Keep your mouth feeling fresh and clean with this Aqua Water Flosser!

The last time you went to the doctor, they asked you whether you’ve been regularly flossing and you said yes — but have you been? Probably not. But maybe that’s because you don’t have the proper tools.

Get this water flossing kit for under $35! Learn more

Here at Android Central Digital Offers, we want to help. That’s why we’ve got this great deal on an Aqua Water Flosser and dental health kit that’s perfect for an individual or family.

With this kit you get a Aqua Flosser Water Flosser with a 150ml water tank and a rechargeable lithium ion battery along with four color-coded bonus tips for other members of your family to use. If the deal stopped right there, it would be well worth the discounted price of $33.99, but we’re also throwing in a four-piece dental set complete with the same professional tools used to fend off extra stubborn plaque and tartar. We’re not saying you’ll never need to see a dentist again, but if you use these tools they might actually believe you when you say you’ve been flossing next time.

Keep your mouth feeling fresh and clean between dentist appointments! Learn more

This kit is regularly sold for $150, but you can get everything listed above for over 75% off that regular price. Your dental health is important, so keep it in check between appointments with the Aqua Water Flosser.

What Android phone from the past deserves a refresh? [Roundtable]

We play the wishing game and ask for a new version of our old favorites in this week’s roundtable.

Android has come a long way since the beginning. 2008 may not sound like it was forever ago, but in smartphone years it’s ancient history. We’ve seen a lot of Android phones come and go since then, and while some were good and some were bad, a few were absofreakinglutely awesome.

This week the AC staff goes around the table to talk about those awesome phones from the past to tell everyone which phone deserves a refresh.

Jerry Hildenbrand

Hail to the King, baby.

I want it, many of you want it and probably some people at Google want it: A 2017 Nexus One. Glowing trackball and all.

Bring back the Superphone.

Andy Rubin called it the “Superphone” when he helped announce it in 2010, and then promised it was the start of bigger things to come. He nailed it (at least the second part). The original Motorola Droid kicked off Android as the carriers’ dream device but the Nexus One showed the world a glimpse what Android could be when Google was able to do whatever the hell they felt like. It even had amazing specs for its day with that incredible 1GHz processor. Android was glitchy and geeky back then, but the Nexus One carried it forward through countless updates that fixed things and broke others. It was fun as hell.

Imagine a 5.5-inch Nexus One with a Snapdragon 835 and 4GB of RAM. And a glowing trackball. Oh yeah.

Andrew Martonik

I would love to see OnePlus take another swing at the OnePlus X. Despite all of its flaws of missing some specs and having some baffling radio band choices in the U.S., the OnePlus X was a gorgeous phone. It was compact, simple, brilliantly made and had a great screen — all for just $249. None of the devices today you see at that price point offer this level of hardware.

The OnePlus X was compact, simple and brilliant.

I’m sure the economics of such a phone don’t really make sense — which was part of the issue with the whole thing — but I think OnePlus is in a far better state operationally now than it was when the OnePlus X first came out. A sequel would be greatly loved by those of us who really appreciated what the original did.

Marc Lagace

All I ever wanted in a phone was found in the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, so I’m pretty stoked that my “refresh” pick is actually happening. In fact, Samsung is supposed to start selling them sometime this month in South Korea, with hopefully a North American re-release following shortly afterward? Right now, the price is rumored to be over $600, which will be even higher for us Canadians so I’m holding out hope that these will be sold through the major wireless carriers so I might be able to pick one up on contract.

The note 7 was all I ever wanted in a phone.

When Samsung first announced they would be selling refurbished Note 7s, they mentioned market availability would be “dependent upon consultations with regulatory authorities and carriers as well as due consideration of local demand”. I guess that means I should tweeting at Samsung and Bell to sell them in Canada.

Seriously, I will jump through whatever hoops are necessary to own a Note 7 again. I will avoid bringing it on flights, I will have it registered as a potentially deadly weapon, and I will deal with the barrage of jokes about it being the “Fire Edition” if they end up calling it the Note FE — I just want a non-explodey version of the best phone I’ve ever used.

Russell Holly

The original Moto X had features that still don’t exist in anything else.

I would give my good arm for a refresh of the original Moto X. It was small, unique, felt good to hold, and offered features that still don’t really exist in the exact same way elsewhere. It wasn’t a perfect phone by any stretch, but it was a breath of fresh air and Moto quickly deviated from it in search of those bigger phones “everyone” wanted.

