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| Best Mac apps: the best macOS apps for your Apple computer Posted: 11 Feb 2019 01:30 PM PST Now that macOS Mojave is here, and anyone can download it, everyone has access to some key iOS apps, like News and Stocks on their Macs. However, that’s not even close to representing the broad range of software you can get on macOS. Your Mac can do everything from playing games to getting some work done. At the end of the day, the software, more than anything else, is what keeps people coming back to the Jony Ive-designed hardware each year. There are so many things you can do with the best Mac apps, so some may not appeal to you. However, there are some Mac apps like Evernote, the best note-taking app around, that anyone can find a use for. And, you won’t find all of these apps on the Mac App Store, but they’re still worth your consideration. With this guide, we found all the best apps, most of which we use every day. From free apps and utilities to professional music applications, these Mac apps will make even the best Mac better than ever. Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Check out our Linux vs Windows vs Mac - OS comparison video below.
A computer free of annoyances simply doesn’t exist – and Macs are no exception. For the longest time, it’s been impossible to use our MacBooks – unbound by the chains of a power adapter – while video outputs to an external monitor. As we all know here at TechRadar, Apple’s laptops will automatically enter sleep mode when the lid is closed. This can be a huge inconvenience should you prefer the sheer magnitude of one of the best monitors as opposed to a 12, 13 or 15-inch screen. Fortunately, Amphetamine allows you to continue using your MacBook while closed. Before, you could do this by using a similar app called Caffeine, but we prefer the UI features you get with this freebie. Not only does it fit in naturally with the rest of your Menu Bar items, but Amphetamine also supports hotkey commands as well as deactivation reminders – not to mention there are no annoying ads in sight.
While you’ve been able to snap programs to the edge of the screen in Windows since Windows 7, Apple didn’t have a solution until OS X El Capitan. What’s more, even then it lacked some of the comprehensiveness of Microsoft’s alternative. Luckily, HyperDock gives us that full-fledged functionality we so desperately crave, allowing anyone with a Mac to apply it to both the app Dock and windows. In Windows, you can drag an app to the left or right edges of the screen (or the corners) and it’ll automatically fill that space. This makes it much easier to be productive on the desktop without wasting time dragging windows from the corners. For the Dock, hovering over apps activates something close to Windows 7’s thumbnail previews, giving an overview of the window that can be accessed by a click or closed directly from the preview. Useful.
If you have recently picked up a Mac and miss some of your old Windows applications, don’t fret – Parallels Desktop 13 can bring them back. Instead of having to dual-boot your Mac into a Windows partition, Parallels Desktop 13 allows Windows and macOS Sierra to co-exist side by side, and you can even run Microsoft-only programs such as Visual Studio 2015, or the Windows versions of the company’s Office 365 apps, alongside your native macOS ones. All you need is a Windows 10 license – so prepare to buy one if you haven't already. Or, alternatively, you can use Parallels to try a handful of free operating systems including Chromium (a free distribution of Chrome OS) or Linux Debian. The latest version of Parallels in particular has seen improvements such as Touch Bar support, better resolution scaling for Retina displays and picture-in-picture for using other operating systems in conjunction with macOS.
If you’re anything like us, working on just one monitor or screen is just painful. Portable monitors are still fairly expensive (and bulky), luckily, though, you can use an iPad instead using a nifty app called Duet. Developed by ex-Apple engineers, it works by tethering your iPad to your Mac using one of Apple’s Lightning cables and firing up the app on both devices. You can then drag apps and windows onto your iPad’s screen just like you would with a second monitor, and if you have a more recent iPad with a Retina display, you’ll get the full benefit of all those beautiful pixels. Just realize that the bandwidth isn’t quite what you would get with one of the best monitors, so it can be a bit laggy when you bump the quality up. But it’s still better for watching videos, reading websites and typing up documents.
Atom is a text editor that's primarily designed for coders, but its flexibility and customization options make it a viable option for many different types of users. That's because of two reasons: first, you can download a number of different Packages - effectively plug-ins - to make it bend to your will. It can be transformed into a Markdown editor for writing blog posts, for example, or you can hook it up to Evernote for storing notes in the cloud. There's at least 10 different word counters out there, and you can even add typewriter sound effects as you hammer out your delicious prose. Atom is also infinitely customizable on the visual side thanks to an editable back-end, allowing you to do anything from changing the font size, line height and colors to giving the caret Word 2016-like elasticity.
Whether you’re a big time producer or you just like making some jams in your downtime, Macs are kind of known for being among the best laptops for music production – and Logic Pro X is a big part of that. Developed by Apple itself, its accessible interface hides a ton of advanced functionality. The latest version also comes with a svelte design, 64-bit architecture and a new session drummer that will save you from having to drop more cash on a drum machine (or a real drummer). It also works in natural harmony with iPads, providing a touch-based alternative method of creating song structures to dragging and dropping blocks in the main visual editor. Whether you're a seasoned producer already (Sia used the app to record her hit song 'Chandelier') or are looking to upgrade from Garageband, Logic Pro X likely has what you need.
An uncomplicated app, but a great one, to do app Wunderlist’s selling point is its cross device functionality. It’s available on Mac, PC, Android and iOS, allowing you to sync your to do list wherever you’re using macOS’ Handoff feature. Once you've started a list, you can schedule reminders, add notes and embed it into the macOS Notification Center using a widget. Team-based features are unlocked by signing up for Wunderlists’s pro subscription, and you can add files of any size without running into limits.
Evernote has morphed into a mighty note-taking app over the years. While some people will say that it's too bloated, the sheer number of things that you can do with it still makes it best-in-class. You can type up notes, obviously, organizing them using a combination of folders and tags. You can even embed Google Drive documents, which are accessible in a click. There's also the ability to set reminders, share notes with friends, find information related to notes using Evernote's 'Context' feature, create lists, and favorite notes that you frequently return to. Better yet, all of your notes are synchronized using the company's servers, making them accessible on nearly any PC (through a browser or the native Evernote app) or mobile device in the world. The paid version lets you use Evernote with more than two devices while upping the amount of data you can sync each month.
GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation, is one of the best free image editing apps out there. It’s a great alternative to Adobe Photoshop and comes with a wide array of pro-level functions that let you tweak existing images in a range of formats or create fresh ones from scratch. Features include layers, highly customizable brushes, automatic image enhancing tools and filters. You can do even more with plugins, which are available to download from the GIMP Plugin Registry.
These days, balancing features with simplicity and good design in the best Mac apps is critically important. However, unlike Word 2016, or even Apple’s own Pages, Ulysses has an extremely minimalistic interface. This allows you to get on with writing without being distracted by so many buttons and menus. The app uses its own version of Markdown – a type of text formatting engine – that allows users to focus on their writing in a way that not only makes organization easier but also makes exporting easier – Ulysses will format it in an attractive way, using one of many export styles, when you’re done writing. There's a handy attachments bar on the right-hand side that features an attractive word counter and lets you write notes to assist you in your writing. Notes can be accessed anywhere thanks to iCloud support, so you can pick up your iPad and carry on where you left off using macOS's Handoff feature.
Sometimes you want to play your Xbox One, but you can’t because your roommate has decided to use the living room TV for watching the whole run of Ugly Delicious in one sitting. Now, you could technically stream Halo 5 or Sea of Thieves if you had a Windows PC. However, you just have a Mac. That’s where OneCast comes in, a third-party work of reverse engineering performed by an independent developer to bring Xbox One game streaming to macOS. It works as easily as connecting both your Mac and Xbox One to the same network and subsequently logging in to Xbox Live. It works pretty well in our experience, though you should have both systems connected to your modem via ethernet if possible.
Nobody can deny that the best Macs are great for network admin uses, and if you need to manage a bunch of Windows devices, being able to remote into a PC to diagnose problems is critically important. Luckily, Microsoft has provided an app just for that. With Microsoft Remote Desktop 10, you get an officially-supported app that gives you remote access to any PCs on your network – as long as you’re a network admin or an authorized user. It can be a bit of a pain to set up, and the PC you’re trying to access will need to be running Windows 10 Pro. But once you get going, you can access files, copy/paste across desktops and even run games – though, we don’t recommend that last bit. Microsoft Remote Desktop 10 is a godsend for network admins and IT professionals, and is easily one of the best Mac apps you can download right now.
Microsoft Office has been available on Mac for years now, but you always had to go through a couple hoops to download it. We’ve been asking for a release on the Mac App Store for a while, and, well, it’s finally here. We’re sure we don’t really need to go into too great of detail what Microsoft Office is, but it’s essentially Microsoft’s suite of office apps, from Word to PowerPoint to Excel. It’s absolutely an essential app to have, but you should keep in mind that you’ll have to get a subscription to Office 365 to use it. It’s one of those Mac Apps that should be essential for any professional, and the fact that it’s finally on the Mac App Store means that you don’t have to worry about keeping it updated.
The market for disk optimization apps is neither desolate nor particularly interesting, particularly on the Mac – where Apple usually does a good job of cleaning up its drives on its own. However, for a program that’s far more intuitive and user friendly than, say, the built-in Macintosh HD storage management software, your best bet is to turn your attention to Dr. Cleaner. This app splits up all your data into easily digestible chunks that would otherwise be obtuse. Dr. Cleaner groups up all the trash on your Mac and labels them in groups like ‘Junk Files’ and ‘Big Files’ – rather than listing off 30GB of documents and 10GB of iOS files you can’t comprehend. Then, you can look at the file names themselves and decide whether or not you want to keep them on your PC. You can also use Dr. Cleaner to monitor CPU, network and RAM usage as well, for the sake of putting some pep in your aging Mac’s step.
It might be kind of like three apps than just one, but SoftMaker Office 2018 takes all the key features of Microsoft Office and puts them into an interface that tailors to your needs. It comes with a group of programs called TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations 2018 that are similar enough to Office 365 without the rolling subscription. Regardless of whether you need an easy-to-use word processor or a spreadsheet or slideshow creator of equal accessibility, SoftMaker Office has what you’re looking for. And, because it’s still in beta, you can get a complimentary, albeit temporary, license over email if you want to give it a spin. Otherwise, there’s a permanent free version called SoftMaker FreeOffice, but it’s only available on Windows, Android and Linux.
Since you’re obviously going to install all of the other apps we’ve mentioned, you’re going to need at least a utility that, well, declutters your desktop. Unclutter is the solution you’re looking for whether you’re a frivolous notetaker or a temporary file hoarder like we are. It’s designed to keep your memos, documents and pasteboard clips in one place rather than scattered across several folders. It’s a brilliant idea made even better by the fact that it can be configured for use with gesture controls. At any given point, you can swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers on the trackpad (or one on the mouse) to reveal a trio of windows that can be concealed and re-summoned whenever you please.
When you’re out there hustling every day, it’s easy to lose track of messages. With so many social media companies, SMS platforms and instant messaging services to choose from, most of us also have a number of different accounts used to administer to all of those messages. But what if you only had to log into one? That’s the central idea in Franz, a messaging app that allows you to view and send messages in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, HipChat and more. It lets you seamlessly switch between any of these apps as easily as you can toggle between Slack workspaces. Best of all, there’s no limit to the amount of services you can use at once. That way, even if you have 10 Facebook accounts for whatever reason, all of your messages will be visible in the same place.
If you’re anything like us, you have tons of packages coming in all the time – and it can get hard to keep track of everything. Luckily, there’s an app for that. With Deliveries, you can keep track of all your incoming deliveries in one place in an easy-to-read interface. It will notify you whenever there’s a change in your delivery, syncing the information between macOS and iOS so you are on top of things, even on the go. All you have to do to track a package is hit Command + New and paste in the tracking number – that’s it. It really is one of the best Mac apps for anyone with a busy mailbox.
If you do a lot of cooking, and you have a hard time keeping your recipes organized – especially on a digital platform – you’re going to love Paprika. With this app, you can download any recipe you find online, and it will automatically format it in a way that’s extremely easy to read. What’s more, if you download the iOS app, you’ll be able to sync your recipes between all of your devices, so that you can keep tabs on the ingredients you need when you run to the store in a panic.
