Amazon Cash lets you shop on Amazon without a bank card

You can now pay for things on Amazon with cash… sort of.

Another sign of the increasingly cashless world we live in, Amazon is partnering up with convenience, grocery, and drug stores to give consumers a novel way to quickly flip the cash in your wallet over to your Amazon account balance.

It’s called Amazon Cash, and it uses a unique barcode associated with your Amazon account to essentially add an Amazon gift card to your Amazon account. Simply go to a participating convenience store, get the cashier to scan your barcode and load your account up with cash.

The easiest way to use Amazon Cash is to pull up your account barcode on the Amazon app on your phone, hand over your cash to the cashier, and the funds will be added to your Amazon account nearly instantly. And you don’t necessarily need a smartphone to use the service, either — you also have the option to print out your personalized barcode.

It’s essentially a new, more efficient way to buy an Amazon gift card for your own use, except you’re no longer limited by the pre-set gift card denomination. You may only add between $15 and $500 of cash to your Amazon account on one transaction and there are no fees associated with using Amazon Cash. So far there are only seven participating retail stores — CVS, Speedway, Kum and Go, D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, VG’s Grocery and Sheetz — but more will be added in the future.

Right now, you can get $10 of bonus cash if you add $50 to your account via Amazon Cash before May 31.

Learn more about Amazon Cash

Project Fi vs. T-Mobile: Which is better for you?

Fi or T-Mo? Which should you choose?

T-Mobile is one of the Big Four carriers in the U.S. (along with AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint), and its casual approach to contracts and limitations is what draws customers in for the long haul. Google takes an even more cavalier approach to contracts and data caps with its Project Fi, leasing coverage from the bigger networks to bring you lower prices (usually).

Which is better for you? Let’s compare the two and see.

• T-Mobile background
• Project Fi background
• T-Mobile plans
• Project Fi plans
• Project Fi phones
• Which is best?

T-Mobile background

Who owns it? Deutsche Telekom

Which network does it use? T-Mobile 4G LTE (da-durr)

How long has it been around? Since 1990

Tethering allowed? Yes, up to 10GB of 4G LTE free (3G speeds after 10GB)

Cheapest plan: $45/month: Prepaid, up to 4GB of 4G LTE, unlimited talk, text, and 2G data, Music Unlimited

Project Fi background

Who owns it? Google

Which network does it use? Sprint CDMA and LTE, T-Mobile 4G LTE, U.S. Cellular CDMA and LTE

How long has it been around? Since 2015

Tethering allowed? Yes

Cheapest plan: $20/month: Unlimited nationwide talk and text, unlimited international text

Advertisement

T-Mobile plans

T-Mobile has really pared down its plan selection to, essentially, just one plan, aptly named “T-Mobile ONE”. Starting at $75 per month, you get unlimited talk, text, and data, with speeds throttled after you use 30GB of data in a month (very few people ever do). There are then discounts for every line you add.

1 line	$75/month
2 lines	$100/month (with $5 Autopay discount)
3 lines	$140/month (with $5 Autopay discount)
4 lines	$160/month (with $5 Autopay discount)
What’s included	Tethering unlimited SD video streaming unlimited talk, text, and 2G data Music Unlimited

Price	$45/month	$55/month
What’s included	Tethering unlimited SD video streaming unlimited talk, text, and 2G data Music Unlimited

Note: T-Mobile likes to change its pricing often. Above prices are as valid of April 4, 2017.

Add-ons

T-Mobile ONE Plus: $5 per line, per month gets you unlimited HD video streaming in the U.S., 2x non-LTE data speeds, unlimited tethering with the first 10GB at up to 4G LTE speeds, plus unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi on Gogo-enabled flights, voicemail to text, and name ID.

T-Mobile ONE Plus International: $25 per line, per month gets you unlimited HD video streaming in the U.S., 2x non-LTE data speeds, unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi on Gogo-enabled flights, voicemail to text, name ID, unlimited international calling to landlines in 70+ countries and mobile numbers in 30+ countries, and unlimited 4G LTE tethering.

T-Mobile Tuesdays: T-Mo Tuesdays is not a paid add-on; it’s how T-Mobile likes to show appreciation for its customers. Every Tuesday, you’ll get free stuff, just for having the T-Mobile Tuesdays app downloaded. You’ll get free stuff from great brands, like PetSmart and ESPN, as well as movie tickets, discounts, downloads, and more.

Project Fi plans

Project Fi offers two types of plans: family and single line. What you get with each plan is the same, but you’ll save money on each additional family plan line (up to 5 lines).

