Deal: Students can now save 10% on the OnePlus 5!

OnePlus is offering a great discount on its latest flagship — if you’re a student.

A few weeks back, OnePlus teamed up with DJI to offer some nice bundles to students. While there were some savings to be had, it was still more expensive for those that only needed a phone. Good news: OnePlus is back with more deals.

Right now, OnePlus is offering a 10% discount on the OnePlus 5. This involves joining OnePlus’s student program to verify active attendance. Ten percent may not sound like a lot, but it comes to $47.90 off the price of the OnePlus 5, a decent discount.

For those that need a snazzy new backpack for school, OnePlus is offering 10% off any order, with the limit of one OnePlus 5 per order. If you already have a phone but need to save some money during the back to school season, check out our back to school guide!

Are you interested in picking up the discounted OnePlus 5? Let us know down below!

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Verizon brings Android Oreo to the Pixel before Google rolls it out widely

Verizon has started rolling out Oreo to Pixel owners.

Android 8.0 Oreo became officially official last week, with a stable version of the software rolling out to users of the developer preview build. It seems the time has now come for users that were on Nougat to begin receiving the update aws well.

Verizon has begun rolling out Oreo to Pixel owners. As usual, Big Red recommends having the device connected to WiFi and making sure the battery is charged before downloading the update. The update pages highlight Oreo features such as Picture-in-Picture, notification improvements, better password manager integration and always-on display support. This is in addition to background changes such as improved security and (maybe, someday) better Bluetooth support.

There was a good bit of concern last year when Verizon was announced as a launch partner that they would delay updates for no good reason, like back in the Galaxy Nexus days. After a year of delivering security updates and a major OS update without delay, I think it’s safe to put those fears to rest.

Have you received the Oreo update yet? Let us know down below!

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Zeiss VR One Connect puts PC games on mobile VR headsets

PC-powered VR gaming requires a minimum $500 investment just for the headset, but Zeiss and Steam have introduced a cheaper way to do it. The Zeiss VR One Connect runs SteamVR games powered by a PC, but sends a pre-rendered display signal to a smartphone installed in a mobile VR headset. You can then game using a pair of Zeiss wireless controllers, connected by Bluetooth to your iOS or Android smartphone with a screen between 4.7 and 5.5 inches.

Zeiss says you need a “current” smartphone (a minimum resolution isn’t specified) but can use other headsets besides its own $99 VR One. It supplies a USB cable (hopefully a long one) to connect to your SteamVR-compliant computer, and a pair of controllers . The game relies on your phone’s built-in motion sensors and Bluetooth chip, but all the game processing is done on the PC. (It’s hard to see it working on a Gear VR, unfortunately, as that headset hogs the USB port for itself.)

The controllers track three-degrees-of-freedom (3DoF) motion using inertial senor tech licensed from a company called PXL Vision. That data is married with your smartphone’s sensor data to calculate where your hands are in relation to the image on the mobile screen. That all has to work pretty well, or the controller and/or image lag could be pretty bad. Positional “room-scale” tracking isn’t available, so you’ll be confined to a single spot, standing or seated.

There are other solutions that let you watch movies and stream games on Samsung’s Gear VR and other headsets, but none approach the Zeiss VR One Connect sophistication. If you’re looking for a cheap PC VR gaming option, though, you’d be wise to wait. Oculus is reportedly coming out with a wireless, smartphone-free VR headset powered by mobile hardware, for one.

More pertinently, a crop of $300-400 mixed reality, PC-powered headsets from Acer, Dell HP and Lenovo are arriving soon. Those use built-in cameras to do “inside-out” motion tracking, allowing for room-scale mixed reality, and they look promising based on the limited demos we’ve seen. Hopefully we’ll see more at IFA 2017 in Berlin.

If the Zeiss app is implemented well, lag could be minimal, so we’re looking forward to trying it for ourselves. It’s coming to Best Buy and Game Stop in Q4 2017 for $129, or $199 with the Zeiss One VR headset.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Source: Zeiss (1), (2)

Apple Now Selling Refurbished 2017 21.5-Inch iMac Models

Apple today updated its online store for refurbished products to add the new 21.5-inch iMac models that were initially released in June of 2017.

