Republic Wireless will refund you for unused data
Republic Wireless today formally introduced its Republic Refund plans, which refund customers for unused data after each month. What’s more, the carrier is now offering a number of new plans with variable amounts of data. In short, Republic will credit customers on the next bill cycle for anything that was not used in the previous month.
“The cellular industry, largely dominated by 2 giant companies, has done a brilliant job convincing people that they need huge buckets of cellular data. The truth is that most people are within range of WiFi the majority of their day and therefore never use all the data the carrier made them buy. The industry profits wildly from this practice – an estimated $52 billion annually, and we are determined to change that.“
The new Republic Refund plans break down as follows:
- $5 – unlimited WiFi calling, texting and data (same)
- $10 – “Base Plan” – unlimited WiFi calling, texting and data + unlimited cellular calling and texting
- $17.50 – unlimited WiFi calling, texting and data + unlimited cell talk and & text, 0.5 GB on-net cell data
- $25 – unlimited WiFi calling, texting and data + unlimited cell talk and & text, 1 GB 4G on-net cell data
- $40 – unlimited WiFi calling, texting and data, unlimited cell talk and & text, 2 GB 4G on-net cell data
Additional cell data, for any of the aforementioned plans is priced at $15 per gigabyte. Along these lines, reimbursement shakes out to $15 per gigabyte, too.
According to Republic Wireless, most of its customers consume less than 1GB of data each month. The Republic Refund plans were previously available as part of a beta program and are now being offered to both new and existing customers.
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Kabam provides early look at Star Wars: Uprising gameplay
I don’t know about all of you, but I am so ready for December 18. Everyone who understands the significance of that date feels the same way as I do. If you don’t, then I believe you have been living under a rock.
For those Star Wars fans who have December 18 marked in their calendars, but are feeling as though doing a Star Wars marathon for the hundredth time isn’t cutting it, then you should look out for Kabam’s upcoming mobile game Star Wars: Uprising.
Kabam has been teasing the game for a while, but now they have provided some gameplay footage, along with some more details of the mechanics in the game. Check out some of those features and the video below!
This will have to whet our appetites for now. Until then…
December 18… December 18… December 18…
- Create the Hero the Galaxy Needs Choose from a wide range of special skills, species, visual customizations and classic Star Wars™ gear to become the next Han Solo, Boba Fett or entirely unique hero of your own design.
- Shape the Future of the Game Universe Join players worldwide in massive sector-wide battles to dictate the expansion of in-game content, including new planets, exclusive gear and unique crew members.
- A New Chapter in Star Wars Play the first mobile game in the Star Wars universe that takes place between Star Wars™: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi™ and Star Wars™: The Force Awakens™.
- Real-Time Co-op Against the Empire Explore the secrets of the sector, build a powerful crew with allies, and play alongside friends in synchronous cooperative play.
- Brave Challenges on Classic and New Worlds Battle your way through missions on Hoth, Cloud City and more, fighting against powerful bosses led by an ominous new adversary.
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Google trials Uber-like service in Israel
Uber is not the only one trying to change the way we can commute, Google is also trying to get in on the action as well. In Tel Aviv, Google is set to trial a service called RideWith that is meant to help commuters during heavy traffic hours.
Essentially, the RideWith app will use Waze data to help commuters organize pickups and drop offs to locations they were already heading anyways, like work or a scheduled grocery trip. It is not meant to be a taxi service, but more so a carpooling service. Riders are limited to two rides per day, and can only join rides that originate from their neighborhoods, or for when they need to take a return trip, the area they are in. Think of it functioning similarly to a bus route.
Payment for each ride can be made from via credit card linked from the app. The key difference between Uber and this service will be how the payment will be used. With Uber, it’s a service fee with profit covering the drivers needs and Uber’s cut of the transaction. RideWith uses the money to cover wear and tear and gas. Google is set to get a cut of the RideWith fee, but there isn’t any information on the percentage just yet.