Sometimes, life gets hectic, and you need some help getting everything organized. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Fantastical 2 is the most fully-featured calendar and reminder suite we’ve ever seen. You’re able to set events and reminders using natural language, and it’s fully compatible with your iCloud reminders. There’s also an iOS app for iPhone and iPad that will effortlessly sync with the Mac app, so that you can stay on top of your busy life no matter where you are. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The 34 best indie games on PC and consoles Posted: 11 Feb 2019 01:15 PM PST Although the best PC games with cash to splash are quickly evolving, so are the best indie games you might not have heard of. One of the best things about our best indie games list is that most of the titles, unlike AAA game publishers, don’t try to manipulate you out of every penny any chance they can get. Free from corporate influence and constant badgering for your money, the best indie games represent the pure artistic vision of the developers – especially if you have one of the best gaming PCs. But, just because the best indie games haven’t reached mainstream, bestselling status doesn’t mean that the games on this list don’t keep up with the latest AAA bestsellers. In fact, the best indie games regularly surpass mainstream games in both quality and scope, which is often due to their less repetitive nature. Unlike their big-budget counterparts, they don’t need to rely on tired tropes and cliches to appeal to a mass market. If this all sounds exciting to you – and, it should – you’re in luck. We’ve gathered up our favorite indie games available right now. We’ve included both in-vogue indies like Return of the Obra Dinn and Dead Cells, and classic titles like Dwarf Fortress and Braid. Don’t worry, we’re going to keep this list updated with all the latest and greatest indie games. So, if you’re looking for the next great indie title, keep reading. Linux, Windows or Mac - which one is best for you? Watch our guide video below: Bill Thomas, Joe Osborne, Kane Fulton and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Described as a sort of combination of Pokémon, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, we couldn’t help but recommend that you keep your eye on Ooblets until it releases at some point in 2018. This indie game is being developed by first-time studio Glumberland with the backing of the beloved Double Fine studios. The art style here curiously reminds us of Adventure Time. However, the game itself revolves around collecting creatures called ooblets in a town called, well, Oob. Upon doing so, you’ll be able to train and battle your ooblets against other ooblet trainers. At the same time, you’ll have to balance your ooblet training with the real-world responsibilities of being a farmer. That’s right, drawing influence from the likes of Stardew Valley, you can cultivate produce and decorate your house with various trimmings as well. You’ll also be able to join an Ooblet Club comprised of friends (NPCs) you’ll meet along the way. If you don’t know what to do in Ooblets, simply walk around and discover new shops and buildings that suit your interest. While you’re at it, you can open up your own shop and sell produce that you’ve grown on the farm in addition to items you’ve scavenged from throughout the world. Otherwise, you can feed the leftover crops to your ooblets to watch them level up and learn new techniques to be used in the turn-based RPG-style battles. Expected: 2018 Jonathan Blow's masterpiece first appears to be a simple pastiche of Super Mario Bros, with a middle-aged curmudgeon replacing the titular plumber but still seeking to rescue a princess. But, the longer you spend in the game, the more that’s revealed to you, moving from a series of time-bending puzzles to quiet reflective texts – which doesn’t stop it from being the smartest puzzle game until SpaceChem. Blow himself has subtly hinted that the ultimate story may revolve around the atomic bomb. First released as PC freeware by Japanese designer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya back in 2004 after five years of 100% solo development, Cave Story predates the recent indie renaissance by a few years. Because of when and how it was first released, it's often forgotten in discussions of indie gaming. But this classic deserves to be on every best-of list for its loving homage to the classic action platforming games of the Super Nintendo era, its incredible music and its incredibly vibrant world. Oh, and don't forget the hugely intuitive controls, gobs of secrets and weapons that are entirely too fun to use. If you've yet to enjoy this one, just put it on your backlog already. From family-owned and operated Studio MDHR, Cuphead has connected with millions of people around the world, many of whom normally wouldn’t touch a run-and-gun platformer with a ten-foot pole. Although its gameplay was inspired by classic games like Mega Man and Contra, most gamers would likely compare it to a Fleischer Studios cartoon, like Betty Boop. Because Cpuhead utilizes a hand-drawn art style likened to a 1930s animation, it’s been universally praised for its gorgeous visuals. Cuphead is more than just its beautiful visuals – it’s a series of 19 challenging and engaging bosses, with platforming bits interspersed between them. It was already one of the best indie games, but Studio MDHR has announced the Cuphead: the Delicious Last Course DLC, slated for 2019, with a new isle to explore, new bosses to conquer and, most importantly, a new character to master. Many AAA games serve as escapist power fantasies, where the player is ultimately able to dominate the game’s universe – right up until the game ends. However, many indie games serve as the opposite – like the IGF award winner and misery simulator Cart Life. Papers Please is similar to Cart Life – it's also an IGF winner with elements of misery about it - but it's better, being a smart, weird sim about the compromised life of a border guard under a totalitarian regime. It's ugly and desperate, but also innovative, uproariously funny and terribly smart. Among the hardcore gamers of my acquaintance, Spelunky is the go-to drug. Even today, several years after its release, some of them still play it every day, despite having completed it many times over. That's because Spelunky, an ostensibly rogue-like platformer with a definite end, is tough, varied and highly randomized. It also has more dark secrets than a presidential candidate, meaning there are many, many ways to finish it, and its daily challenges are a sure-fire way to public humiliation. Unfortunately, humor is often missing among games, mostly being restricted to slapstick comedy or crude one-liners. The Stanley Parable, however, is hilarious without being dumbed down. Players follow (or don’t) a very British narrator who changes the world around you, depending on your decisions. No decision is punished, every play-through throws up new humor and weirdness. Being trapped in the closet in the Stanley Parable is more moving and funny than 9/10 of other games. If you missed out on this ironic gem back when it first launched, the developer announced the Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe edition for 2019, with new content, more endings and a console release. Actually, that Ultra Deluxe edition sounds pretty tempting even for us – and we played it a bunch when it first came out.
It took more than nine years to make, but Owlboy was definitely worth the wait. Originally contrived for PCs and released in late 20166, the clever masterpiece of an indie game is now available to experience on Mac and Linux as well – and there’s even a Nintendo Switch version! Owlboy centers around a race of owl-human hybrid characters called, well, Owls. Of them, you control Otis, an Owl who is censured by his mentor for his inept flying skills. The story sees Otis’ village dismantled by pirates who clearly have conflict with the Owls. As a result, Otis has to work with an assortment of villagers in-game to take out enemies. Of course, when boss battles arise, you’ll need to manage allies accordingly, as each character comes with their own set of unique skill sets to use in conjunction with one another. If you’ve ever played and enjoyed a Kid Icarus game, this is one for the books. Otherwise, play it anyway. Similar to The Stanley Parable, Gone Home falls into the unofficially labeled ‘walking simulator’ genre. Where it diverts from the clever and philosophical Stanley Parable, however is its focus on life’s difficult realities, instead of light humor. After arriving at your childhood home after an overseas visit, you play as 21-year-old Kaitlin Greenbriar who is greeted by a vacant house. While gameplay is basically limited to scavenging through notes to find out where your family is, the gripping story is a extremely emotional and compelling, as long as you keep an open mind. After all this time, Gone Home stands out as one of the best indie games out there. Only SpaceChem has mingled education with entertainment as successfully as The Kerbal Space Program. The game is simple - design and build spacecraft to take the cutesy Kerbals to the Mun and beyond. Yet its focused use of real physics means that you'll find yourself following NASA in building multi-stage rockets, space stations and exploring the Kerbal's strange universe on EVAs, before bringing your discoveries back to research on the Kerbal planet - that's if you can get off the ground at all. It's a huge, complex, challenging and fun game, that's smart without being preachy. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is the exact opposite of something like Kerbal Space Program – it’s an action roguelike par excellence. You play as a young boy attempting to kill his damned siblings, mother and possibly the Devil, using only your tears. Which he shoots from his eyes, of course – it’s matched only by the equally visceral Nuclear Throne. With dozens of bizzare items to collect, endlessly procedurally-generated levels, and tons of secrets, the Binding of Isaac is a very dark take on the exploratory model established by Spelunky. Though you might get put off by the pixel art graphics, Undertale isn’t a game that would have fit on the Super Nintendo. That’s because, in Undertale, you decisions make a huge difference in how the game ends and, more importantly, how it continues in New Game Plus. While playing Undertale, you’ll come to realize just how much freedom the game gives you. Despite its ingenious and intense boss matches, you’ll be able to make it through the entire nine or so hours of Undertale as a complete pacifist. Plus, when you go through the game a second time, you’ll bear the weight of the consequences from your previous run. And, now Undertale is out on the Nintendo Switch, so you can take this masterpiece of game design wherever you go. From developer Playdead, Inside is comparable to its predecessor, Limbo, in some ways but with an added layer of depth that inspires frequent wonder. This is mostly a result of the unspoken narrative, which revolves around yet another nameless boy. In Inside, however, the boy in the story is running away from a group of men who – if you fail to stay out of their sights – will try to mercilessly kill you. Though it isn't quite clear why the boy is running from these men or why you should even care since you don't know who he is, Inside will leave you begging for answers. The bleak, lifeless setting of Inside is more than worth the price of admission. Its minimalist art style alone is avant-garde enough to feel right at home in a museum. Add in a game that's both fun to play and dripping with curiosity, though, and Inside is one of the best indie games money can buy. Developed single-handedly by Eric Barone, Stardew Valley is undoubtedly a technical feat for that little facet alone. If you’ve ever played a Harvest Moon game, you’re already familiar with the premise of Stardew Valley – you may just not know it yet. Stardew Valley is an addictive farming simulator which sees you interact with townees to the point where you can literally marry them. Stardew Valley isn’t just farming, though – it’s a whole bunch of things at the same time. You can go fishing, you can cook, you can craft stuff – you can even go explore procedurally-generated caves to mine for items and even attack slime-monster-things. However, you should keep in mind that your health and energy are finite, so you'll want to keep your character rested and fed to avoid suffering from exhaustion. Pass out and you’ll lose a considerable amount of money and items you’ve worked hard to attain. Stardew Valley will have you addicted for hours on end, for better or worse. (Definitely better.) From Canadian game developer Alec Holowka, the creator of the award-winning Aquaria (also featured on this list) and independent artist/animator Scott Benson, Night in the Woods is an unconventional side-scrolling adventure game centering around a 20-year-old protagonist named Mae who drops out of college to move back in with her parents. Featuring a story largely based around dialog choices and mini games that put a spin on mundane tasks, like carrying boxes up the stairs and eating perogies, Night in the Woods is a timeless coming-of-age tale. Not only will you experience middle class America through the eyes of a personified cat, but virtually every interaction in-game will have you laughing aloud. And now that it’s coming to the Nintendo Switch on February 1, you’ll be able to take it wherever you go. If you’re a fan of the recent wave of games inspired by Dark Souls, you’ll absolutely love Hollow Knight. You take control of the Hollow Knight, and lead them through the deceptively adorable landscape to take on bosses and other difficult challenges. Much like Dark Souls, it’s not immediately clear what you’re actually supposed to be doing as the narrative is intentionally obtuse. The Dark Souls inspirations don’t end there, however. It also adopts Dark Souls’ ‘tough but fair’ philosophy, where the game is only as hard as you make it – you can overcome anything as long as you have patience and learn from your mistakes. Hollow Knight takes these lessons from Dark Souls and injects them into a MetroidVania, with all the side-scrolling and upgrades you could possibly want. You can even play it on the Nintendo Switch now. If you’re looking for a game that’s as unforgiving as it is fun, look no further than Dead Cells. It takes gameplay inspiration from so many places – from roguelikes, to MetroidVania to even a hint of Dark Souls, to create a unique action game that will test your limits. Each time you play this game, it will be different. And, while you’ll lose some progress each time you die – and you’ll die a lot – the game will become more and more rewarding as the complex and fluid combat becomes second nature. In the final release of the game, you get access to over 90 weapons, skills and abilities that’ll let you tailor your gameplay however you want. Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged when you fail. Get up and try again, Dead Cells will only reward you in the end – which is why it’s one of the best indie games 2018 has to offer. Introversions was one of the earliest 'indie' companies, releasing games like Uplink, Defcon and Darwinia whilst Vlambeer were still in short pants. After years of struggling, they've finally hit a huge success with Prison Architect, a game where you build, staff, outfit and manage a maximum security prison. With smart prisoners who are willing to do anything to escape, you'll struggle to keep them all inside - or keep them from rioting - and turn a profit. It's still in alpha, but it's eminently playable right now.. While something like Kerbal Space Program can actually take you to the moon, To The Moon is a game about wish fulfillment, and thrives on narrative beauty. If we were to make comparisons to films, Kerbal Space Program is Gravity, The Binding of Isaac is Saw and To the Moon is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. You control two doctors who are exploring a dying man’s memories to implant a false memory so he can die in peace. Which is all depicted in a classic 16-bit Zelda style. It’s a rare, emotional, adult game. Dwarf Fortress is its own genre, its own industry. This is a game that, before you've even set foot in it, has to generate the entire geography, mythology and history of its massive world. Then it tracks every single one of the dwarfs you're managing down to the hairs on their legs and the particular horrible elephant murder that they witnessed and they're now carving on an ornamental chair. Your task is to keep the dwarves alive as they carve out their subterranean kingdom - given that insanity, monsters, and starvation plague are thrown at them at every stage that's not easy. And dwarves, always, always mine too deep. Run. Jump. Die. Repeat. That’s essentially the gameplay loop of Super Meat Boy, a fiendishly addictive 2D platformer that’s also bloody hard, with an emphasis on bloody. Gallons of blood is spilled as the game’s eponymous meaty hero leaps over deadly drops, spinning saws and walking chainsaws in a bid to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr Foetus. Obviously. Boasting tight controls, plenty of humor and colorful graphics, Super Meat Boy lept onto the PS4 and Vita last year in style – with a Nintendo Switch release coming soon, as well. It might not be Playdead’s most recent game, but Limbo is timeless. Even five years after its release, the game’s haunting storyline still affects us. You play the Boy, a child with glowing eyes who’s cast into Limbo to find his sister. Making your way through a bleak and dangerous world full of hostile silhouettes, giant spiders and deadly gravitational fields, you’ll need to think quickly and perfectly time your movements if you’re going to survive. But Limbo is much more than a simple platformer: it's an experience, and one that has you pondering the very essence of life by the time