These 3D-printed houses could be one-tenth the price of regular homes

Jüri Liiv

Thanks to advances in 3D printing, it’s possible to use additive manufacturing to print just about anything these days — houses included. But can you produce these houses in a way that results in energy-efficient properties, can be done at a low cost, and uses locally available resources? Because if you can’t, it’s going to remain all but impossible to utilize 3D printing to help solve the massive shortage of housing that exists, for a variety of reasons, around the world.

Fortunately, that is something that scientists from Estonia’s University of Tartu and the Estonian University of Life Sciences have been working on — and they created a promising solution in the form of a 3D-printable concrete-style material that is created from milled peat, oil shale ash, and silica nanoparticles. The results could reduce the construction cost of private houses by around 10 times.

“Peat has excellent antibacterial and thermal properties, and is inexpensive and widely available in many regions in the world,” Jüri Liiv, a Ph.D. researcher with the Estonian Peat Research Center, told Digital Trends. “[However, it has not been] used as a component of concrete-organic materials because of its properties retarding the concrete hardening. Humates present in peat prevent the forming [of] the silicate composite structure and react with pozzolanic minerals, thus preventing forming [a] mechanically durable material. During our last project, the issue was successfully solved, and now we are able to form a durable peat-based composite with very high thermal and mechanical properties.”

The composite material the team has developed is both strong and possesses good thermal conductivity. Despite the fact that peat is used as fuel, the material is also (crucially) not combustible. It hardens within one day of being printed, although it remains elastic for longer than this — making it possible to close any air gaps.

According to the team’s estimates, a house shell with a surface area of up to 490 square-feet could be printed for around $5,850. Unfortunately, Liiv noted that there was insufficient funding for the team to print a full-sized test house. Instead, they have been limited to wall segments as a proof of concept. Liiv hopes that there will be access to a full-size 3D printer this fall, which will give the researchers the chance to finally create their proposed test house.

A paper describing the project was recently published in the journal Sustainable Materials and Technologies.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Drug-infused 3D-printed dentures promise to bite back against infections
• What is 3D printing? Here’s everything you need to know
• Homes in the Netherlands are concrete example of 3D printing’s potential
• 15 major milestones along the brief history of 3D printing
• Graphene-reinforced concrete offers a stronger, more durable option

Here are the best Amazon Prime Day smartphone deals

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Prime Day is finally here, so get your wallets out because Amazon is offering quite a few discounts on smartphones. Not every smartphone is worth your money, though, so we’ve handpicked our favorites to help you spend your money wisely.

Here are the best Amazon Prime Day smartphone deals.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Huawei’s P20 Pro may have stolen the show for its brilliant camera, but the Huawei Mate 10 Pro can match it with performance, design, and software — and the camera’s pretty good too. It initially cost $800 earlier this year, but it has been available for $550 on Amazon. Now, on Prime Day, you can snag it for $500, which is a great price for a phone of this caliber. Read our full Huawei Mate 10 Pro review.

Buy it now:

Amazon

Honor View 10

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Honor View 10 brings flagship specifications, features, and design to a much more affordable price tag. It has a capable camera for its price, as well as a nice big screen for watching videos or movies. You’ll forget you paid so little for this phone. It used to be priced at $500, but it has been discounted to just $400. That’s incredible value. Read our full Honor View 10 review.

But it now:

Amazon

Honor 7X

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The Honor 7X has been our favorite phone to recommend for anyone with a budget of $200. It has everything from a high-end design to good performance and a solid camera. Now it’s just $170, making it even more of a bargain. Read our full Honor 7X review.

Buy it now:

Amazon

Razer Phone

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The Razer Phone is the gaming brand’s first smartphone, and it’s the perfect device if you’re an avid mobile gamer. It has stunning performance that can run all the high-end mobile games, a screen with a high refresh rate, a big battery, and massive front-facing speakers. Razer is offering a 25 percent discount on the phone, and you can read our full Razer Phone review to learn more about the phone.

Buy it now:

Amazon

Essential Phone (PH-1)

Essential Phone Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends

The Essential Phone, from the creator of Android, was one of the most beautiful phones of 2017. It’s made of ceramic and titanium, it has a simple-to-use and uncluttered Android operating system, and performance is speedy. The camera isn’t the strongest, but Essential has dropped the price of the phone to $250 for Prime Day, and it is absolutely a steal. Buy it now. Read our full Essential Phone review.

