EE’s ‘Swap’ brings another option for chronic phone-changers

EE switches on 4G in 13 more areas, claims half of the UK population now covered

If you’re the type to regard your six month-old handset like a relic from the stone age (and believe us, we are), then you’ve now got another option with EE’s Swap program. UK customers can now trade in their smartphones six months or later into their 18 or 24 month plans starting at £49. That appears to be EE’s attempt to catch up to plans like O2’s Refresh and JUMP from Phones 4u, but there’s a huge catch, of course. You’ll have to start a new 24 month contract from scratch, and the trade up price depends on which you end up choosing. Those opting for the cheapest £36 plan, for instance, will have to pay a much steeper £249. Still, for those of us who can barely stand going out with a mere Samsung Galaxy Note II when the Galaxy Note 3 is now in the zeitgeist, it’s a small price to pay.

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Walmart Lets You Swap Old Gadgets for Instant Credit

Running low on cash? Have a few gadgets that you can live without? Then you might want to swap the latter for some instant credit at your nearest Walmart. You won’t get cash, but you’ll get an eGift card that you can spend on groceries, clothes, and new gadgets.

walmart gadgets to gift cards

This is all thanks to Walmart’s new “Gadgets to Gift Cards” program, which they announced recently. The announcement was made in anticipation of the release of the next iPhone. In addition to consumer electronics, you can also trade in video games for credit – though the amounts they’re offering are very low – offering a whopping $1.39 for a copy of Halo 4 in good condition. Higher-end gadgets fare better, with a 32GB iPad 2 bringing $175, and an AT&T-locked 32GB iPhone 5 going for $335 for example.

The program allows people to spend their credit even before they ship off their devices for verification, provided they pass a credit check first. So in case you’re thinking of scamming them in this program, you’d better think twice.

To get started, log on to the program Web site and get a quote for your device. Choose the “pay me now” option and get an eGift Card within a few minutes. You can then print a free shipping label and send in your old device within 10 days.

[via C|NET]

Tesla’s 90 second battery swaps will power EVs faster than gas pumps fill tanks (video)

Tesla demonstrates fast battery swaps full charge in less time than a fillup

Tesla founder Elon Musk has mentioned battery swap service stations as an even faster alternative to charging for EV drivers, and tonight the company showed just how efficiently it can be done. In a demonstration at its design studio, it beat what it claims is the fastest gas pump in LA by exchanging a drained car battery pack for a fresh fully charged one in just 90 seconds. When the $500,000 stations start rolling out, owners will stay in the car the whole time then either swap the battery back for their original on a return trip, or get a bill for the difference based on how new their battery is. According to Reuters, the exchange is expected to cost owners between $60 – $80 each time or about the cost of 15 gallons of gas

Of course, failed outfit Better Place proposed a similar service before it shut down, but Tesla is betting that it can make it work this time. The first service stations are coming to busy corridors, with some planned for I5 in California. Still need more proof? Elon Musk tweeted that video of the event will be available in “about an hour,” so check back then.

Update: We’re still waiting on the official video, but reader Weapon sent in a link to video shot by an event attendee, which can be viewed after the break. Take a peek and see a pair of Tesla’s Model S sedans get quick battery service, one after the other in less time than a fuel pump can deliver one tank of gas.

Update 2: The official event video is up, check it out embedded after the break.

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Source: Tesla Motors (Twitter), Tesla