things about Apple's approach irked me.

Apple doesn't distinguish between light and deep sleep, which is apparently by design. The company argues that providing too much data just stresses users out and makes sleeping even harder. For similar reasons, Apple only provides positive reinforcement when users achieve their goals, and doesn't admonish them for missing sleep. I get those concerns, but I still wanted more insight than what Apple provides.

The bigger issue for me was that Apple doesn't show any sleep data for the night until after your scheduled wakeup time. It's unclear why that is—maybe it's a technical reason, or maybe it's related to the above concerns—but in my case, not being able to see that data in real time was giving me more anxiety. If I wake up a little early, I want to see how much sleep is already in the bank.

AutoSleep's data deluge

AutoSleep filled in all those gaps where I felt like Apple was lacking. It breaks out sleep into categories—total, "quality," and deep—and is shameless about scoring your performance and efficiency. Every night, you get a percentage rating based on your goals, and the amount you sleep gets deposited or withdrawn from a "sleep bank." Best of all, you can see those results in real time.
 

The app also has a few extra features that Apple doesn't provide. It can detect naps outside of your scheduled bedtime hours, and it can remind you to charge your Watch an hour or two before bedtime. You can also add nightly emoji-based notes for things like coffee, medication, or exercise, so over time you can see how those factors affect your sleep.

Admittedly, these bells and whistles are lot to take in compared to what Apple's Health app offers, but for me the extra data was a bigger motivator to winding down sooner. AutoSleep is great at describing various sleep concepts, and even just reading and thinking about them has helped get me into a more relaxed mindset.

All of this pairs perfectly with Apple's own sleep features, which are more deeply integrated with the iPhone and Apple Watch. I still get reminders to go to bed and a gentle tap on my wrist to wake up in the morning, and the Apple Watch's screen stays off at night. Apple also continues to write its own data into the Health app, and it tends to be more generous at counting sleep than AutoSleep is. It's nice to have that second opinion of how the night went, especially when the results are more positive.

Of course, there are plenty of other devices that can monitor your sleep as well, including Fitbit trackers, Samsung watches, Garmin watches, and more. I can't say definitely that what I'm using works better than, say, the Sleep as Android app paired with some of those other wearables. But I can say that it's getting me to take sleep more seriously, which is the entire point after all.

(Many thanks to subscribers Karen and Chris, who both suggested AutoSleep in the Advisorator chat room last month. You can join the conversation here.)
 

Google's new gear: The new Chromecast with Google TV that I mentioned in Cord Cutter Weekly wasn't all that Google had to announce last week. The company also launched a pair of Pixel phones and a new smart speaker.

The Pixel 5 represents a back to basics of sorts for Google, dropping the face and motion recognition of last year's Pixel 4 while including a larger battery. Its rear camera has an ultrawide secondary lens, rather than a telephoto lens like the Pixel 4, so it can fit more in the frame. And while its Snapdragon 765G processor isn't top-of-the-line, neither is its $699 asking price. (It does, however, include one novel hardware feature: Whereas most phones that support wireless charging have glass or plastic backs, Google managed to make it work with aluminum.)

The Pixel 4a 5G, meanwhile, is a stranger beast. At $500, it's $150 pricier than the regular Pixel 4a that launched in August, but it's also a better phone even without 5G connectivity. It has the same Snapdragon 765G processor and dual-lens camera as the Pixel 5, though it lacks the pricier phone's water resistance, wireless charging, and smoother-looking 90Hz display. It's also more limited on the 5G front, since only the Verizon-issued model supports super-fast mmWave 5G. (This won't make much practical difference, since mmWave 5G is scarcely available in the United States.)

As always, the allure of Pixel phones is more about software than hardware. I've always found Pixels to be simpler to set up and use than other Android phones, and they have lots of helpful touches that other phones lack. The latest example: A new "Hold for Me" feature will let you put down the phone during customer service calls and alert you when a human gets on the line.

On the smart speaker front, Google's $100 Nest Audio has no major surprises. It's a replacement for the original Google Home from 2016 and sounds better than Google's Home Mini and Nest Mini speakers. Its most notable feature is the ability to auto-adjust its sound based on the kind of content you're listening to and the surrounding room noise.

Microsoft's cheaper laptop: In other hardware news, Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop Go, a smaller and cheaper version of its luxury Surface Laptop. For $550, you get an Intel Core-i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage on a 12.4-inch screen, with an aluminum-covered body and a weight of 2.4 pounds. (The price can get as high as $900 if you double the RAM and quadruple the storage.) Microsoft is claiming 13 hours of battery life on a charge, though real-world use will almost certainly be less.

