Get $50 off powerful Netgear Nighthawk R6700 Wi-Fi router on Amazon

Although most people probably don’t give their routers much thought, these little boxes are the heart of your Wi-Fi network, routing your internet connection to your connected devices via wireless bands. Buying and using your own router can save you money on equipment rental fees from your internet service provider, essentially paying for itself in the long run, and can greatly enhance your wireless performance by ensuring that you get the speeds you are paying for.

With hundreds of different models on the market, shopping for a good router can seem daunting. Unless you need a high-end unit for hardcore gaming or large networks, then the Netgear Nighthawk R6700 is an excellent and affordable choice that delivers more than enough performance for most homes and offices.

Netgear’s Nighthawk series utilizes AC1750 Wi-Fi connectivity, giving you dual-band wireless speeds of 1,750 Mpbs on both bands. The 450 Mbps 2.4GHz band handles low-intensity tasks like internet browsing while the 1,300 Mbps 5HGz band is dedicated to more demanding jobs like streaming or gaming.

Beamforming technology kicks up Wi-Fi speeds and stability by improving wireless range and signal focus for a smoother, faster connection to your mobile devices.

The Netgear Genie App makes setup and operating a breeze, and lets you monitor your network and set parental controls from your smartphone or tablet free of any complicated web interfaces. A USB 3.0 port located on the back of the unit allows for high-speed file sharing as well.

Normally priced at $130, the Netgear Nighthawk R6700 router is currently $100 after a $30 discount. For a limited time, however, you can take another $20 off with a “clippable” coupon that brings this excellent Wi-Fi router down to just $80 on Amazon. Just “clip” the coupon on the product page, add the item to your cart, and the discount will be automatically applied for a combined savings of $50.

$80 on Amazon with coupon

5 top Tinder alternatives

Tinder has revolutionised online dating.

Not so long ago, people wouldn’t admit to meeting up with strangers whom they met online, but now, thanks to the ease of being able to swipe on people’s selfies in an attempt to find a perfect match, it seems like everyone has dipped their toes into online dating – and they like it. As a result, there is now a multitude of apps and services you can use to meet someone new and maybe even fall in love.

Here are the top alternatives to Tinder. Let us know which you prefer.

5 top Tinder alternatives

OKCupid

OKCupid

okcupid.com

After signing up, OKCupid serves up tonnes of personality quiz questions in order to give you a match percentage with would-be partners. Based on these percentages and the answers people provide, you can narrow down the type of people you might find date-worthy. However, some functions and features are restricted to a paid membership. But, hey, it’s worth trying, and the quiz part is fun.

Badoo

Badoo

badoo.com

Badoo has no formal matching algorithm but lets you upload pictures and videos (it even blocks features until you’ve uploaded one selfie). It verifies members to ensure they’re real and can geolocate them to show you exactly – with a map – when you may have crossed paths. It’s useful for discovering others nearby, and while it’s free to join, there is a $2.99 premium that unlocks many functions.

Bumble

Bumble

bumble.com

Bumble is a lot like Tinder – except, once you match, only women can make the first move by sending a chat. It’s supposed to protect women from unsolicited dirty messages or just feeling overwhelmed. There’s also a 24-hour time-limited chat availability, so it basically encourages women to be more active. And if you just want to use the app to create friendships, you can always use the BFF mode.

POF

Plenty Of Fish

pof.com

This service boasts around 70 million users – and you can look at profiles and send and read messages for free, though there is a paid tier that unlocks more features. We think POF (as it’s commonly called) is easy to navigate. And, unlike Tinder, users have the ability to write a lot about themselves, so you have more to judge them by rather than just their flawless selfies.

Grindr

Grindr

grindr.com

Grindr is perfect for you if you’re gay, trans, bisexual, or just curious. It’s pretty basic but still uses geolocation to show you other users nearby, so within minutes, you can find a hookup. There’s also no pressure to fill out profiles or add selfies. Many people just have blank profiles. There isn’t even a matching algorithm. It’s simply a free service that people can use to quickly and easily meet up.

Looking for more?

