OnePlus 5 is now up for sale in India exclusively on Amazon

You can now pick up the OnePlus 5 in India.

The OnePlus 5 made its debut in India late last week, and the phone is now up for sale exclusively on Amazon India. The variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage costs ₹32,999 ($510), and the version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage is available for ₹37,999 ($590).

Both variants are currently in stock, and if you’re ordering today, you’ll be able to take advantage of several launch day offers. Customers with SBI credit and debit cards get a flat ₹1,500 cashback, and you’ll be eligible to receive ₹500 in credit toward Kindle e-books once you sign in to the Kindle app. You can also get ₹250 as Amazon Pay balance after streaming a video on Amazon’s Prime Video.

OnePlus’ service partner Servify has teamed up with Kotak to offer subsidized 12-month accidental damage insurance for those opening a Kotak 811 account and paying ₹1,000. If you’re a Vodafone subscriber, you can get up to 75GB of free 4G data along with free access to Vodafone Play for three months.

As a refresher, the OnePlus 5 offers a 5.5-inch Full HD Optic AMOLED display, 2.45GHz Snapdragon 835, dual cameras at the back that include a 16MP sensor augmented by a 20MP telephoto lens, 16MP front camera, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3300mAh battery and Dash Charge. On the software front, you’re getting a relatively customization-free skin with OxygenOS 4.5 atop Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

The phone has a lot going for it, as Andrew Martonik noted in his detailed review:

You’re getting a jam-packed and future-proof spec sheet, an above-average display, solid speaker, good battery life, fast charging and a well-built aluminum body. The software is slick, fast and consistent in ways that few phones can match, and doesn’t include piles of features that get in your way.

Interested in seeing what all the fuss is about? Head on over to Amazon India from the link below to get your hands on the OnePlus 5.

See at Amazon India

T-Mobile launches speedy LTE-U service in six cities

The war over speedier LTE data is heating up in a big, big way. T-Mobile has launched LTE-U (that is, LTE riding on unlicensed frequencies) in parts of a handful of cities, including T-Mobile’s home turf in Bellevue as well as Brooklyn, Dearborn, Las Vegas, Richardson and Simi Valley. If you have a compatible device (just the Galaxy S8 for now), it’ll take advantage of public 5GHz wireless to give your service a boost. And if that’s not fast enough, both T-Mobile and AT&T are offering a peek at the next wave of not-quite-5G speeds.

Both carriers have announced that they’re field-testing LTE-LAA (LTE License Assisted Access) that promises hundreds of megabits per second by combining open 5GHz wireless with licensed airwaves. In practice, that could deliver performance better than your internet connection at home. AT&T’s San Francisco test managed a brisk 650Mbps, while T-Mobile’s Los Angeles experiment has reached an even quicker 741Mbps.

It’ll likely be a while before you see LAA in real life. Remember, AT&T’s existing faux 5G service is barely up and running — it’s going to take longer before a faster technology is ready for American networks. And that’s not including the need for manufacturers to hop aboard. Still, both tests are promising. Just as sped-up 3G made it easier to wait for LTE rollouts several years ago, LTE-LAA could give you a taste of 5G-like speeds while you wait for true 5G to reach your city.

Source: T-Mobile, AT&T

Apple buys a company making eye-tracking glasses

Apple wasn’t shy about its augmented reality plans at WWDC this year, and it’s backing up those goals with yet another acquisition. MacRumors has learned that Apple recently bought SensoMotoric Instruments, a German company that makes eye-tracking glasses and platforms for both augmented and virtual reality. It’s not discussing the terms of the deal or long-term plans (it only offered a stock confirmation to Axios), but the nature of SensoMotoric’s tech could hint at what Apple wants.

The glasses in question can follow your gaze in real time for all kinds of practical applications, such as improving athletic performance (by training athletes to focus on the right areas) or figuring out which store displays catch a shopper’s attention. In VR, you can use the eye tracking to either control the interface or minimize motion sickness.

Apple is reportedly testing augmented reality glasses, so it wouldn’t be far-fetched to see the company use SensoMotoric’s work in its own hardware. Don’t be sure that this will result in a tangible product, though. It’s easy to see Apple improving augmented reality on iOS devices by using the front camera to see what you’re staring at. Just don’t count on VR uses — while Apple is embracing VR support, it’s more interested in AR as of late. Whatever happens, the deal holds a lot of potential.