For now, the trial is limited to Tel Aviv, which makes sense, if you want to rival a big giant, even though Google is a giant itself, you have to fine tune your direction early on. This is all good news for consumers, more diversity and competition is always welcome.
Source: WSJ
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[Deal] Samsung offering $200 rebate on Galaxy Note 4 through July 26th
The Galaxy Note 5 might be close to launching, but that doesn’t mean the Note 4 isn’t still a fantastic phone, especially if you can pick one up at a discounted price. Samsung is pushing a new promotion for July that will offer potential Note 4 buyers a $200 rebate for purchasing the phone through select retailers, which is a pretty substantial discount on a phone that’s still one of the best on the market.
The rules for the promo are pretty simple. Buy the phone from an approved retailer, fill out the required info on Samsung’s promotion site, and upload a photo of your receipt. Samsung should then send you a $200 rebate within 8 to 10 weeks. The only drawback is that waiting period, but hey, you’d end up with some cash back in your pocket right in time for the holidays.
This promo kicks off today and runs through the 26th of July, so you’ve got almost all month to think about it.
source: Samsung Promotions
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Republic Wireless announces new Refund Plans
Like so many wireless carriers, Republic Wireless is joining the parade in moving away from unlimited data plans and is shifting to a business model based on users only paying for what they actually use. The new Refund Plan options Republic announced today provide a refund to customers for any high-speed data they paid for but ended up not using during a month.
The plans are similar to recent moves by T-Mobile and AT&T to let customers carryover unused data to a future month or other period of time. Google’s Project Fi plans to only charge customers for actual data usage as well instead of forcing consumers to select a block of data. Republic’s Senior Vice President Jon Schniepp sees more competition on the part of wireless carriers to compete on actual data usage and he believes Republic “spurred some of that.”
Republic has been testing the Refund Plans with around 2,000 customers and they have found the typical customer ends up paying about $14.88 per month, which is a drop of about $5 for a typical customer. However, customers who use more than 2GB of cellular data in a month could see their bills go up. Currently Republic’s unlimited 4G plan costs $40 per month. For that same price, the new Refund Plan provides 2GB of high-speed data and overages run $15 per GB. All of the plans provide unlimited calls and texts.
Republic says current customers who have unlimited data plans and who want to keep them can do so. New customers will have to choose from one of the new Refund Plans.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Republic Wireless
via: Re/code
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NVIDIA SHIELD updated to version 1.3 bringing WIFI and controller connectivity improvements
Those of you with the NVIDIA SHIELD will be happy to hear a new update is available today. Software version 1.3 will improve WIFI and controller connectivity.
This small update is released only a month after version 1.2, which added the ability to share photos in 4K on Ultra HD TV’s. That update came even quicker just two weeks after 1.1 which brought Android 5.1 to the SHIELD. If they continue the trend we should see version 1.4 out sometime next month.
Source: NVIDIA
Via: Androidpolice
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Rdio bringing select stations from local influencers and record labels
Local influencers and record labels are coming to Rdio. With the new update subscribers will have no trouble finding new music to listen to. The updated features are coming to Rdio unlimited, Rdio Select, and Rdio free services.
It will first debut in U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Mexico, Brazil, India & Asia. If you want to check out the new updates be sure to download Rdio today.
Press release:
Rdio Enhances Personalized Music Streaming Experience with New Stations Curated by Record Labels & Influencers
Customized Stations by Tastemakers Around the World Debut in U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Mexico, Brazil, India & Asia
SAN FRANCISCO, July 7, 2015 – Rdio, a leading global music streaming service, announces a series of new curated stations programmed by some of the world’s most iconic and prolific record labels and key local influencers. The new unique stations continue Rdio’s commitment to providing music fans around the world with powerful music discovery features and a superior streaming Internet radio listening experience.
