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Stephen Hall

stephenjhall

Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. You can find his current work at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google 9to5ToysElectrek, and more. If you want to get in touch, follow me on Twitter. Or, email at stephen (at) 9to5mac (dot) com, or an encrypted email at hallstephenj (at) protonmail (dot) com.

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Troubled LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE makes a comeback at AT&T

lte-lg-watch-urbane

The LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE — yeah, that’s a mouthful of a name isn’t it? — is back. The Android Wear smartwatch that was supposed to debut the latest version of Google’s smartwatch software all the way back in November of last year was pulled from sale just days after it became available. LG eventually confirmed that the device was suffering a quality issue with a display component, but it was unclear what the device’s future would be.

Now, it seems that the Korean company has relaunched the LTE-enabled smartwatch…
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HTC 10 rumored to have a Super LCD 5 display & 3,000 mAh battery

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The HTC One M10 — rumored to be called simply the HTC 10 — has already leaked almost in full at this point. The phone, perhaps unsurprisingly, is going to ship with very similar specs as other early 2016 Android flagships, including of course being built around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 system-on-a-chip. Now, Evleaks has come out to contradict some previous rumors saying that its previously-rumored AMOLED display is actually going to be a Super LCD 5 and that the phone will have a 3,000 mAh battery…


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Someone is trying to sell the unannounced Google Glass Enterprise Edition on eBay

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Update: It appears Google has shut down the eBay listing.

Earlier this year, we told you across several exclusive reports that second-generation Glass hardware was in development, namely a variant of the device reworked with the enterprise in mind. Now, a couple months after getting our first look at FCC images of the device and later an official Google patent, we now have our first look at a unit in the wild via a new eBay listing


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9to5Toys Last Call: LG Watch Urbane $169, Sony Xperia Z5 Compact $400, Pebble Time $95, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

lg-watch-urbane

LG Watch Urbane Android Wear smartwatch: $169 shipped (Reg. $200+) | eBay

Amazon.com: Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Unlocked Phone - Black (U.S. Warranty): Cell Phones & Accessories 2016-03-18 15-25-22

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Unlocked Phone: $400 shipped (Reg. $450) | Amazon

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Daily Deals: Pebble Time Smartwatch $95, Hisense 55-inch 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV $370, more

aukey-bt-headphones

Smartphone Accessories: Aukey Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless Sport Headphones $15, more

parallels-power-bundle

Buy or upgrade Parallels ($49-$79) & get 7 Mac apps free: 1Password, Parallels Access, & more (Reg. $269)

2016 All-Star Mac Bundle brings together 11 high-quality apps: $20 (Orig. $263)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

sennheiser-hd7

Headphones: Sennheiser HD7 DJ Closed Over-Ears $119 (Reg. $150+)more

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MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

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Take home the Lexar JumpDrive 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive for $50 shipped (Reg. $80)

house-powered-by-prius

How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

nike-hyperadapt-1

Nike’s self-lacing prophecy finally comes true with the HyperAdapt 1.0

thinkgeek-nes-backpack

This NES-inspired backpack is the perfect carryall for any gamer

Hands-on: LG G5’s modular design and metal build is a peek at the smartphone of the future

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The LG G5 is a weird phone, but that’s not a bad thing. If you only look at the spec sheet, there’s not much about LG’s latest G series handset that sets it apart from the other Snapdragon 820-powered competition. On paper, it might as well just be another option available for those perusing the shelves at their local carrier store. It has USB Type-C, a fingerprint sensor on the back, a nice camera set up, and a decent build. All of these things are expected of a 2016 flagship.

But the weirdness of the LG G5 is what makes it intriguing to me. Samsung ditched its plastic in favor of a premium metal and glass build with last year’s handset, and this year LG is following in step with an obvious evolution in the design of the phone. The all-metal beast now just has a single lock button around the back, the volume rockers have been moved to the sides, there’s a dual-camera set up, and most of all, this phone is modular…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Google Play MP3 albums $1, Lexar 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive $50, AKG Headphones $120, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

arctic-monkeys-favourite-worst-nightmare

Google Play MP3 albums $1 ea: Arctic Monkeys, Shinedown and Silversun Pickups

lexar-jumpdrive-s75-256gb-usb-3-0-flash-drive

Take home the Lexar JumpDrive 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive for $50 shipped (Reg. $80)

akg-k-495nc-premium-active-noise-cancelling-headphones

Amazon Gold Box – AKG K-495NC Premium Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones $120 shipped (Orig. $350)

macbook-pro-retina-mf840lla

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Save big on Apple’s newest laptops: Retina MacBook Pro $1,000 (Reg. $1,299), 256GB 11″ MacBook Air $870 (Reg. $1,099)

parallels-power-bundle

Buy or upgrade Parallels ($49-$79) & get 7 Mac apps free: 1Password, Parallels Access, & more (Reg. $269)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

goal-zero-nomad-71

Green Deals: Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar USB Charger (refurb) $30 (Orig. $80), Philips Dimmable LED Bulbs $6, more