Today marks the first time the new 2017 iMacs in the 21.5-inch configuration have been available through the refurbished store since their launch at the Worldwide Developers Conference. The new iMacs feature Kaby Lake processors, upgraded displays, faster solid state storage, and discrete graphics.

Apple’s refurbished store features only 4K models with Retina display at this time and does not have any refurbished non-Retina 21.5-inch iMac models available for purchase.

At the time of this post, there were eight different refurbished 4K 21.5-inch iMacs available in various configurations, with prices discounted by approximately 15 percent. An entry-level 4K model with 8GB RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a Radeon Pro 555 is available for $1,099, for example, a $200 discount off of the regular $1,299 starting price.

Apple has a several different configurations available, from low-end to top-of-the-line. As with all refurbished products, stock will fluctuate regularly based on the machines Apple is getting in for repair. The addition of the new 2017 21.5-inch models follows the introduction of refurbished 2017 27-inch iMacs earlier this month.

All of Apple’s refurbished products go through a rigorous refurbishment process before being offered for sale, which includes inspection, repairs, cleaning, and repackaging. Refurbished Macs come with a one-year warranty that can be extended with an AppleCare+ purchase. For more info on purchasing a refurbished product from Apple, make sure to check out our guide.

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PC players can try the next ‘Overwatch’ map early

Hot on the heels of the deathmatch modes added to the main game today, Overwatch is allowing players to try out the game’s next map, Junkertown, on the PTR servers. While only PC owners get to play on the test servers, they’ll get some time to explore the hero shooter’s payload map before it hits the game proper.

Blizzard announced the new map last week during Gamescom, and it looks like another vibrant playing field riddled with lore easter eggs. Junkertown is a lawless commune in the Australian wastes overseen by a mysterious unseen queen that makes her presence known in the map’s trailer. Nuclear weapons deployed against the robotic Omnic menace turned the country into a post-apocalyptic wasteland — the only place where lawless rapscallions Junkrat and Roadhog could’ve come from.

Lucky Gamescom attendees got first crack at the map, which will be a payload mission. Players must escort Roadhog and Junkrat’s booty accumulated during their worldwide robbing spree. Naturally, there will probably be a number of other story hints tucked into the map’s corners. By the by, if you notice your favorite heroes acting a little different, it’s not the new map: The Overwatch team tweaked Roadhog, Orisa, Widowmaker and Junkrat, so check the notes for today’s patch.

Instagram Posts With Multiple Photos Now Support Landscape and Portrait Mode

Instagram has allowed users to share multiple photos in a single post since February, but those photos have been limited to the traditional square aspect ratio, preventing users from sharing landscape or portrait mode images in a multi-photo post.

Starting today, that limitation is changing. Instagram is now allowing users to share multi-photo posts in any aspect ratio, including taller portrait mode photos and wider landscape mode photos.

After we first rolled out in February, these posts could only be made up of squares. Now, when uploading your photos and videos, you’ll have more creative flexibility with the ability to share in landscape and portrait formats. To keep the experience smooth and consistent, however, all photos and videos in your post must be shared in the same format.

While there will no longer be a need to crop portrait and landscape photos when sharing them in multiple photo posts, all images in the post need to share the same aspect ratio, so there’s no mixing portrait and landscape photos in one post.

Instagram says the new photo uploading capabilities are available starting today, but it appears the feature may still be rolling out to some users as it is not yet available to everyone.

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Amazon Echo Gains Support for Multi-Room Music Playback

Amazon today added a new Alexa feature that allows several Amazon Echo devices to be synchronized and controlled across multiple rooms in a home. Echo owners can now target music to a specific Echo device or play the same music on more than one Echo.

The feature works with a variety of music services, including Amazon Music, TuneIn, iHeartRatio, and Pandora, with support for Spotify and SiriusXM coming soon. To use multi-room support, users will need to use the Alexa app to create groups with two or more Echo devices, giving the group a name like “downstairs.” Once the group is enabled, commands like “Alexa, play John Mayer downstairs” will work.