Rdio’s team of music programmers collaborated directly with these curation partners to compile music recommendations that truly represent the most influential labels of all time from across the globe as well as the world’s most trusted local tastemakers. The new stations enrich the Rdio user experience across all of Rdio’s tiers – including free, Rdio Unlimited and Rdio Select – by providing a unique collection of curated content specific to local countries. The new stations are launching for the first time in Australia, Mexico, Brazil, India and Asia (which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Hong Kong), and additional stations have been added to the current offering available in the U.S., Canada and U.K.
“Rdio is committed to making music discovery fun, easy and personal,” said Anthony Bay, CEO, Rdio. “In keeping with our objective of providing the world’s best Internet radio experience, we are proud to partner with key influencers and the label community to program their own branded stations. These stations not only help extend each labels’ brand presence but they also let our listeners anywhere in the world discover music from credible brands that they trust and respect.”
The label and influencer stations, as well as Rdio’s stations based on genre, mood and activity, are now easily accessible in Rdio’s “Stations” section within the main navigation.
In order to facilitate the creation of curated stations, Rdio has developed Rdio DJ™, a new and innovative tool for creating and curating Internet radio stations and sharing them with listeners everywhere.
The complete list of Rdio’s label and influencer stations are as follows:
Label Stations
U.S.
- Arts & Crafts (New)
- Astralwerks
- Average Joes
- Barsuk Records (New)
- Blue Note (New)
- Burger Records (New)
- Capitol
- Def Jam
- DFA Records (New)
- Dine Alone Records
- Domino Recording Co.
- Frenchkiss Records (New)
- Ghostly International
- Glassnote Records (New)
- Merge Records
- MUTE
- Ninja Tune
- Polyvinyl Record Co.
- Rhino Records
- Stones Throw
- Sub Pop
- Ultra Records (New)
- Vagrant Records
- Verve
- Warner Music Nashville
- Warp Records
- Wichita Recordings
- XL
Canada
- Arts & Crafts (New)
- Barsuk (New)
- Burger Records (New)
- DFA Records (New)
- Dine Alone Records
- Domino
- Glassnote Records (New)
- MapleMusic Recordings
- Merge Records
- MUTE
- Ninja Tune
- Sub Pop
- Warp Records
- XL (New)
U.K.
- Arts & Crafts
- Blue Note
- Burger Records
- DFA Records
- Dirty Hit
- Fiction
- Glassnote Records
- XL
Brazil
- Biscoito Fino
- Coqueiro Verde
- Deck Disk
- Dubas
- Gospel Brasil
- Pimba
- SLAP
- Tratore
- VP
- YB
Australia
- Create / Control
- Def Jam
- Dew Process
- Domino
- I OH YOU!
- Liberation
- Mushroom
- Rice Is Nice
- UNFD
Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong)
- Darker Than Wax
- Demajors
- Getmusicasia
- Hostess Asia
- KittyWu Records
- Syonan Records
- Vivamusicgroup1
India
- Alpa Digitech
- Everest Entertainment Pvt Ltd
- Radial India
- Sony Music India
- Times Music India
- Tips Music
- Universal Music India
- YRF Music
Mexico
- Art & Crafts
- Def Jam
- Ghostly
- Rhino
- Sub Pop
- XL
Influencer Stations & Availability
-
Alt Sounds (U.S., U.K.)
-
A.V. Club (U.S.)
-
Canal Brasil (Brazil)
-
Carlos Burle (Brazil)
-
Consequence of Sound (Global)
-
Country Weekly (U.S., CA)
-
DJ Kicks (U.S., U.K.)
-
Exclaim! (CA)
-
Hunter Hayes (U.S., CA, AU)
-
Hype Machine (Global)
-
Indie Music Filter (CA)
-
Marcelino DaLua’s “Mundo Da Lua” station (Brazil)
-
Monkeybuzz (Brazil)
-
Noize (Brazil)
-
Nova Cosmopolitana (Brazil)
-
Rock In Rio (Global)
-
Sonoridade / Beco Dranof’s “Ziriguiboom” station (Brazil)
-
Sportlife (Brazil)
-
Vogue Brasil (Brazil)
-
Yelp NYC (U.S.)
