Never clean the toilet again — self-cleaning toilet robot SpinX has it covered
Why it matters to you
No one likes cleaning the toilet, and now, no one has to do it. It’s all thanks to SpinX.
If there’s one chore truly deserving of your loathing, it’s toilet cleaning. Unfortunately, the only thing grosser than doing that particular chore is not doing that particular chore, so you grimace and bear it. But take heart, friends — your days of scrubbing that bowl may soon be coming to a close. It’s all thanks to SpinX, heralded as the toilet-cleaning robot. Promising to self-sanitize both your toilet bowl and seat in just 90 seconds, the SpinX claims to be the only automatic, toilet-cleaning robot on the market.
“When I was pregnant with twins, taking care of two toddlers, it occurred to me while I was cleaning the communal toilet one evening that nobody has invented a self-cleaning toilet product before,” said co-founder and CEO Hila Ben-Amram.
“We live in the age of new technology, and to still be performing a trivial task that hasn’t evolved in over 100 years confused me. I created SpinX to save people the effort and inconvenience of carrying out a job they hate to do, while striving to reach new levels of cleaning and hygiene that benefits all who are tired of getting their hands dirty.”
SpinX boasts a robotic brush inside the toilet itself, which means that you no longer have to take a scrubber to the can. Simply replace your existing toilet lid with the SpinX, and bid adieu to those dirty days of yore. The actual brush is installed within the toilet lid cover — when it’s time for the machine to start cleaning, it’ll send a soap-sudded jet stream of water into your toilet bowl, and set the brush in motion. Once it’s done, the brush washes itself with some more soap and water, then tucks itself back into its little compartment.
You don’t even have to tell the SpinX when you want it to clean. Thanks to the smart sensor flushing feature, anytime you send your waste down the tube, the brush comes out — the smart sensor scans the toilet’s shape, and tells the brush where to scrub.
The SpinX also self-sanitizes its seat. Water jets spray water and soap to clean your throne, and then two dryers send compressed air onto the seat to dry the whole thing.
Promising to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria found on toilet bowls and seats, the SpinX is quite a powerful little bot. Capable of holding up to 330 pounds and promising to fit on 98 percent of toilet bowls, this may just be the household helper you’ve been looking for. You can pre-order a SpinX now for $199, with an estimated shipment date of July 2018.
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Leaked documents reveal Apple has found a new shelter for its profits — Jersey
Apple has had a rough few years in the tax department. In 2013, after a massive crackdown on how the company handles taxes, a government subcommittee determined that the company had avoided paying tens of billions of dollars in taxes by pushing profit into Irish subsidiaries. Now, leaked document reveal the company has found a new international tax residency — the island of Jersey, according to a report from the New York Times.
Why? Well, Jersey normally doesn’t tax companies.
The news was leaked in a trove of documents called the Paradise Papers, but after the leak of the papers, Apple was quick to publish a blog post arguing, once again, that it has paid all the taxes it should.
“The debate over Apple’s taxes is not about how much we owe but where we owe it,” said the company in its blog post. “We believe every company has a responsibility to pay the taxes they owe and we’re proud of the economic contributions we make to the countries and communities where we do business.”
The revelation concerning Apple’s taxes is among the biggest in the Paradise Papers — it previously wasn’t known that Apple’s search for a new tax haven resulted in the company using Jersey as a way to shelter its profits. According to the documents, companies like Apple, Google, Starbucks, and more, have been hiring big law firms to help them transfer trademarks, patents, and more into offshore shell companies — helping them avoid billions in taxes.
You’d be forgiven for not having heard of Jersey — it’s a small island located between France and the United Kingdom that’s a “British Crown Dependency.” That technically means that it’s represented by the United Kingdom when it comes to international affairs, but the island isn’t really British. In fact, it’s pretty much self-governing, and even has its own legal systems and court of law.
The subsidiaries that made the island of Jersey their tax home were originally headquartered in Ireland, and Apple says it switched to Jersey to ensure that its “payments to the U.S. were not reduced.” At the time, Apple said that it didn’t move any operations from Ireland, but the leak of the Paradise Papers suggests otherwise.
We’ll continue to update this article as the story develops.
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Xiaomi brings Mi A1 and Mi Mix 2 to Europe
Xiaomi’s latest handsets arrive in Europe, with a Spanish launch for its Android One device and bezelless flagship phone.