Via: AppleInsider, Axios

Source: MacRumors

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Apple Pencil for $85

Apple today began selling a certified refurbished Apple Pencil for $85 on its online store in the United States. A brand new Apple Pencil costs $99 in the country, so purchasing a refurbished model yields a savings of $14. The deal does not yet appear to be available in any other regions.

A refurbished Apple Pencil isn’t brand new, but Apple says it undergoes a thorough cleaning process and inspection to ensure it meets Apple’s quality standards, including full functionality testing. It’s then repackaged in a new box with a Lightning adapter, an extra tip, and the appropriate documentation.

Apple Pencil is a stylus designed specifically to work with iPad Pro, giving artists a tool with a level of precision far beyond that of a finger.

Designed to mimic the feel and sensation of using a pen or a pencil, the Apple Pencil has built-in sensors to determine orientation and angle, and to detect a range of forces for pressure-sensitive drawing and writing. Apple has optimized the iPad Pro and iOS to ensure the Apple Pencil has minimal latency.

With iOS 11, iPad Pro users are able to add handwriting and drawings alongside text, and search handwritten notes using Spotlight.

A refurbished Apple Pencil comes with Apple’s standard one-year limited hardware warranty covering manufacturing defects.

Tags: refurbished, Apple Pencil
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What’s on TV: ‘Crash Bandicoot,’ ‘Modern Warfare’ and ‘Okja’

This week Netflix is preparing to premiere its next big film, from director Bong Joon Ho (Mother, The Host, Snowpiercer) called Okja. It’s also time for the return of two familiar video games, as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is available in standalone form on the PS4, along with the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy that has been fully rebuilt, retuned and remastered. The latest Fast and the Furious movie is ready for streaming on-demand, while on TV it’s time for a series finale with Pretty Little Liars, as well as season finales for Doctor Who and iZombie. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• The Fate of the Furious (VOD)
• Power Rangers (4K)
• T2 Trainspotting (4K)
• Trespass
• CHiPS
• The Pink Panther Film Collection
• Straw Dogs (Criterion)
• The Big O: Complete Collection
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (PS4 – 6/30)
• Diablo III: Eternal Collection (Xbox One, PS4)
• Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Final Fantasy XV: Episode Prompto (PS4, Xbox One)
• Valkyria Revolution (PS4, Xbox One)
• Elite Dangerous (PS4)
• Danganropa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PS4, PC)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
• Elite: Dangerous Horizons (PS4)
• Cryptark (PS4)
• Poi (PS4, Xbox One)
• AereA (PS4, Xbox One)

Monday

• Big3 Basketball (tape delayed), Fox Sports 1, 8PM
• American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
• So You Think You Can Dance?, Fox, 8PM
• Shadowhunters, Freeform, 8PM
• 2017 NBA Awards, TNT, 9PM
• Preacher, AMC, 9PM
• POV (season premiere), PBS, 9PM
• Superhuman, Fox, 9PM
• Stitchers, Freeform, 9PM
• Whose Line is it Anyway?, CW, 9PM
• Drone Racing League, ESPN2, 10PM
• Talking Preacher, AMC, 10PM
• Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge, NBC, 10PM
• #Murder, TV One, 10PM
• The Therapist, Viceland, 10:30PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Tuesday

• Casual, Hulu, 3AM
• Chris D’elia: Man on Fire, Netflix, 3AM
• America’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
• Pretty Little Liars (series finale), Freeform, 8PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• Animal Kingdom, TNT, 9PM
• The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros, MTV, 9PM
• Famous in Love, Freeform, 9PM
• Deadliest Catch, Discovery, 9PM
• iZombie (season finale), CW, 9PM
• Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
• Queen Sugar, OWN, 10PM
• Wrecked, TBS, 10PM
• Fear Factor, MTV, 10PM
• Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
• World of Dance, NBC, 10PM
• Team Ninja Warrior (season finale), USA, 10PM
• Downward Dog (season finale), 10 & 10:30PM
• The Jim Jefferies Show, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• Desus and Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Wednesday