Price	$20/month	$10/month
Free Extras	Unlimited international texting Call and text from any Android or iPhone

Family Plan

Primary line price	$20/month	$10/month
Secondary lines (up to 5)	$15/month	$10/month
Free Extras	Unlimited international textingCall and text from any Android or iPhone

Note: Google calls the base Project Fi plan “The Basics.” No data is included and must be purchased at the rate of $10/GB. Data is not shared between lines on a family plan. Each line pays the same $10 per GB of data (domestic and international in 135 countries) with the cost of any unused data refunded at the end of each month

Add-ons

Data-only SIM:

Google offers a data-only SIM card to use in any compatible LTE device, It shares data with the primary line at the same $10/GB rate. You need to have at least one line of service and purchase a minimum of 1GB of data to use the data-only SIM card.

Data pricing:

• 1GB of 4G LTE: $10/month

Phone Insurance:

$5 per month, per device covers accidental damages and device malfunctions. You can make one in a 12-month period. Deductibles are $79 for Pixel, $99 for Pixel XL, $69 for Nexus 5X, $99 for Nexus 6P. When you make a claim Google will ship out a replacement device the next business day.

International add-ons:

International cellular calls cost $0.20 per minute.

• Learn more

Google Wi-Fi services:

Your Project Fi phone service includes Wi-Fi calling and texting anywhere in the world. In addition, Google VPN services are available and allow you to connect to open Wi-Fi hotspots safely and securely.

• Learn more

Advertisement

Project Fi and Google Hangouts apps:

The Project Fi app is tied to your Google account and can be installed on any Android or iPhone. You can pay your bill, check account balances and talk to customer service through the app at no cost. The Google Hangouts app allows calls and texts using your Project Fi number on any Android or iPhone.

Project Fi phones

Project Fi only supports phones from Google. That means your selection is currently limited to:

• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 6P
• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL

Note: While it’s possible to enable Project Fi on unsupported phones, this is against the Project Fi terms of service.

A data-only SIM is available and can be used in any compatible LTE device as long as at least one line of Fi service is active.

Which one is better?

Looking at the big picture, Project Fi is the better way to go, because $75/month for 30GB is a lot of money to spend on a lot of data that you likely won’t use. According to NPD Research, the average person only uses 3.53GB per month. In fact, 95% of Americans don’t use more than 10GB of data per month.

If you pay for The Basics and 4GB of data from Project Fi, that’s only costing you $60/month. Plus, if you pay for more data than you actually use on Project Fi, you get a refund for that amount at the end of your billing cycle.

Project Fi also leases coverage from more than one network, so where T-Mobile’s coverage falters, Fi is able to fill in the blanks with Sprint and U.S. Cellular’s networks.

All that being said, Project Fi only works with five phones. If you’re not into any of their hardware or software, then you’ll likely be put off by Project Fi. You can bring just about any unlocked phone to T-Mobile — all you need to do is make sure it’s compatible.

T-Mobile’s multi-line deals are pretty attractive, especially at $100 for two.

Alternative carriers (MVNOS)

• What is an alternative mobile carrier?
• What are the advantages of going with an alternative carrier?
• How to make sure your phone works on a prepaid alternative carrier
• 8 Important Considerations When Switching To An MVNO
• These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.
• Mint SIM vs. Cricket Wireless: Which is better for you?

LeEco reportedly didn’t have enough money to pay U.S. employees in March

Things aren’t looking so good for LeEco lately…

LeEco Inc. was forced to delay payroll for U.S. employees in March, according to Bloomberg Technology, which spoke to people familiar with the matter. This latest bit of bad news from the embattled Chinese technology conglomerate seems to further confirm that the company is struggling for cash.

It’s been a tough go overall for LeEco since the company attempted to make a big splash last October when it launched LeMall, its U.S. e-commerce store. It entered the North American market as a virtual unknown in a highly competitive space, but instead of building up its brand of smartphones, TVs, and other electronics in the new market, the company reportedly continues to struggling financially.

We reported last November how the company’s co-founder and CEO Jia Yueting wrote a letter to employees explaining how the company may have “over-extended” itself and was running out of cash. Since then, the company has started falling behind on payments to some suppliers and has struggled to maintain its premium sports broadcasting rights.

While Jia has been able to raise some capital amongst some Chinese investors, Bloomberg reports that its plans to expand into the U.S. — including its tentative deal to acquire California TV manufacturer Vizio — continues to hit roadblocks:

Jia has aggressively chased funding and attempted to establish a foothold in the U.S. But those efforts may be faltering. A proposed $2 billion acquisition of California TV maker Vizio Inc. is being held up by tighter controls on Chinese currency outflows, according to a person familiar with the matter, and as reported in Chinese media. That deal was intended to create a beachhead for branding and acquiring American customers. LeEco is now exploring other options, including taking a minority stake in or partnering with Vizio, the person said.