Give me a Moto X with new gesture controls, a killer camera, and a body small enough to actually fit in my hand. Keep that curved back, keep MotoMaker designs available, and stay as far away from maximum display size as possible.

Florence Ion

A low-end phone that felt like its high-end counterparts.

I echo Andrew’s sentiments — bring back the OnePlus X! Whatever happened to making low-end smartphones feel like their high-end counterparts? Just because I don’t want to pay premium prices doesn’t mean I don’t deserve a premium-seeming experience. The combined package of the stylish glass and metal bezel on the OnePlus X and its aging-but-not-archaic processor remains unparalleled to this day. Will we ever see a reprise of this fabled affordable device?

Jen Karner

I’d love it if an updated version of the Nexus 5X were to appear in my hand.

I’m not really one of those people who falls head over heels in love with a phone, so this is a tough one to really decide on. Really though, I’d love it if an updated version of the Nexus 5X were to appear in my hand. I loved how well it fit into my — admittedly tiny — hands, and I used the phone until it had basically given up on life. If I could get a new and improved version with an updated camera, more storage space, and Android 7.1 I’d be a pretty happy camper.

Harish Jonnalagadda

An updated HTC One M8 with the same BoomSound experience would be awesome.

HTC got a lot of things right with the One M8 — the aluminium chassis was downright gorgeous, the phone had amazing stereo speakers, and it had an in-hand feel that few phones can match today. Most of all, the phone had the best BoomSound setup of any HTC phone before or after.

The stereo speakers threw out an impressive amount of volume, making the One M8 an ideal device for viewing multimedia content on the go. An updated variant with Snapdragon 835, HTC’s latest software skin, and a much better camera would make for a very compelling device.

Your turn

Have a favorite Android phone from years past that would be great with updated hardware? Hit the comments and let everyone know!

Modern Dad on the LG G6

For the first time in years, LG has ratcheted back its habit of crazy design, and that’s led to a pretty darn capable Android smartphone.

The Modern Dad 2017 Smartphone Tour continues, this time with the LG G6. And it’s a bit of a departure for LG, which has experimented with modular designs in the LG G5 (spoiler: it didn’t work), leather in the LG G4 (spoiler: it didn’t last), and buttons on the back of the phone with the G2 and G3. (That was pretty great, actually, even if the volume keys have moved back to the side.)

So what’s so special about the G6? Maybe that it’s just a really good Android smartphone. Definitely a little more demure in its design, lacking the overt sex appeal of the Samsung Galaxy S8 (among other things, for that matter). The rounded corners on the screen are, well, rounded. And occasionally that’s led to software glitches. (And LG’s software is the same story I’ve been telling for years — it’s better, but not great.)

The reason I’d buy this phone? The dual cameras. Yeah, they’re still a bit of a novelty (having first been introduced on the G5), but they’re also really good and a great way to change the composition of the same old smartphone pics. Couple that with what otherwise is just a solid smartphone (including water resistance!), and this is right up there in my favorite phones of the year.

See at Amazon

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All about Chrome Notifications settings

Cut through the noise and see what’s important by setting up your Chromebook notifications.

Just like Windows or macOS, your Chromebook can get desktop notifications. These can come from web pages, extensions, and apps (including Android apps), and they all live down in the status area where your profile photo is. Managing them is easy once you know where to look!

How to manage global website notification settings

Click the Notifications symbol inside the status area. That’s the bell in the bottom right corner where your account picture lives.
Click the Settings symbol (the gear), then click Advanced settings.
Click Privacy, you’ll see Content settings.
In the pop-up window that appears, scroll down to Notifications.

• You can turn on a prompt that asks you each time a website wants to send you a notification by moving the switch.

For any websites that can send notifications, you’ll be prompted when you first visit if this setting is enabled. If you turn it off, websites will send notifications by default. You’ll also see two lists: a Block list and an Allow list. Sites in either will override this global setting.

How to manage individual website notification settings

You can also manage notifications that you’ve already allowed. You’ll find every website that can send you a notification listed here. Changing the settings is simple:

To change the setting for a site that’s listed, click the three dots in its entry in the list and use the combo box to choose Block or Allow.
To delete a site and fall back to the default global setting the next time you visit, click the X on its entry.
To create a new exception for a website or domain:

• Decide if you want to add a website to the Allow list or Block list. This will override any global setting.
• Click the ADD label on the right side of the page.
• Enter the web address in the text box that opens.
• Insert a star Shift 8 [*] before the domain name. It should look like this [*.]androidcentral.com. This would affect both http://www.androidcentral.com and forums.androidcentral.com.
• You can also use an IP address or an IPv6 address instead of a hostname.