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MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

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Bluetooth Speakers: Sony SRSX7 w/ Wi-Fi + AirPlay $130 (Reg. $150+), Bohm SoundBlock $22 (Reg. $50), more

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How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

playstation-vr2

Sony’s PS4 Virtual Reality kit is finally ready for primetime this fall + exclusive titles announced

9to5Toys Lunch Break: BOGO Samsung Wireless Charging Pad $70, Sony Wireless Speaker $130, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

EP-PN920TBEGUS_main_600

Samsung Fast Charge wireless charging pad: 2 for $70 shipped (Reg. $140) | Samsung

sony-srsx7

Bluetooth Speakers: Sony SRSX7 w/ Wi-Fi + AirPlay $130 (Reg. $150+), Bohm SoundBlock $22 (Reg. $50), more

macbook-pro-retina-mf840lla

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB: $1,049 shipped (Reg. $1,299)

parallels-power-bundle

Buy or upgrade Parallels ($49-$79) & get 7 Mac apps free: 1Password, Parallels Access, & more (Reg. $269)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

ecobee3-thermostat-sale-02

ecobee3 Wi-Fi thermostat w/ remote sensor: $190 shipped (Orig. $249)

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MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

vizio-ss2521-c6

Home Theater Audio: VIZIO 25-inch Sound Stand $150 shipped (Reg. $200), JBL Soundbar (Refurb) $70 (Orig. $200)

house-powered-by-prius

How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

powerup-fpv

Turn your paper airplane into a first person virtual reality experience with PowerUP’s FPV kit

Google is giving another ranking boost to mobile-friendly pages

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FILE - In this April 17, 2007 file photo, exhibitors work on laptop computers in front of an illuminated sign of the Google logo at the industrial fair Hannover Messe in Hanover, Germany. According to numbers the company released Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, nearly 145,000 requests have been made in the European Union and four other countries by people looking to polish their online reputations. That’s an average of more than 1,000 requests a day since late May, when Google began accepting submissions to comply with a European court decision that ruled some embarrassing information about people’s lives can be scrubbed from search results. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File)

Google announced in April of last year that it tweaked search results to give a ranking boost to sites that offer mobile-friendly versions, and now the Mountain View company is prepping to give even more ranking weight to these sites. The company is planning a change that “increases the effect of the ranking signal” for mobile searches to put even more mobile pages on the top…


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PSA: Google is now sending out invites (and denials) to I/O 2016 lottery entrants

google io 2015

We told you last week that registration for Google’s 2016 I/O developer conference opened up to the public, and now it appears those that entered the drawing are receiving acceptance and denial emails. The lucky lottery entrants that have been accepted this time around, though, are apparently getting an error preventing them from registering…


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SXSW: JJ Abrams-backed ‘Moon Shot’ tells the stories of the Google Lunar XPRIZE contestants

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A new JJ Abrams-backed web series called “Moon Shot” officially launched at SXSW this week, telling the stories of the actual scientists behind the teams that are competing for $30 million in prizes. The series spans across nine short films, all of which are now available for download on Google Play and will soon be available on YouTube…


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Google goes with ‘New York Cheesecake’ for the Android N codename

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Every year Google hides a little three-letter codename deep in the bowels of Android to represent the latest version, and this year, as Android Police points out, it looks like the Mountain View company is going with NYC, or New York Cheesecake. Note, however, that this isn’t the actual name of the final release — that has yet to be decided — and that you’ll likely never hear of the company officially referring to the update by this name…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Refurb Galaxy S6 $330, GoPro’s HERO4 Silver camera $299, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

s6

Refurb Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920A 32GB: $330 shipped (Reg. $400+)

gopro-her4-silver

Record all the action with GoPro’s HERO4 Silver Camera for $299 shipped (Reg. $330+)

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4K Displays: Dell 24″ $390 (Reg. $600), Dell 27″ $500 (Reg. $700), Acer 28″ refurb $240 (Reg. $500), more

guitar-hero-live-sale-01

Games/Apps: Guitar Hero Live iOS $50, Battlefield Hardline from $20, GTA Trilogy for Mac $6, freebiesmore

vizio-ss2521-c6

Home Theater Audio: VIZIO 25-inch Sound Stand $150 shipped (Reg. $200), JBL Soundbar (Refurb) $70 (Orig. $200)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

motorola-cable-modem-lineup

End the madness – stop renting your cable modem with these refurb Motorola deals from $35 shipped (Orig. up to $130)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

house-powered-by-prius

How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

philips-hue-white-ambiance

Philips introduces new ambient Hue Lights that automatically simulates the sun

wd-pidrive

WD’s new internal hard drive for Raspberry Pi brings 314GB of additional storage

CrowdOptic launches its own hardware as other Glass at Work partners seemingly dying