This latest bit of news certainly fits within the narrative of LeEco’s continuing struggles in North America. In October 2016, Jia confirmed that the company had at least 500 U.S. employees who may have been affected by this payroll delay.

Here’s what you need to know about LeEco

Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone now likely shelved until 2019

Don’t expect a foldable smartphone from Samsung anytime soon.

Information about a foldable Samsung phone, dubbed Galaxy X, has been slowly leaking out over the past couple years, with reports claiming the company is developing a version that folds out and transforms into a 7-inch tablet. While a recent report from ET News said Samsung is planning to start production of a foldable smartphone prototype sometime this year, Samsung Display’s principal engineer has now suggested otherwise.

Kim Tae-woong has revealed that Samsung is currently focused on bezel-free displays: “Because the bezel-free display currently sells well, we still have enough time to develop foldable display,” said Kim. So, Samsung is putting off commercialising foldable phones until 2019, although it’s been rumoured to launch one since at least 2015 or 2016. Bloomberg even said Samsung will release two smartphones with bendable displays in 2017.

Is Samsung still perfecting the display technology? Who knows. Korean media claimed Samsung would have a foldable phone ready for show in Q3 2017, around the time that an OLED iPhone 8 may be announced. Samsung will reportedly be monitoring the quality of the prototype internally before producing a consumer version of the phone, which could launch sometime toward late 2018, ET News previously said.

• Best smartphones 2017: The best phones available to buy today

Honestly, there’s so many unknowns right now. If Samsung is developing a foldable phone prototype, we may see it in 2018, possibly around IFA in September. But a commercial version of any foldable phone prototype now won’t debut until 2019 at least, Samsung has claimed. Plus, there’s no guarantee it’ll be the long-rumoured Galaxy X, which was previously known by the code name Project Valley.

Twitter hopes to stream paid TV

Have you spent a lot of time watching Twitter’s live video? No? We can’t entirely blame you — with some exceptions, many of its streaming agreements are for niche events. However, the social network might have a way to make its watch-and-tweet feature more broadly appealing. Twitter’s Anthony Noto tells the Telegraph that his company is hoping to land deals for streaming pay TV channels on its site and apps. You’d have to subscribe to existing TV service for this to work, but it would be much more powerful — you could theoretically watch and comment on all the live programming you’re used to, such as Premier League matches (Noto’s example) or the latest episode of your favorite drama.

It’s not clear just how close Twitter may be to securing these deals, let alone who it’s talking to (if anyone). Twitter tells us that it doesn’t have anything more to add to Noto’s remarks. Given the requirement for an existing subscription, though, Twitter might not have too much trouble garnering support from TV networks that are normally averse to internet-only video.

There’s certainly pressure to sign these kinds of pacts soon. Twitter is betting on video as an answer to its financial struggles, and pay TV would make that video more alluring to just about anyone with a conventional cable subscription. Even if it doesn’t convince people to sign up for Twitter, it might get existing users to participate more often and stick around in the long run.

Source: The Telegraph

DARPA successfully flew a model of its 24-fan electric plane

DARPA’s experimental Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft, the XV-24A LightningStrike, cleared another developmental hurdle by completing its subscale flight tests in early March, according to its manufacturer, Aurora Flight Sciences.

The unmanned subscale demonstrator weighs in at 325 pounds and is powered by a single lithium battery. That’s a far cry from the 61-foot wingspan, 12,000 pound aircraft it’s meant to represent that but plenty large enough to demonstrate the same technical abilities, including transitioning into and out of forward flight from a hover. The full-size version is expected to begin proper flight tests in late 2018.

Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft offer both the speed of conventional winged aircraft and the hovering ability of helicopters but their flexibility comes at the cost of not excelling at either. The LightningStrike program aims to change that. By using 24 electric fans spread across its wings and canard, this prototype aircraft should achieve be able a top speed of 300 – 400 knots (345 – 460 mph), which is twice as fast as most helicopters, while improving its hover efficiency by 15 percent.

And while VTOL aircraft exist almost exclusively in the military domain at the moment, the technology is quickly seeping into the civilian world as well. Uber has been toying with using VTOL aircraft for short-hop flights around cities, while Airbus is looking into cars that can transform into quadcopters to avoid traffic congestion.

Bipartisan bill aims to curb warrantless phone searches at the border

The Trump administration revealed its “extreme vetting” procedures on Tuesday and hoo boy, are they draconian. They’ll require foreign visitors — even close allies like France and Germany — to potentially reveal passwords, phone contacts and even financial records in order to enter the country. Americans are being searched as well, with Border Patrol forces increasingly demanding the same information from US citizens as they cross the border, but a newly introduced bicameral bill could help safeguard their privacy.