No worries. There are way more choices out there – such as Down, Happn, Hinge, How About We, and Inner Circle.

Campy, live-action horror game ‘Night Trap’ heads to PS4

After 25 years, a browser port and a failed Kickstarter, cult classic FMV (full-motion video) game Night Trap is finally getting making its way back to living rooms. Thanks to the folks at developer Screaming Villains and publisher Limited Run Games, the interactive tale of teenage girls stuck in a house under attack by vampires will be released on disc sometime this spring for PlayStation 4.

Based on the trailer below, the video footage isn’t pristine, but it looks about as clean as it probably ever will. Considering that watching video makes up a bulk of the gameplay, that’s pretty important. It isn’t up to the level of the Alien or Jaws remasters on Blu-ray, of course, but the source material wasn’t aiming for high art or box office glory. The “control room” UI (you’re a security guard monitoring the house remotely via closed circuit cameras) you play from looks super slick, too.

Our Night Trap release will be available with three different covers, each based on one of the three US Sega CD releases. pic.twitter.com/4fascjPaBq

— Limited Run Games (@LimitedRunGames) April 25, 2017

On Twitter, Limited Run said that its version will be available with three different cover styles based on the trio of US Sega CD releases — replete with the diagonal stripes and off-center art placement.

More than that, the cover art is missing one key thing: An ESRB rating. Along with Doom and the original Mortal Kombat, Night Trap and its “violent” content was partly responsible for Entertainment Software Ratings Board and its age-ratings for games. Currently, the remaster is rated T for Teen for violence, blood and suggestive themes. Pricing and an exact release date aren’t known, but based on Limited Run’s previous releases the disc shouldn’t cost more than $25.

If you’re itching for something similar, maybe give Until Dawn a shot if you haven’t yet. It’s a slightly different take on teenage horror than Night Trap, but the PS4-exclusive dishes out scares and laughs while serving as a loving homage to the genre.

Via: Limited Run Games (Twitter)

Source: PlayStation (YouTube)

This prosthetic arm is powered by Bluetooth and your mind

Robotic limbs aren’t a new technology, though the range of motion and strength of such limbs continue to improve. Controlling prosthetics with your mind is another area of refinement, but they’re typically connected directly to a patient’s brain. A new technique where the robotic arm clicks directly to the bone, however, is showing promise. Johan Baggerman is the first patient in the Netherlands to get a click-on prosthetic arm that he can control with his mind.

With a direct connection to the bone, click-on appliances like this don’t need a prosthesis socket, making it easy to take on and off and avoiding chafing and other skin problems. The “mind control” is enabled by connecting a patient’s nerves to the socket, with a special Bluetooth bracelet to receive the signals. It takes three surgeries to make it happen, though, including one to insert the a metal rod into a patient’s bone marrow, one to implant the piece that will eventually connect the robot arm, and a third — performed by a specialized plastic surgeon — to connect all the nerves that used to control the patient’s hand muscles to the upper arm stump. This amplifies the neural signals, which helps when the patient is healed and imagines opening and closing their hand to control the new artificial limb.

The entire process, including surgery and rehab, is strenuous and takes a while to complete. Baggerman lost his arm in a truck accident in 2010, received the next three surgeries between 2013 and 2016 and just started the final phases of the rehabilitation process. No matter how tough it is to train a new robotic arm and hand, though, being able to use it by just thinking about it has got to feel amazing.

Source: Science Daily

Fans resurrect ‘Tomb Raider’ in your web browser

If you need a reminder of how far video games have come since the mid-90s, look no further than OpenTomb. Over the past four years, a handful of devoted developers have been rebuilding the original five Tomb Raider games from scratch, and the City of Vilcabamba level is available in your browser right now (heads up, game audio auto-plays from that link).

The OpenTomb team wasn’t able to retrieve the original Tomb Raider source code from Square Enix, so developers simply decided to re-make the game from the ground-up. They built their own engine and wrote their own code designed to take advantage of modern CPUs, graphics cards and gameplay features.

Release the classic #tombraider source code! Read our new statement here: https://t.co/FXTOPu6u7Z

— OpenTomb (@open_tomb) December 21, 2016

This open-source, from-scratch model sets OpenTomb apart from existing Tomb Raider mods and patchers that clone the original game engine.