At a launch event in Madrid, Spain, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has unveiled its first major products for the European market. The Android One-powered Mi A1, as well as the bezelless Mi Mix 2, will be coming to Spain this month, along with an eclectic range of other products, ranging from the Mi Electric Scooter to the Android TV-powered Mi Box 4K media player.
The Mi Mix 2, launched in India last month, packs a 5.99-inch, 18:9 panel into an extremely svelte body, and is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chip. In our review of the Indian version of the phone, AC’s Harish Jonnalagadda called it “an easy recommendation if you’re looking for a sub-$600 phone that manages to stand out.”
Xiaomi makes a big entrance into the European market with two major phones, an electric scooter and other gadgets.
More: Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review
The Mi A1 brings the best of Xiaomi’s hardware and Google’s Android One software in an affordable handset with dual camera features. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor, and boasts dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, one with telephoto capabilities. It’ll ship on the Nougat version of Android One, updating to Oreo in early 2018.
More: Xiaomi Mi A1 review
In addition, Xiaomi’s new product lineup for Spain includes the Mi Electric Scooter, a €350 vehicle capable of traveling 30km on a single charge, as well as more traditional gadgets. The Mi Box streams 4K video at up to 60fps for €75, and supports the HDR10 standard. The Mi Action Camera 4K shoots 4K video at 30fps through a 135-degree lens for €135. And the Mi Band 2 tracks steps and heart rate, and provides notification alerts in an IP67-rated body for a mere €25.
Today’s event marks the first big European product launch for Xiaomi, a company which has so far focused mainly on China and India, and the launch of gadgets beyond phones at Xiaomi’s new authorized Mi Stores suggests the brand is serious about building out a presence in Western Europe.
The Mi Mix 2 will launch in Spain for €499, which gets you the 6GB + 64GB version of the phone. The A1 will sell for €229 for the 4GB + 64GB version. They’ll be available at two new Mi Stores at La Vaguada and Madrid Xanadú from November 11, before expanding to Xiaomi’s online store, AliExpress, Amazon, Carrefour, MediaMarkt and Phone House from November 22. Pre-orders begin at 1pm local time, November 8.
Everything you need to know about the AT&T Unlimited plan
A complete breakdown of the AT&T Unlimited plan so you know exactly what you get if you switch.
In the United States, there are a lot of companies that can get you and your phone online, but most people use one of the four biggest: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Choosing between them can be difficult. Your first priority should be what service works best in the places you spend your time. It’s not worth saving $10 a month if the service is bad. Once you have that sorted, you can look at what each company has to offer and the prices they charge for it.
More: Which unlimited plan should you buy?
Let’s take a look at the AT&T Unlimited plan to see what they can give you and what it will cost.
AT&T Unlimited plan details
Unlimited Plus
- Unlimited talk, text, and data
- 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)
- Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
- Advanced messaging between compatible phones on the AT&T network
- Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with free Roam North America Feature (if more than 50% of use is outside the U.S. the plan can be terminated)
- Unlimited music and video streaming with optional Stream Saver for less data use
- $25 monthly credit for DirecTV services
- Free HBO subscription
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Unlimited Choice
- Unlimited talk, text, and data
- Data speeds capped at 3Mbps
- Standard definition video streaming
- Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
- Advanced messaging between compatible phones on the AT&T network
- Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with free Roam North America Feature (if more than 50% of use is outside the U.S. the plan can be terminated)
- $25 monthly credit for DirecTV services
- Free HBO subscription
AT&T’s definition of Unlimited Data means that after you use 22 GB in a single month, your service can be slowed down if you’re in a congested area. You’ll hear the word throttled used here but you need to know that it’s only a temporary deprioritization of your data connection when you’re in a busy area. It may not happen at all depending on how many other customers are using the same towers.
Advanced Messaging features are only between two capable phones using the AT&T network in standard domestic coverage areas. A limit of 10MB is applied for any attachments. Standard text messaging has a 1MB limit for attachments.
Users who activate the free Roam North America feature need to use their phone in the domestic coverage area (U.S, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands) the majority of the time. If 50% or more of your use in a billing period is outside of domestic coverage, your service can be terminated.
AT&T makes it clear up-front about what devices are eligible and exactly how you can use the service. Clarity is great and we appreciate it.