Once you’ve entered the website or domain and saved, every visit to this site will follow your Block and Allow list rules for notifications instead of using the default setting.

Managing notifications for app and extensions

An app or extension that wants to send you desktop notifications will ask you the first time it tries. You also might find extra settings inside the app or extension itself. If you have allowed notifications for an app or extension and want to change the setting:

Click the bell symbol in the notifications area, next to the clock.

• Any notifications you have waiting will pop up.
• If you have no notifications pending, you’ll see No notifications.

In the pop-up window, click the Settings icon that looks like a gear.
Find the app or notification in the list and uncheck the box next to it.

• If you added an exception using the directions above, unchecking its box here will remove it from the list.
• If an app or extension updates, its entry will stay on the list but its box will be unchecked. This is because you need to grant permission the first time the new version runs.

Desktop notifications can be pretty handy, but it’s also easy to get overwhelmed. Use these tips to set things up so you get the information you need without a bunch of extra notification cards that aren’t as helpful.

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Adding a second pair of arms is as easy as putting on a backpack

There’s only so much you can do with two arms and hands. That’s basic science. But what if you could add extras without the need for ethically shady surgery or trading your apartment for a hovel in the shadow of a nuclear power plant? That’s what researchers from Keio University and the University of Tokyo hope to achieve with their “Metalimbs” project. As the name suggests, Metalimbs are a pair of metal, robotic arms that doubles the amount of torso-extremities and worn with a backpack of sorts. And unlike thought-powered prosthetics we’ve seen recently, these are controlled not with your brain, but your existing limbs. Specifically, your legs and feet.

Raise your left leg and the left arm moves in kind; curl your toes and the robot hand will make a fist. And to give feedback for how everything is working, feet-worn haptic motors will buzz and whir so you can feel what your new limbs are doing. The tech was designed to be used while seated, but as you’ll see in the video below, it works while standing too. More than that, the hands can be exchanged for other attachments, like, say, a soldering iron. While this could be a boon for multitaskers, the real beneficiaries of these could be amputees.

The tech will be shown off at SIGGRAPH 2017 in Los Angeles as part of the Emerging Technologies showcase beginning July 31st. Unlike recent advancements we’ve seen, these actually look practical and not too far off from leaving the concept phase.

Via: Nerdist

Source: Inami Laboratory (YouTube), SIGGRAPH

Toshiba X97 Series OLED TV preview: High-end TV tech, but at what price?

Toshiba recently announced its re-entry into the European TV market with a series of televisions, the pinnacle of which is the 65-inch X97 OLED.

Toshiba is pitching the new series of models as being “mid-market” – aimed at price-conscious but ambitious shoppers, so we’re expecting to see a number televisions at affordable prices. That’s pretty much how Toshiba positioned the Regza family before, but now there’s UHD and OLED to contend with.

The X97 is promising to bring a sensational viewing experience with a depth, colour and realism that matches that of the high-end TV brands.

Toshiba X97 TV preview: Display

• 65 inch, 3840 x 2160 pixels, OLED
• No HDR

Using OLED technology, the X97 promises deeper and darker blacks than conventional LED TVs by switching off each pixel’s light. This gives better light control than a normal arrangement where you need a backlight system.

OLED also means a wider colour gamut, the display manages 1024 shades per colour and shows 99% of the DCI-P3 colour space. All this means that the TV can display a wider range of colours including otherwise unseen reds and greens and a variety of natural hues, which should deliver on the OLED promise that many are looking for.

As well as the Ultra HD or 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels), the Toshiba X97 uses motion estimation and motion compensation technologies to offer a smooth transition between scenes. For gaming, this model also boasts a response time of under 1ms, similar to that you’d expect from a dedicated gaming monitor, which sees Toshiba hitting a couple of key specs.

The elephant in the room, however, is the lack of HDR support. HDR is the latest standard in television, bringing even more brightness and contrast to your content and has very much been the buzzword in 2016 and 2017. The lack of HDR support makes the X97 something of an oddity: it’s all about offering an OLED panel, albeit without meeting the latest standards.

That could be a barrier to Toshiba when faced with the falling prices of older TVs that do support those standards – such as the 2016 LG OLED B6, which can be picked up for around £2300 on Amazon, at 65 inches. 

We had some time viewing the X97 at the Toshiba launch event and it’s hard at this stage to give a definitive opinion on whether the TV lives up to the quality standards you might expect. Having said that, the colour range and contrast we saw was impressive and the difference between the dark blacks and the bright whites was very noticeable. 

