Technologies

Trade in Grandpa’s Old Reading Glasses and Upgrade to Xreal AR Glasses With This Insane Deal

Nab new Xreal glasses and trade in your old pair — from AR and VR models to sunglasses, blue-light blocking models or even reading specs — to get money back.

Glasses are having a moment, from Jurassic Park to VR headsets. If you’ve been hoping to snag a pair of smart glasses without paying full price, then this deal is for you. Right now you can snag a sweet trade-in deal from Xreal. Just turn in any pair of glasses, whether that’s an AR or VR model, spare sunglasses you’ve had laying around the house or even your grandpa’s old readers, you’ll get trade-in credit with your purchase of either the Xreal One or One Pro AR headset.

The Xreal One AR glasses impressed CNET Editor at Large and wearables expert Scott Stein thanks to their sharp and vivid display, solid sound and wide compatibility. «The Xreal One glasses aren’t perfect, but they’re the best set of display glasses I’ve ever seen.» There are a few things about this trade-in deal to be aware of, which I’ll outline for you below — but this is a pretty sweet deal for anyone looking for a solid pair of smart glasses.

First, you’ll need to purchase either the Xreal One or the Xreal One Pro directly from Xreal. Then you’ll submit your claim here. You must submit your claim within 30 days of your purchase date and include proof of purchase. Once that is completed, you’ll be contacted via email if you’re approved and XReal will give you instructions on how to send in your qualifying trade-in product.

Select Meta and Amazon wearables are included, as well as older Xreal models. But even if you don’t have other smart glasses to turn in, you’ll be able to send in any old pair, including those blue-light blocking glasses that were all the rage not too long ago. (I still use mine daily.)

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Xreal is offering trade-in savings of up to $475, but that amount is for the Meta Quest Pro. For just any old glasses, you’ll likely get back $75 or $100. But there is a vast range in between. A pair of Amazon Echo Frames could get you as much as $145, for example. Check out all of the qualifying items and values (which vary based upon which Xreal glasses you purchase and the condition of your trade-in item) to get an idea on what you could expect to get back.

Once Xreal reviews the condition of your trade-in, the company will complete your trade-in amount and send you a digital MasterCard loaded with the final value for you to spend wherever MasterCard is accepted. Just be sure to snag your AR glasses by Aug. 15 to qualify.

It’s also worth noting that this promotion is exclusively for US customers, and you can only make two claims per person and a maximum of four claims per household. Only one claim will be accepted per purchased promotion product and corresponding trade-in device. Once you receive your card, you must spend the funds within 6 months or forfeit the balance.

SMARTWATCH DEALS OF THE WEEK

Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm, Black, M/L Sports Band):

$359 (save $70)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Bluetooth, 40mm, Cream):

$200 (save $100)
Amazfit Active 42mm Smartwatch With 14 Day Battery Life (Black):

$85 (save $25)
Garmin Vivoactive 5 GPS Smartwatch With AMOLED Display:

$200 (save $100)
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (Wi-Fi, LTE, 47mm, Titanium Silver):

$500 (save $150)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Getting your hands on cutting-edge tech is hardly cheap. But finding deals can make it a little more affordable to splurge. These Xreal One glasses don’t often see price cuts, whether directly or through trade-in offers. Because of expected tariff-related price hikes on all sorts of tech, this is a great time to go ahead and get yourself a solid pair of smart glasses at a nice discount — whether you’re turning in an older smart model or just handing over a well-worn pair of extra sunglasses.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Jan. 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Remove from a position of power
Answer: OUST

5A clue: Not cool
Answer: UNHIP

7A clue: «Fine, see if ___!»
Answer: ICARE

8A clue: Kind of bored
Answer: JADED

9A clue: Primatologist’s subjects
Answer: APES

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Kind of board
Answer: OUIJA

2D clue: Prepare to use, as a pen
Answer: UNCAP

3D clue: Desirable place to sit on a hot day
Answer: SHADE

4D clue: Pair on a bicycle
Answer: TIRES

6D clue: ___ Xing (street sign)
Answer: PED

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 28, #492

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 28, No. 492.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Stats about an athlete.

Green group hint: Where to watch games.

Blue group hint: There used to be a ballpark.

Purple group hint: Names are hidden in these words.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Player bio information.

Green group: Sports streamers.

Blue group: Former MLB ballparks.

Purple group: Ends in a Hall of Fame QB.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is player bio information. The four answers are alma mater, height, number and position.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sports streamers. The four answers are Netflix, Paramount, Peacock and Prime.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is former MLB ballparks. The four answers are Ebbets, Kingdome, Three Rivers and Tiger.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends in a Hall of Fame QB. The four answers are forewarner, Harbaugh, honeymoon and outmanning.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Google Rolls Out Expanded Theft Protection Features for Android Devices

The latest Android security update makes it harder for thieves to break into stolen phones, with stronger biometric requirements and smarter lockouts.

Google on Tuesday announced a significant update to its Android theft-protection arsenal, introducing new tools and settings aimed at making stolen smartphones harder for criminals to access and exploit. The updates, detailed on Google’s official security blog, build on Android’s existing protections and add both stronger defenses and more flexible user controls.

Smartphones carry your most sensitive data, from banking apps to personal photos, and losing your device to theft can quickly escalate into identity and financial fraud. To counter that threat, Google is layering multiple protective features that work before, during and after a theft.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

At the center of the update is a revamped Failed Authentication Lock. Previously introduced in Android 15, this feature now gets its own toggle in Android 16 settings, letting you decide whether your phone should automatically lock itself after repeated incorrect PIN or biometric attempts. This gives you more control over how aggressively your phone defends against brute-force guessing without weakening security.

Google is also beefing up biometric security across the platform. A feature called Identity Check, originally rolled out in earlier Android versions, has been broadened to apply to all apps and services that use Android’s Biometric Prompt — the pop-up that asks for your fingerprint or face to confirm it’s really you — including third-party banking apps and password managers. This means that even if a thief somehow bypasses your lock screen, they’ll face an additional biometric barrier before accessing sensitive apps.

On the recovery side, Google improved Remote Lock, a tool that allows you to lock a lost or stolen device from a web browser by entering a verified phone number. The company added an optional security challenge to ensure only the legitimate owner can initiate a remote lock, an important safeguard against misuse.

And finally, in a notable regional rollout, Google said it is now enabling both Theft Detection Lock and Remote Lock by default on new Android device activations in Brazil, a market where phone theft rates are comparatively high. Theft Detection Lock uses on-device AI to detect sudden movements consistent with a snatch-and-run theft, automatically locking the screen to block immediate access to data.

With stolen phones often used to access bank accounts and personal data, Google says these updates are meant to keep a single theft from turning into a much bigger problem.