You can use any phone that’s compatible with AT&T’s network. If you bring your own phone you’ll pay a $25 one-time activation fee which is added to your first bill. You can also finance a phone through AT&T and the monthly cost will vary depending on which phone you choose. The AT&T Unlimited plan does not include tax and all the other assorted fees in the price.
This plan does not include stand-alone mobile hotspots (except connected cars), Wireless Home Phone, Wireless Home Phone and Internet, laptops, Timex devices, and ZTE Spro 2 projectors. Users with any of those devices should contact an AT&T representative.
Additional lines can be added to AT&T Unlimited plans. Every line has the same benefits outlined above and the $25 dollar fee applies to each. Here is a pricing breakdown.
Unlimited Plus
- One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Plus plan is $90
- Two lines of service for $145
- Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
- Add a wearable for $10 per month
Unlimited Choice
- One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Choice plan is $60
- Two lines of service for $115
- Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
- Add a wearable for $10 per month
AT&T Unlimited Plan add-ons
You can add a tablet or connected car to your AT&T Unlimited plan for the standard $20 monthly fee or through the AT&T 1GB Tablet plan. This plan offers 1GB of data for your tablet for $10 per month, with overages at $15 per Gigabyte. You can add a wearable (Timex wearables are not eligible) to your plan for $10 a month. You can also add a feature phone or messaging phone to your account for $20 per month.
Secondary perks
AT&T offers a plethora of services and apps to use them. Services include AT&T Drive Mode, AT&T Tablet messaging, AT&T Locker and more. You’ll find these apps and plenty more at Google Play.
All AT&T Unlimited Plus customers will get access to HBO through DirecTV Now or HBO Go and existing subscribers to the service through DirecTV will begin receiving it for free. Customers who have Unlimited Plus but not HBO or DirecTV get a $25 monthly credit that can be put towards the service.
Last but not least, AT&T also offers services tailored to business owners. Business Messenger, Global IP Client and more make it easier to merge your physical office with your virtual office. You’ll find the apps in Google Play and you can get more information by calling 800.331.0500 or visiting an AT&T store.
See at AT&T
Updated November 2017: This post has been updated with the latest information about AT&T’s plans and pricing..
What would you like to see in the Galaxy Note 9?
Let the speculation begin.
Just like with every entry in Samsung’s Note series, this year’s Galaxy Note 8 is one of the best large phones that money can buy. It’s got a beautiful display, more than enough software features, some of the fastest silicon around, and a pair of rock-solid rear cameras.
The Note 8 is still a relatively young handset, but even so, some of our forum users have already got to talking about what they’d like to see in next year’s Galaxy Note 9. It’ll likely be a few more months before the rumor mill for the phone really kicks into full gear, but in any case, here’s what some of you had to say.
bialy
11-05-2017 06:28 PM“
Dimensions – same width but not as tall.
Less heavy in weight.
Fingerprint scanner on front.
Let’s forget about the curved screen.Reply
11-05-2017 06:49 PM“
same screen but less bezels to make it a little less tall, front fingerprint under display and removable battery (in my dreams lol, that last one not gonna happen)
Reply
tarpon6
11-05-2017 06:50 PM“
I like the curved screen. The Note8 is the best ever, but lets blow everyone away with the 9. Keep the phone the same height but a little wider to get back to a 16:9 aspect. Get ride of the thin bottom bezel, shrink the top even further. Embedded front finger print scanner. Stereo speakers. Increase the camera zoom. 256 gb standard. 4000 mah battery.
Reply
Nakrohtap
11-05-2017 07:21 PM“
I want the best camera sensor out there. Something like 1/2″ or bigger sensor, f1.4, 4x telephoto.
Since it’s a wish list, I want indestructible glass on the screen. Is that too much to ask for $1,000?
If you add stereo speakers, I would assume the battery size would need to suffer as a consequence. So, if that’s the case, I’ll stick with the mono speaker.Reply
11-05-2017 09:32 PM“
In no particular order:
1) 4000mah or greater battery
2) Stereo Speakers
3) At LEAST 128GB onboard storage
4) Remove bottom bezel, thinner top bezel, & side bezel too (my Note 7 had thinner side bezels)
5) Fingerprint scanner on-screen
6) 32-bit Quad DAC
7) Different colors (Red would be nice)
8) Differentiation in physical appearance from S9Reply
We know it’s pretty early to start talking about this, but we still want to know – What would you like to see in the Galaxy Note 9?