2016-03-14-1

Update 3/16: Augmate has reached out to clarify the situation, noting that CEO and founder Pete Wassell is indeed not leaving the company. The previous “team” page we linked to on the company’s site didn’t list Wassell’s name, but it appears the page — which has now been taken down — was inaccurate.

CrowdOptic, widely known as one of the larger and more successful of the dozen-or-so Glass at Work partners, has today announced its first in-house developed hardware product. The CrowdOptic Eye streams video via the company’s video streaming stack at the flip of a switch, adding additional opportunities for clients that have until now primarily used wearable devices like Google Glass for a wide variety of purposes ranging from medicine to sports…


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This future LeEco phone concept shows off an edge-screened, buttonless beauty [Gallery]

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leeco phone

Chinese company LeEco (previously LeTV) hasn’t launched a phone in the United States yet, but reports from last year say that that’s probably going to change soon. Hopefully, when they do, this is the phone that they’ll launch. We’ve recently gotten our hands on these official LeEco-made renders depicting a future phone concept, sporting a Samsung-like edge screen, and a sleek all-metal buttonless design…


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SXSW: Samsung unveils Entrim 4D VR headset, Waffle & Hum On! Android apps [Video]

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Samsung’s Creative Lab — the group within the company that cultivates small startup-like projects within the larger corporation — has unveiled three new projects here at SXSW in Austin, TX. Among them are a new VR technology called Entrim 4D which lets you more intimately feel the VR content you’re experiencing via electric signals sent to your brain, a collaborative social media project called Waffle, and a music creation app called Hum On!..


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Nexus 6P from $425, Lenovo 11-inch Chromebook $129, 200GB MicroSD $60, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS

gold-nexus-6p1

Deal: 32GB Nexus 6P down to $425 (Reg. $499), 64GB down to $475 (Reg. $549)

lenovo-100s

Lenovo 11-inch Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $129 shipped (Reg. $149)

sandisk-sale-goldbox1

Gold Box Monster SanDisk storage sale: 200GB MicroSD $60, UltraFit 128GB USB $25, much more

house-powered-by-priusHow-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

seagate-backup-plus-8tb-usb-3-0-desktop-external-hard-drive-in-black-stdt8000100-sale-01

Daily Deals: 8TB Seagate USB 3.0 External Hard Drive $200, Asus Touchscreen Laptop/Tablet $155, more

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MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

holmes-wemo-deals

Holmes Smart WeMo appliances: Air Purifier $150 (Reg. $200), X-Large Heater $100 (Reg. $200)

solartab

Solartab: Powerful Solar Panel/13,000mAh dual USB battery in iPad form factor: $94 shipped ($35 off)

macbook-12-inch-retina-1

12-inch MacBook now $300 off: 256GB $1,000, 512GB $1,300 + extra $50 savings w/ .edu email

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

lg-hdr-super-uhdtv

LG releases a new line of 4K Super UHDTVs with HDR capabilities and big price tags

cooking-with-beer

Rule this summer’s BBQ with Mark Dredge’s new Cooking with Beer guide

SXSW: Sony’s Future Lab shows off its ‘N’ audio-based wearable, other projects

sony n

Earlier this month Sony announced a new R&D initiative called the “Future Lab Program” and a mysterious device simply called “N” was concurrently shown off in a YouTube video. Details on this audio-based wearable were light until today, but the Japanese company set out to fix that by heading to the capital of Texas at SXSW Interactive to take the wraps off…


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Lee Sedol scores his first win against Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo [Video]

alphago-lee-sedol

Google’s AlphaGo AI may have secured the five-game match with its third win yesterday, but that doesn’t mean the competition is over. As announced today (via Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind), the second-best-in-the-world South Korean Go player Lee Sedol actually managed to score a victory against the Google AI in the fourth game…
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SXSW: Hands-on with the ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ claw game at the Google Fiber Space [Gallery]

IMG_2262

We told you a couple of days ago that Google was building a crane game for SXSW attendees, and last night we finally had a chance to try it out for ourselves. Appropriately dubbed “I’m Feeling Lucky,” the huge crane game offers some free swag from the variety of products the Mountain View company offers via its online retail presence (with no SXSW badge required!)…


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Eric Schmidt caught taking pictures with an iPhone, but is that really a big deal?