Toshiba X97 TV preview: Design

• Brushed aluminium stand
• Bezel-free design

As a flagship model, the X97 is an impressively thin and bezel-free TV designed to offer edge-to-edge viewing and an immersive watching experience. 

However, being placed in the mid-market means you’re not going to get a wallpaper-thin display you can mount flat against the wall. The depth of the X97 accommodates the weight of the screen and the various inputs, but it still results in a sleek and stylish design which will fit nicely into any modern home, from the front at least.

The back panel gives a slightly dated feel to this television, with a slightly cheap-looking plastic housing and the presence of a SCART input. The remote control design is also a tad underwhelming and alludes to a cheapness that doesn’t fit this model. 

From the front though, it’s a different story as the big and bold design gives the impression of quality. Toshiba also opted for a sleek, urban chic look that includes a brushed aluminium stand with a minimalist finish – just the green power ring on one side and the Toshiba logo on the other. The result is a certain style which rests easy at the right price point.

The thin panel and sleek design does mean that audio is a separate issue as there is no room for speakers on the front and they have to be housed around the back instead. This model, like every TV in the new range, features DTS TruSurround HD audio as standard, meaning you can be sure of a viewing quality that includes a great clarity of sound to match the impressive picture. We didn’t get a chance to test the audio properly at the event, but with DTS support onboard there’s bound to be plenty of punch to the sound to match the picture quality. 

Toshiba X97 TV preview: Connectivity and features

• 4x HDMI, 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, SCART
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
• Video on demand services

The X97 has a range of inputs that includes four HDMI connections, three USB (including one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0) and a single SCART input. This opens the TV up to a wide range of compatible devices, even if the SCART connection feels a little dated by current standards.

Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections also give access to Toshiba’s smart portal allowing viewers to connect to catch-up TV and on-demand services that include 4K Netflix, Youtube, BBC iPlayer and more. There’s also the promise of Amazon Video capability in the near future, though no timeline on when that will happen just yet.

A built-in Freeview Play tuner for the UK means there is plenty of viewable content right out of the box. Screencasting and mirroring from your mobile phone or tablet is also supported, as is playback of video files via a connected USB device. 

Another feature of the X97 is the ability to play, pause and record live television straight onto a USB stick plugged into the back of the TV. 

We weren’t able to play with these features at the event, but if they live up to the promise then there should be plenty to see and do with this television, even straight out of the box. 

First Impressions

The result is a nicely rounded and capable television, but with a suggested retail price tag of £4,000 we’re not sure how it will compete in a market with HDR-capable TVs, including some OLED, available at lower price points. Toshiba’s omission of that key spec could turn buyers off in this competitive market, especially if that current price turns out to be true.

Nonetheless, we’re looking forward to seeing how Toshiba’s new device stacks up against a growing list of rivals.

The X97 will be available in September.

Scientists now know how your brain differentiates faces

Researchers at Caltech have taken a huge step in figuring out how the brain processes faces. In a study published this week in Cell, the team found that the brain only needs around 200 neurons to differentiate faces from each other.

To figure this out, scientists first showed monkeys a set of pictures and recorded which face cells — neurons that specifically respond to faces — fired and which didn’t. What they found was that single cells weren’t responding to single faces. Instead, each cell was encoding a vector, or one direction in facial space, which means that a single neuron may respond only to a certain distance between a person’s eyes or a dimple on the left side of the mouth.

So, while there are tens of thousands of neurons tuned to facial features, you only need around 200 to uniquely encode any given face. The signals from just that small number of cells can encode enough information to be able to differentiate a new face from all of the others the brain has encountered.

Once they knew what facial characteristic each cell was responding to, the researchers were then able to show a monkey a new face, record the cellular activity in response to it and reconstruct the face based on what the neurons were doing. And they were able to do those reconstructions with remarkable accuracy.

They were also able to create faces that looked completely different from each other but as long as those faces shared one specific feature, the researchers could get the same neuron to fire in response to all of them. So, if entirely different faces had the same crooked hairline, for example, the same neuron would fire in response to every face.

While these findings still need to be replicated, this work could help inform facial recognition technologies and AI. Le Chang, one of the researchers on the project said in a press release, “One can also imagine applications in forensics where one could reconstruct the face of a criminal by analyzing a witness’s brain activity.”

Check out this video, to hear how a single neuron responds to a set of images.