• Okja, Netflix, 3AM
• Big Brother (season premiere), CBS, 8PM
• Little Big Shots, NBC, 8PM
• Kingdom, DirecTV Audience, 8PM
• Hood Adjacent with James Davis (series premiere), 9PM
• Big Star Little Star, USA, 9PM
• Catfish, MTV, 9PM
• The F Word with Gordon Ramsey, Fox, 9PM
• The Magicians, Syfy, 9PM
• Major Crimes, TNT, 9PM
• Broadchurch (season premiere), BBC America, 10PM
• Cleverman (season premiere), Sundance, 10PM
• Queen Sugar, Own, 10PM
• Blood Drive, Syfy, 10PM
• To Tell the Truth, ABC, 10PM
• Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV, 9:30 & 10PM
• The Ultimate Fighter, FS1, 10PM
• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, TBS, 10:30PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Thursday

• Beat Shazam, Fox, 8PM
• Boy Band, ABC, 8PM
• Hollywood Game Night, NBC, 8PM
• Battle of the Network Stars (series premiere), ABC, 9PM
• Big Brother, CBS, 9PM
• The Wall, NBC, 9PM
• The Tunnel, PBS, 9PM
• Love Connection, Fox, 9PM
• King of the Road, Viceland, 9PM
• Zoo (season premiere), CBS, 10PM
• The Mist, Spike TV, 10PM
• The Night Shift, NBC, 10PM
• The Gong Show, ABC, 10PM
• Queen of the South, USA, 10PM
• Party Legends, Viceland, 10PM
• American Boyband, Viceland, 10:30PM
• Comedy Knockout, TruTV, 11PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Friday

• Gypsy (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals (S2), Amazon Prime, 3AM
• Little Witch Academia (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Danger & Eggs, Amazon Prime, 3AM
• Vice, HBO, 7:30PM
• Killjoys (season premiere), Syfy, 8PM
• Masters of Illusion (season premiere), CW, 8PM
• Dark Matter, Syfy, 9PM
• Wynonna Earp, Syfy, 10PM
• Tanked, Animal Planet, 10PM
• Playing House, USA, 11 & 11:30PM

Saturday

• Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series @ Daytona, NBC, 7PM
• Doubt, CBS, 8PM
• Doctor Who (season finale), BBC America, 8:30PM
• Turn, AMC, 9PM
• In an Instant, ABC, 9PM
• Orphan Black, BBC America, 10PM

Sunday

• Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN, 8PM
• The Wrong Crush, Lifetime, 8PM
• Power, Starz, 9PM
• Claws, TNT, 9PM
• Grantchester, PBS, 9PM
• American Grit, Fox, 9PM
• Fear the Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
• Talking Dead, AMC, 10PM
• Prime Suspect, PBS, 10PM
• Kevin Hart Presents, Comedy Central, 11PM
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11PM
• Legends of Chamberlain Heights, Comedy Central, 11:30PM

(All times listed are ET)

Astronomers capture best picture yet of the star in Orion’s armpit

Betelgeuse isn’t just an etymological inspiration for Michael Keaton’s best role, it’s a colossal star forming the right shoulder in the well-known constellation Orion. Astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Northern Chile to photograph it, producing the most detailed image yet of any star besides our own sun.

While scientists knew that Betelgeuse’s surface wasn’t uniform, this high-resolution photo reveals that its inner temperature isn’t, either. These temperature fluctuations on the star’s surface resemble those happening on our sun’s, a similarity more stunning due to the differences between the solar bodies: Betelgeuse is 1400 times larger, meaning if it sat at the center of our solar system, its edges would almost reach Jupiter.

The high-resolution photo might also tell us about the gigantic star’s future as it continues to mysteriously lose mass. Astronomer and author of a paper accompanying the image recently published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Iain McDonald of the University of Manchester, told Gizmodo that Betelgeuse’s eventual supernova will produce different elements depending on whether it explodes sooner or later. The image will likely give more clues on when that might happen — but also how elemental production factors in to the universe’s creation.

“We want to understand how the process [of element production] works in stars that are long gone,” McDonald told Gizmodo, “since it’s those stars that let us know how the elements we’re made of were made.”