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Executive Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt testifies before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing called "The Power of Google: Serving Consumers or Threatening Competition?" on Capitol Hill, September 21, 2011. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)

Eric Schmidt is in South Korea this week to witness Google’s AlphaGo AI system completely destroy the world Go champion at his own game. Sedol lost the first game yesterday, saying then that he was “very surprised”. Today he lost again. “It was a clear loss on my part,” he said. He had predicted before the matchups began that he would win the five-game series 5-0 or 4-1 “at worst.”

But while the Alphabet Executive Chairman is in South Korea to witness the monumental battle, the Korean press (OSEN, in this case) is clearly focusing on something else. As you can see in the pictures below, Schmidt was caught at a press event this week taking pictures with an iPhone…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Huawei Watch from $270, Pixel C for developers from $375, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS
huawei-watch

Gold Box: Huawei Watches $80-$130 off, start at $270 shipped, Black Stainless: $320 shipped

pixel-c-buy-now

Google offering developers 25% off the Pixel C: 32GB model $375, 64GB model $449google-chromecast-2

Two-pack of Google Chromecast Audio Streamers $55 (Reg. $70)$6 Google Play Credit for every Chromecast you have

logitech-z506

Surround Sound 5.1-Ch. Systems: Logitech Z506 $50 (Orig. $100), Harman Kardon refurb $140 (Orig. $600)

house-powered-by-priusHow-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

audio-technica-ath-m50xwh-professional-studio-monitor-headphones-e1424249327194

Daily Deals: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones $100, JBL Charge 2 Bluetooth Speaker $80, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/707975740738953217 align=’center’]

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

solartab

Solartab: Powerful Solar Panel/13,000mAh dual USB battery in iPad form factor: $94 shipped ($35 off)

macbook-12-inch-retina-1

12-inch MacBook now $300 off: 256GB $1,000, 512GB $1,300 + extra $50 savings w/ .edu email

Apple Mac Pro 12-core Xeon/64GB/1TB: $8,799 (Reg. $9,599), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

popslate-2

popSLATE’s second generation iPhone 6/s/Plus e-ink case drops the bulk for a slender design

Google Store is setting up a crazy huge claw game at SXSW, and we’re going to play it

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I'm Feeling Lucky - presented by Google Store at SXSW 2016-03-10 11-16-20

Google has typically had at least a little bit of presence at SXSW in the past, but we’ve never been there to cover it. That’s changing this week, and it looks like I already have some Google-y fun to look forward to. The Silicon Valley company is heading down to the Silicon Hills to set up a huge game called “I’m Feeling Lucky,” allowing anyone to try their hand at winning some Google Store swag…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Spigen Galaxy S7 cases $5, Aukey 10000mAh Power Bank $17, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS

spigen-galaxy-s7-cases

Outfit your new Galaxy S7/edge with these Spigen cases in a variety of styles/colors for $5 shipped

aukey-100000mah-power-bank-deal

Smartphone Accessories: Aukey 10000mAh QC 2.0 Power Bank $17 (Reg. $25), Aluminum Stand $5 (Reg. $10), more

netgear-docsis-3-0-high-speed-cable-modem-cm600-100nas

NETGEAR routers, modems & storage up to 60% off from $30: 2-bay NAS + 4TB storage $320 (Reg. $400), more

chromecast-audio

Buy 2 Chromecast Audio devices from Best Buy and save $15

house-powered-by-prius

How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

canon-airprint-9to5toys

Canon All-in-One Printers w/ AirPrint: Laser $140 (Reg. $174+), InkJet $119 (Reg. $149)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

solartab

Solartab: Powerful Solar Panel/13,000mAh dual USB battery in iPad form factor: $94 shipped ($35 off)

macbook-12-inch-retina-1

12-inch MacBook now $300 off: 256GB $1,000, 512GB $1,300 + extra $50 savings w/ .edu email

Apple Mac Pro 12-core Xeon/64GB/1TB: $8,799 (Reg. $9,599), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

littlebits-steam-kit

LittleBits’ latest creation focuses on robotic kits and STEAM education

Google launches the Android Beta Program, gives you easy OTA access to Android N

android n

Update: While it wasn’t appearing at first, it seems that the Nexus Player is now being listed as a compatible device with the program. Additionally, the General Mobile 4G (Android One) device is now compatible as well.

Google has now — as promised — just launched the Android Beta Program. With this program (much like similar programs from Apple), you can enroll your device to receive the latest beta builds of Android and receive them over-the-air without the need to do any manual flashing. Head over to the Android Beta Program website to sign up…


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