Accessory of the Day: Trade in your old smartphone or tablet for Amazon cash
Have old devices lingering around the house, just taking up dust while you’re salivating for an upgrade? The Amazon Trade-In Program allows folks to turn their tablets, phones, and other electronics into an Amazon Gift Card with ease.
It’s a convenient process. Potential traders simply visit the program’s page and will immediately receive an offer for their goods. Amazon pays for the shipping and you don’t have to hassle with auctions, transaction fees, or unsatisfied customers. You’ll receive your Amazon Gift Card within 10 days of trade-in, allowing you to leverage your old goods toward better buys! Plus, with the ability to gift Prime Memberships now, you could turn your outdated devices into incredible holiday presents this year.
We frequently get inquiries from readers looking for advice on the best platform to sell their used devices, safely. While we usually reserve Accessory of the Day for gadgets, enhancements, or add-ons for your devices, this is a great deal that could put money in your pocket and de-clutter your home. And let’s be honest: what’s a better accessory than extra cash?
Deals, Discounts, Freebies, and More! Click here to save today! |
The post Accessory of the Day: Trade in your old smartphone or tablet for Amazon cash appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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London Zoo’s otters now livestreaming to YouTube using leftover TV signals
Like most residents of The Smoke, you probably don’t visit tourist attractions like London Zoo unless out-of-towners (or your sprogs) require entertaining. Now, though, you don’t even need make the trip to Regent’s Park to gawk at some of the zoo’s cutest critters, with new livestreams that send footage from several enclosures straight to the screen in your bleak office cubicle. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has teamed up with Google to make this so, in a two-month trial that’s testing video broadcasting over TV white spaces (vacant frequencies in the TV spectrum). Live footage from the meerkat, otter and Galapagos tortoise enclosures is being sent over these idle frequencies to a central location, which forwards them on to YouTube (streams embedded after the break). This isn’t just so you’ve got something to stare at during your 15-minute sandwich break, though, as the main aim of the trial is to figure out how white space transmissions could be used by conservationists out in the field.
ZSL hope that within the next couple of years, small cameras that send imagery over white space frequencies can be used to assist conservation efforts in remote locations — think endangered species monitoring, and poacher thwarting. It’s one of many white space trials being conducted in collaboration with Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. Ofcom expects that off the back what’s learnt from these trials, dormant spectrum will begin being used for reals next year, for applications such as providing internet connectivity in hard-to-serve locations.
Filed under: Google
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Honda’s latest robotic stool is fun to ride, still impossible to buy
One of the several reasons for why we love CEATEC is that we get to test ride human transporters there (as well as meeting robots of all sorts). Last year we came across Honda’s stool-like UNI-CUB, and this year, the company is back with a new and improved model dubbed UNI-CUB Beta, and it even let attendees ride the vehicles — while wearing Epson’s smart glasses, no less — around the show floor under staff supervision. It should be noted that the Beta was actually first unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last November, but that didn’t kill our curiosity. Read on for our impression and hands-on video.
While both the original UNI-CUB and its successor have the same 6 km/h top speed and 6 km range, the main difference between them is that the latter is lower and lighter, with the trade-off being the seat is no longer adjustable. Honda doesn’t consider this a problem, and after our own test rides, both we agree that this is more stable and comfortable to ride on thanks to the lower center of gravity; and the softer seat is a bonus as well.
Another notable change is that the footrests have been redesigned to serve as support stands. When you want to park the vehicle or use it as a stationary stool, pull up the lever beneath the back of the seat and the footrests will flip to stand mode. Similarly, to get on the Beta, simply sit down on it, push the lever down and then place your toes on the footrests. Compared to the original UNI-CUB, we felt more confident when getting on and off the new model thanks to the extra support.
As impressive as the UNI-CUB Beta is, a Honda rep told us that there’s still no launch date in sight as the company continues to explore potential use cases, as well as to make the product more affordable by constantly refining the design. Having said that, we’re certainly getting close to the day when these mobility devices become an acceptable and legal means of transportation, which is great news for those suffering from mobility difficulties.
Filed under: Robots, Transportation
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Researchers manipulate electrical signals to give prosthetic limbs a sense of touch
Adding the sense of touch to prosthetic limbs could significantly improve an amputee’s quality of life, so there’s a long list of researchers trying to make it happen. Some of those scientists make up one team out of Cleveland, who — according to their paper recently published in Science — have successfully recreated the sense of touch for two men missing an arm in a lab setting. Just like a recent experiment conducted by a team from the EU, this group implanted electrodes around three main nerves in the test subjects’ arm stumps. A machine then sends electrical signals between the electrodes and the prosthesis when it’s attached, something which, the subjects said, felt like electric tingles at first.
After a while, though, the researchers learned how to control the patterns and intensities of those signals. Doing so allowed the subjects to recognize the texture of cotton and even sort berries without crushing them — a really big deal, since many other studies are still stuck at the “tingling” stage. Sadly, the researchers still need to better understand how they can manipulate the signals before they can make prostheses that can feel everything: even their two subjects only get to use their high-tech limbs once or twice a month, and only inside the lab. For now, you can watch some of the experiments they’ve conducted in the video below.
Filed under: Science
Via: Popular Science, AP
Source: Science
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New Words with Friends lets you play solo even when you’re offline
Still playing Words with Friends? Well, then Zynga’s rewarding your loyalty with a huge update on the app’s fifth birthday, complete with a redesigned interface and new features. The New Words with Friends (yes, it’s been renamed, as well) doesn’t only look flatter than its predecessor, it also comes with a new feature called Solo Mode, which lets you play on your own without internet connection. It’s apparently the game’s most requested feature, most likely by folks who spend a lot of time outside coverage area… or those whose friends have abandoned the game years ago.