Via: Gizmodo, DIAS

Source: “The inhomogeneous sub-millimeter atmosphere of Betelgeuse” (PDF)

MIT algorithm tells you how to fold any shape imaginable with origami

Why it matters to you

Algorithm may sound like just a fascinating math challenge, but it could be useful for 3D prototyping, too.

When we say that Erik Demaine has spent the best part of the past two decades folding paper into funny shapes, it’s a bit more impressive than it sounds.

In fact, as an 18-year-old Ph.D. student (yes, you read that right!) at the University of Waterloo, Demaine wrote an algorithm which described how a piece of paper could be folded into any imaginable 3D shape. It was an amazingly impressive piece of work, but it also worked a lot better in theory than in practice, since the algorithm resulted in lots of seams that required the paper to fold awkwardly back on itself.

Jump forward to the present day, and Demaine and colleague Tomohiro Tachi are weeks away from presenting a new, improved origami folding algorithm at the Symposium on Computational Geometry. The new algorithm not only manages to fold any 3D shape out of a piece of paper — but does so with the minimal amount of seams.

“We’ve developed a new algorithm for universal origami design,” Demaine, now a professor of Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Digital Trends. “You specify an arbitrary 3D polyhedron as the shape you want to fold, and it tells you a crease pattern for how to fold it. The origami designs it comes up with seem quite efficient in practice, using a large fraction of the paper to form the desired shape. The designs are also ‘watertight,’ meaning that there are no gaps in the layers that make up the desired surface.”

The computer algorithm starts out by mapping the shape of the intended object onto a flat surface. This involves an immense amount of complexity since pieces which may be touching in the final three-dimensional fold could be nowhere near each other on the flat piece of paper. Just as complex as coming up with the algorithm was then setting out to prove its correctness.

But does this thing have any real-world applications, or is it just an impressive computer science achievement that is big on math, but short on real-life uses? Definitely the former, Demaine said.

“The big impact is on manufacturing: Sheet material is plentiful and relatively cheap, and origami offers a way to use it to manufacture 3D surfaces,” he said. “This can be much faster to prototype than traditional 3D printers, and is also very good for making lightweight structures.”

Between this, NASA’s origami robot, and ingestible origami bots that can perform microsurgery inside you, folding paper is so hot right now!

MIT algorithm tells you how to fold any shape imaginable with origami

Why it matters to you

Algorithm may sound like just a fascinating math challenge, but it could be useful for 3D prototyping, too.

When we say that Erik Demaine has spent the best part of the past two decades folding paper into funny shapes, it’s a bit more impressive than it sounds.

In fact, as an 18-year-old Ph.D. student (yes, you read that right!) at the University of Waterloo, Demaine wrote an algorithm which described how a piece of paper could be folded into any imaginable 3D shape. It was an amazingly impressive piece of work, but it also worked a lot better in theory than in practice, since the algorithm resulted in lots of seams that required the paper to fold awkwardly back on itself.

Jump forward to the present day, and Demaine and colleague Tomohiro Tachi are weeks away from presenting a new, improved origami folding algorithm at the Symposium on Computational Geometry. The new algorithm not only manages to fold any 3D shape out of a piece of paper — but does so with the minimal amount of seams.

“We’ve developed a new algorithm for universal origami design,” Demaine, now a professor of Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Digital Trends. “You specify an arbitrary 3D polyhedron as the shape you want to fold, and it tells you a crease pattern for how to fold it. The origami designs it comes up with seem quite efficient in practice, using a large fraction of the paper to form the desired shape. The designs are also ‘watertight,’ meaning that there are no gaps in the layers that make up the desired surface.”

The computer algorithm starts out by mapping the shape of the intended object onto a flat surface. This involves an immense amount of complexity since pieces which may be touching in the final three-dimensional fold could be nowhere near each other on the flat piece of paper. Just as complex as coming up with the algorithm was then setting out to prove its correctness.

But does this thing have any real-world applications, or is it just an impressive computer science achievement that is big on math, but short on real-life uses? Definitely the former, Demaine said.