it's over. Deep, profound and absorbing, it's one indie game everybody should take time out to play. If you're yearning for a retro-styled multiplayer archery combat game (aren't we all?), TowerFall: Ascension is the pick of the lot. Fast, frenetic and teeth-gnashingly hard in hardcore mode, the game's mechanics are simple: fire arrows at enemies or jump on their heads to stay alive until the round ends. Arrows that don't hit are embedded in walls, making for tense scenarios when you have to traverse the map while dodging enemies to retrieve them. As such, practicing until you achieve Robin Hood-esque levels of accuracy is recommended. Ascension is best experienced with friends in local multiplayer mode, which recalls Super Smash Bros' most manic moments. It’s not often that a platformer manages to balance challenging and engaging gameplay with an emotional and thought-provoking narrative, but Celeste pulls it off. From the developers of Towerfall, Celeste follows the story of Madeline, a young girl who decides to face her mental health issues by climbing to the top of the mysterious Celeste Mountain. Ind doing so, she learns more not only about the mountain, but about herself amid the heartwarming process. An inevitable classic, Celeste integrates the obvious jump, air-dash and climb controls into a brutal series of platforming challenges in upwards of 700 unique screens. And, if that’s too easy, you’ll unlock B-side chapters along the way, designed for only the bravest of hardcore players. Better yet, you don’t have to worry about waiting an eternity between each respawn. Instead, Celeste brings you back from the grave instantaneously, a welcome departure from the typically extensive load screens. Admittedly, exclusive indie games always wind up with the short end of the stick. That continues to ring true for Golf Story, an homage to Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color developed by Sidebar Games. As it’s a debut title for the Nintendo Switch, you might have overlooked Golf Story considering it came out on the same day as Stardew Valley, but here’s what you need to know. You don’t have to obsess over the PGA Tour to get into Golf Story, as you’re likely better off appreciating it for its RPG elements. Substituting combat for an athletic sport, you begin your adventure as a kid who is mentored by his dad before realizing he isn’t very good at golfing, something you’ll have to overcome as you pursue professional golf. After the raging success that was the original Nidhogg, it’s a shame to see the superior sequel get thrown under the bus. Nevertheless, in spite of its controversial art style, Nidhogg 2 packs a refined, gorgeous look that the first version, a cult-classic, couldn’t even think to compete with. In still frames, we can see how this could get misconstrued, but fortunately, it’s the fun and addictive local multiplayer gameplay that makes Nidhogg, well, Nidhogg. And it’s all there in Nidhogg 2. Plus, every time you respawn, you get one of four unique weapons that only bolster the challenge. Esteemed indie designer Jon Blow's follow up to Braid may look like an entirely different adventure, being 3D and all, but the two are more thematically alike than you might think. The Witness, at its core, is another puzzle game that tells an interesting story through said puzzles. This puzzler takes place in an almost equally impressionist – albeit heavily Myst-inspired – world, but it's story is far more nuanced and mysterious than Blow's previous. At almost every corner of this island that you've simply woken up on (or beneath), there is a clue as to how you got onto this island and why you're here. Don’t get us wrong, we liked Bastion, but we won’t deny that Transistor was SuperGiant Games’ best work to date. Much of that has to do with the convergence of action-based and turn-based RPG elements contained within its cyberpunk futurescape. Likewise, in classic SuperGiant fashion, those mechanics are complemented by a gorgeous art style and a music score so unforgettable it’ll make you want to buy the soundtrack. Leaving key gameplay beats up to the player, the story isn’t so variable. Transistor’s main character, Red, is a renowned singer in the city of Cloudbank. However, she’s been attacked by a group of vicious robots who call themselves the Process, operated by another group called the Camerata. In her journey, she finds the Transistor, a mysterious sword with the voice of a man. Soon enough, she’ll learn more about him and how he will shake up her world. It’s weird to think that Oxenfree came out before the first season of Stranger Things, and yet, the two properties coincidentally have a lot in common. The 80s-inspired heavy synth music composed by scntfc, for one, accentuates some truly gripping sci-fi horror centering around – you guessed it – a group of teenagers stuck on an island. The story involves a handful of uniquely written characters, namely the main character Alex, along with her stoner friend Ren, her newfound stepbrother Jonas, her dead brother Michael’s ex-girlfriend Clarissa and her best friend Nona (who Ren happens to be in love with). The plot is explained through branching speech dialogue, similar to Life is Strange or modern-day Telltale games, and features five different endings depending on your choices. Exploring a surreal wilderness seems like quite the trend these days in gaming, and developer Campo Santo's debut only serves to keep it going strong. Set in the wilderness of 1989 Wyoming, you're Henry, a fire lookout that's all alone in the woods after exploring something strange in the distance. That is, save for your partner on the other line of a walkie-talkie: Delilah. She's your only point of contact as you explore the wilderness. Will you make it back alive? Will the decisions you make help or harm the relationship with your only lifeline to the outside world, your boss? Don't worry about those questions just yet – just look at those forestscapes! Rust is one of the more successful indie titles of recent times. By the end of 2015 it had sold more than 3 million copies, which isn't too shabby considering it isn't even finished — the game has been on Steam's Early Access scheme since launching in December 2013. Still, it seems people can't get enough of the Day Z-inspired survival sim. It sees you use your wits and bearings to survive its harsh open world, starting off with nothing but a rock. After gathering resources needed to build a house and weapons to fend off attackers (other online players, in other words), Rust gradually becomes more intense as you defend your growing base — or attempt to breach others'. Fans of the original Overcooked will not be disappointed by the second installment in the chaotic couch co-op series from British indie game developer Team17. This time your task is to defeat the 'Un-Bread' (zombie baked goods) that have taken over the Onion Kingdom, by battling through brand new recipes including sushi, pizza, and burgers in increasingly chaotic kitchens with up to three other people. To add to the frantic fun, you must battle obstacles including random fires, collapsing floors, and interfering passers by, all while getting your orders out to the pass in time. Things get complicated incredibly quickly, and relationships, friendships, and family bonds will be tested as you work together to complete your recipes on time, making it a fun and challenging couch co-op game that will make you truly understand the meaning of "too many cooks spoil the broth." The natural progression of survival games, SCUM takes what both predecessors like Rust and PlayerUnknown’s battlegrounds succeeded at and iterates in impressive ways. And, while it’s still in early access, it offers a unique twist – combining the frenetic gameplay of battle royale games with the slow, thoughtful gameplay of a survival sim. SCUM, unlike other similar games, is extremely heavy on the simulation side of things, however. You shouldn’t expect to run in guns blazing, as you’re going to get tired quickly (just as you would if you tried running outside yourself with a ton of stuff in your backpack). But, if heavy statistic systems is something your into, you’ll find a lot to love here. It’s like spreadsheets with a physics engine. Just don’t go in expecting a polished experience just yet. However, developer Croteam is promising to add more features over time, and as they’re backed by Devolver, you can trust that the game is going to shape up into something great. Every so often there’s a game that perfectly merges aesthetic, gameplay and narrative – where everything feels like it just, well, fits. The best indie games are always the best at this, and Return of the Obra Dinn is a great example. A mystery taking place on a derelict ship, you’re tasked with figuring out how the crew of this lost ship died, disappeared or worse. The entire game has this old-school visual style that, combined with the simple controls and gameplay style make it feel like a nostalgic adventure. Right from the settings menu, you’ll get to choose what kind of monitor you’d like to emulate – we picked an old school Macintosh option – that should give you an idea of the type of retro revivalism on offer here. Return of the Obra Dinn is a game that will require critical thinking, exploration and a ton of reading. So, if that all sounds appealing to you, and you’re all good with retro aesthetics, you will find a lot to love – it’s one of the best indie games, in a season marked with AAA decadence. If you’re anything like us, you’ve spent hundreds of hours playing Roller Coaster Tycoon during your childhood. And, while there have been plenty of amusement park simulators over the last few years, they’ve never quite hit the spot. Until now. Parkitect is the closest we’ve ever been to those early aughts park simulators, and we’re absolutely in love. From the cartoonish art style to the realistic simulation and Steam Workshop integration, Parkitect is one of the best indie games 2018 has to offer. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best gaming laptops 2019: the 10 top gaming laptops we've reviewed Posted: 11 Feb 2019 01:05 PM PST If you would have asked us to find the best gaming laptop a few years ago, the answer would have been to find something with an Intel Core i7 CPU, dedicated graphics and 8GB of RAM. A lot has changed in the last few years, though, and the best gaming laptops come in every shape and size. Because it’s harder than ever to find the best gaming laptops, we’ve picked out a few of our favorite devices. And, while plenty of gaming laptops look like ordinary office devices, you shouldn’t ignore them. Thanks to Nvidia Turing Max-Q graphics for laptops, revealed at CES 2019, the best gaming laptops are stealthy – like the aptly named MSI GS65 Stealth. Don’t worry, though, there are still huge desktop replacement laptops like the MSI GT75 Titan if that’s more your style. So, no matter what kind of games you like to play, and no matter what your budget looks like, you can find a traditional thicc gaming behemoth, or a cheap gaming laptop under $1,000/£800/AU$1,400 like the Dell G3. You’ll find all the best gaming laptops right here. And, because we’ve tested all these laptops ourselves, you can be confident that you’re getting something worth your time.
If you want to play some of the best PC games on the move, but you don’t want everyone to know you’re playing games, the MSI GS65 Stealth is the best gaming laptop for you. Coming in at just .69 inches thick and featuring impressive hardware like Intel Coffee Lake processors and Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series – refreshed with RTX 20-series graphics at CES – the MSI GS65 Stealth packs a ton of power into a very svelte package. There’s nothing you won’t be able to throw at this thing that’ll slow it down. And, thanks to the subdued design, you’ll be able to bring this beefy rig everywhere you go, making it the best gaming laptop on the market right now. Read the full review: MSI GS65 Stealth
Kicking Nvidia’s Max-Q technology off right, the Asus Zephyrus GX501 combines the heralded thinness of an Ultrabook with the performance of a gaming PC to bring the best of both worlds to your feet. Despite exhibiting subpar times in our battery life benchmarks, this svelte powerhouse of a notebook is one for the books when it comes to both portability and style. Plus, it’s virtually silent if noise is a cause for distraction in your everyday routine. Read the full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501
If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that doesn’t pull any punches, and can run any game you can throw at it without a care in the world, you’ll want to look at the MSI GT75 Titan. It’s a titanic desktop replacement rocking 6-core Intel Coffee Lake CPUs, tons of RAM and GTX 1080 graphics. You’re not going to be able to carry it around with you, and it’s not going to be something you’ll want to be caught with in a coffee shop, but if raw power is what you’re after, look no further. Just be ready to break open your piggy bank. Read the full review: MSI GT75 Titan
Thin and light gaming laptops are everywhere right now, but if you don’t care about that, and want a thick, heavy and monstrous laptop that can demolish any game you throw at it – the Asus ROG G703GI is for you. This is a massive – and expensive – laptop, but it justifies its size and price with gaming performance that rivals the best gaming PCs. Just don’t think you’ll be able to haul it along with you to your local coffee shop without its two power bricks – or awkward stares. Read the full review: Asus ROG G703GI
The Razer Blade might still have an unbearably edgy name, but now that the 2018 version is here, it’s fitting – it’s still on the cutting edge. Beyond its insanely high-end specs and beautiful chassis, it can fit up to a 4K Ultra-HD display, with the specs to actually back it up. That’s not to mention the expandability that the Razer Core X opens up. It might be expensive, but if you’re a Razer fan looking for the best gaming laptop, it might just be for you. Read the full review: Razer Blade
If you want one of the best gaming laptops, but don’t want to miss out on the ultra-portable craze, you need to consider the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1. Packed with an Intel Kaby Lake G-series processor, this gaming laptop can keep up with its competitors rocking a GTX 1050 without featuring truly discrete graphics. And, when you combine that gaming horsepower with a chassis that looks this good, it’s a total win – even if you have to endure some fan noise to get there. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 2-in-1
It may not boast the most innovative design, substituting the usual black and red aesthetic for one that makes it feel like Halloween all year round (no complaints here). But, it’s undoubtedly one of the best when it comes to gaming in 1080p. In fact, we were able to crank the setting s all the way up in Overwatch without ever straying below 60fps. It doesn’t feature the longest battery life, but the screen, power and onboard sound system more than make up for it. Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix GL502
When you’re setting out to buy one of the best gaming laptops, one of the first things you’ll likely notice is how expensive they can get. Luckily, the Dell G3 15 is not just extremely affordable, but it punches above its weight class with great 1080p gaming performance. With up to an Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU, you’ll be able to play all the latest games at 1080p without breaking a sweat, even if it’s not at max settings all the time. And, that blue on black color combo is quite a looker, if that’s your aesthetic. Read the full review: Dell G3 15
It used to be that the best gaming laptops were thick, bulky devices that were necessary to experience the best PC games on the move. Those days are over. The Gigabyte Aero 15 packs a 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and a GTX 1060 into a package that allows it to pass as an Ultrabook. And, thanks to that beefy 6-core processor, it’s not just one of the best gaming laptops – it’s one of the best laptops, period. Read the full review: Gigabyte Aero 15
Ever since Intel unveiled its i9-8950HK, we just knew that it would find its way behind the best gaming laptops 2018 had to offer, and we’ve been proven right heading into 2019. The Alienware 17 R5 is a beast of a gaming laptop with the aforementioned CPU and an overclocked GTX 1080. If you’re willing to get an absolute tank of a laptop that weighs nearly 10 pounds, this hulking computer will demolish any and all games you throw at it. Just don’t expect to throw it in a bag without some severe back pain. Read the full review: Alienware 17 R5
Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article
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| The best keyboards of 2019: top 10 keyboards compared Posted: 11 Feb 2019 01:00 PM PST If your keyboard is starting to show its age, collecting dust and looking like something from a horror film, you might want to think about picking up one of the best keyboards. Even if you don't’ have a keyboard that’s on its last leg, the benefits to comfort, speed and reliability you gain with one of the best keyboards easily pays for the cost of admission. Once you get your hands on a great keyboard, you’ll never go back – trust us on this. No matter what you’re doing with your keyboard – whether you’re writing code, or just chatting with friends, the best keyboards will make your life easier. And, if you’re looking for the best gaming keyboards, we’ve got you covered there, too. Whether you’re trying to get some work done, talk to friends or even get some gaming in on your lunch break, you should look for any keyboard that can get the job done. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about breaking open the piggy bank, as many of the best keyboards are affordable. So, here’s our list of the best keyboards for work and play, so you can get to typing.