“The older [an] engine gets, less chance it’ll become compatible with further systems; but in [the] case of OpenTomb, you can port it to any platform you wish,” the developers write on GitHub. Their post continues, “No matter how advanced your patcher is, you are limited by original binary — no new features, no graphic enhancements, no new structures and functions. You are not that limited with [an] open-source engine.”

OpenTomb is an ambitious project and so far the City of Vilcabamba is its only result, but it’s an encouraging start. The team is active on the Tomb Raider forums, if anyone is interested in following Lara Croft on this brand new, yet shockingly familiar, adventure.

Via: Polygon

Scientists successfully grew fetal lambs inside ‘uterus-like’ bags

Doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have developed a new artificial womb that could benefit the tens of thousands of critically preterm (younger than 26 weeks) births in the US each year. According to a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the research physicians successfully kept fetal lambs alive inside a “uterus-like” plastic sack for up to four weeks — longer than any similar device before it.

The concept behind the new artificial womb is fairly simple: fetal lambs were placed inside a soft, temperature-controlled plastic bag filled with amniotic fluid to mimic a real uterus and their umbilical cords were hooked up to a blood oxygenating machine. Unlike previous devices, however, the Philadelphia team’s artificial womb uses the animal’s own heart to circulate blood, rather than mechanical pumps which can hurt the animal and lead to development problems or lung issues later on.

As Alan Flake, the director of the hospital’s Children’s Institute for Surgical Science, told reporters, the device won’t replace a real, living uterus just yet because it can’t replicate the earliest stages of development. But for infants born around 22 or 23 weeks — the earliest a premature child can be expected to survive outside the womb — the new device presents a better solution than the incubators currently in use in neonatal wards. At the start of the test, the fetal lamb test subjects were roughly the same gestational age as a critically premature human fetus. After four weeks, however, eight lambs were “born” out of the sacks with normal, healthy development and lung function on par with a mature infant.

According to Flake, his research team has already been in contact with the US food and Drug Administration and trials of the device could start sometime in the next three to five years. The device itself, however, will likely get a less alarming and more “parent-friendly” redesign in the process, Flake said.

Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: Nature Communications, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Gear Up: Incipio cases for LG G6 and other flagships

Are you the proud owner of a new LG G6 smartphone? What are you using to protect that flagship device? As delicate and sleek as that phone is, the last thing you want to do is drop it or scuff its surface. You’ll want to get a case on that thing as soon as possible.

Incipio has a variety of cases for the LG G6 which we think you’d be interested in checking out. We were sent samples of the Standard Series cases as well as Design Series and Esquire Series, and have been testing them out for the last few days. As we see it, all of them are excellent choices for customers looking to cover up the G6. Moreover, the wide assortment means you’ll find something that speaks to your needs.

NGP Pure

If you’re all about letting people see the shiny finish of your G6, this is the case for you. It’s clear, flexible, and resistant to basic impacts. In other words, there’s enough protection here to keep the scuffs away but nothing that hides the phone’s gorgeous aesthetics. The material is resistant to stretches and tears and feels great in hand. About $20.

NGP Advanced

Available in Black, Navy, and Raspberry color options, this cases is designed to handle drops without adding too much to the overall footprint. Sliding nicely into the hand, it provides a sturdy grip. It’s a great balance of protection against scuffs and shock as well as style. About $20.

Octane

Designed to handle drops from as high as six feet, the Octane is one tough case. The dual-infused material is strong, rigid, and everything else that keeps your device tucked in safely. The grip along the outer edge feels fantastic and works well when your hand, or the G6, is wet. About $25.

Dual-Pro

A two-layer setup, this one provides more protection than most of the others listed here. Offered in no less than five color options, the outside shells is smooth and soft to the touch while the inside features shock absorption. Military grade durability in a footprint that suggest otherwise. About $30.

