trade

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- New Captcha system uses empathy to distinguish humans from bots.

- Watch Pornhub to donate money to breast cancer research.

- Meet the man that invented the Escape key.… Read more

HTC, hoping to attract new Android and Windows Phone buyers, is now offering cash back for old smartphones. A new HTC Trade-Up page has gone live online to lets users calculate how much their aging handset might be worth.

The program is essentially a four-step process, starting with a quote for your existing smartphone. Once you buy a new HTC device, simply mail in your old smartphone. Providing everything matches up with the details you reported to HTC, you'll get your refund in the form of a Visa prepaid card that's good for up to 30 days.

HTC … Read more

The budget is a big topic this presidential-campaign season, but I've come across a solution to our fiscal woes that doesn't get enough press -- dealing with all the dollars flushed down the toilet (sometimes literally) due to the scourge of dropped, soaked, and otherwise damaged iPhones.

According to gadget warranty outfit SquareTrade -- which also recently informed us of the most dangerous states to be an iPad or iPhone -- damaged iPhones have cost Americans $5.9 billion since their introduction in 2007.… Read more

The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple's iPhones, iPods, and iPads do not violate four Samsung patents, dealing a blow to Samsung's legal offensive against Apple and its portable devices.

The ruling (PDF) is preliminary and needs to be approved by the ITC's full six-member commission.

"We remain confident that the full commission will ultimately reach a final determination that affirms our position that Apple must be held accountable for free-riding on our technological innovations," Samsung said in a statement. "We are proud of our long history of innovation in the mobile … Read more

Last week, a jury found that a number of Samsung devices infringed on Apple's patents, including the Galaxy S II. Is it just a coincidence, then, that consumer electronics resale site Gazelle has seen a huge bump in trade-ins of Galaxy S phones and other Samsung devices?

Gazelle's Anthony Scarsella told me today that the Web site has seen a 50 percent increase in Samsung trades in the days since the verdict was handed down.

"The Galaxy S II has been the most popular model," Scarsella added. … Read more

The country's top trade agency handed Apple a mixed ruling today in its dispute with Google-owned Motorola Mobility over patents covering 3G wireless technology.

The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple did not violate three Motorola patents, including one that a judge had found the company to be infringing. But the agency sent a fourth patent -- which the judge had initially said had not been infringed -- back to the judge to reconsider.

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Thomas Pender will have to re-examine the issues with regard to the so-called "'862 patent" related to … Read more

Planning to upgrade your iPhone to whatever model Apple announces next month? Amazon wants to make it worth your while.

As of today, the company is offering some of the highest trade-in values I've seen on used iPhones. The only catch? Your payout comes in the form of an Amazon gift card, not actual cash.

Amazon is accepting used, fully functional iPhones from AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. As with most trade-in services, you must specify whether your model is in acceptable, good, or like-new condition. That dictates the amount you'll get in return.

For example, my … Read more

Any objection to Monday's top tech headlines is overruled:

The Apple vs. Samsung trial is almost at a close. The jury is expected to begin deliberations Tuesday. The two tech giants spent three weeks battling over patents and accusations of copying.

OnLive is facing some rough days ahead. The cloud-based gaming service sold its assets to an investor Friday and laid off employees, but said it will rehire many back as the newly restructured company (which will still be called OnLive). The company says subscribers shouldn't see any problems or interruptions in service during this restructuring.

College students … Read more

For those planning on upgrading to the next iPhone model in September, Gazelle is taking the gamble out of early trade-ins with an extension of its price-lock guarantee.

Consumers who plan on selling a used iPhone to Gazelle can get a price quote locked-in now, but don't have to mail in their iPhone until October 1. It's widely rumored that the next iPhone model will go on sale September 21. If rumors are true, this would give sellers enough time to hold onto their current iPhone before replacing it with a newer model.

The extension only applies to … Read more