Redbox owner buys phone trade-in company to get away from DVDs
If you owned Redbox and faced a slowly declining disc-based movie rental business, what would you do? Diversify so that you’re not rendered obsolete by internet video? If so, you’re not alone. Outerwall (Redbox’s parent company) has bought the phone trade-in firm Gazelle for a relatively modest $18 million. The deal gives it an online counterpart to EcoATM, its kiosk-based trade-in outfit — the hope is that it’ll catch those customers who’d rather not leave home to sell an old device. The shift in strategy may seem odd at first blush, but it makes sense given that Outerwall didn’t have much success dragging Redbox into the streaming era.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Outerwall (Marketwatch), Seeking Alpha
A4WP and PMA merge together under the new AirFuel Alliance branding
When it comes to wireless charging, the Qi standard has quickly become the most popular, though A4WP and PMA still have their place – just arguably to a lesser extent. Qi tends to be the most common for integration directly into mobile devices, while the latter standards are often used in cases and other add-on accessories. In order to be more competitive, A4WP and PMA announced they were merging together earlier this summer, but now they have officially unveiled the name of the new, merged effort, the AirFuel Alliance.
The AirFuel Alliance might face some pretty strong competition from the Wireless Power Consortium (which is behind Qi), but don’t less this fool you, this newly merged alliance has 195 companies that are members, including big names like Intel and Duracell. Of course, many of these companies are also backing Qi, such as Samsung and Qualcomm.
See also: Best wireless chargers – how they work and perform
Future products that use A4WP and PMA technology will feature the new AirFuel branding, with the new alliance promising to support inductive and resonant technologies in the use of multimode systems.
A better user experience through the development of shared wireless charging standards… As inductive and resonant technologies advance, AirFuel Alliance continues to support the use of multimode systems – ones that operate with both versions of the standard.
Do you utilize wireless charging tech? Which standard do you use, or prefer for that matter? Let us know in the comments below.
Fallout C.H.A.T. will bring some post-apocalyptic flair to your Android device
Excited for the much-anticipated release of Fallout 4 on Tuesday, November 10th? To help tide fans over until then, video game publisher Bethesda has released a brand new application to the Google Play Store. It’s called Fallout C.H.A.T., and it’s (sort of) a messaging application that will turn your Android smartphone into a post-apocalyptic messaging device with some Fallout flair.
Fallout C.H.A.T. comes with a standard keyboard, complete with over 60 Vault Boy-themed emoji and animated GIFs. With this new app, you can type out a message – complete with text, emoji and GIFs – and share it via other messaging applications you have installed on your mobile device as an image. So this isn’t a messaging app per se, just a way to build Fallout-themed messages to send to your friends.
#gallery-1
margin: auto;
#gallery-1 .gallery-item
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
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border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
#gallery-1 .gallery-caption
margin-left: 0;
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
See also: Fallout Shelter review
Fallout C.H.A.T. is available for free from the Google Play Store and doesn’t feature any in-app purchases. If you’re interested, head to the Play Store link below for the download!
Epic Games’ new PC shooter is called ‘Paragon’
Thought the new Unreal Tournament was Epic Games’ only upcoming PC shooter? Think again: today the company quietly announced Paragon — but truth be told, we know almost nothing about the new title. Epic is giving the game a slow reveal, teasing a new playable “hero” character for the game each week until December 3rd. Unfortunately, the game’s reveal doesn’t explain what the what kind of game Paragon actually is.
Via: Polygon
Source: Epic Games, YouTube
Wireless charging’s smaller players unite as the AirFuel Alliance
The wireless charging world can usually be reduced to two factions: the Qi standard… and then everyone else. However, those frequently neglected alternatives are now rallying around a common banner. Meet the AirFuel Alliance, the new name for the recent union between the Alliance for Wireless Power and the Power Matters Alliance. The name is a bit silly (fuel isn’t exactly electric, folks), but it’ll give Intel, Samsung and the 193 other member companies a clearer way to represent their “inclusive” approach to wire-free power.