Buy it now:

Amazon

LG V35 ThinQ

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

LG’s newest phone is the V35 ThinQ, which has all the high-end performance you’ll want including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 6GB of RAM. This is an Amazon Prime Exclusive phone, so it will come pre-installed with a lot of Amazon apps. The phone initially cost $900 on AT&T, but now it’s available as a Prime Day Deal for $600 — and it will work on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Read our LG V35 ThinQ hands-on review.

Buy it now:

Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S9/S9 Plus

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

There’s no discount on the relatively-new Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus, but Samsung is bundling a few smart home accessories for free if you buy the phones through Amazon as a Prime Day deal. You can nab a complimentary Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit, an Amazon Echo, and an Amazon Echo Spot, all of which total up to $430 in savings.

Buy it now:

Amazon

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Save big on this affordable camping gear for modern outdoor lovers
• This 34-inch, curved, ultrawide 144Hz gaming monitor is only $385 on Prime Day
• Amazon Prime deal: Today only, save $150 on a refurbished Dyson Ball Vacuum
• The 10 best windproof umbrellas to help you weather the storm
• Save $50 on the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom speaker, today only

Should you buy an Amazon Echo Dot?

It’s the impulse buy of the year, and so very worth it.

Choosing between Amazon’s Echo and the Google Home platform isn’t an easy choice, especially if you’re a big fan of Google’s services and already have a Chromecast kicking around. There’s a lot to consider, and a lot of people are trying to figure out which is best for their needs while surrounded by deals and sales and new features being added every day.

I say don’t worry with either of the big expensive speaker assistants, and start out with Amazon’s Echo Dot instead.

Better than the full-sized Echo

Echo Dot does everything a full-sized Amazon Echo does, with one significant difference: Amazon Echo comes with a specially designed speaker so you can enjoy listening to streaming music, and Echo Dot does not. There’s a little speaker in Dot that allows Alexa to respond to you when you give a command, but it’s nowhere near good enough to enjoy listening to music. Echo Dot doesn’t need a speaker, though. It has something much more important — an audio out port.

Amazon is doing to home automation what Google did to streaming video, and that’s great.

That 3.5mm jack in the back of Echo Dot, which doesn’t exist on the Echo, allows you to connect whatever speaker you want to your Echo Dot. This level of flexibility means you can connect to a big expensive stereo system if you happen to have one of those, or a tiny portable speaker that can travel with you throughout the house. Echo Dot is also powered by a Micro-USB port, which means you can buy a Bluetooth speaker with a big battery and take your Echo Dot poolside or out into the garage with you if you don’t want to buy more than one.

The best speakers for your Amazon Echo Dot

The speaker built into the full-sized Echo is decent, but it’s not as good as being able to connect to whatever speaker you want. It’s also not as capable a speaker as the one built into Google Home, so if music streaming is your priority the full-sized Echo just plain isn’t worth the price tag.

Cheap enough to be an impulse buy

Much in the same way that Google’s Chromecast is a big impulse buy and stocking stuffer, Amazon’s Echo Dot is cheap enough that you really don’t lose anything by giving it a shot.

What if you prefer Google Assistant to Alexa? There’s nothing wrong with preferring Google services, especially if you’re an Android user. While Google has the Assistant, which features the company’s excellent search, Alexa, which powers the Echo Dot’s artificial intelligence, has a better grasp of home automation and the “smart home” in general.

That sounds silly, but consider the price. If you catch them on sale, you can buy three Echo Dots for the price of a single Google Home. If you buy a single Dot now and learn how you want to use a home assistant, but later decide you really need Google in that mix, you aren’t out much. If you decide Echo Dot really is what you want, you can start thinking about expanding Echo Dot into multiple rooms in your home.

What about Google Home Mini?

You don’t have to drop $100 for a full-sized Google Home, you can just get a Google Home Mini for the same price as an Amazon Echo Dot. So this decision isn’t actually any easier now, which should you buy?

It honestly depends on the kind of things you think you are going to do with your smart speaker.

If you’re all-in on the Google ecosystem, prefer Google Assistant, and just want a cheap speaker you can stick in a couple of rooms, the Google Home Mini is better than the Amazon Echo Dot. But the Home Mini doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack, so you can’t connect bigger speakers for better sound. The Home Mini microphones also aren’t quite as accurate as the Echo Dot, and in my testing, I found Google’s little speaker misheard me with a noticeably greater frequency. Not enough to be upsetting, just enough to notice it happens sometimes.