It has become the norm for keyboard manufacturers to implement their own custom keyboard switches, and Roccat – with the Vulcan 120 Aimo – is no different. While this keyboard is primarily marketed as a gaming keyboard, its Titan Switches are tactile enough to be satisfying, while still bouncing back quickly enough to be comfortable to type on for extended periods. And, we’d be remiss to not mention the looks – the Vulcan 120 Aimo looks like a science fiction keyboard, we love it. Read the full review: Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo
Manufactured by the Topre Corporation in Japan, the Realforce is, truly, a force of nature in the keyboard landscape. It comes down to the unique Topre switches, which are super smooth to type on and are usually compared to playing on a piano. The RealForce comes in both 45 and 55-gram configurations, but the one that’s right for you will depend on the importance of key weight. Oh, and, it’s expensive – but it’s worth it to have one of the best keyboards.
As long as you don’t mind missing out on some of that signature ‘thock’ sound that’s associated with regular Realforce keyboards, opting for a silenced model like the 104 UBS offers some solid benefits. Hitting the 104 UBS’s keys produces sound on par with a membrane keyboard, so it’s going to be great if you work in a busy office or a shared bedroom. The ‘dampened’ feel of Topre’s silenced switches can feel kind of like typing on sandpaper compared to a non-silenced board, but we found that it’s worth the trade-off if you need a quieter keyboard.
Filco's keyboards tend to be built like tanks, and the Majestouch TKL is no different. This space-saving mechanical keyboard features a compact tenkeyless design that has less than 1cm of space between the edge of the keys and the keyboard. Its durability doesn't simply allow it to stand up well to knocks and scrapes – it has a positive impact on its typing feel too. You can hammer away on it at speed, even bottoming out to your heart's content, and the Majestouch 2 will take every bit of punishment.
We’ve seen all kinds of keyboards over the years here at TechRadar, from stylish tenkeyless keyboards to RGB-laden gaming behemoths, but something has always been missing – a focus on creatives. Thankfully, with the Logitech Craft, this is no longer the case. Not only is this a sturdy, tactile and attractive keyboard but it also features a unique dial on its top left corner, which will help creatives expedite their workflow. This dial’s utility will vary depending on the application, from simply controlling the volume on the desktop, to changing levels in various tools in Photoshop. If you spend a lot of time creating content on your PC, the Logitech Craft is one of the best keyboards you can buy today. Read the full review: Logitech Craft
Somewhat legendary in keyboard circles, the PFU Happy Hacking Professional 2 (or HHKB2 as it's usually referred to) is that rare beast - a 60% Topre keyboard. Aimed at coders but fantastic for document warriors too, it foregoes traditional arrow keys, instead making use of function keys and key combinations to provide such functionality. It only takes a short while to get used to, once you've got there the huge benefit is that the HHKB2 is small and light enough to take anywhere, giving you access to that sweet Topre "thock" sound and feel anywhere, anytime.
You just need to look at Microsoft’s Surface devices to know that they’re kind of killing it when it comes to design, and the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID takes things to a whole new level. If you’re running Windows 10, and you’re into the Surface aesthetic, this is easily one of the best keyboards out there. Not only does it feel great, but it also features biometric security, by including a discrete fingerprint scanner right next to the “Alt” key. It is an expensive device, but as with everything Microsoft, you can be sure you’re getting what you’re paying for. Read the full review: Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID
Leopold's Fc660c is more portable than the Realforce 87u, but less so than the lighter and more compact HHKB2. However, the Fc660c benefits from its extra heft and feels like the more solid board. Despite having the same 45 gram actuation force as the HHKB2, the Leopold's keys feel slightly weightier - somewhere nearer to 50 grams. It results one of the most satisfying "thock" sounds on a Topre board.
Remember those old IBM Model M keyboards? Well, that’s what the Unicomp Classic 104 seeks to emulate. Available in both USB and PS/2 versions, it uses a buckling spring switch that takes more effort to press than just about every other modern switch. You’re rewarded for this hard pressing with a tactile response that feels like the classic mechanical keyboards of old, along with a noise that will drive everyone around you mad.
Some keyboards just ooze class, and the Das Keyboard Prime 13 is one of them. Its features a solid aluminum top panel for added rigidity and a very minimalistic look. With Cherry's MX Red or Brown switches under the keycaps, you're given a choice between linear and non-linear offerings with a range of actuation points. It's a great option for media enthusiasts thanks to side lit media control and the inclusion of white backlighting is another bonus. It's not the most affordable keyboard on our list, but if you're looking for something a little bit more premium, Das is the way to go.
According to a government survey, the average British household owned 7.4 internet-connected devices in 2015. Logitech is targeting smartphone and tablet owners who prefer to see their device's display while sat at a computer with its latest keyboard, the K780. If you liked its predecessor, the K380, there's more to love here. (Literally thanks to its added numberpad.) The K780 can still pair with up to three devices using Bluetooth or wireless, allowing you to chop and change between them, and it features the same comfortable rounded keycaps that remain a pleasure to type on. The star of the show, however, is the keyboard's base, which can hold mobile devices up to 11.3mm thick in an upright position. This places them within arms' reach to make anything from replying to WhatsApp messages or reading a digital magazine easy as pie. How to determine the best keyboard for you
It goes without saying that if you demand the look and feel only mechanical switches can provide, rather than those that are slim and stealthy, we suggest perusing our best gaming keyboards round-up instead. Gamers prioritize the actuation that clicky feeling mechanical keyboards bring, whereas traditional home and office users are more about practicality. That said, the sheer magnitude of sound produced by a lot of mechanical keyboards is offputting to some. For those folks, we have some membrane keyboards to recommend as well.
Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best computer speakers 2019: the best audio systems for your PC Posted: 11 Feb 2019 01:00 PM PST You’ve probably already heard plenty of people out there telling you that the best headphones are the only way to get fantastic sound when using a computer. But, what if you’re not comfortable wearing headphones day-in and day-out? For everyone else, the best computer speakers are a fantastic ideal. Still, like any PC hardware, finding the best computer speakers isn’t quite as easy as you’d think. Before you decide on the best computer speakers for you, there are a few questions you should ask yourself. What do they sound like? Is the surround or stereo separation up to snuff? Do you start to get a headache after a couple minutes? Do they have balanced sound? These are all important questions to ask. You should also think about what you’re going to do with the best computer speakers. Are you going to get into some of the best PC games, like the upcoming Metro Exodus, where immersion is everything? Are you going to watch some of your favorite movies? Or, maybe you want to rock out to the new Cherry Glazerr album. No matter what you’re looking to do with them, the best computer speakers can revolutionize the way your computer sounds.
Image Credit: Audioengine Sure, the Audioengine A2+ launched four years ago, but they’re still the best computer speakers on the market. These aesthetically pleasing speakers will work with your PC’s USB port for uncompressed audio and beautiful audio quality with its built-in DAC. The Audioengine A2+ doesn’t come with a bass, but that’s not a problem unless you need really deep bass. Luckily, there is an RCA output, so it’s a breeze to connect an external woofer.
Image Credit: Logitech While they may be more expensive than you’d expect to pay for the brand’s speakers, the Logitech Z623 is still very affordable when you consider just how powerful they are. The Z623 may look like your average pair of speakers, but its subwoofer produces a thundering sound that can easily dialed up or down depending on your preference. And, it offers a great soundstage – with great highs and mids – making for a more immersive gaming and movie experience.
Image Credit: Logitech Logitech is practically a household name in home entertainment and gaming, but never before has it combined the two so spectacularly. The first Logitech computer speakers designed for gaming, the Logitech G560 are the best computer speakers for gaming – no contest. Not only do they feature RGB lighting, but through Logitech’s software, the multi-colored illumination can adapt to any kind of content you consume – whether it’s your favorite game, or the latest music.
Image Credit: Razer One of the first things you’ll notice about the Razer Nommo Pro speakers – beyond the weird name – is the immense price. We get it, it’s kind of hard to justify forking over 500 bucks on speakers. But, not only do you get a beefy down-firing subwoofer that’ll almost literally blow you away, but it also features Razer Chroma, so they’ll look just as good as they sound. Sure, there are cheaper options out there – but for speakers this good, the price is well worth it.
Image Credit: Harman Kardon If you look at the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks III long enough, they’ll start looking like some kind of jellyfish. These translucent computer speakers look more like a modern art installation, rather than a functional speaker system – but that all changes once you turn them on. This speaker and sub combo features booming bass thanks to its woofer, while still producing crisp highs. You’ll get excellent sound at a decent price, making it perfect for music fans with a mid-range budget.
Image Credit: Edifier It might be a bit bassy for some people, but the Edifier E25 Luna Eclipse is a gorgeous speaker setup that not only looks good, but it also features amazing sound. The Luna, which comes in red, white and black, offers a powerful but controlled bass, fantastic balance with sharp mids and good stereo separation. It even includes a really nifty little remote control. The Luna Eclipse are some of the best computer speakers out there, especially if you like to pump up the volume with little to no distortion – and, who doesn’t?
Image Credit: Logitech The Logitech MX Sound Speakers are simply the best wireless PC speakers you can buy today. They’re a thing of beauty, with their eccentric circular design and silver accents. And, for the price, they definitely deliver a little more than what you’d expect from the best laptop speakers. The bass may sometimes overpower the mids and highs, but it still delivers an excellent soundstage and powerful audio, which makes it great for gaming. It also features dual Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect two devices simultaneously. Finally, the backlit motion sensor controls are so sensitive, a light touch is all it needs. Read the full review: Logitech MX Sound
Image Credit: Klipsch The Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speaker system brings enhanced sound for versatile use, so that whether you’re listening to music, watching movies, or playing games, you’re getting the best computer speaker experience. These THX-certified speakers boast power, a wide frequency range (31Hz to 20kHz), and a detailed audio quality with punch bass, maximum clarity and great balance. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s powerful enough to replicate that home theater quality.
Image Credit: Dell Dell’s AE715 may not be the most powerful speaker in the market. It produces a decent 360-degree sound that, while is fairly common in portable audio, is a rarity with computer speakers. For it's low, low price, this Bluetooth speaker is nothing amazing; not a lot of bass and there’s a bit of delay, but the audio quality good enough if your listening standards aren’t quite as demanding. However, what you’re getting in exchange are its wireless functionality, the USB charging port so you can charge the device, and the built-in mic so you can use it for conference calls. It’s definitely a great portable, wireless solution.
Image Credit: Mackie Mackie CR4BT promises professional-grade performance, which is a lot more than what its competitors offer. The question is, does it really do that? Well, they sound good for a premium pair of speakers, but there are drawbacks including thinner mid range, and high bass cut off at 70 Hz, which means while there’s good bass presence, you might be missing the really low stuff. The pros, however, include the acoustic foam pads to isolate the speakers from the surface it’s standing on, and the front auxiliary input. Overall, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill computer speakers. They are useful for multimedia creation and production as well.
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| The best gaming monitor 2019: the 10 best gaming screens of the year Posted: 11 Feb 2019 01:00 PM PST These days, the best PC games can take you to places and let you do things that you never thought possible, which is why you should think about picking up one of the best gaming monitors to bring your experience to the next level. But, what separates the best gaming monitor from any old monitor. Well, it usually depends on the kinds of features you need and your own personal preferences. There are all kinds of gaming monitors out there, and what you need will vary greatly on what kind of games you usually play. If you just want to get absorbed into your favorite single-player games like Resident Evil 2 or Metro Exodus, you may be interested in a 4K Ultra-HD gaming monitor with HDR. However, if going head to head with strangers on the internet in eSports titles like Overwatch or CS:Go is more your speed, you’ll want one of the best gaming monitors with a high refresh rate and response times. This is a lot to take in, but we have you covered. We've gathered up all the best gaming monitors we’ve ever used. So, no matter what kind of games you’re into, we’ll help you find the best monitor for gaming.