-
Yelp Toronto (CA)
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Celebrities are getting verified profiles on Tinder
Anyone who uses Tinder has probably swiped passed a few celebrity faces from time to time assuming they are fakes. However celebrities are using Tinder and some of those faces may have been the actual celebrity. The problem is there was no way to know for sure. Well not anymore as Tinder has updated their app to include verified profiles for celebrities.
It will look basically the same as how Twitter and Facebook handle verified profiles by placing a badge near their name.
Tinder says the verified accounts are available to
“notable public figures, celebrities, and athletes.”
Source: Tinder
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Google begins testing its self-driving cars in Austin, Texas
Google today posted on Google+, announcing that it will be taking its self-driving car project to the thriving city of Austin, Texas. Google says this expansion is to test its self-driving software in different driving environments, such as unique driving patterns and road conditions.
This expansion makes a lot of sense, considering that Austin, Texas is known to be one of the worst city’s in North America for traffic. In fact, according to TomTom’s latest Traffic Index, Austin is ranked 13 for the worst traffic in the United States, and ranked 18 in all of North America. It’s an excellent location for Google to really put its self-driving software through some rigorous testing.
Google earlier revealed that they were launching the project in Mountain View, California not long after reporting that its self-driving cars had only gotten in 11 minor accidents during six years of testing.
What’d really be interesting is if Google begins testing in Boston or New York City during winter months. That’ll definitely ensure Google knows how to put together some solid self-driving software.
Has anyone seen Google’s self-driving Lexus SUV in Austin, yet?
source: Google Self-Driving Car Project (Google+), TomTom
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Review: Kevo by Kwikset, the Bluetooth deadbolt that is almost awesome
- Easy installation
- Looks good
- Free app
- Forced eKey purchases
- Lack of device support
- Works 75% of the time
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Getting into your home is just as important as locking it up from outsiders. When I first saw the Kevo from Kwikset at CES 2015 I was more than a little interested in the product. Mostly because we have lived in the same house for almost 2 years now and I have no idea where my house keys are. Not a huge issue since we park in the garage all the time and have the ‘clicker’. While I can’t seem to find the house keys anywhere, one thing that never gets lost is my Android device. It is always attached to me 24/7. Needless to say that using my phone as my house key is a great solution to me locking myself out. Let’s take a look at the product and the process involved to get it set up and installed.
The Hardware
The box is rather small, but a bit heavy as it contains the whole kit to get you up and running. Yes, batteries are included too. So kind of them to do that. Inside you have your user manual, installation guide, the interior lock, 2 different deadbolts depending on your door, the outside lock, a set of traditional keys and a Bluetooth Keyfob. You also get a set of plates for the door frame and all the screws needed to assemble the lock.
If you have ever change a door handle or a deadbolt in the past then the installation process should be pretty straight forward. There are a few little things you will want to make sure you read and do though. For instance, threading the wire from the outside lock to the inside lock, using the right dead bolt piece and putting the right plates on in the correct order. I took some photos of how it goes together. It was pretty easy, but did take me longer than I anticipated. It would have gone a little smoother had I had a second set of hands to hold a few things for me.
The App
Once installed you go through pairing it up to your Android 5.0+ device, select phones at the moment, and the key fob. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete that process. On the phone front you need the Kevo app installed first. The associated app lets you do a number of things that are rather convenient. One of the best functions is sharing an eKey with someone else. That can be your wife, girlfriend, husband, boyfriend, kids, mother, neighbor or what have you. It can easily be revoked at any point in time giving you full control of access to your house wherever you are. If you opt for the eKey solution you are given 1 additional eKey to the one you get for your primary device. i.e. you only get two eKeys. If you need more eKeys for others in the family you will need to buy them at $1.99 each up to 5. Alternatively you have the option of offering up temporary eKeys that are free and good for a 24 hour period. Again, you can revoke those at any time during the 24 hour period.