Amazon still has the greatest support from the most third-party products, as well, so there’s a greater chance your Amazon Echo will connect to more things than your Google Home. At least for now.

What are you waiting for?

Amazon is doing to home automation what Google did to streaming video, and that’s great. By making it so cheap it’s easy to try for a while and see if you want something better later, or make it super easy to expand and fill your house with Alexa, there’s little reason to not give an Echo Dot a try.

On Prime Day 2018, you can get two Echo Dots for just $50! That’s a pretty incredible deal, and it’s available just for Prime Day, so take advantage while you can!

See at Amazon

What is Project Fi, how does it work, and why do I want it?

Google’s own carrier offering definitely has appealing features.

If you’re an Android enthusiast, you likely know about Project Fi. But that doesn’t mean you necessarily know everything about it. And for everyone out there who doesn’t have one of the handful of phones that work with the carrier are unlikely to have looked into Project Fi deeply. So we’re here to give you the high-level view at the carrier option that comes directly from Google. Namely, just what the heck it is, how it works compared to other carriers and maybe a few reasons why you’d want to try it.

See at Project Fi

The latest Project Fi news

July 16, 2018 — Get a $300 credit when pre-ordering the G7 or V35

It’s been almost a month since the LG G7 and V35 appeared on Project Fi, and if you’ve been holding off on picking one up for yourself, a new promotion for a $300 Fi credit might finally push you over the edge.

Between now and July 29 (while supplies last), you can get a $300 credit that’s applied towards your monthly Project Fi bill when pre-ordering either the G7 or V35 for $749 and $899, respectively.

If you already pre-ordered either of the phones when Google was running its $100 Fi credit promo, you’ll be receiving an email shortly on how to claim your other $200.

See at Project Fi

June 19, 2018 — LG G7 and V35 now available for pre-order

LG’s first Project Fi phones, the G7 and V35, are now available for pre-order!

The G7 is the more affordable of the two at $749 outright or $31.21/month for 24 months, whereas the V35 will set you back a hefty $899 or $37.46/month for 24 months.

No matter which one you choose, Google’s offering a $100 Fi credit when you pre-order either one. This is a limited time offer and will only be available through July 7, 2018, at 11:59 PM PT.

See at Project Fi

What you need to know about Project Fi

What is Project Fi?

At the highest level, Project Fi is a phone carrier operated by Google. It works by giving you mobile data service on three mobile networks, which your phone will intelligently switch between — it also uses Wi-Fi to make calls and send texts whenever available. Project Fi is a “prepaid” carrier, meaning you pay upfront for your service in the trailing month, which is the opposite of a traditional carrier (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) that bills you after you use the service.

It’s all about simplified billing with no hidden fees or overages.

Project Fi is focused on simplified billing. You pay $20 per month for unlimited talk and texting, and a flat rate of $10 per gigabyte of data used. At the start of each month you simply estimate how much data you’ll use (by the gigabyte) and pay for that amount — at the end of the month you’ll receive either a refund for data you didn’t use, or pay a little extra on the next bill for data overages. You’ll always pay at the same $10 per gigabyte rate either way. Bill Protection applies to international data usage the same as home usage.

The only time that doesn’t apply is when you hit a level called “Bill Protection” — effectively an unlimited plan tier for Fi. Once you’ve used 6GB ($60) of data in a given month, your bill is then capped at that point for the month but you continue to get data service. You can use as much data as you want for the month without paying over $80 total ($20 base + $60 data). The only caveat here is that once you hit 15GB of total data usage, your speeds are slowed to 256kbps — alternatively, at the 15GB point you can choose to start paying $10 per GB again for full-speed data if needed.

The huge benefit here is that you don’t have to pay for an “unlimited” plan every month — it’s simply there if you use beyond 6GB of data in a month. All other months when you use less than 6GB of data your bill will be less than $80.

You can also set up a “Group Plan” on Project Fi for up to six people to share a single account and billing source. With a Group Plan, all of the same features of an individual plan apply, but you save $5 per person per month on the base plan charge. Billing is handled centrally by the account owner, along with data limitations for each user (if needed) — Bill Protection data usage limits are also handled on a per-person basis. Project Fi charges the group owner for everyone’s bill collectively, but can also facilitate payments back to the account admin from each member to pay their share. Individuals can come and go from a Group Plan as they wish, without any contract.

