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9to5Toys Lunch Break: HTC One M9 (unlocked) $380, Galaxy Note 4 (unlocked) $370, Acer Chromebook $270, more

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:

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Refurb HTC One M9 32GB flash 4G LTE (unlocked): $380 shipped (Reg. $500+) | eBay

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 32GB (unlocked): $370 shipped (Reg. $700) | eBay

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Acer 15-inch Chromebook 1.5GHz/4GB/32GB SSD: $270 shipped (Reg. $350)

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Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone 32GB (unlocked): $480 shipped (Reg. $800) | eBay

ZenWatch

ASUS ZenWatch now just $130 shipped from Best Buy (Reg. $200) | eBay

More new gear from today:

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The Lexus Hoverboard is here: watch as it flies around a skatepark and over water

  • Games/Apps: Aspyr Mac sale – Beyond Earth $20, Metro Redux (PS4/Xbox One) $20, more
  • Daily Deals: Logitech Harmony Keyboard $70, JBL Clip Portable Bluetooth Speakers $30, more
  • PreSonus Ceres 3.5-inch Powered Speakers w/ Bluetooth streaming $100 shipped (Reg. $230)

More deals still alive:

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Two Philips Hue connected light bulbs (multiple styles) for $100 shipped (~$120 value)

New products & more:

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Xbox One announces new Halo 5 Limited Edition Console, DVR functionality, games and more at Gamescon 15

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Epson’s new EcoTank printers have enough ink for “two years” right out of the box

 

Google autonomous cars get hit surprisingly often…but why?

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Google’s self-driving cars are drawing a lot of attention and conversation online. Perhaps one of the biggest concerns from regular people like you and I is how safe they are. But as a recent video and blog post shows, you’re seemingly infinitely far more likely to be hit by another driver not paying attention, than your car malfunctioning and crashing in to someone else. But why do Google’s cars get hit so much?

Chris Urmson posted a really interesting article about what it’s like being hit by another car, driven by a human, while taking a ride in a self-driving Googlemobile. Urmson notes that the autonomous cars are being hit “surprisingly often”, despite their fancy array of sensors, processors and algorithms.


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Google’s self-driving car takes to the roads in Austin, Texas, in next phase of testing

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If you live in Austin, Texas, and thought you spotted one of Google’s self-driving cars, you weren’t imagining things: the company confirmed today that it has chosen the city for the next phase of testing. Google said in a G+ post that it was important for the software to be tested in a variety of different driving environments.

We’ve chosen Austin, Texas, as a new testing location for our project, and one of our Lexus SUVs is there now, with safety drivers aboard, driving a few square miles north and northeast of downtown Austin. It’s important for us to get experience testing our software in different driving environments, traffic patterns and road conditions—so we’re ready to take on Austin’s pedicabs, pickup trucks, and everything in between.

Google first demonstrated the car to the city’s mayor, chief of police and other officials back in 2013 … 
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Tesla’s Elon Musk in talks with Google over self driving vehicle tech, says sensor system still too expensive

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(Googlers turned Sergey Brin’s Tesla Model S into a pink Batmobile for April Fool’s Day)

According to a report from Bloomberg, Tesla’s Elon Musk has discussed with Google the possibility of adding self driving vehicle technology to its fleet of all-electric cars. The problem, says Musk, is that Google’s approach to the technology is currently too expensive compared to camera-based systems:

“The problem with Google’s current approach is that the sensor system is too expensive,” Musk said. “It’s better to have an optical system, basically cameras with software that is able to figure out what’s going on just by looking at things… “We’ve had some technical discussions with Google” about its Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, laser tracking system, Musk said last week, noting that it’s an expensive approach that may not prove feasible, Musk said.

While it’s possible Google could contribute to bringing the driverless features to future Tesla vehicles, Musk told Bloomberg it’s more likely the company will develop its own “autopilot system”. That’s something that other automakers are already doing with Toyota, Lexus, and Audi all showing off self-driving car technology at CES back in January:
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Toyota, Lexus, and Audi to show off their own Google-like self-driving cars at CES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTJFdMO-DQA&feature=youtu.be

While Google often uses Toyota vehicles in its fleet of self-driving cars, Toyota is planning to show off its own autonomous car technology next week at CES. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Toyota yesterday posted a short five-second clip of its advanced active safety research vehicle, a Lexus LS 600h, equipped with advanced cameras and sensors. Toyota confirmed to the WSJ that its system is being developed independently from Google. Audi is also said to have self-driving capabilities ready to demonstrate at CES in Las Vegas next week. We’ll be on hand with live coverage from Las Vegas, and we’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for any vehicles driving around by themselves.

Toyota’s prototype vehicle is a Lexus LS 600h fitted with radar and camera equipment that can detect other vehicles, road lane lines and traffic signals, giving the vehicle the ability to navigate streets without a driver. It also includes what appears to be the same roof-mounted laser that Google Inc. has been using on its autonomous research cars. Google began testing self-driving cars in 2009.

An Audi official also said the luxury-car company will be demonstrating autonomous vehicle capabilities at the Las Vegas show, including a feature that allows a car to find a parking space and park itself without a driver behind the wheel.

Earlier this year, Cadillac also showed off its own “Super Cruise” self-driving car technology.