Via: New York Times

Source: Cell

Researchers use rideshare vehicles to uncover stingray use

It’s a badly kept secret that law enforcement uses fake cell phone towers, called stingrays, that can track phones and eavesdrop on communications. But one research team has taken it upon themselves to sniff them out — and at a reasonable cost, reports Wired.

A group of Seattle-based researchers paid fifteen different rideshare service drivers $25 a week each for two months to drive around with a custom-made device in the back of their car. Called SeaGlass, it had a Raspberry Pi computer, a hotspot, an Android phone, a GPS module and a GSM modem. All totaled, each suitcase-sized box had about $500 worth of equipment inside. The team’s mission was to map every cell tower that connected to both the modem and Android phone while the cars were driving through the city.

This experiment was conducted in both Seattle and Milwaukee, but it was Seattle’s data that proved of interest. The team was specifically looking for towers that didn’t behave normally, such as appearing and disappearing or changing location. Of 1,400 mapped cell towers in Seattle, three specific ones were of interest: one at SeaTac airport, one at the Seattle office of the US Customs and Immigration Service and one in a West Seattle neighborhood. While the third may have been a false positive, the researchers believe their data strongly hints at stingray usage at the first two locations.

There’s no proof of whether stingrays are actually operating in these locations or not — after all, they wouldn’t be secret surveillance devices if they were easy to detect. And the Seattle team acknowledges that they probably missed quite few stingray uses, as detecting them depended on one of their cars driving by right as a stingray was activated. But this is an encouraging first step for those who are concerned about the law enforcement’s use of these devices to collect data and eavesdrop on conversations. These researchers may have made it easier to track stingray use in the future, and in a relatively cost-effective way.

Source: Wired, SeaGlass

The best Z-Wave in-wall dimmer

By Rachel Cericola

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

After spending more than 25 hours swapping out receptacles, flipping switches, programming timers, and talking to home-automation experts, we’ve determined that the HomeSeer HS-WD100+ is the best Z-Wave in-wall dimmer for smart-home systems. Like the other six units we tested, it features straightforward remote operation, as well as easy dimming and scheduling. It’s the only model we tested that supports multi-tap features, so you can sync a single switch with multiple lights and appliances around your house, and it works with all Z-Wave–certified smart-home hubs.

Who should get this

The advantages of smart lighting are pretty easy to grasp. We’ve all left lights on when we haven’t meant to, or forgotten to do the same when we’d wanted to, leaving us returning home at the end of the day to a completely dark house. Smart lighting lets you schedule it all automatically or control everything remotely.

You can find many smart-lighting devices, including bulbs, switches, and dimmers. Some work alone using Wi-Fi, others connect to a smart-home hub using wireless technologies such as Z-Wave or ZigBee. A Wi-Fi–enabled smart bulb is easy to get up and running, but if you want to automate a lot of lights in the home—and especially if you’ve already invested in other smart-home gear and you’re using a smart-home hub—you’ll want to get a smart switch.

We specifically picked Z-Wave in-wall dimmers, versus regular on-off switches, because they offer dimming, which can add ambiance and save electricity. We went with Z-Wave over ZigBee because there are currently more in-wall dimmer and smart-home hub options for the DIY crowd with this technology.

It’s important to note that swapping out light switches isn’t for everyone—in fact, doing so is dangerous. If you aren’t comfortable with turning off the power and poking around inside the wall, please hire a licensed electrician to do the job.

How we picked and tested

Photo: Rachel Cericola

In order to find out what makes a good Z-Wave in-wall dimmer, we talked to Mitch Klein, executive director of the Z-Wave Alliance. He said to look for products that are Z-Wave certified, which ensures they will be compatible with other Z-Wave devices, as well as UL compliant. A good in-wall dimmer should allow you to customize the dimming levels, as well as to create scenes, which enable you to bring up a group of lights at set dimming levels at a single touch of a button. Also, you should look for dimmers that are “all-load” compatible, which means they’ll work with a variety of bulbs, including CFL, LED, incandescent, fluorescent, and halogen.

Next, we compiled a list of available dimmers by searching Google, the Z-Wave Alliance website, and Amazon. To be considered, a device needed to be a dimmer, Z-Wave compatible, and designed for installation inside the wall. It also needed to be Z-Wave certified. We avoided those that were proprietary to one specific platform.