Join the conversation in the forums!
The Morning After: Tuesday, November 7th 2017
Nike is battling sneaker bots with augmented reality, Assassin’s Creed creators somehow included the most recent Great Pyramid discovery into its latest adventure and Samsung-Apple trolling is back.
Also, whether you want to admit it or not, we’re now in the run-up to the holiday season. Fortunately, we’ve got a list bursting with gift options.
119 options.
Introducing Engadget’s 2017 holiday gift guide
Hopefully, something for everyone.
The technology has become the company’s unexpected weapon against bots.
For Nike, augmented reality is the perfect way to sell hyped sneakers
Buying limited-edition shoes is complicated and not as fun as it should be. The rise of violence in sneaker culture (people have been murdered for a pair of Air Jordans) led companies like Nike to launch hyped products almost exclusively on digital channels. But selling sneakers on a website or doing raffles on Twitter came with challenges of its own. Resellers started using bots, automated computer scripts, to buy or reserve pairs faster than a human could. But Nike may have a secret weapon against auto-buying tools, and the only way sneakerheads could buy the company’s latest limited edition pair was through a new AR feature.
Talk about attention to detail.
‘Assassin’s Creed’ predicted the new pyramid chamber discovery
Just days ago, scientists found a previously undiscovered chamber inside the Great Pyramid of Giza. As it turns out, the makers of Assassin’s Creed: Origins had the jump on them. The space itself is already built into the game, which came out almost a week prior to the findings getting published.
From storage space to that notch.
Samsung trolls every generation of the iPhone in one video
The iPhone X marks ten years of the iPhone. Samsung has its own sassy tribute.
Mighty will also update your playlists while you sleep.
The iPod Shuffle for Spotify can actually shuffle your songs now
Mighty is basically an iPod Shuffle for offline Spotify playback, but it didn’t actually shuffle.. Well, not anymore. Thanks to a software update for the compact device, Mighty can now randomize songs in a playlist rather than having to go through them in order. Next on our Mighty want list: adding music sources outside of Spotify.
But wait, there’s more…
- Learning to fly with NASA’s spacewalk simulator
- The OnePlus 5T goes on sale November 21st
- Sony will turn your PSN trophies into (a little) real cash
- Yesterday, Comcast’s internet service went down in several major US cities
- The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio is a brutally fantastic EV supercar concept
Twitter explains why it blocked LGBT-related searches
This past weekend, searches for LGBT-related terms on Twitter like “#bisexual” and “#gay” simply stopped working. The hashtags yielded no results regardless of people’s content settings, leading to accusations that the platform is deliberately silencing LGBT voices. Twitter, however, said it was an honest mistake, and now it has revealed more details about the issue, including why it happened and what it’s doing to fix things.
The company said its system looks at a list of specific terms when identifying adult content, suggesting that the words “bisexual” and “gay” are included in it. However, the terms in the list are merely one of the signals they use: since the LGBT-related words affected by the error aren’t inherently explicit, Twitter is supposed to look at them alongside other signals to determine if a post should be behind an adult filter.
Twitter has admitted that the list is out of date and still included terms primarily used in non-sensitive contexts. It was definitely a disaster waiting to happen when mixed with its shoddy search implementation. See, the social network allowed tweets with the terms in the list to be marked explicit based on text alone within the search function. So, even if the rest of the tweet that has the word “gay” in it is perfectly wholesome, the post will still get flagged on the results page.
According to the platform’s policies, tweets marked as sensitive show up as collapsed link in search results. “When all Tweets containing certain terms were incorrectly collapsed on the photos, video and news search tabs,” the company explained, “the search results in those tabs returned an error message indicating that no content was available.” To fix its mistake, Twitter has already updated the list to remove terms that shouldn’t have been included. It said it’s also implementing changes to its system over the next 24 hours to make sure its website doesn’t unnecessarily filter LGBT-related posts again.