“In just the last few months, we’ve added dozens of new features to Alexa that enhance your entertainment experience–control of Amazon Fire TV and your home entertainment systems via Echo; music lyrics, Amazon Video, and movie trailers on Echo Show; and activity-based music searches–and we’re just getting started,” said Toni Reid, Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “Today, we’re making Alexa even smarter with an all-new feature that lets you play music synchronized on multiple Echo devices to provide room-filling music throughout your home.”

Amazon’s move to add support for multiple Echo devices comes as Apple prepares to launch both the HomePod and an AirPlay 2 protocol. Multiple HomePod devices can be used simultaneously, and with AirPlay 2, speakers that support the feature can be paired together for a whole-home music experience.

Multi-room music support is available for the Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show in the United States, UK, and Germany starting today. Amazon says it plans to extend the ability allow users to control multi-room music on other connected speakers with just a voice command through a new Multi-Room Music SDK that device makers can build into their speakers. Amazon plans to work with brands like Sonos, Bose, Sound United, and Samsung, and some of these manufacturers are also working to support AirPlay 2 in future devices.

In other Echo-related news, the original Amazon Echo is out of stock on Amazon.com, fueling speculation that a new device launch is imminent. Rumors have suggested Amazon is working on a new version of the Echo that’s designed to better compete with Apple’s upcoming HomePod. The new Echo device is said to feature improved sound quality, better microphone technology, and a new design.

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NYPD ditches 36,000 Windows Phones, confirms plans to switch to iPhone

Why it matters to you

With an end to Windows 8.1, the NYPD will no longer receive updates to its Windows Phones. iPhones will now handle your direct 911 calls to officers.

After deciding to go with Microsoft’s mobile operating system last year, the New York City Police Department is getting rid of the 36,000 Windows Phones it gave its police force throughout the past two years. The city will transition from the obsolete devices to iPhones by the end of the year, the New York Post reports.

The Windows models chosen in particular were the Nokia Lumia 830 and the Lumia 640XL, as part of the $160 million initiative to bring the NYPD up to date. Even though Windows Phone’s U.S. market share was at 2.3 percent in comparison to Android’s 65.2 percent and iOS’ 30.9 percent, the decision was based on Windows’ better security features and remote management.

Jessica Tisch, the NYPD deputy commissioner of IT, spearheaded the initiative claiming Windows applications were more cost-effective in comparison to iOS and Android, MacRumors reports. The Lumia smartphones were provided to the NYPD for free, allowing the department to replace the smartphones with any other device within two years.

It also allowed New York City’s police to work with Microsoft to create seven NYPD-specific apps, one of which includes 911 calls. The app directs the calls to officers instead of having dispatchers read the reports to them. Other apps allow officers to complete tasks ranging from filling and filing paperwork or reports, along with staying informed with department policies.

But the decision to switch to iPhones comes only one month after it was announced that Microsoft officially ended Windows 8.1. With both of the NYPD phones and the Microsoft-engineered apps running on this specific operating system, the change is necessary. An end to Windows 8.1 means the devices will no longer receive updates going forward.

Switching to the smartphones did see its benefits, with crimes being solved more quickly and improved direct communication between citizens and officers. But when working in such a crucial field where lives are on the line, it is important to carry devices that are equipped with the best software and operating systems.

On the other hand, Apple frequently updates the number of its devices on its OS. As of July 28, 87 percent of active iOS devices run some version of iOS 10 while 10 percent run iOS 9. A majority of Apple’s customers on its most up-to-date software not only means users are accessing its latest features, but they also have better security.

The NYPD has yet to give details on which model of the iPhone it plans on providing to law enforcement officers. But with Apple reportedly weeks away from unveiling its latest lineup of iPhone models — including the iPhone 8 — officials will definitely have a lot of options to choose from.

Mobile app can screen for pancreatic cancer when users snap a quick selfie

Why it matters to you

The University of Washington’s new mobile app can screen for one of the deadliest forms of cancer in a non-invasive way.

There have been a few examples of research we covered that have used machine learning technology to diagnose cancer. None of them have been quite like the University of Washington’s BiliScreen project, however. In an attempt to diagnose cancer, researchers at the university have developed a smartphone app that is capable of carrying out a screening by asking users to snap a quick selfie. Could there be a more 2017 medical diagnosis tool?