Unlike most other prepaid carriers, Project Fi is available for just a handful of phones: the Google Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 2, Moto X4, Pixel XL, Pixel, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X and Nexus 6. You can also use a data-only SIM card with any tablet that supports the T-Mobile network.

How does it work?

Project Fi works with a special SIM card — and a little software on your phone — that can authenticate you on T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular, and switch between them on the fly based on a variety of factors. On the new Pixel 2 and 2 XL, an integrated eSIM lets you use Project Fi without a physical SIM card and quickly switch between Project Fi and another carrier’s SIM.

Using Wi-Fi for calls and texts, you can keep using your phone in places where mobile data isn’t that great. Extra software called a “Wi-Fi assistant” will automatically connect your phone to open Wi-Fi access points when you’re out of the house, reducing your data usage without any intervention on your part.

You get the power of three mobile networks, plus Wi-Fi, in a single SIM

When you use Project Fi, you also get some of the same features that have made Google Voice popular over the years. You can forward phone calls to your Fi number to any phone you want, as well as view voicemail, make calls and send texts with that number from any device using the Hangouts app and website.

Project Fi also works internationally in 120 countries around the world with no additional cost for data use or texting. You can call at a flat rate to any number while on the cellular networks abroad, or pay much lower rates when calling on Wi-Fi. You can also call back home to the U.S. on Wi-Fi for free. Data used internationally just comes out of your standard $10 per gigabyte bucket, but speeds can vary depending on the country you’re in.

What phones are available?

When Project Fi launched in 2015, the only phone that supported it was the Nexus 6. Google’s been expanding this list over the years, and while the list of compatible phones isn’t nearly on the same level as carriers such as T-Mobile and Verizon, it’s one that’s growing all the time.

Along with Google’s own Pixel 2 and 2 XL, other phones that work on Project Fi include the Moto G6, LG G7, LG V35, and others.

These phones work on Project Fi

Why do I want it?

Well, this is really a personal question of whether you actually want to try Project Fi. Chances are if you’re reading Android Central you’re at least one step closer to being the target audience for the Google-powered carrier, but there are a few other boxes to check that make it the right choice for you.

Simplicity in the service and billing are paramount to the experience.

The only big issue for most people is the limited phone choices. Google lets you use its latest phones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, on Project Fi, in addition to a small selection of handsets from Motorola and LG — including the Moto G6, LG G7, and a couple others.

If you’re okay with that limitation, you don’t have many other hurdles to jump over. You can sign up for Project Fi online in minutes, and you can either buy a Pixel phone at the same time or Google will send you a SIM card to put in your existing Pixel or Nexus. Once it arrives, you can start the typical porting process of bringing your current phone number to Fi, or can start fresh with a new number. You can use Project Fi for as long or short as you want, as there aren’t any contracts or commitments involved.

There are lots of cool features that make Project Fi a good choice, like the simplified billing, included international features and improved network coverage through the use of three carriers and Wi-Fi networks. Each one will have a different amount of draw for different people, though.

Project Fi’s pricing isn’t dramatically lower than other carriers out there, and whether it makes a good choice financially for you depends on your data usage and which features you want. We encourage you to do your pricing research before choosing which carrier is the best.

And whether you’re still on the fence or just curious about it, be sure to follow all of our Project Fi coverage here at Android Central!

See at Project Fi

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit

$99.99


$199.99


Save $100

This kit comes with the essential SmartThings Hub, along with two Multipurpose sensors, a motion sensor and an outlet at its lowest price ever.

Harry Potter 8-film Collection 4K UHD

$79.99


$155.74


Save $76

Prepare for Fantastic Beasts 2 with over $50 off this Harry Potter set which comprises the original eight films of the series.

Asus FX503VD 15.6-inch powerful gaming laptop

$729.00


$925.00


Save $196

We’ve never seen this laptop drop this low even during last year’s Black Friday.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

$9.99


$16.89


Save $7

This product can filter 4,000 liters with proper use and maintenance, with the ability to remove 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria.

• Top Deals
• Amazon Devices
• TVs
• Smart Home
• Unlocked Smartphones
• Kitchen
• Audio & Headphones
• Gaming
• Home Improvement / DIY
• Everyday Essentials
• Kids & Toys
• Entertainment
• Fashion

Check out more Amazon Prime Day deals!

