No ordinary airport vending machine: Project Fi Travel Trolley gives free gifts

By Lulu Chang Published December 15, 2016

There’s little to be enjoyed about holiday traveling, what with the endless security lines, hoards of people, and seemingly inevitable flight delays, but now, Google’s Project Fi is hoping to bring some cheer to your holiday flight. On Wednesday, it was discovered that Google’s mobile virtual network operator had set up a vending machine in San Jose International Airport. But not just any vending machine — a free vending machine.

Traveling through SJC? Check out the new Project Fi Travel Trolley filled with goodies for subscribers. #flywithFi pic.twitter.com/W8O4xvUGyd

— Google Fi Wireless (@googlefi) December 14, 2016

Before you get too excited, you ought to bear in mind that this “free” aspect applies only to Google Fi subscribers. But for those lucky folks, the machine located across from Gate 25 will dispense a whole range of travel essentials, including sleep masks, socks, and charging cables. And because, at the end of the day, this is indeed a marketing ploy, all these items are Fi-branded. But don’t just get the first item you see in the vending machine — given that you can only get one item every 24 hours, you’ll have to choose wisely.

Recommended Videos

For now, the vending machine has been seen only in the Silicon Valley airport, but it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility for these goodie dispensers to pop up elsewhere. If that does happen, you’ll need only to dial *#*#FLYWITHFI#*#* (that’s *#*#359948434#*#*) on your phone. This will generate a QR code that you can present to the scanner on the vending machine, in exchange for your free Project Fi paraphernalia.

So if you need a little pick-me-up as you’re making your way through the airport, or you just realized that you’d forgotten your charger at home, make your way over to the Project Fi Travel Trolley, and pick up a gift for yourself (or hey, maybe for someone else).

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Mobile

Acer is making a smart ring, and doing it the right way

Acer FreeSense smart ring in black and rose gold colors.

Acer is bringing some really impressive computing gear to the Computex event in Taipei this year. From the sleek Swift Edge 14 AI that is nearly half a pound lighter than the MacBook Air to the sleek Predator Triton 14 AI gaming laptop, the company has grabbed quite a few eyeballs.

What came as the biggest surprise was Acer’s shift into the direction of wearables, and specifically, smart rings. At the ongoing show, the company revealed Acer FreeSense, a lightweight smart ring that looks pretty neat and comes loaded with health-sensing features, but with a welcome surprise in tow.

Mobile

AI app clicks nail selfie to detect blood condition affecting billions

Person clicking picture of their nails.

Nearly two billion people across the world suffer from a blood condition called anemia. People living with anemia have a lower than average number of red blood cells, or the hemoglobin (Hgb) protein, and as a result, reduced oxygen carrying capacity.

Chronic anemia can lead to serious health issues such as heart attack and organ damage, with pregnant women being at a particularly higher risk. So far, anemia identification has required a visit to the clinic for CBC blood tests, Hemoglobin and Hematocrit analysis, or peripheral blood smear assessment.

Mobile

5 phones you should buy instead of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

A person taking the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge out of a pocket.

It's an undeniable fact that smartphones have gotten larger and larger over the years. Samsung is trying to turn back the years with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, a smartphone that embraces everything we love about modern phones, but tries to make it just that little bit more svelte. The result is a phone that's just 5.9mm thick, making other flagships look like lumbering brutes.

The Galaxy S25 Edge's slimness is going to mean compromises, of course — chiefly, the battery size is smaller than its competitors, and while the build is thinner, there's a worry that could make the phone easier to damage. All of this is pure supposition until we get chance to review the phone, of course, and if you're considering buying the S25 Edge, we'd recommend waiting until our final review until you make a decision. But that doesn't change the fact that there are a number of strong smartphones out there that can do the S25 Edge's job well, and sometimes, better. Here are five phones you should buy instead of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.