HDR has been a major selling point for the best TVs for a little while now, but it has been suspiciously absent from the best gaming monitors. Until now. The BenQ EX3501R takes HDR and runs with it, crafting a curved ultra-wide that is not only what we would deem ‘attainable’, but beautiful as well. BenQ bills this monitor as a ‘video enjoyment monitor’, but from the moment you launch your favorite HDR-enabled games, you’ll see straight away why it tops our list of the best gaming monitors. Read the full review: BenQ EX3501R
The Alienware AW3418DW is one of the few ultra-wide monitors that can offer the level of immersion that only 21:9 monitors offer, while also featuring a high refresh rate. With a gorgeous 3,440 x 1,440 display, lightning fast 4ms response times and a stunning 120Hz refresh rate, the AW3418DW is the best of both worlds. However, all these features come with a high price, so it may not be the best choice if you’re looking for a bargain. Still, it’s not hard to see why it’s one of the best gaming monitors 2019 has to offer. Read the full review: Alienware AW3418DW
The AOC Agon AG352UCG was already one of the best gaming monitors we’d used, so when we heard that a new revision was coming out, with a higher refresh rate and better contrast, we couldn’t wait. The AOC Agon AC352UCG6 Black Edition takes everything the original did well and turns it up to 11, making it one of the best ways to experience ultra-wide gaming. It’s pricey, yeah, but if you have the hardware to back it up, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not buying it. Read the full review: AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition
The Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ may just be the most advanced and best gaming monitor out there – as long as you have the cash. Not only does it feature a gorgeous 4K Ultra-HD resolution and HDR, but it also features G-Sync and a 144Hz refresh rate. These specs make for one of the most impressive gaming monitors that’s ever existed – and when you see it in action, your mind will be blown. The only thing that holds this thing back from true greatness is the insane price tag. But, then again, if you have this kind of cash lying around, you should be able to afford a PC powerful enough to drive it. Read the full review: Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ
The BenQ PD3200U is primarily targeted at CAD professionals, but it’s still one of the best gaming monitors out there. This is because it has a rock-solid focus on graphic design, so it’s able to offer fantastic viewing angles – meaning your friends can watch you play in comfort. Plus, unlike a lot of 4K monitors on the market, you don’t need to mess around with the settings in order to get the best picture – every unit is individually calibrated by BenQ before it’s shipped. This is one of the best gaming monitors out there, even if it’s not actually a gaming monitor. Read the full review: BenQ PD3200U
There’s a certain subset of PC gamers out there that need the absolute best hardware money can buy, and the Acer Predator X27 may be the best gaming monitor for them. The list of high-end features packed into the panel is almost as long as our arm – 4K resolution, HDR-10, G-Sync, 144Hz refresh rate – you’d be hard pressed to find a more advanced monitor. And, once you get a look at this monitor in person, you’ll be sold. That is, until you see the price tag – at two grand, only recent lottery winners need apply. Still, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming. Read the full review: Acer Predator X27
You might not believe it at first glance, but the BenQ Zowie XL2540 is every bit the gaming monitor that the other monitors on this list are. And though it may not seem it from the outside looking in, it does its job remarkably well too, sacrificing dazzling lighting effects for a zippy 240Hz refresh rate and nigh-instantaneous 1ms response time. There’s no G-Sync or FreeSync, as this monitor assumes you already have a rig that’s plenty capable of eliminating screen tears on its own. Instead, this monitor keeps it simple by supplying you with lots of visual presets, an “S Switch” control pod for managing those presets and even a pair of adjustable light screens. If you're a professional gamer, then this is the best gaming monitor for you. Read the full review: BenQ Zowie XL2540
With this display, Samsung not only brings QLED to gaming monitors in a big way, but they also offer the widest ultra-wide monitor on the market today. Coming in at 49.5 inches, this behemoth will take up a lot of space, likely peeping over the sides of your desk, but with its impressive 3,840 x 1080 resolution and HDR, you’ll at least be blown away by the image. Even if you decide not to play in this resolution (it will require a beefy rig), you can still use all of the extra screen real estate to have a browser or a movie playing on the same screen. The only real drawback is the monstrous price tag. But for a display this premium, it may very well be worth it. Read the full review: Samsung CHG90 QLED
If you have a powerful graphics card that you want to take full advantage of, and you don’t mind missing out on 4K Ultra HD, Samsung’s got something just for you. The Samsung CHG70 is a curved 1440p monitor with a blazing fast 1ms response time and 144hz refresh rate, which makes this one of the best gaming monitors you can buy in 2018. And, considering it’s regularly going on sale, this screen is a bargain as well. Check it out. Read the full review: Samsung CHG70 QLED
When you’re playing competitive shooters like Overwatch or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you’re going to need speed more than anything to stay on top of the leaderboards. That’s where monitors like the MSI Optix MAG271CR come in. With a 1080p resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate and 1ms of latency, you’re going to have fast, smooth gameplay as long as you have the hardware to drive it. After all, 60 Hz panels are so 2014 – the best gaming monitors embrace high refresh rates. Read the full review: MSI Optix MAG271CR How to buy the best gaming monitor in 2018When you are shopping for the best gaming monitor 2018 has to offer, there are a few things that you should consider before you decide on what display should grace your desk. By studying the following terms and specifications, you can make sure you pick the best gaming monitor for your needs – which also means you're not paying extra for additional features that you don’t need. Screen size: When shopping for the best gaming monitor, one of the most crucial things to think about is screen size. Larger display sizes can contribute to more immersive gaming experiences, as the game fills more of your field of vision, but you'll need to make sure you have the room to feature a large monitor. It also goes without saying that larger monitors will usually mean a higher price. Aspect ratio: The aspect ratio of a gaming monitor determines the width and height of the screen. Most widescreen monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9, while older monitors had a more square 4:3, which will likely look pretty outdated in 2018. Ultra-wide monitors with aspect ratios of 21:9 are quickly gaining prevalence – they offer a wide view of your games, and many ultra wides have made our list of the best gaming monitor 2018. Resolution: Another important factor when looking for the best gaming monitor for your needs is resolution. Here, the higher the numbers, the sharper the picture.. You will, however, need a more powerful graphics card for anything over full HD (1,920 x 1,080), even if many gaming monitors feature resolutions as high as 2,560 x 1,400 (WQHD) and 3,840 x 2,160 (4K). Refresh rate: When you’re looking to primarily play Counter-Strike, or shooters like it, refresh rate is especially important. The higher the refresh rate, the more frames per second (fps) it can support, which lends to a smoother experience on high-refresh-rate displays. A 60Hz refresh rate is most common, with refresh rates rising to 144Hz and even 200Hz. Response time: The best gaming monitors have low response times, which means the action remains fast and fluid, with little to no input lag. The lowest response time for TN monitors (we explain this in the next section) is 1 millisecond, whereas the newer IPS monitors usually have more delayed, 4ms response times. When you’re playing games competitively, it’s crucial to keep this number as low as possible in order to combat lag. Panel type: This is where things get a little technical. The type of panel the gaming monitor uses will largely contribute to its response time and image clarity. TN panels (twisted nematic) have the lowest response times, and they are usually cheaper as well, but they generally don’t have great viewing angles. IPS panels (in-plane switching) have fantastic viewing angles and color reproduction, but usually higher response times. Meanwhile VA panels (vertical alignment) sit between the two, though the slow response times makes these panels rare amid the best gaming monitors. Viewing Angle: Most people play games while positioned in front of their gaming monitor, but this may not always be the case, particularly when you’re among spectators. A monitor’s viewing angles tell you what angle you can look at the monitor from and still clearly make out the image. The closer these numbers are are to 180, the better your viewing experience will be when standing further to either side of the monitor or looking at it from above or below. G-Sync and FreeSync: You'll likely notice that many of the best gaming monitors in 2018 come with either G-Sync or FreeSync technology – sometimes both. This helps keep frames per second (fps) smooth, combats screen tearing and diminishes input lag. G-Sync is developed by Nvidia, so you'll need an Nvidia GPU, and the tech is built into the monitor, which can bump up their price tag. Meanwhile FreeSync was developed by AMD but, as it is free to use by manufacturers, the monitors usually cost less. Check out our HDR Explained video below.
Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article
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| Samsung's 2019 QLED TVs will feature AMD Radeon Freesync and iTunes Posted: 11 Feb 2019 12:13 PM PST After hiding them away in a private screening room at this year’s CES, Samsung is finally ready to show its next-generation QLED TVs to the public. To that end, you can expect four new series of 2019 QLED TVs – the Q90, Q80, Q70 and Q60 – to offer 4K HDR support as well as totally new features like AMD Radeon FreeSync support via Samsung’s Real Game Enhancer feature and a dedicated iTunes app on the Tizen store.
Like last year, you can expect Bixby to make a reappearance on the 2019 QLED series as well as a larger selection of Ambient Mode content. In terms of screen sizes, this year’s models will (unsurprisingly) be bigger than any year previously with all four series sporting 65-, 75- and 82-inch screen variants - though, if you’re looking for something smaller, the Q70 will be available in 49- and 55-inches while the Q60 drops all the way down to 43-inches. Here's a full breakdown of the prices for this year's models, based on information from Samsung's US website: Samsung Q60 QLED TV: $1,799.99 (65-inch), $1,199.99 (55-inch) Unfortunately, no UK or AU pricing has been announced yet. Plus tech TV buffs will appreciateWhile the new TVs are pretty feature-heavy, Samsung has introduced a few crucial upgrades on the display side like adding Direct Full Array lighting to its mid-range Q70 this year alongside the Q80 and Q90 (a.k.a. the 8FN and Q9FN equivalents for this year). There's also a new technology called ‘Ultra Viewing Angle’ now found on the Q90 and Q80 restructures the TV’s panels to reduce glare and enhance colors at wider viewing angles. We hope it will help make LCD-LED TVs more competitive with OLED when it comes to viewing them off-axis. Other new additions include AirPlay 2 support – a huge boon for Apple aficionados – and a far-field microphone-equipped remote that will allow you to use voice commands from anywhere in the room. Speaking of voice commands, we can’t forget Bixby support (although we wish that we could) that will also be available on this year’s QLED TVs. Samsung has yet to announce release date for the TVs, but pre-orders are available starting today at Samsung's website.
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| 88% of UK businesses have been breached in 2018 Posted: 11 Feb 2019 10:50 AM PST Cyberattacks are growing in volume and the average number of breaches in the UK has increased according to Carbon Black's second UK Threat Report. The endpoint security firm surveyed over 250 UK CIOs, CTOs and CISOs from organisations across a range of industries to compile its report which builds on its first survey conducted in August of last year. Carbon Black found that 88 percent of UK organisations reported suffering a breach during the last 12 months with the average number of breaches per organisation over the past year reaching 3.67, up from 3.48 in its last report.
Additionally, 87 percent of organisations have seen an increase in attack volumes and 89 percent said that attacks have become more sophisticated which is why 93 percent of organisations plan to increase their spending on cyber defense. Rise in breachesCarbon Black's Head of Security Strategy, Rick McElroy provided further insight on the findings of the report in a statement, saying: “We believe our second UK threat report underlines that UK organisations are still under intense pressure from escalating cyberattacks. The report suggests that the average number of breaches has increased, but as threat hunting strategies start to mature, we hope to see fewer attacks making it to full breach status.” The report also found that humans are often the weakest link in cybersecurity and phishing attacks appear to be at the root of one in five successful breaches. Malware remains the most prolific attack type in the UK with more than a quarter (27%) of organisations saying it was the attack type they most commonly encountered while ransomware took second place at 15 percent. Carbon Black's report also shed light on how organisations are utilizing threat hunting and 95 percent of those surveyed said that the practice had helped strengthen their defenses.
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| Best gaming chair 2019: the best PC gaming chairs Posted: 11 Feb 2019 10:45 AM PST Even if you have one of the best gaming PCs already, you shouldn’t ignore the best gaming chairs. You don’t want to walk away from your gaming session crouching over like Igor from Young Frankenstein. With the best PC gaming chair, you can bring your gaming and sitting experience to the next level. Because, if you’re going to dive into the best PC games for hours at a time, why not be comfortable while doing it? That’s why we decided to gather up the best gaming chairs you can buy in 2019. Some may end up looking like your dad’s office chair, with all-black ‘real leather’ designs – others fully embrace the gamer style with RGB lighting and loud, clashing colors, so you can look like some kind of race car driver from the future. We’ll help you find the perfect gaming chair for your set up, so you can spend more time sitting and gaming, and less time shopping. Because – let’s be honest – we do our own fair share of sitting here at TechRadar, and we’re very familiar with the best gaming chairs.
It’s no exaggeration to call the Noblechairs Epic Real Leather the best gaming chair. From the cross-thatched embroidery to the real leather of its namesake, if you’re looking for a no-compromises gaming throne, this is it. Plus, it’s surprisingly quick and easy to set up. And, once the set-up is complete, the Epic Real Leather is a dream to sit on – and you can customize your position however you want. Just do us a favor, and read the instructions while you’re setting it up.
If you want to play games all day in comfort, but you don’t want a chair that looks like you’re playing games all day, the Autonomous ErgoChair 2 is for you. Marketed as an office chair, the ErgoChair 2 has a very modern and stylish aesthetic to it that will appeal to anyone that doesn’t use RGB as a personality trait. It’s not all style either, as the ErgoChair lets you adjust basically every part of the chair, so that no matter how your body is built, you’re guaranteed to be comfortable while gaming.
Leather and fabric have their advantages, namely to comfort and texture, but sometimes a mesh office chair is best – especially if you live in a warmer climate, where breathability is of utmost importance. The Respawn-300 combines the racing-seat design and lumbar support and mesh material from some high-end office chairs. It really does take comfort to another level and is one of the best PC gaming chairs you can buy today.
Corsair is known for making popular and high-end PC components and gaming peripherals. It’s only fitting, then, that they dip their toes into the gaming chair game – and they may have made one of the best gaming chairs yet. Covered top to bottom in breathable PU leather with neck and lumbar pillows wrapped in microfiber, you’ll be able to game both in comfort and style. And with its rollerblade-style wheels, you’ll be able to move it around on any surface without having to worry about scratching up your floor.