My licensed-electrician husband installed the dimmers to be tested, and we connected each dimmer to hubs from SmartThings and Wink, currently two of the most popular options available. All of the dimmers worked, allowing us to turn lights on and off with the hubs’ apps, to dim the lighting on a scale from 1 to 99 percent, and to set timers that would trigger the applicable light to go on and off (and even dim) at a certain time of day. For each of our tests, we used apps on an iPhone 5, an iPad, and a Samsung Galaxy S6. To learn more about the installation and testing process, please see our full guide.

Our Pick

We especially liked the customizable LED indicator lights on the HomeSeer dimmer. Photo: Rachel Cericola

The HomeSeer HS-WD100+ is a reliable Z-Wave in-wall dimmer that provides remote on-off, dimming, and scheduling, similar to its competition. However, it also adds multi-tap features that allow you to set up certain rules, triggers, and dimming levels, based on how you tap the actual switch. This is a really cool feature that no other Z-Wave in-wall dimmer currently offers, which allows you to assign specific tasks to tapping or holding the on or off position on the rocker: For instance, we had the HomeSeer dimmer installed in our living room, but we set it so that tapping the on position twice would trigger a different Z-Wave dimmer in the dining room to turn on.

Although the HS-WD100+ was designed to work with one of HomeSeer’s controllers, it is Z-Wave certified, so it will work with any Z-Wave–certified hub. In fact, it is Z-Wave Plus certified (the only switch we’ve found with this certification), which promises better compatibility and an easier setup.

This is also the only switch in our test group that supports the Z-Wave scene and central scene classes (the latter only when you use it with the HomeSeer hub). This may not be a big deal if you’re controlling only one light switch; however, if you plan to install Z-Wave switches throughout the house, this feature might be important because the scene modes can make for faster transition times with large setups.

Without a HomeSeer-branded hub, you won’t have instant access to the extra features of the HS-WD100+. If you use a SmartThings Hub, you will need to enable the tap features yourself. For anyone with a fear of code, this may be a turnoff, but adding these functions is as easy as a quick copy-and-paste into a browser tool. Once you do that, you will have access to all of this dimmer’s perks. If you have the Wink Hub, the HS-WD100+ is just another dimmer, which could make our runner-up pick a better choice.

Runner-up

The GE dimmer doesn’t look any different from a conventional dimmer, which might make it appealing to some people. Photo: Rachel Cericola

The GE Z-Wave In-Wall Smart Dimmer (model number 12724) is a great choice for anyone who doesn’t have a need for bells and whistles. It works with all sorts of Z-Wave smart-home hubs to provide remote control and dimming from anywhere, as well as all of the standard Z-Wave in-wall dimmer features, such as scenes and customized scheduling so you can turn the lights on and off at specific times of day. The drawbacks? It doesn’t doesn’t allow upgrades (the company plans to release another model down the line that will).

In our tests, once connected to each smart-home hub, the GE 12724 performed similarly to every other switch on our list. It reacted quickly and reliably, and was smooth and sturdy in operation, delivering a nice “click” when pushed. It’s very plain looking and doesn’t have an LED indicator, though it does include a tiny light at its base that you can customize to go on or off depending on the status of the dimmer switch.

This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from The Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

Andy Rubin’s Essential is toying with the idea of smart glasses

Now that Andy Rubin’s technology startup Essential has emerged from stealth, there’s a healthy amount of interest around what the company plans to do to stand out. We’ve already had our first look at the Essential Phone and smart Home assistant, but a recent patent filing also hints that the Android co-founder and his team could launch smart glasses that look a lot like Snapchat’s Spectacles.

The filing, surfaced by Patently Apple, shows what looks like a perfectly normal pair of glasses. However, Essential appears to be toying with the idea of incorporating a dual-mode display and camera module, which may allow the user to take photos and record video, but also track the movement of their eye.

This could give rise to technologies like augmented reality. The company notes: “Based on the environment that the user sees, and based on the direction of the user’s gaze, the processor can display an image to augment the environment around the user. For example, if the user is looking at a barcode of an item, the processor can display cheaper purchasing options of the same item.”

Technology companies often protect their ideas with patents, meaning that a third product could be a long way from release. Especially given that the Phone is the only product currently available to order (the Home assistant has only been previewed on the company’s website up to now) and that Snapchat, which is the only provider of smart glasses getting any buzz, hasn’t exactly gone big with its take on smart eyewear (units are limited to connected kiosks in a small number of towns and cities).

Virtual reality has grown in popularity, however, and augmented reality looks set to build on the platform. It should come as no surprise that a company staffed by former Google and Apple employees is keeping on top of the space, even if they don’t have immediate plans to launch anything.

Via: The Verge

Source: Patently Apple