Via: TWICE, VentureBeat
Source: AirFuel Alliance
Konami reportedly closes the LA studio behind ‘Metal Gear Online’
In case it wasn’t already evident that Konami is scaling back its video game efforts, the company just dropped a big hint. Both Eurogamer and numerous developers understand that Konami has closed the Los Angeles studio responsible for Metal Gear Online, cutting “over 20 jobs” at the same time. Reportedly, the company had already shifted MGO development to Japan shortly before Metal Gear Solid V arrived in September — the LA crew was mostly left to provide support and dream up ideas for games that would never be made.
Source: Eurogamer, George Broussard (Twitter)
Playdate’s Halloween Horror Hangover: ‘The Park’ and ‘NOCT’
Thought our week of spooky Twitch streams was over? Not quite: there are just too many deliciously creepy games out there to cram into just two Playdate streams, so we’re giving you a bonus — Engadget’s Halloween Horror Hangover. Join us as we explore the terror of losing a child in an seedy amusement park (in the appropriately named The Park), right here at 6PM EST (3PM PST), at Twitch.tv/joystiq or on the Engadget Gaming homepage. Not scary enough? Fine: we’ll also be checking out the terrifying, monochrome monsters of NOCT.
A&E and Vice hope that you still like conventional TV
You may be devoting a lot of your viewing time to streaming services, but A&E reckons that you still have a soft spot for old-school TV. Its parent company A+E Networks is teaming up with Vice to launch Viceland, a 24-hour TV channel aimed right at that all-important youth demographic. They’re largely leaning on Vice’s edgy reputation to draw you in — the initial shows include Gaycation and Weediquette, and Spike Jonze is overseeing the channel. However, they’re also acknowledging the realities of an era where DVRs and online video are commonplace. Viceland is planning to run fewer ads during prime time, and there are hints of “innovative monetization strategies” that won’t simply involve wave after wave of commercials.
Via: Variety
Source: A+E Networks
Rufus Cuff is the biggest smartwatch you can buy
Smartwatches are starting to pick up popularity, but one major downside to them is their small screen size. The Rufus Cuff plans to change that by offering a huge smartwatch experience. It also runs full Android meaning it can do a lot more than a basic Android Wear watch.
Rufus Cuff is more than big for a smartwatch, it’s huge! This is it’s biggest pro and biggest con. It features a massive 3.2-inch touchscreen, to compare, the average smartwatch screen is roughly 1.5 inches. This means you will be able to see a lot more and have a lot easier time using it, but it will look ridiculous on your wrist.
The watch is powered by a TI Cortex A9 processor, it has a 1175 mAh battery, a 3.2-inch TFT display, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It also features a front facing camera for video conferencing, which is kind of cool. It’s storage is 16, 32, or 64GB, and it runs Android KitKat. For something this big, it is a shame it doesn’t support SIM cards. You are still forced to Bluetooth it to your phone or use it on public WiFi.
Gabe Grifoni, Rufus Labs’ CEO and co-founder said:
“this will replace the need for smartphones, wallets, watches, fitness trackers, everything.”
I am not sure about that, especially since you still need to Bluetooth it to your phone, but in theory it could replace all of those devices one day. It will start shipping in early 2016, and will cost between $249 to $399. They are now accepting pre-orders on Indiegogo. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on this device in the comments.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: Rufus Labs
Come comment on this article: Rufus Cuff is the biggest smartwatch you can buy
[Deal] Learn the ins and outs of Javascript and jQuery for only $29
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Even if you aren’t looking to start developing your own website right this moment, this set of courses will help you decide if this is the road you’d like to travel. You’ll learn the fundamentals of both jQuery and JavaScript, then move into a more intermediate course with Advanced JavaScript Programming.
As stated above, each of these courses cost at least $99, so you’ll already be saving more money than you would think. All four courses normally would run you about $496, but you can get the JavaScript & jQuery Front-End Developer Bundle for ONLY $29, that’s a savings of almost 95%. As with all our deals, head over to the AndroidGuys Deals page, and jump on this awesome deal before it runs out.
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AndroidGuys Deals: Javascript & jQuery Front-End Developer Bundle
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