Noblechairs is well known for crafting some of the best gaming chairs out there – and the Noblechairs Icon makes it clear why. While it’s more affordable than the flagship Epic Real Leather, it’s still extremely comfortable and one of the best PC gaming chairs out there. This is thanks to its nice lumbar pillow, which you can easily remove if you don’t like it.
The Edge GX1 is a gaming chair that actively avoids the popular racing style that is increasingly popular with modern gaming chairs. Rather than sticking to a form factor that’s designed to limit your movement, the Edge GX1 instead aims to give an ergonomic experience, where comfort is the priority – while also providing a premium chair. And when we say premium, we mean it, with the Edge GX1 costing £800, a huge amount for a gaming chair. It’s hand-crafted in the UK, and there’s some great touches, such as inflatable lumbar support. It’s a huge asking price, but we’ve been using it for a while now, and it is very comfortable. You’ll have to adjust a bit, but once you get it right, it’s worth the high price. It ships worldwide from the UK, but US and Australia readers should beware the high shipping costs. You can only buy this chair direct from Edge
There’s a certain subset of the PC gaming community that needs to have the absolute best of everything, at whatever the cost. These people are going to be absolutely enamored with the Vertagear Triigger 350 SE. It features over 350 individual components with a mix metal, mesh, leather and high-end plastics to create the ultimate PC gaming chair. If you have the money to spare, and you can’t stand to have anything less than the best, you might want to give this chair a look.
Another day, another Noblechairs gaming seat – and the Noblechairs Epic is the best gaming chair for the classier gamer. It features a faux-leather covering inspired by car seats, combining both comfort and a high-end design to make it one of the best gaming chairs you can buy today. And, if you’re the type that shies away from the ‘gamer aesthetic,’ the Epic’s subtle black design is far more elegant than some of the more brightly-colored seats on this list.
For the gamer looking for some extra room in their seat, the Vertagear Racing Series PL6000 is a must-have. Specially designed to provide both added width and height, this is the best gaming chair for anyone with a larger frame – no matter how tall you are, the adjustable headrest means you’ll never experience discomfort. However, this is a complicated chair to assemble, so use the buddy system to build this masterpiece.
The Nitro Concepts C80 is a gorgeous, comfortable gaming chair that could easily blend in in an office environment – it looks more expensive than it is. Nitro Concepts made one of the best gaming chairs by keeping the price down, while keeping compromises to a minimum – like using polyurethane instead of leather. And, no compromises were made in the build quality, either – this is an impressively sturdy gaming chair. Just make sure you get a friend to help you put it together – constructing this thing had us tearing our hair out.
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| Microsoft begs users to stop using Internet Explorer Posted: 11 Feb 2019 09:54 AM PST For companies still using Internet Explorer (IE), now is the time to move on to a new modern web browser according to Microsoft which has issued a warning regarding the security implications of continuing to use its once ubiquitous browser. IE is often used by enterprises and organisations that wish to run legacy web apps, as the outdated browser still supports them, but choosing the easy way out now could come back to haunt businesses later. In a blog post titled “The perils of using Internet Explorer as your default browser”, Microsoft senior cybersecurity architect Chris Jackson explained how using its legacy browser is increasing the “technical debt' of organisations.
Basically, by continuing to use IE as opposed to a more modern web browser, organisations are creating additional costs for themselves later by choosing the easiest, most convenient solution now as opposed to the best long term approach. The case for modern browsersIn his post, Jackson does not call on users to make the switch to Microsoft Edge (which will soon be Chromium-based) or to use Chrome or Firefox. He only highlights the fact that developers are no longer testing their sties for IE which could lead to security as well as stability issues. IE is no longer even really a browser in Jackson's opinion which he explained, saying: “You see, Internet Explorer is a compatibility solution. We’re not supporting new web standards for it and, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren’t testing for Internet Explorer these days. They’re testing on modern browsers. So, if we continued our previous approach, you would end up in a scenario where, by optimizing for the things you have, you end up not being able to use new apps as they come out. As new apps are coming out with greater frequency, what we want to help you do is avoid having to miss out on a progressively larger portion of the web!” The days of IE's dominance have come and gone and if your organisation has not done so already, now is the time to make the switch to a modern browser before it's too late. Via Engadget
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| The best unlimited data plans in the US right now Posted: 11 Feb 2019 09:53 AM PST The best unlimited data plans in the US keep on changing as carriers switch around their prices, offer new features and perks, or even cut down on what they have to offer without reducing the price (we're looking at you, Sprint). With all the different plans available from major carriers, small carriers operating on the bigger networks, and fine print details that would drive anyone mad, it can be daunting to figure out whether an unlimited data plan is actually good, or even really unlimited. Some carriers call their plans unlimited but will slow the data to near dial-up speeds after a certain amount is used. Fortunately, you can count on us to help clarify what the best data plans are actually offering. If you're on the market for a new mobile plan, we've got you covered. From a huge range of small MVNO carriers to everything from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, we've sorted through all the unlimited data plans offered in the US in 2019. The best unlimited data plans will combine limitless data with all the talking and texting you could dream of each month. But, the ones that truly stand out won't slow you down for nothing, don't charge too much, and support features like mobile hotspot. We want to save you the trouble of having to figure out what a carrier is actually offering. We know how straining all the fine print can be on the eyes. So, after culling through all the unlimited data plans on offer, we’ve narrowed down the results by cutting out carriers that majorly throttle your data speeds at a certain point. This means only carriers that rely on throttling to address network congestion have made it through. Everything else fails to fit our definition of the word “unlimited”. We’ve also focused simply on the base tier of unlimited data plans for individual customers: no family plans making it seem like a carrier has a good deal, when in fact you need three more people to sign up with you; just the lowest cost plan that offers unlimited data, talk, and text. This means deals on phones and the value of extra perks like free Netflix or HBO aren’t factored into the rankings. Now that we’ve cleared up how we picked, let’s get straight to the rankings. Best value unlimited plans:
Best deal: MetroPCS unlimited plan for $50 (runs on T-Mobile network) MetroPCS offers the best value unlimited plan on the market right now. For mobile phone users that want to pay as little as possible while getting as much data as possible, MetroPCS is the right carrier. MetroPCS runs on T-Mobile’s powerful network (though sometimes spotty in rural areas, in our experience). And it’s unlimited plan costs $50 with all taxes and fees included in that price. Users can stream DVD-quality video and use as much data as they want. They can also call and text to their hearts’ content. MetroPCS has even upgraded this plan by adding in 5GB of high-speed hotspot data. There are some limitations to the plan. Users who exceed 35GB of data use in a month can see their speeds throttled during times of network congestion. Still, the plan remains highly competitive, with a soft data cap much higher than a lot of its similarly priced and even more expensive competitors.
Alternative pick: Visible unlimited data plan (runs on Verizon's 4G LTE network) Boost Mobile's Unlimited Gigs plan used to hold this spot for its extra hotspot data at the same price as MetroPCS, but we've found the plan from a new carrier called Visible to be a better option for budget-minded shoppers. Visible offers a value-focused plan with unlimited texting, calling, and data on Verizon's LTE network. The plan has a great price at $40, and that's inclusive of all taxes, fees, and other charges. Your bills will be straight forward. Visible has no point at which it will begin to throttle data speeds, however the company does keep a cap on speeds at all times. Users will be kept at a max of 5Mbps, which isn't crazy fast, but is enough for almost all mobile needs. Visible makes up for that limit by allowing unlimited video streaming and unlimited mobile hotspot on these plans. While some carriers limit the speeds of certain activities, like online gaming or music streaming, Visible just caps everything at 5Mbps. At the price, the only competition we could find was Teltik, which is only available to businesses and self-employed customers. Other contenders in this category:
Top of the Big 4:
3. Best offer: T-Mobile ONE plan for $70 At first glance, the T-Mobile ONE plan doesn’t look like it’s the best deal, but we factored everything in, and it added up. One big point in T-Mobile’s favor is that the $70 monthly fee is exact: all taxes and fees are already included. Sprint's plan appears cheaper at first, but its plan has some more limits that keep us from recommending it over T-Mobile. T-Mobile has the highest soft data cap of all four major carriers, tying with Sprint. It won’t begin deprioritizing T-Mobile ONE customer data speeds until after they’ve used 50GB. That means customers who truly plan to get their money’s worth of unlimited data will get more mileage from T-Mobile. One constraint is that video streaming is limited to DVD quality. There are extra perks as well. Tethering is allowed at up to 3G speeds. Customers can use their phone while traveling in Canada and Mexico with unlimited talk and text and 5GB of 4G LTE data, along with some usability in more than 140 other countries. Plus, T-Mobile throws in a free Netflix subscription that didn’t even factor into our consideration (because it requires two lines, so individuals can't get it). Better still, for customers that don't need a international features, the T-Mobile One Prepaid Domestic Only plan is much the same as the One Plan, but costs just $50 plus taxes and fees.
4. Alternative pick: Sprint Unlimited Basic plan for $60 Of the big four carriers, Sprint offers the lowest base price for its unlimited data plan. We do have some gripes with it, though. Sprint discontinued the Unlimited Freedom plan and introduced a new tiered plan system. The Unlimited Basic plan is the cheapest at $60, but has additional taxes and fees. While the price is the same as the old Unlimited Freedom plan, Sprint has reduced the mobile hotspot data from 10GB down to 500MB. It also only allows 480p video streaming, whereas before it offered HD video. There has been an upgrade to its data allotment though, as now customers can use 50GB of high-speed data before data deprioritization during network congestion. Sprint also throws in a free subscription to Hulu, and allows for some services abroad, including free texting and basic data in over 200 countries and full service with 5GB of LTE data in Mexico and Canada.
Base plan: Verizon GoUnlimited plan for $75 Verizon's base unlimited data plan is a bit more expensive than the competition, and the $75 starting price for individual plans doesn't factor in taxes and fees. But, with that price comes uncapped data, calls, and texts, and 4G network coverage that consistently ranks higher than all of the other major carriers. Verizon's GoUnlimited plan offers DVD-quality streaming, and it allows unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot usage at 600Kbps. Customers can also use their service for data, calls, and texts in Canada and Mexico. Though this is a true unlimited data plan, customers may experience reduced data speeds when the network is congested. And, that's regardless of how much data they've used in a month. With a price higher than it's competitors, we don't like that the plan has so many limitations.
Base plan: AT&T Unlimited &More plan for $70 AT&T's base Unlimited &More data plan starts at $70 for a single line when auto-pay and paperless billing are enabled. Taxes and fees are an additional price. But, the cost gets you onto AT&T's network, which ranks highly in the US and works with many of the best unlocked phones. That AT&T '&More' in the plan name also has some meaning for customers. AT&T adds in over 35 live TV channels on the service via the WatchTV app, giving customers access to thousands of shows and movies they can stream without ever running out of data. The plan doesn't allow Wi-Fi Hotspot usage, limits streaming to DVD quality, and can see reduced data speeds during times of network congestion. But, customers do get unlimited texting to over 120 countries, and free roaming in Canada and Mexico. AT&T does have a value option in the Prepaid Unlimited plan, which starts at $55 a month with AutoPay. It's comparable to the Unlimited &More plan while coming in at a lower price. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti appears again in three different retail boxes Posted: 11 Feb 2019 09:34 AM PST We must be getting close to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti’s launch as not one, not two but three different third-party variants of graphics card have appeared online. Videocardz caught wind (and photos of retail packaging) of the upcoming EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XC, Palit GTX 1660 Ti StormX and Galax GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. All three cards and, from what we can tell, all variants of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti will reportedly be released on February 22, which is a little later than the February 15 launch rumored not too long ago.
No ray, JoséThe images of the retail packaging seem to confirm a few rumors we’ve known about the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, including the GPU’s Turing-based shaders and 6GB of GDDR6 video memory. There isn’t a single mention of ray tracing, so that would support the theory that these graphics cards won’t pack this feature. Although the photos seem to include a mix of stock and original images, doctoring box images of graphics cards wouldn’t be terribly hard – and it just so happens the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 is available in each of these rumored models. Regardless, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti release date (well, the rumored one) is fast approaching, so we’ll soon learn if this GPU is real or not.
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| Samsung foldable phone will be unveiled alongside the Galaxy S10 Posted: 11 Feb 2019 09:27 AM PST Samsung's foldable phone will be shown off on February 20 after the South Korean firm posted a teasing video which pretty much confirms it, on Twitter. The clip, which lasts 15 seconds, features the words "the future unfolds" and the date "02.20.19" which, for those of you who have been living under a rock recently is the Samsung Galaxy S10 launch date.
There's also Korean text which wraps around an invisible block, hinting at a curved, foldable display on the the yet un-named Samsung foldable phone. You can see the video below. Galaxy X? Galaxy F?We've heard a couple of different naming rumors regarding Samsung's foldable phone, with Galaxy X and Galaxy F being hinted at in various leaks. Samsung Galaxy X is probably the more likely of the two, with more rumors focusing on this name, but there's always a chance that it ends up being called something completely different. We'll be able to tell you what the name ends up being as soon as it's announced though, as we'll be reporting live from Samsung's Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 20. David Lumb contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best shared web hosting of 2019 Posted: 11 Feb 2019 09:05 AM PST Shared website hosting means exactly what it says – you share a server with other users who are running their own websites from that hardware. Every customer gets a portion of that physical server for their own use. The main strength here is that this is a cost-effective solution, and because you’re prepared to share hardware with other folks, you’ll naturally be playing less than the outlay for dedicated hosting. By the same token, however, you’re also sharing resources with others, and that means that the performance you’ll get will likely be a fair bit slower (and indeed generally less consistent). That might be fine for sites which don’t have a lot of traffic, but it could be a problem if your bandwidth needs are greater, or reliable and consistent performance is a priority for your website. So, obviously bear all that in mind, but if you do want to go the shared hosting route in an effort to make some serious savings, which are the best providers to plump for? Read on and find out.