Google Project Fi

• What is Project Fi?
• Get the latest Project Fi news
• Google Pixel 2 review
• Moto X4 review
• Discuss Project Fi in our forums
• Sign up for Project Fi!

Update June 19, 2018: Started a blog roll for the latest Project Fi news and added a section about the available phones.

Update June 19, 2018: Started a blog roll for the latest Project Fi news and added a section about the available phones.

How to convert a Windows laptop to a Chromebook

It’s easier than you think, and it’s worth doing for some users.

Chromebooks are wonderful for schools and businesses, provided you primarily use Google services. But a brand new Chromebook doesn’t make an existing machine any better, and new hardware is a quick way to blow throw an IT budget.

Here’s how to convert a Windows laptop to a Chromebook!

• Why do this?
• Download Cloudready
• Install Cloudready
• What to do next
• What’s different from Chrome OS

Why do this?

Yes, I hear you in the comments section and on Twitter. “Why would I want to make my computer LESS useful?!” That’s a fair question, but the answer depends on what “less useful” means to you. If you’re a school or corporate IT administrator starting to transition your enterprise to Chromebooks, being able to convert your existing hardware will save you thousands of dollars on replacement machines. Especially considering the converted Chromebooks will work perfectly with Google’s administrator console.

If you’re a home user, you may just want something more secure for a relative. If your relative only uses their computer for basic email and social media, this is a great way to make their computer more secure. They won’t be susceptible to malware and other attacks that target Windows or macOS, since they won’t be using either of those operating systems. And speaking from experience with some of my coworkers and relatives, Chrome OS is much easier to navigate and use than other versions of Linux.

Finally, you may just be a tinkerer like me. I’m trying this on a 17-inch Windows laptop since there aren’t any 17-inch Chromebooks.

Download CloudReady

You can’t just download Chrome OS and install it on any laptop like you can Windows and Linux. Chrome OS is closed source and only available on proper Chromebooks. But Chromium OS is 90% the same as Chrome OS. More importantly, it’s open source: you can download Chromium OS and build on top of it if you so choose.

One company that has built on top of Chromium is Neverware. Neverware builds CloudReady, a very-slightly tweaked version of Chromium OS that turns any computer with an x86 processor into something that’s nearly identical to a Chromebook. End users don’t need to do anything except create the installation USB, then boot that onto their old computer.

You’ll need a spare USB thumb drive for this. All files will be erased from the thumb drive, so back those up if you need to.

Go to Neverware’s website
Scroll down, then select Download USB Maker.

Once the USB maker has finished downloading, open and run the .exe file.

Insert the USB drive into your computer.
The installer will walk you through the steps of creating the installation USB.

Install CloudReady

With the USB install drive created, it’s time to actually install it on your old laptop.

Make a recovery drive on a second USB stick. Enterprise users will likely have their own installation methods, but home users will want to have a backup in case things go wrong.
Backup any local files to Google Drive.
Turn off your laptop.
Plug the USB drive into your laptop.
Turn your laptop on so that it brings up the boot menu.

• The exact key combination varies from manufacturer to manufacturer; on the Lenovo laptop I am using, I press F9 to open the boot menu when the PC is starting up.

Select your thumb drive from the list of boot devices.
If all goes well, you’ll see the CloudReady logo on screen.
If you don’t see that logo, search for how to boot from a USB drive for your computer model and make sure you have the right BIOS settings.
Leave the USB drive in for now.

From here, setting up the laptop is the same as setting up a new Chromebook.

What to do next

From here, you can choose if CloudReady gets fully installed, and install some proprietary components. Before fully installing CloudReady, plug in any docks or accessories you want to use and make sure they work properly.

Click on your profile picture in the lower right corner.
Click Install CloudReady.
Click Erase hard drive & install CloudReady.
The installation will take about twenty minutes. Plug in the power supply to keep the laptop from going to sleep during installation.
Once the installation is done, the computer will shut down. Remove the USB, power the computer on and start using it.

What’s different from Chrome OS

When you start using the laptop, you’ll notice it looks an awful lot like a standard Chromebook. But there are some subtle differences:

• There’s no Google Play Store or support for Android applications
• CloudReady is about one full Chrome version behind standard Chromebooks
• You’ll need to go into Settings to install some proprietary media components.
• The logo in the lower right corner will be the blue Chromium logo instead of the full-color Chrome logo.