As you can see in that final screenshot you get a running log of who has accessed, or attempted to access, your lock. I was in and out quite a bit today. You will see the names of those that have other eKey access in your list as well. Unfortunately, with limited device support my wife is bound by the Keyfob since her HTC one M8 at the time and now LG G4 don’t officially support the app.
After the lock is installed and the app is up and running you are set to start using it. When looking at the lock from the outside you won’t notice much difference to any other dead bolt lock on the market. It isn’t until you tap on it that you will see the LED lights start to circle the lock. They start off blue to let you know that it is attempting to connect to your device and unlock your door. It will go green and unlock if finds one. If it doesn’t it will flash orange and stay locked. If your phone is in your pocket or hand it will vibrate and you will get a notification stating that a request was denied. I also found that if the lock was triggered while I was inside the house I would get a notification that Kevo denied access to someone.
The inside of the door gains a rather larger box that houses all the electronics and easy access to the battery compartment and sync options. A small LED light above the manual deadbolt lock flashes an orange color when the door is locked. A small, but nice, feature when it is dark and you aren’t sure if you locked to door.
Does it work?
The ultimate question though is does it work as it should. Well, yes and no. Having the lock on my front door for over a month now and using it everyday I am still conflicted on its usefulness. The point of the lock is to be able to walk up to your door with your device in your pocket and tap the lock and get inside. However, I have been denied access to my home more than once a day. Not total denial that required digging out the keys, but denied none the less. Seems sitting in a pocket isn’t enough motion for the Kevo app to wake up to allow access. I often had to grab my phone and shake it then tap the lock to get inside. After about the first 2 weeks I routinely just shook the crap out of my phone while walking up to the door. It probably looked stupid, but it always unlocked, or locked, my door.
I also have had a number of occasions where upon entering while it was already unlocked that the jarring of the door would trigger the deadbolt to lock again. That resulted in a number of door shuts right on an open dead bolt. That can’t be good for the dead bolt of for the door jam. It seems to happen more with my 5 and 14 year old who come flying through the door like the world is ending. However, it also happens a number of times with my phone in my pocket when I go to open the door to a visitor or call my son inside.
What about the video!
There have been a number of videos out there, like this one, and this one. While I would love to break the lock and see if it was a legit test, I have serious issues with destroying things. If a criminal wants in your house they will get in regardless of the lock used. Hell, if I was a crook and saw this on a persons door I’d just steal their phone and walk in. Anything short of a couple of deadbolts, a security system and armed guard and guard dog will give some people peace of mind.
Overall thoughts
The Kwikset team came out of the gates targeting iPhone users with, what seems to be, a solid app and product. On the Android front it has been more of a “sure, let’s try it out” sort of vibe. It started off by supporting the Nexus 6, HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S5. The Galaxy S5 support hinged on Android 5.0 to be installed on your device. Since then the device list for Android has grown to include the Nexus 9, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note 4 Edge. Again, hinging on Android 5.0 being installed. They don’t have a single LG device on the list Other devices sporting Android 5.0 are out of luck barring side-loading the app as the Play Store prevents you from installing it natively. Doing so though doesn’t guarantee that it will work either and the side-loaded device still needs to be on Android 5.0+. Basically if you aren’t a Nexus owner or Samsung owner you are sort of out of luck in using the Kevo right now.
The Kevo smartlock seems to work best with the keyfob versus an Android phone. Bluetooth, while getting better with BLE tech, is still Bluetooth and most people don’t want to leave it on all day just so they can tap their lock to enter or exit their home. I certainly don’t feel any less safe with the Kevo installed on my front door, but I certainly have more annoyances than I would with just digging out my key of my pocket.
The lock has some potential, but it still has a long way to go before it is the “must have” keyless entry system for your home.
Buy your Kwikset Kevo Bluetooth Smartlock
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AIVAnet 