InMotion Hosting Don’t fret that this popular web host’s plans are marketed as ‘business’ products, because they’re applicable to individual users as well as companies. There’s a good range of choice here, and shared hosting starts from just $3.99 (£3.1) per month (2-year plan). What’s also good to see here is that InMotion incorporates features into its shared hosting plans which other providers charge extra for – like hack and DDoS protection, a system of basic backups, and a WordPress-based website builder.
Another strong suit here is the way that this web host provides full details of all its services at-a-glance on the website, and makes it easy to compare features, and make your decision when taking the plunge with a subscription. You also get cPanel and Softaculous-powered hosting, a sterling level of technical support, and in our testing, we found this provider delivered some impressive performance levels when it came to site loading speeds. All in all, there are lots of reasons to go with InMotion, and a 90-day money-back guarantee doesn’t hurt, either.
1&1 1&1 IONOS (in the late October 2018, 1&1 changed their name to 1&1 IONOS) is a big web hosting player, vying with GoDaddy for world domination, and is the biggest player in Europe. Located in Germany, it offers a bewildering array of services with prices starting from as little as $0.99 per month excluding VAT (although that rises to $7.99 after the first year). On top of that, this shared hoster provides some smart freebies (a free domain, SSL certificates across all plans, free web design software (NetObjects Fusion 2013), 24/7 phone and email support, a graphics archive, a 30-day money-back guarantee, transparent replication (the company calls it geo-redundancy) and a whopping 300Gbps network connectivity. Also, you get a personal consultant, free of charge
GoDaddy The US-based web hosting company is one of the largest in the game and probably the best known one as well. It is also the biggest domain name registrar in the world with tens of millions of domain names in its portfolio. GoDaddy’s cheapest web hosting package is $7.99 per month (at the time of writing, there was a special price for the first year - $5.99 per month). This provider offers free backup and restore, an uptime guarantee (99.9%), unlimited storage (although there’s only 100GB for the Economy package), as well as unlimited bandwidth and a free domain with the annual shared hosting plan. A pretty nifty feature provided by GoDaddy on all its packages is the ability to increase hosting capacity on demand (e.g. when you experience a sudden surge in traffic) from within your hosting account.
Namecheap If you want to do web hosting on a budget, then as this provider’s name suggests, it aims to be inexpensive. You get some impressive value-for-money with Namecheap, particularly with an initial discount for the first year, and there are some heavyweight plans here. However, note the starter ‘value’ plan only gives you 20GB of hard drive space and 30 email accounts, but you get that at the price of just $2.88 per month. Namecheap offers a 99.9% connectivity guarantee, and is a very easy service to set up, with an initial welcome email that points you in the right direction for everything you might need (backed up by some impressive FAQs). It also plays host to an excellent searchable knowledgebase. To round things off, testing proved that this company generally offers above average speeds compared to rivals, making this a great hosting provider for those who aren’t keen on doing too much damage to their wallet.
UK2 Based in London, bang in the middle of startup territory (Shoreditch), UK2 offers an impressively cheap starting shared hosting package at around $2.5 (£1.95) per month excluding VAT (although that rises to $7.8 (£5.95) a month on renewal). It also offers affordable unlimited packages with unlimited emails, bandwidth, a free SSL certificate (great for improved security and search visibility), a free domain and a dedicated IP. Prospective customers will appreciate the lack of setup fees or hidden charges, the 30-day money-back guarantee, plus 24/7 UK-based phone support on a freephone number and UK-based data centres.
HostGator This is another web host which caters for the more budget-minded, and of course that’s never a bad thing. Although do note that you only get the really cheap prices when signing up for longer contracts with HostGator, so something of a commitment is required for the best savings here. For example, the cheapest shared hosting plan is $2.64 (£2) per month if you sign up for 36 months, but $4.48 (£3.38) per month if you sign up for one year. The good news is that you get plenty for your money, and no annoying limitations, so even the basic plan allows for unlimited bandwidth, web space, email accounts and more. A 99.9% uptime guarantee is also good to see. Customer support is generally pretty good – although it falls down in a few areas, for example the web help forums aren’t moderated by the company itself – and we found performance was better than average in terms of site loading times.
SiteGround SiteGround offers some low-end shared hosting plans which may cost a little bit more than some budget rivals you’ll find on this page, but the upside is that they include all the core features that you’ll likely need. The firm’s StartUp account is $3.95 a month initially (with the cost rising when you renew), and with that you get unlimited traffic, email accounts and databases, not to mention one-click installation of apps like WordPress. It also bundles features that rival firms often charge for as extras like daily backups or CDN capabilities (Cloudflare). Another nifty touch is the provider’s SuperCacher system which caches frequently-accessed data in RAM, aiming to improve site performance. This could certainly help busy websites. Not everything is rosy here, though – for example the basic account limits you to 10GB of web space. Also, website support via the company’s knowledgebase is a rather shoddy experience, but there are other avenues of tech support which perform much better.
iPage This is a premium web hosting outfit with a well-featured ‘Essentials’ plan which offers a great deal of functionality, and is ideal for those looking to host multiple websites (or those who want plenty of room to grow). With prices starting from as little as $1.99 per month for the shared hosting basic plan (via an offer at the time of writing), iPage gives you unlimited web space and bandwidth, unlimited email addresses, MySQL databases and even domains. Not only that, iPage incorporates some very smart extras like a drag-and-drop page builder, with a basic shared SSL certificate thrown in for good measure. This provider also offers good quality tech support via live chat and email (although other support avenues aren’t as strong). Performance levels seems solid, and this is certainly a web host to bear in mind for experienced users who are dealing with large numbers of sites.
PlanetHippo One of the smaller web hosting outfits in this listing, PlanetHippo has managed to keep its prices at a lower level compared to most of the competition. Its One Account Linux shared hosting costs just $1.33 (£1) per month (excluding VAT), and it’s an appealing budget package. The firm’s Unlimited plan offers ‘unlimited everything’ for $8 (£5.99) per month (and that includes a free domain). As with other web hosts, you get a 30-day warranty, 24/7 UK-based support (and it’s of a good quality – although there’s no option to use the phone) and all of PlanetHippo’s servers are based in the UK. Throw in a smartly designed hosting panel, and you won’t go far wrong with this particular provider.
Tsohost This is another UK-based provider, and Tsohost also plays the value card, with an entry-level Startup shared hosting plan which starts at $3.8(£2.92) per month (providing you sign up for two years – it’s $4.15(£3.16) per month if you commit for just one year). That plan limits you to 15GB storage and you do get unlimited bandwidth, Let’s Encrypt SSL and a hundred mailboxes. Tsohost’s technical support may not be the fastest out there in terms of response times, at least in our experience, but it did provide clear and accurate answers to queries. Performance levels are also solid, and the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
You might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides:
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| Trump administration orders research into AI Posted: 11 Feb 2019 08:57 AM PST US President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would have federal agencies dedicate more resources and investment into artificial intelligence (AI) research, training and promotion. Under the American AI Initiative, agencies would be directed to prioritize AI investments in research and development while also increasing access to federal data and models needed to facilitate research. While there was no specific funding announced for the initiative, an administration official did reveal that it called for improved reporting and tracking of funds spent on AI research and development.
The American AI Initiative aims to ensure that the US retains its research and development advantage in AI and other emerging technologies such as quantum computing and advanced manufacturing. AI research and investmentDuring his recent State of the Union speech, President Trump said that he would work with lawmakers to increase investment into future technologies. During a conference call a senior administration official highlighted AI's increasing role in our daily lives, saying: “AI is something that touches every aspect of people’s lives. What this initiative attempts to do is to bring all those together under one umbrella and show the promise of this technology for the American people.” The race for AI dominance is heating up and other countries will likely make similar investments into AI and other emerging technologies to remain competitive. Via Reuters This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 5G phones: these are going to be the first next-gen handsets Posted: 11 Feb 2019 08:50 AM PST Update: Both LG and Huawei have confirmed that they'll show foldable phones at MWC 2019 in February. The LG one will reportedly be the LG V50 ThinQ, while Huawei's will fold. In much of the world – including the US and UK - we will see 5G networks launch in 2019. They'll be faster than 4G, but you won't be able to utilize the new speeds with your current handset. You'll need a 5G phone. However, the majority of phones launching in the near future won't support the fifth generation network. That's not a huge problem because 5G coverage won't be widespread for a while, but if you want your next phone to be future-proofed then you'll want it to work with 5G. During CES 2019 at the start of the year, smartphone chip-maker Qualcomm said it expects to see over 30 5G devices launched in 2019, with most of those being smartphones. While the rollout of 5G networks may take some time, you should at least have a choice of 5G phones to whet your appetite. With that in mind we've created this guide to the various confirmed and rumored 5G handsets. You'll find everything we know about these phones, including when and where they’re likely to launch, and we'll be constantly updating our 5G phones list with all the latest information.
Samsung Galaxy S10 X
Image Credit: TechRadar Samsung is known to be working on a 5G phone and it's heavily rumored that the company's first 5G handset will be a version of the Samsung Galaxy S10, possibly dubbed the Samsung Galaxy S10 X. This could be one of the most exciting – not to mention most expensive – 5G phones of 2019, with rumors additionally pointing to it having a 6.7-inch screen, four rear cameras, two front-facing snappers, a 5,000mAh battery and 10GB or 12GB of RAM. The Galaxy S10 X is currently rumored to go on sale in South Korea on March 29, with a US launch also likely at some point, but it may not be available anywhere else according to reports. We should learn more about it soon, as it's likely to be announced alongside the rest of the Galaxy S10 range on February 20. Huawei 5G foldable phone
Image Credit: TechRadar Huawei has confirmed that it will show off a 5G foldable phone at MWC 2019, with the Chinese firm holding a press conference on February 24. Nothing else is confirmed, but this doesn't come as a surprise, since the company had previously said that it's working on a 5G foldable phone. This seems to be a slight change of plan though, as back in 2018, Huawei revealed that it planned to launch a 5G phone in June 2019 - however this could be the date the handset goes on sale. Shortly after that revelation an exec told T3 that either the Huawei P30 or Huawei Mate 30 would support 5G, though that doesn't entirely line up with claims that it will fold, as we wouldn't expect the company's main flagships to do so. There's no word on which countries Huawei's first 5G phone will be available in, but don't count on being able to buy it in the US, since most recent Huawei phones aren't available there. OnePlus
Image Credit: TechRadar OnePlus has spoken numerous times about a 5G handset, and it could be one of the first to launch one, as the company wants to be the first to launch a 5G phone in Europe. We also know specifically that it will be coming to the UK, as OnePlus has confirmed that UK network EE will stock it. We'd expect to see it in the US too, given that OnePlus phones typically land there, but it might not be officially launched in Australia. It's not clear exactly when the phone will launch, but to be the first in the UK it would likely need to land within a few months. OnePlus has confirmed that it will reveal a 5G concept phone at MWC 2019 at the end of February, which may give us some idea of what the firm is working towards. If OnePlus launches its 5G phone as the OnePlus 7 then we might see it in or around May based on the company's past releases, but some rumors say that the 5G phone will be the start of a new line. Either way, it's going to cost more than you might expect a OnePlus handset to. The company's CEO has confirmed that it will be around $200 (roughly £155/AU$275) to $300 (approximately £235/AU$415) more than a typical OnePlus handset. LG
Image Credit: TechRadar LG could also be one of the first companies to launch a 5G handset, having said that it's aiming to make the first one available in the US. The phone is set to be a Sprint exclusive in the US, and will land at MWC 2019 on February 24, complete with a Snapdragon 855 chipset and a 4,000mAh battery. That much is confirmed. Beyond that, it's rumored that this will be the LG V50 ThinQ, and that it will go on sale in March in the US and Europe. The V50 ThinQ is said to have a 6-inch screen and may retail for between 1.3 million won (around $1,170/£890/AU$1,600) and 1.5 million won (roughly $1,350/£1,025/AU$1,850). What the phone probably won't be is the LG G8, as a rumor suggests that will only support 4G. Honor
Image Credit: TechRadar Given that Huawei is working on a 5G phone it's not overly surprising to hear that Honor is too, given that this is a sub-brand of the company. Honor's president said – according to Android Authority – that not only will Honor launch a 5G phone in 2019, but that it will be the first to market with a 5G handset. It has a lot of competition for that achievement, but it certainly sounds like the phone will be coming soon then, though we have no idea which countries it will be sold in. iPhone 12
Image Credit: TechRadar Apple will of course eventually launch a 5G phone, but it's not likely to be one of the first companies to do so. Rumors suggest that Apple won't put 5G support in the iPhone 11 and that instead we'll have to wait until 2020 and the iPhone 12 for 5G. As of January 2019, the latest news on that front is that Apple is currently deciding which company's 5G modem chips to use, which further suggests a 5G handset is a way out, as that's a decision we'd expect to be made way before launch. The good news though is that whenever Apple launches its 5G iPhone it's likely to be globally available, since iPhones are sold in most countries. Motorola
Image Credit: TechRadar Motorola has taken an odd approach to 5G, as initially rather than a 5G phone from the Lenovo-owned company we're going to see a 5G Moto Mod, one which would be compatible with the already-available Moto Z3. We don't know exactly when the 5G Moto Mod will land, but the vague window of early 2019 has been put forward, which could in a sense make the Moto Z3 one of the first 5G phones once the Mod does launch. Note however that the Moto Z3 is a US and Verizon exclusive, so even once the 5G Moto Mod lands there won’t initially be a widely available 5G Motorola handset. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
Image Credit: TechRadar The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has already been announced, and while the standard version doesn't support 5G, a 5G model is set to arrive sometime in mid-2019. There's no news on US or Australian availability, but you will be able to buy it in Europe, so the UK might well get it. Other specs of the phone include a Snapdragon 855 chipset, up to 10GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and a 3,200mAh battery. The Mi Mix 3 also has a 6.39-inch Full HD+ display with almost no bezel, a slide-out dual-lens selfie camera, and a dual-lens rear camera. So this is a high-end phone, yet it's likely to undercut most early 5G handsets in price. Oppo
Image Credit: TechRadar Oppo is yet another company that claims to be aiming to launch the first 5G handset, so based on that we'd expect to see one from the company in early 2019. Back in December the company even showed off a 5G prototype, one which used the high-end Snapdragon 855 chipset. However, we don't know much else about the phone, or where it will be available. It very possibly won’t be sold globally, since Oppo doesn’t have a big presence in much of the world. ZTE
Image Credit: TechRadar ZTE is also likely to launch a 5G phone in 2019 but it probably won’t be one of the first, with the company saying it will land in the second half of 2019, according to Android Authority. We don’t know much else about the phone, or what countries it will be available in. Vivo
Image Credit: TechRadar Vivo is also known to be working on a 5G phone, but as yet we don't know much about it and it won't be one of the very first, with the company aiming for a commercial launch in 2020, according to GadgetsNow. We also wouldn't count on the phone being widely available, since most Vivo handsets aren't. Royole FlexPai
Image Credit: Royole The foldable Royole FlexPai launched globally during CES 2019 at the start of 2019, and while it's not 5G enabled right now, a software update later in the year will unlock support for the fifth generation of network. You can buy the FlexPai now, however it's expensive and we found during our hands on time with the phone that the software needs some serious polish before we'd be able to think about recommending it as a viable everyday device. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Save 79% on a three-year CyberGhost VPN deal - just $2.75 a month Posted: 11 Feb 2019 08:36 AM PST We have tested a lot of VPN services, ranging from the most impressive to the down right terrible. So of the 100s (literally) we've reviewed, it's no mean feat to make it in to the top 5 of TechRadar's best VPN chart. But CyberGhost has earned a spot, and now you can get it for an incredibly low price. For just $89.90 - the equivalent of $2.75 a month - you can get your hands on three years worth of CyberGhost protection. That works out at roughly 79% off the usual monthly rate ($12.99) or, in other words, a huge saving on one of the most impressive VPNs around. - Go straight to CyberGhost to grab this incredibly cheap VPN deal Not in the US? Don't worry. Although the listed price is in US dollars, this reduced plan is available to purchase wherever you are. So the $2.75 per month works out at around £2.15, €2.45 or AU$3.90. With CyberGhost, you're not only getting the ability to mask your IP address but also incredibly fast speeds, access to over 3,500 servers, simultaneous protection of up to seven devices, and integrated apps for your phone, laptop, TV and more. So if you like the idea of cheap yet effective online protection for the next three years, scroll down to see all of the details of this deal and how to get it. Or if you want to see all your other best-in-class VPN options, check out our best VPN deals guide.