None of these — except maybe the lack of Google Play Store — will really change how you use the machine. It’ll just look slightly different compared to a standard Chromebook. But your Chrome extensions and apps will all just work, websites will load the way they should, and your computer will be more secure than it was before.

What say you?

Would you turn your old computer into a Chromebook? Let us know down below!

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit

$99.99


$199.99


Save $100

This kit comes with the essential SmartThings Hub, along with two Multipurpose sensors, a motion sensor and an outlet at its lowest price ever.

Harry Potter 8-film Collection 4K UHD

$79.99


$155.74


Save $76

Prepare for Fantastic Beasts 2 with over $50 off this Harry Potter set which comprises the original eight films of the series.

Asus FX503VD 15.6-inch powerful gaming laptop

$729.00


$925.00


Save $196

We’ve never seen this laptop drop this low even during last year’s Black Friday.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

$9.99


$16.89


Save $7

This product can filter 4,000 liters with proper use and maintenance, with the ability to remove 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria.

• Top Deals
• Amazon Devices
• TVs
• Smart Home
• Unlocked Smartphones
• Kitchen
• Audio & Headphones
• Gaming
• Home Improvement / DIY
• Everyday Essentials
• Kids & Toys
• Entertainment
• Fashion

Check out more Amazon Prime Day deals!

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Chromebooks in education: Everything you need to know
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Chromebook Buyers Guide
• Google Pixelbook review
• Join our Chromebook forums

Amazon’s Nintendo Switch bundle is discounted for one day only

This Nintendo Switch comes with two freebies you don’t want to miss out on.

Today only, Amazon is offering a Nintendo Switch bundle for $299.99 which includes the console along with a 64GB micro SD card and a $20 Nintendo eShop gift card. Considering the console itself is rarely discounted from its regular price of $300, this offer is like getting the $22 memory card and $20 gift card for free with its purchase. This is a Prime Day deal however, and as such, it’s only available for Prime members. If you’re not a member, you can still get this discount by starting a free 30-day trial.

The bonuses you’ll receive here might seem not as cool as getting a game with the console, but they’re actually better. The Switch has a ton of games that you can only purchase digitally which save onto your console directly, and there are other physical games which require the use of a micro SD card.

See at Amazon

Prime members, now’s your chance to save on the 6-quart Instant Pot

Remain calm.

Exclusively for Prime members, Amazon is offering up some sweet savings on the 6-quart Instant Pot multicooker. It’s on sale for just $58.99, which beats the best price ever (a Black Friday 2016 discount) by over $10. If you need a Prime membership, click here for a free 30-day trial.

You can use this as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice/porridge cooker, yogurt maker, cake maker, egg cooker, saute/searing, steamer, warmer, and sterilizer. It’s very user-friendly as well. You’ll get a few different accessories, including a steam rack (with handles), recipe booklet, two different spoons, a measuring cup, and a user manual. If you need recipe inspiration, check out The Instant Pot Cookbook.

See at Amazon

Everything that’s new in the OxygenOS Open Beta

Wondering what’s new in the latest Open Beta? You’re in the right place.

There are a lot of reasons to like OnePlus phones, but one aspect that’s remained since the beginning is the excellent software experience they offer. All OnePlus phones now run OxygenOS, and if you want to test out new software features before anyone else, you can sign up for the OxygenOS Open Beta.

OnePlus updates the Open Beta quite frequently, with each new version including bug fixes, security patches, and feature galore.

To make sure you never miss a beat, here’s everything new in the beta right now.

July 16, 2018 — Google Lens comes to the OnePlus 5/5T

Open Beta 14 and 12 have been announced for the OnePlus 5 and 5T, respectively, and while this is a much smaller update compared to the previous one, the two changes that are here are more than welcome.

First off, this Open Beta adds a shortcut to Google Lens right in the main OnePlus Camera app. To access it, open the camera, swipe up from the bottom, and tap the new Google Lens icon.

Along with this, OnePlus also says that it’s “improved photo clarity and optimizations to reduce oil painting effect.”

July 9, 2018 — The final Open Beta for the 3/3T adds minor launcher and camera improvements

A new Open Beta for the OnePlus 3 and 3T is rolling out now, specifically Open Beta 39 and 30, respectively.

