Sprint to drop two-year contracts

On the heels of Verizon’s announcement, Sprint is officially joining the club by ditching two-year contracts in favor of full-price devices and leasing programs. Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure announced that the carrier plans to transition out of the contract system by the end of the year. Sprint users and future customers will instead be given the option of buying a device at full price — something many users are not particularly fond of doing — or leasing it through the carrier’s program.

Interestingly, the announcement seems to focus on leasing phones, and not payment plans. Essentially, a user gets a phone at little or no money down, and pays an extra amount per month (usually around $25 or $30 for a flagship device). This continues for 24 months, after which the user can choose to give the device back and choose a new one to lease, or they can buy it outright. Assuming that you’ve been paying a monthly charge to use the phone, Sprint likely will offer the phone at a discounted price. The only question is, how much of a discount will users get? The system works almost like a lease on a car, which is sure to cause some confusion with customers who are used to paying $199 and signing a contract to get the latest and greatest phone.

Sprint, Verizon, and of course T-Mobile have all switched or begun switching to the no-contract model, which means AT&T is the last carrier clutching to two-year contracts and subsidized devices. Given that two of the nation’s largest carriers announced the change in the same week, we’re willing to bet AT&T isn’t far behind.

Source: Android Police

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Scientists stimulate mouse brains with wireless ‘charger’

For reasons we’ll soon explain, turning on a light inside a mouse’s head can help scientists map brain function. It’s easy to implant an LED in a mouse’s brain, but how to power it? Until now, the mice either needed to be tethered to a fiberoptic cable or fitted with heavy wireless charging devices. However, Stanford scientists managed to build an implant that’s not only lightweight, but able to receive consistent amounts of wireless energy.

How can light change brain function? Using “optogenetics,” scientists can genetically alter neurons with green algae genes to make them responsive to light. By modifying only select parts of the brain, researchers can see how those regions affect behavior. The Stanford team created peppercorn-sized implants that contain a power receiving coil, circuit and LED, all weighing a nearly negligible 20 to 50 milligrams. When the mouse is placed in an electromagnetic chamber, the implant coil harvests RF energy to power the light, which in turn stimulates the targeted brain region.

To prove that the wireless implants worked, the researchers tested them on neurons and spinal cord nerves. When the system is powered on, the mouse walks in circles, as shown in the video below. When the power is shut off, the behavior stops, proving that the concept works. Further experiments could lead to insight on neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease, blindness or mental health issues. The research also gives new meaning to the term “wireless mouse” (sorry).

Filed under:
Wireless, Science

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Via:
Spectrum IEEE

Source:
Stanford University

Tags: brain, LED, Mice, neuroscience, optogenetics, video

UK to trial automatic refunds for shoddy train service

Everyone reading this will have been inconvenienced by a delayed train at some point, if not frequently, but it’s unlikely you went to the bother of seeking compensation. Probably because noting down the length of the delay and filling out a refund form at a ticket office or online seems more trouble than it’s worth for a few quid. Railways Minister Claire Perry thinks it’s high time the process was simplified, which is why she’s proposing a new system that would refund passengers for delayed or cancelled trains automatically. As The Times reports, up to 90 percent of affected passengers don’t chase compensation, resulting in as much as £100 million going unclaimed each year. Refund policy was changed a few months ago so passengers could request cash instead of vouchers, and under Perry’s plan, those entitled to a refund would see money owed automatically deposited into their bank account, or added to their smart ticket balance.

It’s going to take some time before the new system is put into place, but the immediate plan is to trial automatic refunds with train operator c2c sometime next year. Should its trains between London and Essex be delayed or cancelled, passengers using the company’s Smartcard paperless ticket will be reimbursed when they touch out at their destination. With plenty of train services offering similar kinds of smart tickets (like London’s Oyster card) and contactless payments, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to extend the scheme in the future. That’s exactly what the government intends to do should the trial be deemed successful, and it’ll even make automatic compensation a requirement for all UK operators. It probably won’t make delays any less frequent, but at least you’ll effectively be getting paid to sit on a cold platform bench for an hour.

[Image credit: Shutterstock]

Filed under:
Transportation

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Source:
The Times (paywalled)

Tags: railwaysminister, train, trains, transportation

Misfit teams up with Speedo on a fitness tracker for swimmers

Misfit’s Shine activity tracker has been around for a while now, but today the company is giving the wearable new duties. The company has teamed up with Speedo for a new Shine gadget that logs the details for your workout in the water. The duo says that this is “the first device of its kind with swimmers in mind,” packing in lap-counting algorithms to tally stats for all stroke types. Keeping its aluminum exterior, the waterproof Speedo Shine sports a lighter shade of silver but it’ll still beam all of your lap and distance details to Misfit’s Android and iOS software. In the near future, it’ll also play nice with the Speedo Fit swim-tracking app. And yes, this Shine still keeps tabs on the rest of your activity and sleep patterns with a watch battery that’s said to last six months. Slideshow-313022

If you’re unsure about the tech, Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin gave the device her seal of approval. “One of the most difficult parts of swimming for fitness is keeping track of laps and the Speedo Shine eliminates that challenge,” Franklin says. If you’re looking to track your laps in the pool, the new $80/£60 Shine goes on sale September 1st from both Misfit and Speedo as well as inside your local Apple Store.

Filed under:
Wearables

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Tags: activitytracker, fitnesstracker, misfit, shine, speedo, speedoshine, swim, swimming, tracker, wearable, wearables