The most notable part of Surface Go, however, is the display's 3:2 aspect ratio, which is much taller than the widescreen format used by most laptops. It's not new for Microsoft—all its other Surface devices use the same format—but 3:2 is mostly unheard of among cheaper laptops. Hopefully this is the start of a trend.

Verizon's unlimited home internet: Verizon has widely expanded its 4G home internet service, bringing it to rural areas across the lower 48 states. The speeds aren't great at an average 25 Mbps, but there are no caps on usage, so it could be viable for streaming video in places that lack high-speed wired internet options. Verizon's charging $60 per month for service, but wireless phone customers get a $20 per month discount. (There's also an upfront cost of $240 for Verizon's router.) A list of zip codes where service may be available is here, and PCMag has a coverage map.
 

Facebook-free birthday reminders: Because I seldom use Facebook, I've historically been bad at remembering to wish friends a happy birthday. That'll hopefully change, though, thanks to a Chrome extension called Birthday Calendar Extractor for Facebook. With just a couple clicks, the extension generates an ICS or CSV file that you can import into Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar or other calendar services. That way, you can get birthday reminders without having to spend more time on social media. (Facebook used to offer its own birthday export tool, but quietly killed it last year.)

I suggest creating a new calendar just for birthdays, so you can hide it, delete it, or set up notification rules that don't affect your regular calendar. Here's how to do that:

• Google Calendar: Click the Gear icon and select Settings > Add calendar > Create new calendar. Then, in the same settings menu, select Import and export, choose the ICS file from Facebook, then select your new birthday calendar before hitting "Import."
• Apple Calendar: Select File > Import, choose your file, then select either "On My Mac" or "iCloud" under New Calendar.
• Outlook.com: Select Add Calendar > Create a blank calendar. Name and save it, then select "Upload from file." Choose the extracted ICS file, then select your new birthday calendar as the destination.

Bear in mind that if you make any new Facebook friends, you'll have to export the data again. And of course, you'll still be on the hook for actually reaching out to the people you care about. No amount of tech is going to help with that.
 

More music for work: If I hadn't already written a newsletter on lesser-known music sources, I would have included Deepwork.fm. The site offers a small number of free music channels for helping you focus, including nature sounds, calming tunes, and electronica. Best of all, though, is the "Epic Quest" channel, which makes emailing or filing out spreadsheets—or getting this newsletter out the door—feel like acts of heroism and bravery.

Sticky notes on your homescreen: Sophisticated smartphone reminder systems are nice, but sometimes there's just no replacement for a sticky note. A new iPhone app called Sticky Widgets lets you add virtual ones to your home screen. As a reminder, you can place widgets in iOS 14 by long-pressing a blank part of your home screen and hitting the + button. Once you've added a sticky note, just tap on it to edit the text, or long-press and hit "Edit Widget" to adjust the paper color and text formatting.

And yes, there is an Android equivalent.
 

• By me: Working Den is a free site full of tools to prevent burnout.
• Gizmodo's Alex Cranz makes a compelling case for E Ink Android tablets.
• YouTube's website stops blocking picture-in-picture mode on the iPhone.
• Gmail is getting a new logo.
• Relive a slice of the 90s with Benj Edwards' Geocities retrospective.
• Amazon Music is remastering thousands of tracks for its HD audio service.
• Amazon also wants to scan your palmprint at grocery stores.

The Sonos Beam is a powerful soundbar that can double as either an Alexa or Google Assistant smart speaker. It also supports Apple's AirPlay 2, so you can easily send music from an iPhone or iPad. While it normally sells for $400, it's available for $300 this month through a tie-in with Disney.

Getting the deal is a little tricky, though. First, you need to create a free Disney Movie Insiders account (or sign in if you have one already). You then need to have at least 25 rewards points, which you can get by linking your account to Movies Anywhere. You can then get a discount code through this page, and use it to purchase the Beam through Sonos' website. I've confirmed that this whole rigmarole does work as advertised.

Other notable deals this morning:

• Amazon's Echo Show 5 smart display has hit a record-low price of $45.
• Lenovo's standalone ThinkPad Bluetooth keyboard—with the TrackPoint nub and everything—is on sale for $78 with the code ACCEXTRA10.
• Ebay has TCL's 55-inch 6-Series TV (with a QLED display and Dolby Vision HDR) for $553 with the code PFALL15. The Wirecutter says this will soon be the top pick in its TV buying guide.

As I mentioned earlier, it's great to see the Advisorator chat room on Slack gain some momentum as a place to share ideas and discuss potential newsletter topics. If you haven't stopped by yet, you can sign up right here.

And of course, I'm always happy to hear from you via email as well. If possible, please to try use my Advisorator email address (advisorator@jarednewman.com). That way, I'll know it's coming from a paid subscriber and can prioritize accordingly.

Have a restful week,
Jared