We’ve identified an error with search results for certain terms. We apologize for this. We’re working quickly to resolve & will update soon.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 5, 2017
2 / As outlined in our media policy, media that may be considered sensitive is collapsed in places such as search results, meaning that images and videos would be presented as a link, not automatically populated. https://t.co/4KYjAPrnM5
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 7, 2017
4 / Our implementation of this list in search allowed Tweets to be categorized based solely on text, w/out taking other signals into account. Also, the list was out of date, had not been maintained and incorrectly included terms that are primarily used in non-sensitive contexts.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 7, 2017
6 / We have audited the list and removed terms that should not have been included. We are making changes during the next 24 hours to correct this mistake. Once we are confident it is completely resolved, we’ll share an update here.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 7, 2017
Source: Twitter Support
Mobile phone data could replace census questionnaires in the UK
Every 10 years since 1801, England and Wales have conducted a census, which gives the government and its associated authorities an up-to-date picture of the population. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) — joined by independent Scottish and Northern Irish agencies — typically ask householders for their age, address, occupation, nationality, marital status, religion and other personal information.
For the most part, the ONS has tallied that information via paper questionnaires that have been sent in the post. However, as part of a new trial, the agency has begun using mobile phone data to track where people live and work.
As part of a new government initiative to source census data via alternative methods by 2021, the ONS teamed up with Vodafone UK to study anonymous data collected from customers aged over 18. In a new report, it found that the information it collected on commuting patterns between March and April last year corresponded well with data it received during the 2011 poll.
While not foolproof, mobile phone data collected at different times of the day provided information a person’s work address or when they were at home. The ONS also considered whether phone data could help analyse ethnicity, wealth and population levels.
To ensure that the data complied with privacy laws, the ONS only used the location and timestamps created when people’s mobile phones interacted with Vodafone’s mobile network. It didn’t collect identifiable information like phone numbers or account holder information.
As it stands, the next census in England and Wales will be held in 2021 and will remain in the form of a questionnaire. The idea is to scrap manual collections by 2023, if the automated data made available to it can remain accurate and reliable.
Via: Evening Standard
Source: ONS
Facebook Rolls Out Messenger Instant Payments Service to Users in the UK
Facebook said on Monday that Messenger users in the U.K. will be able to send money to each other through the app as it rolls out its peer-to-peer payments feature in the next few weeks (via BBC).
The Messenger payments service was originally launched in 2015, but hasn’t been available to users outside the United States until now. The social network said it has been used in that time to make all sorts of transactions, including to split restaurant bills, pay babysitters, and send cash gifts. Most users send less than $50 (£38), according to the company.
Facebook said it had chosen to bring Messenger payments to the U.K. because it has so many “mobile-savvy consumers”. It is collaborating with major banks and credit card firms to launch the feature, which requires both the sender and recipient to register their cards.
Facebook is also introducing M suggestions, a virtual assistant that recognizes when users are discussing payments and suggests the Messenger payments as a quick and easy solution.
The U.K. is already home to a similar bank-run peer-to-peer payments service called Paym, which allows registered users to pay each other using just their phone number.
Paym says four million people have used the service at one time or another over the past three and a half years, amounting to £400 million worth of transactions, but Facebook will hope that it is uniquely positioned to become more widely used, thanks to its large existing Messenger user base.
Tags: Facebook, Facebook Messenger
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Xiaomi’s Expansion into Europe Kicks Off With Smartphone Sales Launch in Spain
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is about to make good on stalled plans to expand into Western Europe, beginning with a sale launch in Spain on Wednesday. Xiaomi will initially offer to Spanish consumers its flagship Mi A1 device (229 euros) and its all-screen Mi Mix 2 smartphone (499 euros), pictured below.
In 2014, Xiaomi was briefly the world’s most valuable startup in China, but intense competition from local rivals Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo saw its sales stall within two years.
Since that time, however, the company has overtaken Apple to become China’s fourth largest mobile vendor by sales and has launched in dozens of other countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Ukraine, as part of a $1 billion overseas expansion drive.
The company also has a strong presence in India, where it currently comes second behind Samsung in smartphone sales. However, after past stumbles in more untested markets like Brazil, Xiaomi is now aiming for a more considered expansion across Europe.
“In order to be focused, we want to make Spain successful first,” said Wang Xiang, Xiaomi’s global sales VP, speaking to The Verge. “And then we can think of other markets and countries. We want to learn from the customers about the taste of European people.”
Xiaomi had sold about 10 percent of its smartphones outside China since the middle of last year. However, the company also plans to sell other products in Spain, including internet-connected scooters, air purifiers, and coffee makers.
Tags: Spain, Xiaomi
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