Spring Floral

When you’re inspired by the beauty and colors of the season but don’t want to completely hide your phone, the Design Series case is one to consider. With a generally clear finish, this one has a highly detailed print that looks every bit at home with the flows and trees blooming this time of year. Not just a pretty face, it’s resistant to scratches and scrapes and can even take a slight tumble. About $25.

Esquire Series

A little more sophisticated looking than the others here, this case has a fabric material on the exterior that simply feels great. The metal accents give it just enough pop to stand out without adding any weight. It’s actually quite light in the hand. Don’t be fooled, though, it’s got it where it counts. The impact-resistant TPU frame disperses the shock of accidental drop to keep your beloved phone safe and sound. About $35.

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Incipio has a wide variety of cases for not only LG phones, but Samsung, Huawei, HTC, and much more.  Be sure to check out its growing lineup of accessories online as well as through various retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart) and wireless carriers!

New ‘Sonic Forces’ footage feels a lot like ‘Generations’

For the last few months, SEGA has been playing coy with Sonic Forces– first only little else beside the game’s name and the usual promises of greatness. Then, earlier this month, a new trailer teased new levels for “Classic Sonic,” the 1990s version of the character that co-starred in 2011’s Sonic Generations. Today, Sega Europe uploaded a new gameplay video to YouTube confirming what many fans suspected: Sonic Forces is basically going to be a Sonic Generations sequel.

It’s not an unexpected revelation, but it’s a nice thing to know for sure. Generations was generally well reviewed, and did a great job both establishing and celebrating the differences between “Classic” and “Modern” Sonic — but some fans saw it as a jack of all trades, but master of none. To its credit, the new gameplay trailer looks like a competent recreation of Green Hill Zone. Fans of the original Generations game, at least, have something to look forward to.

Source: Sega

AT&T’s faux 5G network launches in Austin

At last, 5G wireless is here… sort of. As promised, AT&T has launched its pre-standard 5G network, starting with certain parts of Austin. So long as you have a Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus, you can get speeds that should leave LTE in the dust. Expect downloads about twice as fast on average, the carrier says. Indianapolis is due for the next rollout in the summer, and there will be 20 total areas covered (including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville and San Francisco) by the end of 2017. And if you’re not inclined to Samsung hardware, you should see “numerous other devices” this year that take advantage of the new network.

The launch will certainly give you some bragging rights if you’re an early smartphone adopter, but we wouldn’t quite call it the dawn of the 5G era. As we hinted earlier, the wireless industry is still hashing out the details of 5G. You won’t get “real” 5G until there’s a standard, and that could change both the performance you expect as well as compatibility with early pseudo-5G devices. This doesn’t mean your S8 will lose 5G-like speeds the moment there is a standard, but we wouldn’t count on full support. Arguably, AT&T is launching its 5G network to shout “first!” — it wants to one-up Verizon’s 5G plans and show that it’s ahead of the game, even if it’s only by a matter of a few months at most.

Source: AT&T

Verizon Launches New Prepaid Unlimited Data Plan

Verizon today announced the launch of a new unlimited data plan for its prepaid customers, which offers unlimited data, talk, and text across the United States for $80.

The plan includes unlimited text messages to more than 200 countries, along with unlimited talk in Mexico and Canada. Video streaming, is, however, limited to 480p, and no tethering is included. Verizon also says it “may prioritize your data behind other customers during times/places of network congestion.”

“In just months, Verizon has transformed its prepaid offerings to make it easier and more affordable for customers to get access to the best network at a great value, no matter how much data they need,” said Tami Erwin, executive vice president of operations for Verizon. “This plan is all about giving our prepaid customers more choice. With data plans from as little as 2 GB to unlimited data, we’ve got a plan that fits your needs.”

Verizon’s prepaid plans include no long-term contract and no credit check. Verizon also offers 2GB, 5GB, and 10GB data plans for unlimited customers, along with a $30 basic phone plan with unlimited talk and text.

The introduction of the new unlimited prepaid data plan comes just over two months after Verizon unveiled its postpaid unlimited data plan to compete with unlimited data offerings from AT&T and T-Mobile. Verizon’s unlimited plan offers unlimited talk, text, LTE data, and 10GB of tethering data for $80 per month.

Tag: Verizon
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