CyberGhost's three-year VPN deal in full
What can you do with a VPNThe main reasons to get a VPN can be broken up into two categories: being safe online and circumventing blocks. In terms of cyber safety, a VPN uses encryption technology to hide or change your IP address so you can't be tracked. So using a VPN can make it far harder for your data to be used by somebody else in the future. The second use is a little bit wider in its functionality. VPNs can allow you to work around restrictions online which means watching your favourite channels in other countries, getting cheaper deals on flights and trains and watch any country's Netflix no matter where you are. See also:
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| Valentine's Day flowers: the best online delivery services Posted: 11 Feb 2019 08:29 AM PST Valentine’s Day is is almost here and if you, like many others, are still searching for that perfect gift then placing an order online for flowers is always an easy and romantic option. You can order a beautiful floral arrangement in minutes from a variety of online retailers including; 1-800-Flowers, Amazon, ProFlowers, Teleflora, and many more. Right now most U.S. retailers (get U.K. deals here) are still able to guarantee a Valentine's Day delivery for an additional fee. The retailer Bouqs is even offering 20% off all Valentine's Day flowers with code SENDLOVE20 which includes Valentine's Day delivery. For all those who love to procrastinate, fear not, because most of the online flower delivery services we've listed below offer same-day delivery, and if you're an Amazon Prime member Amazon is offering free shipping on a wide selection of flowers if you order by tomorrow. Online flower delivery services:If flowers aren't your thing, we've listed a wide selection of Valentine's Day sales and collections below from retailers such as Walmart, Victoria's Secret, Shari's Berries and more. Amazon has knocked down the Amazon Echo prices ahead of Valentine's and has a great Kindle Paperwhite deal running too. You can also find the popular Ring Doorbell devices on sale for up to $50 off. Valentine's Day sales
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| What is the IoT? Everything you need to know Posted: 11 Feb 2019 08:03 AM PST What is the IoT?The world around us is getting smarter and more connected as technology becomes a common sight in many areas. Digital devices are not just in our pockets or our offices, but increasingly in our homes, buildings, and many places and cities. Helping collect, analyse and monitor data and information about their surroundings, these devices are able to communicate with each other through the ‘Internet of Things’. Often shortened to the IoT, this worldwide, interconnected network allows devices to talk to each other and to us, delivering reams of data through smarter processes that will greatly increase the quality of life around the world. The Internet of Things is predicted to revolutionise the way in which we live our lives, with many industry experts tipping it to have the biggest technological impact since cloud computing, as more data than ever before can be collected, stored and analysed. Many consumers are already enjoying the benefits of the IoT, as popular products such as the Amazon Echo smart speaker and the Nest thermostat from Google becoming common sights in homes around the world. But the wider world can also benefit from the IoT, with businesses being able to streamline previously complex and data-hungry processes through improved automation, freeing up employees for other tasks. Public sector organisations such as hospitals can also use sensors to monitor patients more effectively, and local governments can monitor pollution, traffic levels, weather data, and much much more. The IoT is growing fast, and is set to affect more and more areas of our lives in the years to come, resulting in a smart world that previously was only imaginable in science fiction.
IoT - the latest news and views05/02 - Insecure apps put half of IoT devices at risk - IoT apps lack encryption and leave devices vulnerable to hackers... 28/01 - Japanese government will hack citizens' IoT devices - Unconventional survey planned to help secure consumer IoT devices... 15/01 - UK firms can't tell if their IoT is secure - Only half can detect if their IoT devices have been breached... 14/01 - Open source may be the key to securing IoT - Adding ready-made software to IoT devices without having to write code... 09/01 - IoT devices now top priority for cybercriminals - Hackers utilise Thingbots to launch IoT attacks... 04/01 - IoT spending to reach new highs in 2019 - Manufacturing, transport and utilities will top IoT investment... 03/01 - Fake apps and IoT attacks top 2019 threats - Avast's 2019 Threat Landscape Report sheds light on this year's biggest threats... 27/12 - The Future of IoT connectivity - IoT vendors and network providers must work together... 20/12 - Malware threats continue to rise and target IoT - IoT malware and ransomware still on the rise, McAfee Labs report finds... 17/12 - Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem promises flexible connectivity and low power for IoT - New modem builds on success of predecessor... 05/12 - Top IoT standards could be compromised by hackers - Unsecured machine-to-machine deployments leave IoT devices at risk... 29/11 - Don’t bank on IoT - Trading security for convenience... 07/11 - How banks can create a successful IoT strategy - Infosys Finacle tells us why the IoT could be the key to a new level of innovation... 07/11 - How 5G will enable the next generation of IoT deployments - Canonical head tells us why next-generation networks are the key to innovation... 01/11 - What “x-as-a-service” means for IoT - It's never been easier to become a Mobile Virtual Network Operator... 31/10 - CIOs fear "burden" of IoT projects - IoT multiplies the complexity of enterprise cloud ecosystems... 29/10 - Seven critical questions every business needs to ask before implementing an IoT plan - Fail to prepare, prepare to fail... 11/10 - How interoperability accelerates IoT collaboration - Issues with connecting multiple devices and services have slowed IoT adoption... 10/10 - Enterprises expect IoT results in less than three years - IoT is no longer an emerging technology... 09/10 - Connecting the seas: How radio is aiding maritime IoT - KNL Networks says its radio network can keep ships stay connected... 01/10 - IoT technology 'vital for success' of UK businesses - Businesses of all sizes see this emerging technology as vital to their future success... 01/10 - Steak & chips: how IoT and machine learning will disrupt risk in animal insurance - Even farm animals are becoming connected in today's digital world... 01/10 - Six principles to secure the IoT - It's up to IoT leaders to take the lead in security and privacy... 27/09 - "Most sophisticated" Torii botnet targeting IoT devices - The newly discovered malware strain is building the most sophisticated botnet ever seen... 21/09 - Privacy in the age of IoT: the future’s connected for VPN - Many have asked: do ‘normal people’ actually care about online privacy and VPNs? Yes, they do... 20/09 - How can the IoT transform the sports business? - Sports venues are getting a much needed upgrade from IoT technology... 19/09 - IoT malware grew significantly during the first half of 2018 - New research from Kaspersky Lab reveals how cybercriminals are targeting IoT devices... 06/08 - Why IBM is pushing to be the driving force in the IoT - The IoT and IBM could prove to be a match made in heaven... 03/08 - Qualcomm reveals major IoT push - Chipmaker unveils its plans to help power the global IoT.. 18/07 - Vodafone expands IoT range for businesses - New surveillance and energy management tools bring IoT to more companies across the UK... 17/07 - Microsoft and GE team up for major IoT launch - Partnership will see major expansion of Industrial IoT from Azure and GE Digital... 13/06 - Vodafone: 5G smartphone uncertainty means focus on core network and IoT - Vodafone UK CTO says 5G will be a gamechanger, but smartphone innovation in the 4G era won't be matched... 04/06 - Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom test NB-IoT roaming - Two operators claim trial is massive step forward for cross-border IoT... 01/06 - LPWAN is the final piece in the mobile IoT puzzle - Vodafone's IoT business is focusing on services and partnerships rather than technology... 31/05 - GSMA: Mobile operators must change to grab $1.1tn IoT market - GSMA warns that just 5 per cent of IoT revenue will be found in connectivity, so mobile operators need to evolve... 17/05 - Mobile IoT networks to be a 'core component' of 5G - GSMA says NB-IoT and LTE-M deployments are paving the way for massive IoT powered by 5G... 08/05 - Nokia snaps up SpaceTime Insights to boost IoT drive - SpaceTime Insights acquisition allows Nokia to expand IoT work... 24/04 - Telcos exploring mixed approaches to IoT - Communications providers see the potential in IoT but are taking multiple paths, Ericsson report says... 23/03 - Operator partnerships could be the key to IoT success - O2 says it wants to do more than just dish out SIMs and connectivity... 22/03 - IoT security spend to reach £1bn in 2018 - Gartner figures suggests increased awareness of threats is boosting spend... 07/03 - New internet of things security code aims to stamp out Mirai and other threats - The government is taking action on IoT security... 22/12 - Why 2018 could be a decisive year for IoT - Major report highlights struggle between competing technologies over the next year... 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| The best online Valentine's Day flower delivery services: rose prices and more compared Posted: 11 Feb 2019 07:46 AM PST There's still plenty of time left to get your Valentine's Day flowers delivered online this year for your better half and avoid the drama of phoning florists on the day. They're going to be in no mood for your nonsense at 4:55pm on February 14th. Not that we'd ever leave it that late. Ahem... As we're increasingly finding for pretty much everything though, the wealth of online options makes life much easier if you're too busy to get to a florist, not to mention transporting them home intact yourself always seems more difficult than it should be. Don't panic though, it's time to leave it to the professionals. And that's who we've tracked down today. We've done our research and tracked down the best online flower delivery services in the UK (we've also covered the best options in the US). Delivery charges have been accounted for too, and we made sure to mention if you can allocate specific days for delivery. Some online florists charge extra for Valentine's Day, which is to be expected really given the huge demand on the day. Don't forget, most of these flower deliveries won't come with a vase despite the photos, although we have found one store that does clearly label some deals as coming with one for free. Order Valentine's Day flowers now for on-time deliveryMore Valentine's sales and dealsIf you're after something different for Valentine's Day, we've rounded up a few more retailers below. These stores have dedicated sales and promotions running right now for gift ideas to help you out. Need some offers to get you going first, well Amazon has some great Amazon Echo deals ahead of Valentine's and there's a great Kindle Paperwhite deal promotion today too. If you're running really short of time, we've also put together a guide to making a free Valentine's Day card online.
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