With this Open Beta, both phones are getting a few upgrades to the OnePlus Launcher. Search tags in the app drawer have been improved, there’s a “New installs” section in the app drawer, and OnePlus says its improved the app list for the hidden space and toolbox.

The camera app has been optimized for switching between the front/rear camera and there’s a new feature that lets you scrub through AAC audio files.

As OnePlus noted in late June, this is the final Open Beta that the 3/3T are getting. Later this month, OnePlus will issue an update to anyone on the Open Beta that reverts them to a stable build of OxygenOS.

How do you install the Open Beta?

If you’ve got a OnePlus phone, enrolling in the Open Beta is fairly simple.

You’ll need to manually download the latest available version for your device from OnePlus’s website and sideload it, but once you do this, any future versions will be sent to you as over-the-air updates.

Harish wrote up a step-by-step guide walking you through the whole process, and I highly recommend checking it out to ensure nothing goes haywire.

How to install the OxygenOS Open Beta on your OnePlus phone

What phones are supported?

Right now, the list of phones supported by the OxygenOS Open Beta include:

• OnePlus 3
• OnePlus 3T
• OnePlus 5
• OnePlus 5T

The Open Beta isn’t available for the OnePlus 6 quite yet, but that should be changing in the very near future.

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit

$99.99


$199.99


Save $100

This kit comes with the essential SmartThings Hub, along with two Multipurpose sensors, a motion sensor and an outlet at its lowest price ever.

Harry Potter 8-film Collection 4K UHD

$79.99


$155.74


Save $76

Prepare for Fantastic Beasts 2 with over $50 off this Harry Potter set which comprises the original eight films of the series.

Asus FX503VD 15.6-inch powerful gaming laptop

$729.00


$925.00


Save $196

We’ve never seen this laptop drop this low even during last year’s Black Friday.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

$9.99


$16.89


Save $7

This product can filter 4,000 liters with proper use and maintenance, with the ability to remove 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria.

• Top Deals
• Amazon Devices
• TVs
• Smart Home
• Unlocked Smartphones
• Kitchen
• Audio & Headphones
• Gaming
• Home Improvement / DIY
• Everyday Essentials
• Kids & Toys
• Entertainment
• Fashion

Check out more Amazon Prime Day deals!

OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 5

• OnePlus 5T review: Come for the value, not the excitement
• OnePlus 5T specs
• Should you upgrade from the OnePlus 3T?
• OnePlus 5T vs. Galaxy S8: Beast mode
• All of the latest OnePlus 5T news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

The best Sous Vide starter kit you can buy is for Prime Day

Become one of those people, you won’t regret it.

I can’t tell you how many people have come in to my house, seen this weird tub of gently moving water on my counter, and delicately asked why it looked like I had dinner in a bubble bath. Sous Vide cooking looks weird as hell, because it cooks your food in a water bath instead of in the oven. The science behind how it works is fascinating, but even more impressive is how everything I make inside it tastes. The weird looks from friends are worth it when they taste what you’ve made, and immediately ask how to get this rig for their house.

Thanks to Amazon’s Prime Day sales, the best Sous Vide kit for beginners is on sale for way cheaper than it usually is. If you’ve been curious about trying this trendy cooking technique out, today is the day.

This more advanced version is capable of reaching higher temperatures much faster and maintaining those higher temperatures without any issues.

The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker is a simple gadget you that lets you safely slow cook food for hours, and can be monitored with the included app when you’re not at home. More important than the temperature controls, at least in my opinion, is the massive library of Sous Vide recipes in the app. The Anova team has so much information in there, and it made trying new things super easy.

There are a couple versions of this cooker at different prices, but for Amazon Prime Day, the highest end model dropped in price from $199 to $108.96. That effectively makes it the same price as the starter version, which is a big deal because this more advanced version is capable of reaching higher temperatures much faster and maintaining those higher temperatures without any issues. It also has a WiFi radio in it instead of just Bluetooth, so the remote part of the app will work in more places.

Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

See at Amazon

Save big on SanDisk microSD cards, SSDs, flash drives and more on Prime Day

Get it now!

Amazon is kicking off Prime Day with a huge sale on SanDisk’s popular storage products, including SSDs, flash drives, memory cards, and more. You can grab a 64GB microSD card for $18.69 or 128GB SD card for $54.99. There’s also a 480GB SSD for $99.99 and an assortment of flash drives starting at under $20.

Be sure to check out all the deals now.

See at Amazon