“The big impact is on manufacturing: Sheet material is plentiful and relatively cheap, and origami offers a way to use it to manufacture 3D surfaces,” he said. “This can be much faster to prototype than traditional 3D printers, and is also very good for making lightweight structures.”

Between this, NASA’s origami robot, and ingestible origami bots that can perform microsurgery inside you, folding paper is so hot right now!

Google video-sharing app Uptime now available to all users on iOS

Why it matters to you

You don’t have to watch YouTube videos alone just because there’s no one around you. Just check out Uptime, the iOS video-sharing app from Google.

Update: In the latest version for Uptime, the app is now officially available to all users on iOS and includes a few new features.

If you and your friends all happen to be iPhone users and have been dying to watch a video together from across the country (or around the world), you officially can with Uptime. The app — which first launched in March and required an invite code — is now available for all users, according to TechCrunch.

In this day and age, you’re never really alone, even if there’s no one next to you. Driving home that idea, Google’s Uptime wants to make your video watching experience a more social one. Because who says you have to binge watch The Great British Baking Show all by your lonesome?

The new update also comes equipped with an easier-to-navigate home screen to see what’s on at the moment, Facebook Connect to find your friends, and now features music videos as well.

Developed by Google’s startup incubator Area 120, which was first established last year to encourage Google employees to come up with their own startup ideas, Uptime lets you connect with your friends via YouTube videos. Currently available exclusively for iPhone (we know that’s weird considering it’s … a Google product), the app simply requires you to sign in with your Google account, then find your friends. From there, you’ll be able to watch kitten videos (or whatever else you find on YouTube) together in real time, and provide commentary by way of Facebook Live-esque emojis and written comments as you watch.

We’re sure no one will be surprised to hear that the UI looks much like Snapchat’s, because apparently everyone is looking to borrow from the same source these days. But even so, Uptime certainly serves a different purpose from that of existing social media platforms, allowing users to gather around different screens, together.

The app is free to download for iOS.

Download for iOS

SyncThink uses VR to accurately diagnose concussions in just one minute

Why it matters to you

Smart eye-tracking VR tech promises to take the guesswork out of concussion diagnosis on the sidelines.

Here in 2017, fortunately everyone realizes the severity of concussions, referring to a traumatic head injury that results in the temporary loss of brain function. But while there is plenty of awareness, we are still trying to come up with the best way of diagnosing them when they happen.

From smart mouth guards to brain-testing audio exams, we previously covered a few of the potential solutions. An alternative approach, however, is the one dreamed up by Boston-based neuro-technology and eye-tracking startup SyncThink. Their answer? A patented virtual reality system that promises to be able to recognize concussion in just one minute, while being used in the field.

The idea is simple: Pop the headset on a person suspected of having a concussion and see if they are able to properly perform an eye-tracking test. If not, the cloud-connected analytics platform will alert the user (and anyone else who needs alerting) that a likely head injury has been suffered.

“SyncThink develops revolutionary eye-tracking technology products, now in VR headsets, that give medical professionals objective metrics for visual attention,” Daniel Beeler, chief technical officer of SyncThink, told Digital Trends. “Based on 15 years of research, SyncThink’s first product, Eye-Sync, is a 60-second, objective sideline assessment that uses eye tracking to evaluate for ocular motor impairments and vestibular balance dysfunction – the two most common and serious components of a concussion.”

As a company founded by Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, who also heads the Stanford Concussion and Brain Performance Center, the solution certainly is not lacking in the necessary credentials.

The really exciting bit, of course, is the technology’s supposed objectivity. Concussions can be challenging to diagnose because of the different ways they can manifest. Symptoms can be both vague and varied, ranging from tiredness and poor concentration to severe headaches. An objective tool that can, therefore, take the guesswork out of diagnosis could, therefore, be a potentially literal lifesaver. Already, the company’s tech has been used by top university athletic departments and medical clinics, including Stanford University and Massachusetts General Hospital.

“SyncThink’s preliminary focus is on the sports industry, including working with leading collegiate athletic departments and professional sports organizations,” Beeler said. “Eye-Sync is also used in the clinical setting at hospitals and doctors offices, as well as by the government in many capacities.”

Hopefully, tools like this can help make instant concussion diagnosis a reality.