As it stands now, the DHS is allowed to search electronic devices — even those belonging to American citizens — whenever they come across the US border. This new bill, put forward by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY) in the Senate and Reps. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Blake Farenthold (R-TX), would instead require that border agents obtain a warrant or, at least, suspect a crime is currently taking place, before they can search phones and laptops. The rules would apply to airports and land crossings alike.

“Americans’ constitutional rights shouldn’t disappear at the border,” Wyden said in a statement. “By requiring a warrant to search Americans’ devices and prohibiting unreasonable delay, this bill makes sure that border agents are focused on criminals and terrorists instead of wasting their time thumbing through innocent Americans’ personal photos and other data.”

According the the Customs and Border Protection’s publicly available data, the agency conducted 23,877 electronic media searches in 2016. That’s an eight fold increase over 2015’s 4,764 but still a fraction of the roughly 400 million people who entered the country that year.

Senator Paul pointed out that the Supreme Court already ruled that cellphones and laptops cannot be treated with the same cavalier nature as pockets and backpacks during police searches since they contain a host of personal digital information that wouldn’t normally be carried around in its physical form. He argues that the same rules should apply at the border.

“As the Supreme Court unanimously recognized in 2014, innovation does not render the Fourth Amendment obsolete,” Paul said. “It still stands today as a shield between the American people and a government all too eager to invade their digital lives. Americans should not be asked to surrender their rights or privacy at the border, and our bill will put an end to the government’s intrusive practices.”

Source: CNN

Apple Music for Android gets an overdue makeover

The Android version of Apple Music was very close to the iOS app when it first arrived, but it’s clear that the software has lagged in recent months. While iOS and desktop users got a (frankly needed) overhaul last year, Android users were stuck with the old interface. No more: Apple has released a new version of the app that brings it up to par. That means a redesigned For You section with many more recommendations, stronger support for your own music library and a revamped player with quick access to your queue and lyrics.

Is this going to make you jump ship from Spotify or Google Play Music? Probably not, especially since it took a while for Apple to give Android users a refresh. It should help you stay aboard if you’re an existing subscriber, though, and it shows that Apple is willing to put sustained effort into a client for Google’s platform. The real test is whether or not Apple improves upon this update schedule — ideally, you wouldn’t have to wait quite so long for subsequent updates.

Via: 9to5Google

Source: Google Play

Microsoft will unveil the next Xbox’s specs on Thursday

Last fall, Sony outraced the competition in releasing the PS4 Pro, their half-step improvement on current consoles that includes better tech to handle VR gaming. Microsoft’s mid-generation successor to the Xbox One, known as Project Scorpio, was in no shape to try beating Sony’s to market, but it’s rumored to be a far more powerful system. Just how much beefier has been confined to rumor and isolated reports, but soon we’ll have the official word on Scorpio’s technical guts ahead of its planned full reveal at E3 2017. On Thursday at 9AM ET, Microsoft is releasing the specs for its upcoming system.

To clear up the speculation: @digitalfoundry will have an exclusive Xbox Scorpio reveal on @eurogamer this Thursday at 2pm UK / 6am Pacific. pic.twitter.com/S6xxT2YCcn

— Eurogamer.net (@eurogamer) April 4, 2017

Initial reports claim that Scorpio will run at 6 teraflops (TF) , dwarfing the Xbox One’s 1.3 TF and the PS4 Pro’s 4.2 TF. According to Windows Central, Scorpio will have a “compact” design thanks to improvements in cooling, hopefully reducing the size of the console below its current VCR-level of girth. It’s also killing the power brick in favor of an internal power supply. That’s all the new information we have until Microsoft pulls the rug out Thursday morning.

Via: The Verge

Source: Eurogamer (Twitter)

Send Starbucks lattes to your lover with iMessage

Saying “I love you” with a Grande Soy Latte just got a little easier. Starbucks updated its iOS app with its first iMessages offering which allows you to send anyone you chat with a Starbucks gift card without interrupting the flow of your conversation. The Starbucks app update also includes enhanced push notifications, a new mobile ordering interface and new filtering options for locating a nearby location.

Apple added the iMessage App Store last September, which made it possible to add stickers and play games within a conversation using the company’s popular chat app. While this is the first iMessages app made by Starbucks, the coffee retailer is no stranger to working with software makers. It teamed up with Microsoft Outlook last year to help easily send a cup of coffee or schedule a meeting at a local Starbucks via the email app.

The update includes new push notifications that will change based on how often you use the app, a mobile ordering review screen with “brand-new look and animations” and new location filtering options so you can find the nearest Starbucks based on what they offer, like when you’re looking for a nitro cold brew or a PSL. Better yet? You don’t have to wait to try it out as all these new features are available now.

Via: 9 to 5 Mac

Source: Starbucks / iTunes