There’s also a new Community Matches section, which was obviously inspired by dating app Tinder, as you can swipe other players’ profiles either left or right to build a more personal list of potential opponents. Finally, you’ll notice that there’s now a dictionary and a word of the day section, and that you can now access your detailed stats, including the number of wins, losses and uniques from the time you started playing. You can download the New Words with Friends from either Google Play or iTunes anytime, though you may want to hurry and catch your pals while they’re still interested — solo mode can wait until everyone gets bored (again) and leaves your matches hanging.
Via: Droid Life
Source: Google Play, iTunes
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Norway’s new bank notes are pixel art dreams
Norway’s new banknotes are quite literally works of art. After inviting submissions from a number of design houses, the country’s Norges Bank has chosen just two. While the front of the new notes will display traditional imagery, the rear will feature conceptual designs that transform Norway’s costal landscapes into pixels. The artworks, created by Oslo-based Snøhetta, become progressively more abstract as the value of the notes increase, with the 50 kroner note depicting an idyllic scene and the 1000 kroner note a windswept sea of purple. The new designs will go into circulation in 2017, and you can squint at the rest of them after the break.
Via: It’s Nice That
Source: Snøhetta
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HTC Nexus 9 to cost $399 USD, announced Oct 15th, released Nov 3rd
October is turning into Christmas for Android lovers. Among the various releases rumoured to be happening this month, the HTC Nexus 9 is the most concrete of these after HTC themselves confirmed that the Nexus 9 tablet is their commitment to return to the tablet market. The announcement date for the device has been suggested as either October 15th or 16th, however the former has gotten another vote of confidence thanks to today’s information. According to a source speaking with Bright Side of News, the Nexus 9 is going to be announced by Google on October 15th, where preorders for the device will start, and the full release of the device will happen on November 3rd. That’s a bit under three weeks you’ll be waiting from the announcement. This information vaguely fits in with a previous rumour we heard that the Nexus devices would be announced in mid October, followed by the full release of Android L at the start of November.
Another bit of information that this latest report has divulged is an alleged price for the Nexus 9, putting it at $399 USD. This of course is a bit expensive considering the pricing of the Nexus 7, but given that the Nexus 9 contains some of the best technology available at the moment, that price isn’t surprising, although we’re not sure which model this might be. What’s also interesting is that this report suggests that the Nexus 9 won’t only be available from the Google Play Store come November 3rd – major retailers are said to also be stocking the device as well for sale. This means you should be able to get your hands on the Nexus 9 pretty easily even if the preorders run out.
What do you think about this latest news about the HTC Nexus 9? Is $399 USD too expensive for you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Bright Side of News via Phone Arena
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Tesco cuts the price of its original Hudl tablet to £79
Tesco’s Hudl2 tablet is now on sale, and as is typically the way when a next-gen product usurps its predecessor, the supermarket’s cut the price of the first Hudl to just £79. When the Hudl2 was announced, Tesco said it would keep selling its first tablet, which launched at £119 before later being discounted to £99, until it had shifted all remaining stock. Now you can actually buy the Hudl2 for £129, Tesco’s thought it best to make its other tablet a more attractive offer. It’s now a year old, so you’re not exactly getting 2014 hardware, but if you’re after a couch-browsing companion or something for the kids to poke at, £79 is nothing to shrug at. It can also be picked up in-store or online for half that value in Tesco Clubcard points, so that’s something to consider if you’ve got a loaded account and a tablet-sized hole in your life. If you’re thinking the Hudl2 is more your bag, however, then keep your eyes peeled for our review of Tesco’s new offering next week.
Filed under: Tablets
Via: Pocket-lint, HotUKDeals
Source: Tesco
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Let this shape-shifting baton escort you around town
Don’t you hate it when you have to constantly check your phone for map navigation, thus not able to fully enjoy the scenery while travelling? Rather than just switching to audio navigation (which can get annoying after a while), NTT Docomo believes tactile feedback is another possible solution, as demonstrated by its Yubi Navi concept at CEATEC. As you can see in the above GIF image, this simple handheld device can gently twist left and right to give turn directions to your thumb. But there’s more: When paired with another Yubi Navi, the two users can simulate the feeling of holding hands by squeezing their own devices, as the lower part of the stick can push a bump up against the palm.
While we doubt this product will go mainstream in its current form (you may want to consider the vibration shoes as well), we can imagine how this can benefit the visually impaired when integrated into white canes. Another possible use case is indoor navigation in the likes of museums and theme parks, provided that it’s a wireless version. Anyhow, we’ll be keeping an eye on the Yubi Navi’s development while we wait for a launch date, if ever.
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PlexiDrone is a highly portable quadcopter for budding aerial photographers
If there was a list of features we wanted on a ready-to-fly drone, it might well read like PlexiDrone’s spec-sheet. Unlike many off-the-shelf hobby quadcopters, this one comes in bits that you “snap” together when needed, making it more portable. Furthermore, it comes with a hard-shell backpack, “follow-me” functionality (which is becoming more of a thing), obstacle avoidance, and retractable landing gear (no more “legs” in shot). Perhaps two of the more understated, yet interesting features are the ability to easily swap in different cameras, and that you can simply control it with a phone. Most of us have phones, right? And, if you own anything other than a GoPro, you won’t have to go buy one just to use with the drone. PlexiDrone already met its funding, but if you’re quick you can still reserve yours for $700, and sit tight until April next year for delivery.
Source: Indiegogo, PlexiDrone
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AIVAnet 