But if the idea sounds whimsical, the problem it is helping to solve is anything but. The type of cancer the researchers are interested in is pancreatic cancer, a particularly nasty type of cancer with a five-year survival rate of just nine percent. (Pancreatic cancer was the cause of death of former Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs). Making pancreatic cancer hard to spot is the fact that it does not display obvious telltale symptoms which allow people to catch it prior to it spreading. That is where the University of Washington’s new smartphone app enters the frame.

“BiliScreen is a smartphone app we are developing to quantify the extent of jaundice in an individual,” Alex Mariakakis, a doctoral student at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, told Digital Trends. “Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin and eyes due to the buildup of a compound called bilirubin in the blood. Jaundice becomes obvious to the naked eye at 3.0 mg/dl, but clinicians start to be concerned at only 1.3 mg/dl, leaving a gap where detection could be important. There are many reasons why someone may become jaundiced, including hepatitis and Gilbert’s syndrome. What we are most excited about, [though], is the fact that jaundice is one of earlier symptoms that appears in people who have pancreatic cancer.”

Dennis Wise, University of Washington

The app works by using a smartphone camera, along with computer vision algorithms and machine-learning tools, to look for increased bilirubin levels in the white part of a person’s eye. In an initial clinical study of 70 people, the app — along with a 3D-printed box that controls the eye’s exposure to light — was able to correctly identify cases of concern 89.7 percent of the time.

As Mariakakis notes, jaundice does not necessarily equate to pancreatic cancer, but recognizing elevated levels of it in the eye could be a sign that an individual should consult a physician.

As exciting as this is, Mariakakis points out it will take longer before it is ready to be made available as a clinical tool. “Giving people information that could lead them to believe they have a serious medical condition is not something we take lightly, so there is more research to be done before we get to that point,” he said.

A paper describing the project can be read here. It will be presented in September at Ubicomp 2017, the Association for Computing Machinery’s International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing.

Mobile app can screen for pancreatic cancer when users snap a quick selfie

Why it matters to you

The University of Washington’s new mobile app can screen for one of the deadliest forms of cancer in a non-invasive way.

There have been a few examples of research we covered that have used machine learning technology to diagnose cancer. None of them have been quite like the University of Washington’s BiliScreen project, however. In an attempt to diagnose cancer, researchers at the university have developed a smartphone app that is capable of carrying out a screening by asking users to snap a quick selfie. Could there be a more 2017 medical diagnosis tool?

But if the idea sounds whimsical, the problem it is helping to solve is anything but. The type of cancer the researchers are interested in is pancreatic cancer, a particularly nasty type of cancer with a five-year survival rate of just nine percent. (Pancreatic cancer was the cause of death of former Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs). Making pancreatic cancer hard to spot is the fact that it does not display obvious telltale symptoms which allow people to catch it prior to it spreading. That is where the University of Washington’s new smartphone app enters the frame.

“BiliScreen is a smartphone app we are developing to quantify the extent of jaundice in an individual,” Alex Mariakakis, a doctoral student at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, told Digital Trends. “Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin and eyes due to the buildup of a compound called bilirubin in the blood. Jaundice becomes obvious to the naked eye at 3.0 mg/dl, but clinicians start to be concerned at only 1.3 mg/dl, leaving a gap where detection could be important. There are many reasons why someone may become jaundiced, including hepatitis and Gilbert’s syndrome. What we are most excited about, [though], is the fact that jaundice is one of earlier symptoms that appears in people who have pancreatic cancer.”

Dennis Wise, University of Washington

The app works by using a smartphone camera, along with computer vision algorithms and machine-learning tools, to look for increased bilirubin levels in the white part of a person’s eye. In an initial clinical study of 70 people, the app — along with a 3D-printed box that controls the eye’s exposure to light — was able to correctly identify cases of concern 89.7 percent of the time.

As Mariakakis notes, jaundice does not necessarily equate to pancreatic cancer, but recognizing elevated levels of it in the eye could be a sign that an individual should consult a physician.

As exciting as this is, Mariakakis points out it will take longer before it is ready to be made available as a clinical tool. “Giving people information that could lead them to believe they have a serious medical condition is not something we take lightly, so there is more research to be done before we get to that point,” he said.

A paper describing the project can be read here. It will be presented in September at Ubicomp 2017, the Association for Computing Machinery’s International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing.