Apple : The best cheap 4K TV deals and sale prices in the US - March 2019 |
- The best cheap 4K TV deals and sale prices in the US - March 2019
- Mirai botnet returns to target IoT devices
- Stadia: everything you need to know about Google's game-streaming service
- Check out the latest ROG innovation at PAX EAST 2019
- EU government websites littered with Google ad trackers
- Get up to £140 in pre-paid Mastercards with BT's fibre broadband deals
- Zenit unveils 50mm f/0.95 lens
- Best dedicated server hosting providers of 2019
- Best budget smartphone 2019: our top cheap mobiles
- UK government spending £1bn on cloud transition
- Anker's $49.99 truly-wireless earbuds are a cheap alternative to Apple AirPods
- Best cloud hosting services in 2019
- Starfield: release date, trailers and news
- Elder Scrolls 6 release date, news and rumors
- Slingshot into AR: Angry Birds in augmented reality coming to your iPhone and iPad
- After Anthem, The Division 2 shows Bioware how to make a looter shooter
- Best printers of 2019: inkjet, color, mono and laser printers
- macOS 10.15: what we want to see
- Half of organizations lack the security talent needed to remain secure
- MacBook Pro 2019: what we want to see
| The best cheap 4K TV deals and sale prices in the US - March 2019 Posted: 19 Mar 2019 01:32 PM PDT March Madness is officially here and that means it's a great month to find deals on cheap 4K TVs from top retailers such as Amazon, Walmart and more (we've also got a roundup of UK retailers). You can find Black Friday like prices on a variety of best-selling 4K TVs from brands such as Sony, LG, Samsung and more. Whether you're looking for an XL 4K TV to serve as the focal point of your home theater system, a modestly sized set for the bedroom or kitchen, or an entry level TV for the kids, you're sure to find all different kids of sizes, features and prices to fit any and all TV viewing needs. You will find all of our carefully curated deals below. We've divided them into three different size categories as well as our pick for the best cheap TV deal of the week. These days you really don't have to pay much more to get a Ultra HD 4K set instead of an older-style HD one. If you're after the hottest tech in TV though, you may want to take a look at the cheapest OLED TV prices. Whether you want a small TV with a price tag to match or something to show all the colors of the rainbow (and a few million more) with HDR, we've found plenty of options. Read on to find the TV you want at a great price!
TechRadar's cheap TV deal of the weekCheap TV deals (40-49 inch)Cheap TV deals (50-59 inch):Cheap TV deals (60-85 inch):More cheap TV sales:Not found the right cheap TV for you today? Or maybe you'd prefer to directly browse the TVs at your favourite retailers instead of our highlights of the best cheap TV deals? We're updating this page on a regular basis, so you may have better look another day. If you want to take a look for yourself now though, here are the direct links to a the full collection of TV deals at multiple stores. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Mirai botnet returns to target IoT devices Posted: 19 Mar 2019 11:59 AM PDT A new variant of the Mirai malware targeting IoT devices has been discovered in the wild by security researchers from Palo Alto Networks. The researchers first discovered this new strain earlier this year and now it is being used in a new IoT botnet targeting smart signage TVs and wireless presentation systems. The authors of the botnet have spent a great deal of time upgrading older versions of the Mirai malware with new exploits and according to Palo Alto Networks, this new Mirai botnet uses 27 exploits with 11 that are completely new to Mirai altogether.
Mirai's built-in list of default credentials has also been expanded by the botnet operator to allow the malware to more easily gain access to devices that use default passwords. In total, four new username and password combinations have been added according to a new report from Palo Alto Network's Unit 42. IoT devicesThis new Mirai botnet is intended to infect IoT devices with exposed Telnet ports through the use of default credentials which many hardware makers continue to leave unchanged despite the security risks they pose. While previous botnets using the Mirai malware have targeted routers, modems, security cameras and DVRs, the latest one is intentionally targeting smart signage TVs and wireless presentation systems, specifically LG's Supersign TVs and the WePresent WiPG-1000 wireless presentation system. Both of these exploits have been available online for some time but this is the first instance researchers have seen of them being weaponized. To avoid having your devices fall victim to the Mirai botnet, it is recommended that you only use devices from trusted manufacturers and immediately change the default passwords on those devices. Via ZDNet This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Stadia: everything you need to know about Google's game-streaming service Posted: 19 Mar 2019 11:38 AM PDT Imagine a world where you don't need expensive gaming hardware to play the next big release – a world where all you have to do is open the Chrome browser, pick out a game you want to play and instantly have it start without any need for a lengthy download or surprisingly large patch. That’s the idea of Google’s cloud gaming service, Stadia. From Chrome tab to 4K, 60fps game, in five seconds. No installation. Google promises that Google Stadia's cloud computing power is the equivalent of a console running at 10.7 GPU terraflops, that's more than the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X combined. If Google delivers on this promise, then it could be a game-changer. Rather than needing high-end hardware, Stadia (which was prototyped under the Project Stream moniker) allows you to use whatever computer you have around to play videogames. Google handles all the heavy lifting on its own servers, which can process the latest version of the game at high resolutions and frame rates, encode it into a stream, and deliver the stream to you over the internet. At launch Google promises Stadia will support desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones - without the need for a hardware box, instead running on Google's own data center. We got our first taste of the service during an extended beta that ran back in 2018, and now it's been fully revealed at GDC 2019. There's still much to learn as Google's Stadia rolls out, but based on what we played last year, the renamed Project Stream serves as an impressive showcase of what the future of cloud gaming could look like. Cut to the chase
How Google Stadia worksAs long as you’re connected to the internet with a fast and stable connection and you’re using a recent desktop version of the Chrome browser, you’ve got the setup needed to use Stadia. Playing a videogame on Stadia is as simple as opening a new tab in Chrome and going to the service's Stadia.com homepage, or even jumping from a YouTube video link about the game. Google will prompt you to run a connection test that checks your internet bandwidth, the latency between your computer and the servers, and any data loss. Google requires a streaming rate of 15Mbps, latency below 40ms, and data loss below 5%. With these requirements met, you’ll be ready to dive into a game. The beta of Project Stream offered Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which is nothing short of a demanding title. When you launched the game in your Chrome tab, it would go fullscreen, and run exactly as if it has been launched on a proper gaming computer (except without a deep graphics settings menu). You can play with a keyboard and mouse or connect a game controller and play that way.
All of your inputs on the computer get sent over to Google’s servers, processed in the game, and everything happening gets streamed right back to you. This is why that latency is so important, because you can’t have a good game experience if everything you do in the game shows up a second later. The limits of Stadia are still being detailed, but Google has stated that Stadia will eventually be able to scale up to 8K / 120+fps frame rates, with 4K/ 60 fps play as the norm. That's way above the standard bar for quality PC gaming.
So, in effect, you’re opening a new tab that pipes all your inputs to a high-end gaming PC that streams back the visuals and audio to your computer screen. This system is simpler than some others, which set you up with a virtual desktop that then remotely runs Steam, Origin, Battle.net, or what have you. In the case of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Stadia, you are still required to log into a Ubisoft account to play, but beta testers aren’t required to own the game.
Stadia will also work with Google Chromecast – you'll be able to stream its games straight to any TV using Google's streaming dongle, not to mention phones and computers. You'll be able to use keyboard and mouse or a gamepad to play Stadia, and Google's Stadia gamepad, a brand new piece of hardware, seems particularly smart. First off, the issue of latency – the gamepad itself connects directly to Google's cloud, which take a few of the steps out the data transfer chain, reducing the lag between your inputs being registered by the game. It also has a dedicated Google Assistant button, which Google claims will be loaded up with information on the title you're playing, offering tips when needed, or allowing you to access special in-game features from developers. In addition, it'll support cross-platform multiplayer – so long as the other major game players want to take part, of course. It’s unclear at this point whether Google will require players to buy games and pay for the streaming service in separate transactions, or whether access to select games will be bundled into the service. What games will be available on Stadia?Through the Project Stream beta, the only available game was Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. While this didn’t give us much idea of what games Google will offer in the future, it did give us a good idea of what games Google's Stadia could be capable of offering. For a 1080p 30fps game experience at High settings in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft recommends a system with the following specs:
For 4K at 30fps and high settings, the recommended specs bump up to include 16GB of RAM, a more powerful AMD Ryzen 1700X or Intel Core i7 7700 processor, and a beefier AMD Vega 64 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card. With Stadia streaming in video, this limitation could be eradicated, bringing AAA gaming to even entry level laptops. In addition, id Software confirmed Doom Eternal is coming to the Stadia - with the team only taking a few weeks to transfer the title onto Google's cloud streaming service. id Software's Marty Stratton revealed Doom Eternal is capable of running at 4K 60fps at native HDR on Stadia. If the service can handle Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1080p 60fps and Doom Eternal at 4K/60fps, Stadia is going to be capable of playing a whole lot of games at these settings. Other major titles could easily see support on the service. Games with a major online focus may have dicier prospects on Stadia. Since competitive online games are often fast-paced and require split-second reaction times, the extra latency introduced by streaming will likely be an issue for serious competitors. But Stadia looks better placed to beat this issue than other similar services, with infrastructure that no-one else has in terms of fibre optic cabling, and a Wi-Fi controller that connects directly to Google's cloud. That could mean online multiplayer titles such as Fortnite supporting thousands of players rather than just hundreds. A recent Chromium update also added support for Nintendo Switch controllers to Google's browser, so it looks like we could be getting more than just streams of PC releases. Google also announced the launch of Stadia Games and Entertainment. This will be a new arm at Google, with the sole aim of designing games exclusively for Google's game streaming platform.
Google Stadia will also allow for developers to implement split-stream local couch co-op easier, through Stream Connect. This should allow players to not only view but interact in each other's worlds. But, perhaps the biggest development for content creators and their viewers, is Crowd Play which will allow viewers to play games with their favorite streamers by simply clicking a button. The big focus here is on designing a system that's both easy to play and easy to show off to your friends. To that end, Stadia will send both a 4K signal to both your device and to YouTube simultaneously, allowing you to record what you're doing. The last feature Google showed off was called State Share - i.e. the ability for you to share any spot in your adventure with anyone via a Google link. One use case would be that State Share would allow you to record your spot in a tough boss fight and challenge your friends to beat it. If you're stuck, either in your game or your friend's, Google Assistant integration will allow you to access guides and walkthroughs on-demand. What was Project Stream like to use?At its best, Project Stream was good. At its worst, well, Google won’t let you play below a certain threshold of quality, and you wouldn’t want to anyway. We tested Project Stream on varying setups. We played on an unstable 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection, a fast and nearby 5GHz Wi-Fi connection, and on an ethernet connection held steady and offered high bandwidth. Keep in mind this was without the dedicated hardware Google has now introduced.
We also played on a 5-year-old Chromebook, a 2-year-old Razer Blade, and a modern desktop gaming rig that would be happy to run Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1080p/60FPS on its own hardware. We even started one computer up while another was running the stream, and Google simply transferred control over to the second computer, with no stop in the stream. Across the board, we’d describe the experience as at least playable. The highly dated Chromebook hardware didn’t hold it back from playing. The biggest issues come from a bad connection: if the connection speed drops, so does the game quality, with lower resolutions, latency, and far more noticeable compression. That said, in our experience, the visual degradation came before the latency, so we were able to continue battling enemies smoothly even if they started to look like ghostly swarms of pixels. Overall, the graphics were fairly good throughout, especially when playing on a high-bandwidth connection using ethernet cables. Colors, shadows, and anti-aliasing look fine, and the frame-rate seems to vary between 30 and 60fps.
The low frame-rate was one of the two issues we noticed. The other was compression. Most of the time, it’s not super jarring, but when there’s a lot of detail in a scene and a lot of movement, the compression turns it all into a bit of slop. Character faces become a blur and hard edges (noticeably the character’s hair) go soft. Will Stadia have fixed these issues by launch? It would seem to be a sign of the lower bitrate enabling this type of streaming, but the truth is that most of the time it’s unnoticeable, and would be even harder to spot if you weren’t looking for it (we were looking for it). Panning the camera and running through dense wooded areas in the game (and combining the two) were the only times we were turned off by the dips in visual quality. The experience isn’t mind-blowing, at least until you remember that it’s using so little of your computers processing power that you’ve literally got a full-system virus scan going in the background and nothing changed. The visuals are comparable to what you’d get on a console, except with compression artifacts here and there. And, with a stable connection, it compares rather favorably to in-home streaming on a Steam Link. While the price and service model Google adopts will go a long way in determining whether Stadia is worthwhile, we can say right now that its prototype works, and it looks good doing it. But, will Microsoft’s xCloud do it better?
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| Check out the latest ROG innovation at PAX EAST 2019 Posted: 19 Mar 2019 11:11 AM PDT
TechRadar editors spend their days reviewing the best and the worst tech products on the market, so they usually know which ones consumers will actually like. But while you can trust their judgment on which companies make the most reliable laptops or phones, sometimes it’s safer to try them out for yourself first before buying anything. And PAX East, where the top tech companies gather to show off and sell their newest and best gaming laptops and PCs, is a great place to do just that. If you have a ticket to PAX East 2019 anytime from March 28 through 31, we highly recommend you check out Booth #16001, where Republic of Gamers will be showing off its latest innovative gaming tech and deals!! You’ll see with your own eyes why TechRadar editors so frequently give ROG products positive reviews.
If you’re attending make sure to check out the ROG Mothership (GZ700) made to redefine how you play! Mothership is a desktop replacement that packs a portable Windows 10 Pro powerhouse with an innovative standing design that enhances cooling for its factory overclocked GeForce RTX™ 2080 GPU and 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 CPU. It’s state of the art detachable keyboard and smooth visuals on its NVIDIA G-SYNC™ display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time makes it a truly revolutionary gaming machine! We won’t be surprised if the future of gaming looks more like this from ROG! If you need your gaming laptop fix now, try the ROG Zephyrus S GX701—TechRadar’s “Best in Class” for all gaming laptops—next. It’s the thinnest laptop with a 17-inch surface on the market, and those 17.3 inches of 1080p display comes with a 144Hz refresh rate, NVIDIA G-Sync to reduce tearing and lag, and a Pantone Validated 100% sRGB color gamut. That total color range will come in handy for content creators who want their laptop to work for more than just gaming. ROG designed the GX701 to switch between the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU and integrated Intel UHD 630 GPU, depending on whether you need high-quality gaming or longer battery life when you’re not plugged in during meetings. Over 40 gaming laptops use GeForce RTX 20 series graphics—they’re an industry favorite—so why pick the GX701? Because the GX701 lets you clock your 2080 Max-Q up to 1330 MHz at 100W, an incredible amount of power for such a slim machine. Enough power to hit between 70 and 160 FPS during TechRadar’s benchmark tests of the machine.
Republic of Gamers will also show off the ROG Strix Scar II GL704 at PAX. The 15- or 17-inch laptop also comes with an Intel Core i7, and actually beats the above models with a 144Hz refresh rate. With up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU, you’ll have the juice to run your favorite FPS on high settings without dropping any frames. Of course, if you’re the kind of gamer that doesn’t trust a gaming rig to perform unless you’ve built it yourself. On TechRadar’s Best 2019 Motherboards list, you’ll find three separate ROG motherboards for both Intel and AMD. Beyond those, you’ll find the trailblazing ROG Ryujin cooler, one of the first all-in-one CPU coolers to place a fan directly above the liquid pump to keep the VRM running cold; or the ROG Thor PSU, the perfect power source if you plan on overclocking your rig or integrating multiple GPU cards. ROG will also bring back the ROG Gaming Phone for PAX EAST! It’s a great option for gamers who think that mobile games are anything but “casual”, with a 90Hz AMOLED screen, Touch-sensitive AirTriggers for pinpoint controls, and recording and streaming options for your Twitch and YouTube subscribers. The ROG Phone will be one of the larger deals at PAX EAST, buy it there for $1099 and get a free Gamevice controller and a free ROG Phone case!
If that all sounds a bit too hardcore for you, they’ll also have discounts on ROG gaming mice, mousepads and headsets, along with other gaming peripherals and exclusive apparel. Whatever you’re looking for, if you came to PAX to see the future of gaming technology, the #16001 ROG Booth is a great place to start. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| EU government websites littered with Google ad trackers Posted: 19 Mar 2019 10:43 AM PDT Adtech trackers from Google and other firms were found on all but three government websites belonging to EU member states raising privacy concerns as citizens were tracked without their knowledge. Following an analysis of 184,683 EU government web pages, Cookiebot has released a new report revealing that 112 companies have been tracking EU citizens' browsing habits when visiting such sites. Adtech trackers were discovered on 25 of the 28 member states' sites with only those belonging to Spain, Germany and the Netherlands found to be free of commercial cookies.
According to Cookiebot's analysis, 52 companies were identified on France's government sites, 27 on Latvia's and 19 on Belgium's. However, twenty cookies were discovered on the UK government's website, GOV.UK, with 12 related to marketing and all the cookies belonging to Google. Ad trackersThe firm's report describes the US search giant as the “kingpin of tracking” and the company's trackers were found on 82 percent of all the sites scanned. YouTube, DoubleClick and Google accounted for three of the top five trackers according to Cookiebot. This was particularly concerning to the report's authors who pointed out the fact that Google can cross-reference trackers by using account details from its own services such as Gmail, Google Search and Android apps. Cookiebot's analysis also examined public health service sites to discover that cookies were widespread with 52 percent of the sites tested found to contain commercial trackers. The firm's founder Daniel Johannsen explained why finding ad trackers on government websites is such a big deal, saying: "How can any organisation live up to its [European General Data Protection Regulation] GDPR and ePrivacy obligations if it does not control unauthorised tracking actors accessing their website? Public sector bodies now have the opportunity to lead by example – at a minimum by shutting down any digital rights infringements that they are facilitating on their own websites." Via The Register
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| Get up to £140 in pre-paid Mastercards with BT's fibre broadband deals Posted: 19 Mar 2019 10:33 AM PDT In the ever-changing landscape that is BT Broadband deals, we are yet again greeted with a brand new free incentive making the popular ISP's fibre broadband deals just that bit more tempting - this time in the form of massive cashback in reward cards. While this offer can't quite touch BT's impressive free gifts from last week, there's no doubt that this is still one of the best broadband deals available right now. Putting all of the attention onto BT's reward cards, these offers focus fully on getting you the effective cheapest price on BT. Whether you're looking to save around £5.50 a month on BT's Superfast fibre package or go all out and save almost £8 p/m on BT's bigger Superfast fibre 2 package - you can see these offers in full down below. Or if this still feels too expensive, even after the reward cards then check out our cheap broadband deals guide.
BT's fibre broadband dealsWhat is a BT Reward Card?The Reward Card that BT sends out is a pre-paid credit card that you can use anywhere that accepts Mastercard. In short, that's around a million shops, cafes and restaurants around the world, so you shouldn't find it difficult to find places to spend, spend, spend. It's an old-fashioned chip and pin card, rather than contactless. But do make sure that you claim your Reward Card within three months of installation, otherwise you'll lose out on all that cash. Today's best broadband dealsThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Zenit unveils 50mm f/0.95 lens Posted: 19 Mar 2019 10:25 AM PDT Super-wide-aperture lenses usually arrive with a painful price tag, particularly when they’re designed for full-frame cameras. And yet, Zenit has just confirmed a 50mm f/0.95 optic that arrives with a three-figure asking price. The Zenitar 0.95 | 50 is being launched in Russia with a 50,000 ruble price tag, which works out at about $780 /£590 /AU$1,100, although there's no word yet on when it'll become available in other markets. If you’re thinking that price sounds too good to be true, you’re right (kind of). The lens is manual focus only, and doesn’t communicate with the body on which its mounted at all. It's also only available for Sony's E-series cameras, such as the A7 III pictured above. On top of that, it sports an all-metal barrel, which is great from the perspective of solidity, but it makes an already heavy lens even heavier at 1.1kg. Built around nine elements across eight groups, the lens is encircled by an aperture ring that runs from f/0.95 through to f/16. A manual focus ring lies behind this, while depth-of-field markings in both feet and meters are also engraved. Other features include an impressive 14-blade diaphragm, which bodes well for smooth and rounded bokeh. Markings that indicate a 72mm diameter are also visible, although it's not clear whether the lens can accept standard, screw-mounted filters. The lens, which was first unveiled three years ago without confirmation of pricing or availability, arrives ahead of Nikon’s manual-focus Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S lens, the development of which was announced at the same time as the company’s Z6 and Z7 cameras. Exact pricing and availability for Nikon’s lens is still to be confirmed, although the company has stated that it will arrive later this year. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best dedicated server hosting providers of 2019 Posted: 19 Mar 2019 10:10 AM PDT Opting for a dedicated server means that you get an entire server to yourself. There's no sharing of CPU time, RAM or bandwidth, which means your website stays responsive at all times. Shared website hosting can appear to be amazing value, with feature-packed products available for just a few pounds every month. But the reality is often very different, and they're not always the bargains they seem. Very low prices probably mean the host is cramming more customers onto each server, for instance. Performance will be poor as there aren't enough resources to go around, and the extra load could mean more server problems and downtime. Dedicated hosting implies that you also get far more control over how the server is configured. You can add and remove software, install updates or tweak all settings, allowing you to optimize the server for your specific needs. Best of all, dedicated hosting contracts often come with fast and knowledgeable support. The best providers will even monitor your server for issues, like failed services, and can often fix them before you've realized there was a problem. This kind of power doesn't come cheap, and although there are some good signup deals around, you can easily spend $50-$140 a month and more on just a basic package. With that kind of investment, it's important to make the right choice. In this article, we're going to highlight five top dedicated hosting providers who you might want to check out first.
German-based 1&1 (as October 2018 called 1&1 IONOS) is well known as a budget hosting provider, but the company doesn't just offer value for website newbies: its dedicated server range starts at a very low $50 (£45 for UK) a month for the first three months, then $70 (£65 for UK). As you might imagine, 1&1 has had to cut a few corners to hit that price point. The cheapest plans are relatively basic, with limited hardware, although network bandwidth got an upgrade with 1 Gbit/s. Features like SSD drives and server management (1&1 updates, monitors and manages the server for you) cost extra. Oh, and there's also a setup fee of at least $50 (£50 for UK). But there are plus points, too, including unlimited bandwidth, bundled Symantec SSL certificates, and the Plesk Onyx server control panel thrown in for free. Overall, even the most limited 1&1 dedicated server plan has enough power to handle many tasks. Demanding users have plenty of paid upgrades to explore, including a faster CPU, more RAM and storage, a bundled backup service and more. Some of these add-ons include more than you might expect, too. Paying $14 (£10) a month for management doesn't just mean 1&1 will look after server admin: you also get a Website Builder, simple analytics, a photo slideshow service, automatic backup and restore for WordPress sites, and more. Sounds like a good deal to us.
Hostwinds is a capable hosting provider which crams a huge range of features into all its products, from the most basic shared hosting plans to its enterprise-level cloud-based range. Its dedicated server range may start at just $79.50 (£57) a month, for instance – $106 (£76) on renewal – but even these baseline products include features that are premium extras elsewhere. All systems have 1Gbps ports, for instance (some providers start at 100Mbps). Every server is fully managed, ensuring you're not wasting time running operating system updates or other basic maintenance tasks. Hostwinds monitors your server to detect problems as soon as they crop up, and automatic nightly backups ensure you can quickly recover from even the worst of disasters. Storage is extremely configurable, too. Some servers have four drive bays available, and they can be equipped with any mix of 1TB to 3TB SATA drives, or 120GB to 1TB SSDs. That's considerably more flexible than providers like 1&1, where you can only use SSD drives on some products, and even then they're often available in fixed configurations only (1TB SATA or 800GB SSD, for instance). There's more good news with the choice of operating system. Not only do Linux fans get a choice of CentOS, Debian, Fedora or Ubuntu, but Windows users can choose Windows 2008, 2012 or 2016 Server for a low $25 (£18.8) – we've seen charges of up to $50 (£35.70) elsewhere. Put it all together and the Hostwinds dedicated range is refreshingly honest. Servers aren't crippled by low specifications to hit a price point, and yet final costs remain low, with most updates very fairly priced. Well worth a look for anyone who needs a reliable, highly-specified server for a low price.
Opting for dedicated rather than shared hosting will speed up your website in itself, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. A2 Hosting's managed server plans blend multiple tricks and technologies to try and ensure you see the best possible performance. This starts with a powerful set of server components: OPcache and APC may speed up PHP processing by 50%. Memcached holds key MySQL data in RAM for faster retrieval, while mod_pagespeed uses multiple tricks to optimize site content. SPDY and HTTP/2 accelerate page loads even further, and support for technologies like edge side includes and websockets allow more fine-tuned optimizations of your site. A2 Hosting plans also include Cloudflare's free CDN and its Railgun Optimizer, which "compresses previously uncacheable web objects up to 99.6%" and may result in an average 200% performance increase. In reality you might not see anything like that – the boost will vary greatly, depending on your site – but it's still a technology worth having. Elsewhere, performance-boosting add-ons include RAID 1 SSD storage of up to 2 x 1TB. An optional Turbo Boost feature costing from 42$ (£32) a month replaces Apache with the LiteSpeed server, apparently bringing up to 20x faster page loads, and another add-on can cache the HTML contents of a page, then speedily reload it later without needing to run PHP. We were happy to see cPanel is thrown in, too (it's often a chargeable extra with other hosts). These kind of professional features come at a cost, with even the most basic Sprint plan priced from around $99.56 (£75) a month. But if speed is your top priority then this company could be worth a try, especially as A2's ‘Anytime Money Back Guarantee’ will refund your fees if you cancel within 30 days of your order.
It may not have the profile of the big-name competition, but OVH is a hosting giant, with more than a million customers using 25+ data centers around the world. The OVH dedicated hosting range stands out for its long list of data centers, with hosting available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Singapore and the UK. Some of these locations offer cheaper hosting than others, and, unusually, OVH passes the savings on to you. For example, one of the UK server costs $86 (£64.99), but switching to Poland cuts the minimum cost to $79 (£59.99). Experienced users will also appreciate the many advanced options that OVH makes available. You don't just get access to SATA or SSD storage, for instance – the company also supports SAS and the supercharged NVMe (non-volatile memory-based storage, potentially five times faster than SSD). If you really know what you're doing, you could buy several servers, link them together in a private cloud, and maybe add a load-balancing IP to spread peak-time demand or keep your website running if one server fails. Novice users are likely to be confused by over 50 available server configurations, and figuring out exactly what's available can take a little time and effort. But the range of data centers alone could make OVH an interesting choice for many users, and if you're the demanding type, its array of expert-level extras are also worth a closer look.
Liquid Web is a popular provider of high-end business hosting products ranging from managed WordPress and WooComerce plans, to cloud VPS, dedicated servers and private clouds. The company's dedicated offerings may look expensive, with a starting price of $199 (£142) a month (at the moment, you pay $123.38 for the first four months), but they're also far better specified than most of the budget competition. Even the cheapest dedicated server includes two speedy 480GB SSD drives, for instance. There's also a 1TB SATA backup drive provided, making it easy and convenient to run regular backups. The plan includes a dedicated IP. Support for Cloudflare CDN should boost your website speeds, and your server can be hosted in one of three data centers (Arizona, Michigan, or the Netherlands). Most importantly, all dedicated servers are managed by Liquid Web's professional support team. They monitor system health, proactively respond to notifications (for example, they’ll restart a failed service), alongside taking care of installing and updating the operating system. If you have any difficulties, support is available 24/7/365, and the company guarantees a 59 second response time via phone or chat, 30 minutes via ticket and email. Factor in the wide range of optional add-ons – load balancers, firewalls, VPN – and the range has more than enough power for almost any purpose. If you're managing a heavy-duty website, Liquid Web needs to be on your shortlist. You might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides:
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| Best budget smartphone 2019: our top cheap mobiles Posted: 19 Mar 2019 10:09 AM PDT Welcome to our round up of the best budget smartphones available. We've painstakingly reviewed all the top budget smartphones around, to bring you our definitive ranking on the very best, so you can find the best cheap phone for you. Update: There's another new entry into our best budget smartphones line up, with the Motorola One joining the party. In the past, the term 'best cheap phones' was usually a warning rather than a tempting proposition, with shoddy build quality, sluggish performance, laughable screen resolution and woeful cameras typically featuring on such handsets. But this isn't the past, this is the present, and the market abounds with top budget phones. While the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9, iPhone XS, Huawei P20 and OnePlus 6T steal headlines around the world, there's a lot of intriguing (and cheap) stuff going on in the world of budget smartphones. Here's our favourite cheap phones that cost under £200.
Image Credit: TechRadar The Huawei P Smart 2019 is the best cheap phone you can buy right now. It packs a usable camera, plenty of storage and great battery life as well as a screen and design that punch way above their weight. There is very little between the Huawei P Smart and the Honor 10 Lite, they're practically the same device, but the P Smart tops our list with its slightly sharper design. Read our full review: Huawei P Smart (2019)
Image Credit: TechRadar The Honor 10 Lite is a little unlucky to find itself second in our best budget smartphone round-up, as it can make a strong case for being first as it's almost identical to the P Smart (2019). If you're a frequent Snapchatter or selfie addict the 24MP front-facing camera on the Honor 10 Lite is the one for you. Read our full review: Honor 10 Lite
Image Credit: TechRadar This is the best budget smartphone when it comes to battery, with the Moto G7 Power packing a mammoth 5,000mAh power pack. It’s also awkwardly big, but for those who want two days (and sometimes more) from a single charge no other smartphone around can match the Moto G7 Power right now. Read our full review: Moto G7 Power
Image Credit: Motorola The Moto G6 is no-longer the best budget smartphone, but it's still a great buy for those looking for value for money. It may not feel or run like a flagship phone, but it’s not pretending to be one. The Moto G6 offers a lot of solid features, plus extras including some fun camera features, fast charging and it all adds up to make one of the best budget handsets on the market. Motorola has been a class-leader at the budget end of the mobile for a few years, and the pure Android software and solid build of the Moto G6 ensures you get a top smartphone experience without having to break the bank. Read our in-depth Moto G6 review
Huawei had an extremely strong 2018 with its flagship handsets making waves at the top end of the market, but it didn't forgotten about the savvy, price-conscious shoppers. The Huawei P Smart is a smart choice if you're after an affordable handset with a big 18:9 display, premium design and rear fingerprint scanner Its camera isn't quite as good as the Moto G6, which sees it slip in just below in our best budget smartphone ranking - but this is still a top cheap phone. Read our in-depth Huawei P Smart review
Image Credit: TechRadar You’re unlikely to find many more compelling phones than the Moto G7 Play at its rock-bottom price. It’s well constructed, slim, has zippy internals, the camera is good when you factor in all the shooting modes and it lasts a full day. The lack of NFC is a bit of a disappointment, but if that doesn’t phase you and you’re not put off by the clunky looking notch and practical design, go forth and pick one up, you won’t regret it. Read our full review: Moto G7 Play
Image Credit: TechRadar The Honor 9 Lite is a bit of a steal. Not only do you get dual rear facing cameras, you also get dual front-facing cameras, along with a design that's taken from the flagship Honor 9. There's also a fingerprint scanner, decently sized full HD display and the latest version of Android. Its cameras may not be the best in low light, but there's a lot of bang for your buck here. Read our in-depth Honor 9 Lite review
Image Credit: TechRadar If you're after the best design and screen you can get for under £150, the Nokia 5.1 is best cheap phone you can buy. The rest of the specs are fine, it's not going to dazzle you with performance or camera quality, but it's how it feels and looks that make it stand out. Read the full review: Nokia 5.1
Image Credit: Motorola The Moto E5 Plus offers up a big screen, long lasting battery and a low price tag, making it an excellent contender for the best budget smartphone on the market. It just misses out on a top three spot thanks to its slightly weaker performance and lower resolution screen versus - but this is still a top budget buy. Read the full review: Moto E5 Plus
Image Credit: Motorola If the design of the iPhone X has caught your eye, but the price tag is way, way, way off your budget, then the Motorola One could be your ticket to stylish smartphone nirvana. With an iPhone-like wide notch and relatively slender bezels all the way around, the Motorola One looks pricier than it is, and while that premium pretense may be lost a little when you pick it up, it's a great budget smartphone. The stock Android interface keeps its fresh and fluid under finger, there's a decent amount of power under the hood and the dual-lens camera is a nice addition at this price point. Read our in-depth Motorola One review This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| UK government spending £1bn on cloud transition Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:53 AM PDT Migrating to the cloud can be a costly process and new figures have revealed that the UK government is spending more than £1bn each year as it undergoes its own cloud transition. According to industry experts, public sector bodies are set to spend as much as £1.3bn on cloud services before the fiscal year ends in April. Government figures for the 2017/2018 year show that around £1.1bn was spent on cloud services including hosting, software and support which is more than double the £421m spent in 2014/2015.
The Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have spent the most on cloud technology as they aim to migrate more of their systems such as the Universal Credit platform to the cloud. Cloud growthUS tech giants Google, Amazon and Microsoft have been spending heavily on improving and building out their own cloud services over the past few years. AWS still controls the largest share of the cloud market though its dominance could be tested as other companies seek to expand their own offerings in the space. A number of British businesses, such as the public sector cloud computing provider UKCloud, are also trying to establish a foothold in the growing cloud market. The company recently confirmed that it had received a £25m investment from the Digital Alpha Advisors fund backed by Cisco. UK digital minister Margot James praised the investment saying it marked “another vote of confidence in our talented sector and will help us maintain our reputation as the leading destination in Europe for inward investment”. Via The Telegraph
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| Anker's $49.99 truly-wireless earbuds are a cheap alternative to Apple AirPods Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:50 AM PDT If you're looking for a cheap alternative to Apple AirPods, then you've come to the right place. Amazon has the newly released Soundcore Liberty Neo earbuds on sale for only $49.99. That's a $15 discount and the lowest price we've seen for the top-rated headphones by Anker. The Soundcore Liberty Neo earbuds come in a compact carrying case that doubles as a charging station. You can get 3.5 hours of playtime from a single charge, and an extra 9 hours in the charging case. The ultra-lightweight earbuds also come with three different sizes of ear tips and wings so anyone can find the right size and comfort. Despite its compact size, the earbuds deliver excellent sound quality with graphene-coated drivers that produce crystal-clear clarity with powerful bass and audio. Truly Wireless earbuds have become increasingly popular since Apple launched its AirPods back in 2016. Apple AirPods currently retails for $159 which is almost three times more than the cost of the Anker earbuds. We can only imagine the upcoming AirPods 2 will cost even more! This is a fantastic price for a pair of truly-wireless headphones so you should make sure to take advantage of this stellar deal while you can. You can shop more of the best cheap wireless headphone deals and sales that are currently going on. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best cloud hosting services in 2019 Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:40 AM PDT Signing up for a simple website hosting package will usually buy you a defined block of resources on a single server: this much web space, that much bandwidth, maybe a set amount of RAM or CPU cores. While this works well for many websites, having fixed resources can be a problem for larger projects. There's generally no way to temporarily allocate extra RAM or bandwidth if you experience an increase in traffic, and even a simple plan upgrade might require your website to go offline for a while. Cloud hosting plans look much like virtual private server (VPS) products, where you'll initially pay for a set amount of web space, RAM, CPU time and bandwidth. But these resources are spread across multiple devices instead of just one, and changing your plan later – adding another gig of RAM, for instance – is generally as easy as dragging a slider, with the extra power coming online within moments. This flexibility is great for delivering extra power when you need it most, and starting prices can be similar to regular VPS hosting (from £10 or $14 a month). Costs will rise as you add resources, but typically you'll only pay for the time in which you use these resources. DigitalOcean's monster 192GB RAM, 32 vCPU and 3,840GB SSD product costs $960 (£685) a month, for instance, but this pay-as-you-go approach allows you to try it out for $1.429 or £1.02 an hour. Cloud hosting still won't be for everyone, and small, simple websites are likely to be better off with regular packages. But the technology has a lot to offer anyone with larger or more ambitious projects, and many hosts run free trials which make it easy to explore their abilities for yourself.
Cloud hosting isn't just for big business. HostGator's cloud platform spreads your website load across multiple virtual server instances for more reliable and scalable hosting, but it's as easy to use as standard shared hosting, and only costs a little more. For example, the baseline Hatchling Cloud plan gets you support for one domain, unmetered bandwidth and storage, a share of up to two cores and 2GB RAM, and distributed Varnish caching to speed up the loading of static content. You can get started for as little as $4.95 (£3.50) a month if you buy three years upfront, although the price leaps to $8.95 (£6.40) on renewal. If you need something more powerful, the top-of-the-range Business Cloud plan supports unlimited domains, gives you up to six cores and 6GB RAM, and includes private SSL and a dedicated IP. Another chunky introductory discount means you can pay as little as $9.95 (£7.10) a month over three years, but after that you'll pay $17.95 (£12.80) per month. Benefits of the cloud plans include (up to) twice as fast load times, along with more site statistics, and because your site is mirrored across multiple devices, the ability to switch your site to another server in the event of a hardware failure. But the key advantage of all cloud hosting schemes is scalability. If your site can't cope with demand, you can scale up to eight cores and 8GB RAM with a click. There's no waiting around for someone to process your order and no downtime while your web space is reallocated – you get the extra resources right away.
1&1 IONOS Cloud Server Hosting is a powerful range of products which combine dedicated server resources with the performance, flexibility and scalability of the best cloud hosting technologies. Seven standard root access (self-managed) configurations aim to cover everyone from the individual user ($10 or (£10 for UK) a month for a single CPU core, 1GB RAM and 50GB storage) to big businesses (16 cores, 48GB RAM and 500GB storage for a monster $400 or (£400 for UK) a month). All plans have decent specifications, giving you unlimited traffic and email accounts, a bundled SSL certificate, DDoS protection, $100 (£100 for UK) starting credit for the first month and a choice of US and European data centers. A wide range of options includes Windows hosting, or managed hosting with your choice of stack: Apache + MySQL + PHP 7.2, Nginx + MariaDB + PHP 7.2, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress and more. The highlight of the range is probably 1&1's Cloud Hosting Flex package. Not only does this allow for adjusting cores, RAM and storage on demand, and adding up to 99 servers to the same contract, but billing is by the minute and you're only charged for what you use. Prices start at $20.84 (£15.84 for UK) a month including the management fee. There's no long-term contract and the first 30 days is free, giving you the chance to try before you buy.
At first glance, cloud hosting products seem to be divided into two clear groups: user-friendly but basic products from hosts like 1&1, and enterprise-level technology from Amazon, Microsoft, IBM and more, which is so complex that even experts might struggle to set it up. Cloudways represents an interesting middle path. The company offers managed cloud hosting which is powered by your choice of the top providers – Amazon, Google, DigitalOcean, Kyup, Linode or Vultr are supported – and comes packed with features, yet is configured from a simple web console which is just as easy to use as the more basic competition. It's an impressive platform. Cloudways' ThunderStack covers all your core performance needs: Nginx, Apache, Memcached, MySQL/MariaDB, Varnish Cache, PHP 7, PHP-FM and Redis. There's one-click cloning, backup and restore, integrated Git and team collaboration tools for developers, and no less than 60 data centers strategically placed around the world (over 25 locations). Despite all this high-end functionality, Cloudways products are generally simple to operate, and prices start at a beginner-friendly $10 (£7.15) a month for one core, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage and 1TB of bandwidth. It's all supremely configurable, and a free trial allows you to check out the product, with no credit card details required. Furthermore, a referral system is available, where both you and your friends can receive free hosting credits.
Founded in 2002, Bytemark is a UK-based cloud hosting company which has designed its own public platform using open source software. This in-house experience brings some unusual advantages. Bytemark has developed its own hosting environment to set up a server, email and more. It covers everything from installing and managing PHP, MySQL, Perl and Ruby on Rails to helping you configure your firewall, spam rules and backups. Experienced users can manage their account with a command line client, or even automate common tasks by integrating with Bytemark's API. Pricing seems somewhat fair. The baseline specification costs $28 (£20) for one core, 2GB RAM, 25GB storage, 10TB bandwidth and one IPv4, plus – unusually – one IPv6 address. If you need more, everything is available via a simple flat rate: $14 (£10) per 1GB RAM, $2.80 (£2) per 10GB storage, $28 (£20) per extra 1TB of traffic. Unusually, you can even get a Windows licence for $2.64 (£2) per GB of memory. As ever with cloud hosting, there's plenty of flexibility. You can configure your servers with anything from 1 to 180GB RAM, 1 to 16 CPU cores, and 1 to 8 individual disks with either fast SSD or cheaper archive storage. If you're interested, Bytemark's free trial gives you seven days to find out more.
While cloud hosting schemes always involve pooling resources from multiple devices, most do their best to keep you away from the low-level details. You may be able to scale your plan by adding CPU cores, RAM or storage, for instance, but the console will present this to you as a single system. DigitalOcean's Droplets are based around similar resizable and customizable virtual machines, but that's just the start – the technology has much more to offer. For starters, the system supports Droplets of different types. If the standard plans aren't enough – priced from $5 (£3.55) a month for one core, 1GB RAM and 25GB storage – Optimized Droplets aim to ramp up your performance by using the best Broadwell and Skylake CPUs, and providing more RAM and storage space. Individual Droplets have more features than you might expect, including performance monitoring and alerts, snapshots and automatic system-level backups. There are various interesting ways to work with your Droplets as a group, including setting up a cloud firewall, and using a load balancer to distribute incoming traffic across your infrastructure. DigitalOcean's transparent pricing is a highlight. You're billed hourly, with monthly caps, ensuring you only pay for the resources you use. Many of the features come for free – monitoring, cloud firewall – while others follow very simple pricing rules. Snapshots cost $0.05 per gigabyte per month, for instance, while backups are priced at 20% of the cost of the virtual machine – easy. If all you want to do is host a scalable WordPress site, this will probably be overkill, but developers, sysadmins and other more demanding users will appreciate the power and flexibility DigitalOcean offers. Browse the lengthy list of tutorials (which numbers 2,100+ at the time of writing) on the DigitalOcean site to find out more. You might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides:
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| Starfield: release date, trailers and news Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:32 AM PDT Starfield is going to be huge for Bethesda. It's the gaming giant's first new IP for 25 years and will be a single player game that marks the start of an all-new epic franchise. But just what is the game about? And, more importantly, when will we be able to play it? Bethesda's E3 2018 conference had plenty in store for fans of its much-loved franchises. We got concrete details for its upcoming Fallout 76 MMO, news of its Fallout Shelter spin-off coming to Nintendo Switch, a reveal of a Doom sequel, and confirmation that The Elder Scrolls 6 was officially in development (finally). One of the most shocking announcements, however, was for an entirely new IP named 'Starfield': what Bethesda director Todd Howard called "our next-generation, single-player epic". Starfield will be a brand-new single-player RPG from the developer behind the Fallout and Elder Scrolls games. Instead of the medieval fantasy or post-apocalyptic wasteland of its other tentpole franchises, however, this new game will be taking players to outer space. [Update: Bethesda has announced that its E3 2019 press conference will take place on Sunday 9 June, with Doom Eternal its first confirmed highlight. Could Starfield enter our orbit at E3 too with some concrete details? Read on for more info.] Cut to the chase
Starfield release date
So far, what's been released is a title, trailer and, well, promise of greatness to come. With details so thin on the ground, and a major Fallout release coming later this year, the earliest we'd expect to see a Starfield game would be 2019, though it could easily be later. Bethesda Game Studios Director Todd Howard has stressed that "everyone should be very, very patient". In Bethesda's E3 presentation, Howard referred to the first Starfield game as "next-gen", suggesting it might not see a release before the next generation of consoles (either the PS5 and Xbox Two). He might, however, just mean the game will use the capabilities of the PS4 and Xbox One's recent mid-cycle upgrades, in which case late 2019 or early 2020 would be a more likely window. In an interview with Eurogamer, Howard elaborated: "What systems we put it out on - what's the hardware requirements - is still to be determined. We're pushing it; we're thinking very, very far in future so we're building something that will handle next-generation hardware. That's what we're building on right now, that's where our mind is, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't exist on the current systems as well." Starfield trailersWe saw our first glimpse of the game on June 10th in the teaser trailer below. it's not much more than a title and setting at this point, but the video does introduce us to an unnamed planet, a floating satellite or space station, and some sort of... glowing wormhole? Starfield news and rumorsBethesda's E3 2019 showcase dated and confirmed Bethesda's E3 2019 showcase kicks off at 5.30pm PDT on Sunday 9 June, with the horror shooter Doom Eternal taking center stage. But could we see some surprises too? First announced at last year's E3 show, could we finally get a glimpse at Starfield? It's no secret that Starfield is a long time away from public consumption, but with the PS5 and Xbox Two apparently around the corner, we're hopeful that Starfield could be revealed alongside them. From what we gather from Bethesda's chat around the game so far, it looks the perfect accompaniment for new, super-powered hardware. A whole new world Bethesda has reportedly been talking about making Starfield for years now. There have been rumours flying around about the game since Bethesda publisher Zenimax filed a trademark for the name as far back as 2013. Given how much mileage Bethesda has achieved out of its other tentpole IPs – Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, which have both seen various spin-off entries and MMO variants – it is presumably hoping to make Starfield a far-reaching franchise in the same vein. ...and whole new systems The idea behind Starfield has been floating around as far back as 2004, and Howard has said it has the recognisable Bethesda DNA to it – so expect deep character customisation and open exploration. But also expect all new ideas entering into the mix – this won't just be Fallout or Skyrim in space. Speaking to Eurogamer, Howard stated "[...] it has a lot of new systems we've been thinking about for a while that fit that kind of game really well." So don't be surprised if there's some sort of on-theme space flight element involved too. Bigger than ever before Both the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series have shared a similar character progression system and open-world backdrop, partially rooted in their sharing of the same gaming engine. While we haven't heard specifics on gameplay, Starfield looks set to follow in the same vein, albeit in a more galactic setting. But the final frontier could hold much larger potential for exploration, allowing players to travel across various planets and encounter unknown civilizations.
There's a big gap in the market for sci-fi RPGs With the future of the space-opera RPG series Mass Effect looking uncertain, and the unfulfilled promise of the planet-hopping exploration game No Man's Sky, Starfield will be entering a gaming market hungry for a sci-fi RPG done right. With the proven success of Bethesda's other franchises, could the developer have the next Mass Effect up its sleeves? Keep checking back here for all the latest Starfield news
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| Elder Scrolls 6 release date, news and rumors Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:12 AM PDT Bethesda granted the wishes of Elder Scrolls fans everywhere when studio boss Todd Howard confirmed at E3 2018 that the developer is working on the highly-anticipated The Elder Scrolls 6. Although we only got a glimpse at a short teaser trailer, rumors immediately started speculating about where the latest Elder Scrolls title will be set, when it will release and when we will hear more. So we've gathered and assessed all the news and rumors about The Elder Scrolls 6 in this handy guide. Here's everything you need to know. [Update: Bethesda has announced that its E3 2019 press conference will take place on Sunday 9 June, with Doom Eternal its showcase centerpiece. Could we also see Cut to the chase
Elder Scrolls 6 release date – when can I play it?We might as well get the bad news out of the way first – you’re not likely to be playing The Elder Scrolls 6 any time soon. The good news, however, is that it’s been confirmed you will be able to...eventually. The game was confirmed during Bethesda's E3 2018 conference but nothing more than a logo was given. We don't even have a subtitle or a release year. Todd Howard said that the game will be coming after Starfield, the company's next big IP. That means Elder Scrolls 6 could be years away. In addition, Youtuber SkullziTV (via GamesRadar) has been looking into the challenges Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax faces with regards to the Redfall trademark it has applied for. According to SkullziTV, trial dates suggest we won't be seeing any mentions of Redfall (aka the rumored name of the upcoming Elder Scrolls game) until after August 2020.
Elder Scrolls 6 trailer – when can I watch it?The only footage we have of Elder Scrolls 6 is a very short clip of the game's logo. Other than that, you might be waiting a while to see more. We think E3 2019 is a safe bet. Or maybe it'll leak beforehand. Here's the announcement trailer: Elder Scrolls 6 rumorsIt may be called the Elder Scrolls 6: Redfall Bethesda may have trademarked the name for the Elder Scrolls 6. According to a report by Newsweek, ZeniMax Media (Bethesda's parent company) filed a new trademark for 'Redfall' which the company stated was for a 'computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles'. It's nothing solid, but there's a slim chance the new Elder Scrolls will be called Elder Scrolls 6: Redfall. Redditors are speculating the name is linked to the Redfall location in Tamriel or to the Redguard race in Elder Scrolls, however Bethesda has not confirmed or denied anything. Elder Scrolls 6 newsBethesda's E3 2019 showcase dated and confirmed Bethesda's E3 2019 showcase kicks off at 5.30pm PDT on Sunday 9 June, with the horror shooter Doom Eternal confirmed to appear. Having been teased at last year's show, could we also see The Elder Scrolls VI make an appearance? There's a fair chance, especially if this year's E3 coincides with the reveal of the PS5 and Xbox Two – we'd be shocked if the Skyrim follow-up wasn't being aimed at next-gen consoles. Elder Scrolls VI goes official Bethesda is a busy studio: not only is it working on a brand new IP, Starfield, it's also continuing to develop for Elder Scrolls Online and it's taking on the long commitment of Fallout 76. And that's only in its main RPG franchises. It's still got plenty going on elsewhere with mobile games, Dishonored, Prey and others. Thanks to Todd Howard, we know Bethesda is working on two huge new titles simultaneously, though their developments are staggered. We now know that one of them is the Elder Scrolls 6. Having returned to Skyrim after some time away, Howard compared it to seeing an old friend from high school, adding that the time away had given him the chance to see Skyrim as a gamer for the first time. This, to us, would be the perfect time to start applying this new perspective to the next title in the series. At the very least we can say we know it won’t just be called Elder Scrolls 6. There’s going to be a colon and another word to round the title off if previous releases are anything to go by. Where will Elder Scrolls 6 be set?We’re also willing to bet that like all the other games in the series it’s going to be set in the continent of Tamriel, the map of which is below.
Previous games have taken us to Highrock, Hammerfell, Morrowind, Cyrodil, and Skyrim. Valenwood, Elsweyr and Black Marsh are the biggest places left to explore. Though there’s still much of Morrowind left to explore, we imagine much of that will be covered in the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online title. So, Valenwood, Elsweyr or Black Marsh. Which looks most likely? Rumors online are heavily pointing towards Black Marsh, the home of the world’s reptilian Argonian race. There isn’t actually any solid reason for this rumor, but its swampy marshlands and network of islands would make for an interesting geographic change for the series, though it’s a geography that would leave itself open to comparison with the Witcher 3. It’s probably the region of Tamriel that we know the least about so Bethesda would have plenty of room to be creative. That said, Elsweyr would also be an interesting geography change with its dry plains and harsh badlands that the Khajit call home. It would certainly be nice to find out more about the culture of either the Khajit or the Argonians so both of these extremely different settings have an understandable appeal to fans. There is, however, weight to a rumor that Elder Scrolls 6 could be set in Valenwood. Valenwood is the home of the Bosmer and it’s an area of Tamriel that Bethesda hasn’t explored much.
The rumor that the game will be set here is based on a reported internal Bethesda memo from all the way back in 2014. In this memo, Bethesda employees were reportedly wanted against using the terms Fallout: Nuka World, Elder Scrolls VI or Project Greenheart. Though it was initially believed to be a fake, Fallout: Nuka World ended up being a big DLC release for Fallout 4 which gives slightly more weight to rumor that Project Greenheart is in fact the codename for the next Elder Scrolls title. The fact that Greenheart is a city in the verdant region of Valenwood makes this even more interesting. Forest and jungle settings are hard to get right in games and it’d be really interesting to see Bethesda get creative with the part of Tamriel that’s said to have rejected civilization and embraced the wilderness. It's hard to tell from the short E3 clip we have of the game but our first impression is that the game world looks a lot more like Valenwood or Elsweyr than Black Marsh. In an interview with Eurogamer, Todd Howard confirmed the team has settled on the location - but he won't tell us where yet. What features can we expect?Homebuilding A feature that we’re fairly certain will be included in the game to some degree is house building or town creation. Skyrim introduced the idea of designing and maintaining a homestead with its Hearthfire DLC, which Fallout 4 expanded upon with the introduction of its settlement mechanic and the Elder Scrolls online built upon again with its Homestead DLC. This leads neatly into a further expansion of such features in the next Elder Scrolls title as it felt not-quite-finished in Fallout. It would be a feature that would actually fit in particularly well with the rumored Valenwood setting, if it involved the player adapting to the wilderness in the way the resident Bosmer have with their treetop cities. In a similar way the player used debris and junk to craft their settlement in Fallout, they could use their natural environment to do so in Elder Scrolls in a nice contrast.
A whole new story In a recent interview with Gamespot, Todd Howard said that Bethesda is looking into how exactly it tells stories in its games. Howard noted that Skyrim and Fallout 4 take slightly different approaches to stories, with Skyrim leaving things more open to the player’s vision and Fallout guiding them more firmly through a story Now he says the studio are looking how to “tell a better story in an open world.” He said “each of our games we've had successes and failures and if you ask us internally, we have new ideas that we want to explore in the future because we feel like we haven't really cracked it yet the way we think it could be.” Being aware of the differences between Skyrim and Fallout’s approaches to storytelling and the fact that both have positives and negatives suggests that the next Elder Scrolls title could strike some kind of balance between giving the player completely free reign and telling a story around their character. It’s hard to deny that The Witcher 3 has had a massive impact on what players expect in terms of including an engaging story in an open world game. Though we don’t in any way want Bethesda to just churn out a Witcher copy (we’re not sure it’d be possible anyway) it does put a certain amount of pressure on Bethesda when it comes to achieving high-quality environmental and quest-based story telling. Something we don’t expect to see, though, is multiplayer. Skyrim certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of multiplayer and it wouldn’t really make all that much sense to incorporate any online multiplayer gameplay with the Elder Scrolls Online still rolling along.
Virtual reality It's not a certainty by any means but the fact that Bethesda released a full VR experience for Skyrim means it's not out of the question. What would we like to see?
Well, something we’d like to see and fully expect to see is improved graphics and reduced bugginess. The remastered version of Skyrim showed just how far things have come visually since the game’s first release so we fully expect any title following on from it to be of that standard if not much higher, depending on how far away the game is. There’s actually a fairly good chance that the game could be created using an entirely new game engine – after it created an entirely new engine for Skyrim we don’t think it’s unlikely Bethesda will do the same for Elder Scrolls 6 and any Fallout sequels. The Bethesda game studio in Montreal is currently looking to hire an engine programmer so it’s well worth watching this space. (Image credits: Bethesda)
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| Slingshot into AR: Angry Birds in augmented reality coming to your iPhone and iPad Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:09 AM PDT Angry Birds is taking the battle to another dimension: ours. The popular franchise’s next mobile game, Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs, will harness augmented reality to let players knock down pig-filled fortresses animated over your everyday world. If this sounds familiar, it’s because a version of this game had been announced in fall 2018 as Angry Birds: First Person Slingshot...for the Magic Leap. There’s even a VR version of Isle of Pigs that launched in February 2019 for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. But we did say mobile: you’ll be able to play this new edition of Isle of Pigs on most iOS devices as a free-to-play game. TechRadar got an early look at the title in the weeks leading up to GDC 2019. Rovio Entertainment, the studio behind the Angry Birds franchise, gave a live demonstration of Isle of Pigs, which was developed by Resolution Games (as were the earlier Magic Leap and VR versions). TechRadar saw how it will play on a smartphone...and the answer is, surprisingly well. Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs has the same basic goals as the puzzle games in the franchise: toss different kinds of birds into elaborate forts populated by the villainous pigs. As players progress, fortifications become more elaborate, requiring precision and novel tactics to topple targets and win the day. Except this time, the forts are superimposed over objects in real life, and you’re launching birds from a first-person perspective, altering your aim by tilting your phone and firing with real-world telemetry.
Like other AR games, Isle of Pigs uses your iOS device’s camera to situate a digital object in real space (don’t worry, you won’t need fancy specs to play the game – any ARKit-compatible iOS device works, including the iPhone 6S and newer iPhones, iPad 5th and 6th generations, and all iPad Pros). And that means, like other AR games, you’re able to physically walk around these levels to fire your birds from any direction to find better angles. That’s something dynamically new to franchise, which has previously kept its puzzle gameplay on a flat plane. Not all game concepts translate well from 2D to 3D, but when it came to classic Angry Birds slingshot gameplay, the transition was surprisingly straight-forward, Resolution Games CEO Tommy Palm told TechRadar over email. “One difference from the 2D gameplay is that in the AR version you can place the slingshot wherever you want,” Palm said – as in, you physically move around to change the angle of your shot. “We did this to encourage the player to move around, which makes the game feel more real, and achieve that balance of using the physical space within the gameplay. But, that created a challenge for us as the levels had to be designed for this, which took fine-tuning to make it feel just right.” We saw this careful design in the short time we had to try out the game (on an iPhone XS Max, if you’re curious). Rovio Creative Director Sami Ronkainen guided us through the neat parts of the title. AR is so new that the Resolution Games team had to “teach” people how to physically walk around the level by showing off dynamic visuals – like a domino effect, for example. Once players learn to circle around levels, they’ll find what the devs have hidden around the levels – mostly just better angles to topple structures, but sometimes they’ll discover a dynamite pack nested in the middle of the stage. Players will have to examine levels from different perspectives to form a plan of attack that will get them three-star level completion. And the Resolution team got to have a little design fun with AR, too. In the fading evening light filtering through the Manhattan loft, Ronkainen pointed out how stone and wood blocks reacted differently to the real-world sunlight. This changes in the various biomes players traverse between in-game worlds, which all have their own signature materials.
There are limits when adapting a game from the $2,295 (about £1,731 or AU$3,073) Magic Leap to work with smartphones that might be four years old. Ronkainen “placed” the game on a broad off-white table in the loft, noting that iOS device cameras don’t see white surfaces well, and black surfaces aren’t seen at all. This is limited by the ARKit software, its machine vision and what the phone camera is actually able to “see” in its visual tracking. But AR as a whole is early in its development, and a lot of cool ideas just aren’t possible right now – on any AR platform. “We discussed having levels where you could bounce birds off of walls in order to get pool table-like shots, but currently plane detection is better on horizontal surfaces so we cut that idea in an early phase,” Palm said. In essence, featureless (often white) walls make it harder to detect surfaces, as distinct features are better for AR. But even at this early stage of AR, bringing big and experimental titles to mobile is a huge jump. Not everyone has the money to buy bespoke devices like Magic Leap or other ML-equipped and VR platforms – but almost everyone has a smartphone. And making AR accessible to the masses opens up different kinds of play and design. Unlike previous Angry Birds titles that lock you at a distance, this one lets you literally walk up to the targets and let loose your furious fowl projectiles. It felt like cheating – but an Apple representative kindly told us it wasn’t. It was all part of the strategy in a new AR world. Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs will be available for preorder starting today (March 19) – essentially just to be alerted when the game comes out later this spring, since it’s free-to-play. The game will only be compatible with ARKit-supporting iOS devices, though they’re investigating other AR supported platforms. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| After Anthem, The Division 2 shows Bioware how to make a looter shooter Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:00 AM PDT The Division 2’s story is as bland as a bowl of hot water. We can’t recall much of what’s happened in the 30 hours we’ve spent with it, other than we’ve killed a lot of bad people, and we can remember perhaps two of the NPCs we’ve met. And yet, as much as we usually crave a good story, we can’t stop playing it. It’s a reminder that solid shooting, a world full of varied activities and a generous loot system are more than enough to hold your attention, even if you don’t care about the characters. After Anthem, it feels like a palate cleanser - Bioware’s looter shooter was boring and repetitive, but The Division 2 consistently surprises us. Where Anthem was stingy with its loot, The Division 2 showers you with it. Every mission, every side activity, every random stroll around post-apocalyptic Washington DC rewards you with something new and shiny to grab. We upgrade on the go if we pick up something that’s obviously better than what we’re currently wearing, but we like to blast through a couple of missions and then spend a solid 20 minutes sorting through out items, tweaking our loadout to find the perfect combination. Stacking stats
It’s not just that your numbers are constantly ticking up, although that’s admittedly part of the appeal. Gear feels unique, even if it doesn’t look it (military browns and greys are still unfortunately in vogue). Items have extra bonuses and attributes beyond their core function, and the way these stats interact can meaningfully change your playstyle from one story quest to the next. For example, from levels 20 to 25 we wore a combat harness that had the restorative talent, which granted us 10% health when we kill an enemy. It was a lifesaver, and we turned down items that had better damage protection to keep it equipped. That same harness granted us 4.5% extra headshot damage and a 10% boost to SMGs. For that reason, we opted for a Tommy Gun over a shotgun as a secondary weapon. In the later game, these stats are more than just numbers. We’re currently carrying a shotgun that, with every bodyshot, stacks extra damage onto our next headshot. It dictates the way we play, and we deliberately aim for the body hitbox before blasting an elite boss in the head.
The talents of top-tier items will make you want to build your loadout around them: we’ve found some high-end gloves that boost your damage when the chance of a critical hit is low, so we’ve deliberately equipped weapon mods that reduce that chance. What’s more, gear is made by manufacturers, and wearing more than one item from the same company grants you further bonuses. We’re decked out with Providence Defense equipment, which gives us 8% extra health, a 5% weapon damage boost across the board as well as extra ‘skill power’. This last stat determines how effective your skills - gadgets, basically - are, and most skill mods require a certain level of skill power before they work, making it another differentiating factor between your various bits of gear. All these numbers mean that, at the end of each mission, not only do you have 20 new sets of knee pads, backpacks, gloves and body armor to sort through, but you have proper decisions to make about which ones you want to equip, and you won’t necessarily go for the one that has the highest armor value. For the love of loot
But loot without fun quests would mean nothing. Anthem’s missions were dull, and we felt we were completing the same objectives over and over in slightly different settings. It even put unimaginative tick box objectives - kill 50 enemies with a melee attack - in the main questline. The Division 2’s missions, on the other hand, are consistently fun. We’ve fought in a planetarium as the stars whizzed by, stolen the Declaration of Independence, escorted the President out of a bank vault to a waiting chopper, and battled through exhibitions of ‘50s memorabilia in the American History Museum. As forgettable as the plot of these missions is, the set pieces are memorable, and every story mission has at least one moment that we want to screenshot for safe-keeping. When you’re done with an individual mission, you’re spat back out into the open world, ready to take on another. Anthem booted you back to its Fort Tarsis after every quest - in The Division 2, you’re a two-minute sprint from your next objective, and you’ll likely pass four different side activities on the way.
We haven’t yet tired of these distractions, probably because Ubisoft rewards you handsomely for competing them with XP and, crucially, better gear. Most Control Points follow the same pattern, but you unlock a supply room at the end of it that’s packed with goodies, so we take on every one we see. We’ve also found some of our best gear outside missions, particularly in underground sewers we’ve explored out of pure curiosity, which gives you a constant reason to explore. It helps that The Division 2’s combat mechanics feel great. Anthem’s combat was probably the best part of the game, but we enjoy The Division 2’s firefights more. The enemies’ aren’t as vulnerable to damage as in the first game, so you can down grunts with a single burst of fire. More importantly, they seem much smarter, and will coordinate their attacks. While one throws a flashbang and locks you down in cover with suppressing fire, another will wrap around your flank and fire a tank of grey, sticky goo that holds you in place, giving other enemies free shots at your head. Change the world
Although we haven’t cared for The Division 2’s story, we’ve enjoyed the way the world reacts to us. Capture a control point and you’ll see friendlies wandering around the area on patrols, or ferrying supplies back and forth to settlements. As you complete story missions, those settlements around the city evolve, adding new points of interest as well as visual upgrades. Just like the ever-changing loot, it gives you a sense of constant forward progress. Every time we finish a mission, we open our world map to find five or six quests that excite us, which simply didn’t happen in Anthem. Each has new enemies to kill, over-the-top set pieces to be a part of and - most importantly - a new pair of slightly better gloves to discover. (Image credits: Ubisoft)
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| Best printers of 2019: inkjet, color, mono and laser printers Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:00 AM PDT Welcome to our list of the best printers of 2019. Whether you're looking for a new printer for your home or your office (or both), then you've come to the right place, as we've listed the very best printers right here. From all-in-one printers that can handle scanning and photocopying as well as printing, to specialised photo printers that can produce lab-quality printouts of your photographs, we’ve put together this list of the best printers of 2019 so that you can spend less time shopping and more time getting some work done. The best printers come in every shape and size these days, which means there’s a lot to choose from when you’re shopping for a new printer – we’re here to help. We went ahead and discarded the jargon to make buying your new printer as simple as possible. We’ve also split this list into the best inkjet printers and the best laser printers, and we include standard printers alongside more complicated units. Regardless of the kind of printer you’re looking for, you’ll find it right here, and our exclusive price comparison tool will help you get the best printers for a bargain.
Image Credit: TechRadar By Xerox standards, this is a modest machine, but it has the specifications and features to suit almost any small to medium business. The print speed is only average, but the consistent quality of it colour and mono prints is impressive. So too is the intuitive touchscreen interface that gives you easy access to a wealth of features such as dual-sided scanning and a broad selection of security features. This feels like a premium product and it’s well supported by modular upgrades. Read the full review: Xerox WorkCentre 6515
Image Credit: Brother Given its ability to print on A3 paper, this is a surprisingly compact multifunction device, that will happily share a desk with your PC. It prints clearly in monochrome, while colour photos look quite vibrant on photo paper. The touchscreen is rather small and it’s not the fastest duplex printer around, but it hits a near perfect balance balance between quality, performance and features. Read the full review: Brother MFC-J5330DW
Image Credit: Epson The compact, lozenge-shaped design belies this MFD’s surprising ability to print on A3 paper. Without taking up much space in your home office, it can turn out superb quality documents and make high-resolution scans. There’s no document feeder or fax facility, but Epson’s six-ink system more than compensates by printing remarkably accurate photos on photo paper. Read the full review: Epson Expression Photo XP-960
Image Credit: TechRadar Canon has managed to shrink all of the features a small business might need into a multifunction device that could fit inside a filing cabinet. The five-ink system gives great quality photo prints and the large touchscreen makes it especially easy to use. The print speed is a little slow, even for an inkjet, but it is well featured with both Bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity and a handy SD-Card slot at the front. Read the full review: Canon Pixma TR8550
Image Credit: HP If you have the space for it, this multifunction device will serve a small business well thanks to its consistently crisp print quality, useful 35-sheet automatic document feeder and automated photocopying skills. This is a mono machine and it’s not the fastest laser on the block, but it’s quicker than any inkjet and offers an attractive blend of features and performance. Read the full review: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdw
Image Credit: TechRadar What looks like a oversized breadbin is actually a highly efficient and reliable colour laser printer. You can fit 500 sheets in the deep main paper tray and with Kyocera’s high capacity toner cartridges installed, the cost per page works out favourably. The interface is cramped and difficult to see, but it prints very quickly and quite quietly too. Read the full review: Kyocera Ecosys P6230cdn
Image Credit: Oki This heavy lump of a laser printer is distinguished by a seven-inch touchscreen that makes it very easy and secure to call down print jobs when your standing at the machine. It prints very quickly in duplex mode in either colour or mono, while its high capacity toner cartridges ensure a competitive per page cost. Wi-Fi is not built in, but for hardwired workgroups in a busy office, this machine would serve well. Read the full review: Oki C542dn
Image Credit: TechRadar Epson’s second generation of EcoTank printers refines its refillable ink system and is deployed here by a highly capable inkjet MDF. Photo quality is excellent and the ability to print on A3 paper is a real boon. The interface lacks a touchscreen and printing is slow, but the pages are well worth waiting for. If the price tag appears prohibitive, that’s because there are two sets of ink bottles in the box. Enough to print 3,600 photos! Read the full review: Epson EcoTank ET-7750
Image Credit: Lexmark It might look a little top heavy, but this all-in-one A4 printer feels well made and offers plenty of features for the footprint that it takes up. Duplex scanning from the ADF and rapid automatic photocopying are performed flawlessly, while the print quality in both colour and mono is excellent. Duplex printing is not the fastest, but a wealth of security features and an easy interface more than makes up for the shortfall.
Image Credit: Kodak Kodak’s entry-level printer cannot compete with more expensive models when it comes to print speed, or outright quality, but for value, design and ease of use, it excels. Kodak’s replacement cartridges are more affordable than most inkjets and the interface is especially user-friendly. The ingeniously compact design makes it hard to begrudge a multifunction device with a footprint that’s little bigger than a sheet of A4. Read the full review: Kodak Verité 65 Plus
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| macOS 10.15: what we want to see Posted: 19 Mar 2019 08:54 AM PDT Over the last few months, macOS Mojave has grown to be one of the best iterations of Apple’s operating system (OS) we’ve seen yet. With its system-wide Dark Mode and tools for creatives, it improved on nearly every aspect of macOS High Sierra. But, that leaves us wondering: what will macOS 10.15 look like? There is a new version of macOS each year, and there’s no way around it – 2019 will be no different. Apple hasn’t given away any hints about what we can expect in macOS 10.15, and we won’t see any official word until WWDC 2019 on June 3. And, while this would usually lead us down a rabbit hole of macOS rumors, there’s not much out there. Instead, we’re going to make educated guesses based on past macOS releases, as well as craft a sort of wish list of things we’d like to see in Apple’s next Mac OS. So, be sure to keep this page bookmarked, and we’ll update it with any news or rumors that come our way. Cut to the chase
Image Credit: Apple macOS 10.15 release dateOut of everything, the macOS 10.15 release date is probably the easiest to predict. For the last few years, Apple has announced a new version of macOS in June at WWDC and released it at the end of September. We have little doubt that Apple will do the same with macOS 10.15, and we’ll likely see Apple show off the next version of the operating system at WWDC 2019 on June 3. Still, with Apple you can never be too sure, as it has a habit of switching things up. We’ll be sure to update this article as soon as we know exactly when the new macOS will grace your Mac.
Image Credit: Apple macOS 10.15 nameWhether it was Leopard, Lion, Sierra or High Sierra, macOS has always had a penchant for catchy names. We think Apple will have something clever up its sleeve for macOS 10.15, too, but we don’t quite know what the name will be. We could see Apple making minor improvements to Mojave and making a minor tweak to the name, like it did from Sierra to High Sierra or Leopard to Snow Leopard. Maybe we’ll see a Dry Mojave, or just the name of another desert. Either way, we’ll know for sure in June.
Image Credit: Apple macOS 10.15 compatibilityApple made waves when macOS 10.14 Mojave was the first version of macOS since Sierra to change the system requirements of the OS. Because it relied on heavier graphics performance, some older Macs were left in the dust. To run macOS 10.14 Mojave you’ll need one of the following Macs:
Now, we’re not sure exactly what Apple is planning in terms of compatibility with older Macs, but we’d put our money on options staying pretty much the same this time around. macOS High Sierra really didn’t have any radical requirements compared to Sierra, and we don’t think macOS 10.15 will either.
Image Credit: Apple What we want to seeWhile we’re generally pleased as punch with macOS 10.14 Mojave – even though it’s had some problems of its own – we don’t believe a “perfect operating system” exists. So, we’ve thought of some features and improvements we’d like to see in macOS 10.15, whatever it ends up being called. Bring back Cover Flow The way we look at it, both of these views have their own uses, but Cover Flow is much faster, and just a better way to sort through large folders of images. Is it too much to ask to have both? More iOS apps Just think about how great it would be to work on a project on your iPhone, and be able to seamlessly continue it on your Mac when you get back to your office or home. There’s already plenty of cross-platform capabilities built in to macOS Mojave – especially now that Continuity Camera is a thing – but we’d like to see the Apple ecosystem become even more seamless. Luckily, it looks like Apple plans to do just that. Rumors point to the Cupertino giant releasing tools to help developers port iPad apps over to macOS 10.15. Apple will reportedly preview a new ‘Marzipan’ SDK on stage at WWDC. While it will initially be just for iPad apps, word on the street is that iPhone support will go live in 2020. Can we please just cut and paste files? Windows users have been able to do this since before we can remember, and it would make life easier for everyone involved. It would be nice to be able to move files without dragging and dropping or pulling some Matrix-level stunts in the Terminal. We’re not sure what Apple would have to do in order to enact this change, but it would really make our lives easier.
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| Half of organizations lack the security talent needed to remain secure Posted: 19 Mar 2019 08:53 AM PDT The global shortage of cybersecurity talent is having a detrimental effect on businesses with nearly 50 percent of organizations lacking the necessary talent to remain secure, according to new research from Trend Micro. The cybersecurity firm surveyed 1,125 IT decision makers in the UK, US and EU to reveal that 69 percent of organizations believe that automating cybersecurity tasks using artificial intelligence (AI) would reduce the impact from the lack of security talent. Trend Micro's report comes at a time when 64 percent of organizations have experienced increased cyber threats in the last year.
Today's IT security teams are understaffed and overextended as they deal with an increasing number of security alerts. To make matters worse, the challenge of what to prioritize along with the shortage of expertise in the area can be overwhelming for these teams as it introduces risk. Automating cybersecurity tasksOf those surveyed, 63 percent of IT decision makers plan to leverage AI technology to automate their security processes. However, automation alone is not enough to handle such a daunting task and trained cybersecurity professionals are still needed to analyze the results and manage the overall security strategy of their organization. Demand for cybersecurity professionals is expected to remain high with Gartner predicting that the number of unfilled cybersecurity roles will grow from 1m in 2018 to 1.5m by the end of 2020. Cybersecurity architect at Trend Micro Ian Heritage provided further insight into the report's findings, saying: “Protecting the enterprise from cyber threats is like a game of whack-a-mole. Not only do IT and security teams have to maintain constant vigilance on their cyber defenses, they also have to communicate these risks to business leaders to ensure sufficient budgets, and don their HR hats to recruit the necessary skill sets. The CISO’s role is harder than ever before and the demand has never been higher for automated and hosted solutions.”
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| MacBook Pro 2019: what we want to see Posted: 19 Mar 2019 08:53 AM PDT While the MacBook Pro 2018 is definitely an improvement over the 2017 version, there are still plenty of MacBook users that have started to get tired of Apple’s recent moves. Apple has still been releasing new MacBook Pros and other devices faster than our bank accounts can keep up. And, while some of these upgrades have resulted in improved devices – looking at you, Mac mini – some of these updates have fallen flat. All of these updates are due to Apple approaching the MacBook Pro in a different way, starting in 2016, focusing on features that make one of the best Macs more appealing to mainstream consumers by further streamlining the design. This has lead to things like the removal of all non-Thunderbolt 3 ports. It’s a classic case of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, but some old-school Apple fans have felt abandoned by the Cupertino firm. However, the MacBook Pro 2018 did benefit from a substantial internal upgrade, now rocking 8th-generation Coffee Lake processors and some of the fastest SSDs we’ve seen to date – giving it unprecedented speed. Apple has also improved the display with True Tone tech, fixed problems with the Butterfly keyboard, or some of them at least, all while maintaining battery levels from the 2017 model. However, things might be changing for the MacBook Pro 2019. Famed Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo has produced some leaks that suggest Apple is going to release a 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019, with an “all-new” design. We don’t know if this is true or not, but we’re hoping that Apple delivers a new MacBook Pro that’s worthy of its lineage. Cut to the chase
Image Credit: Apple MacBook Pro 2019 release dateAlthough a 2019 update to the MacBook Pro (as well as the Mac Pro) is expected, there’s no rumored release date at the moment. It’s hardly a surprise, as the the last update just dropped in July 2018. We might need to wait a few months or even early next year for a clearer date. However, going by Apple’s previous release dates – MacBook Pro 2017 debuted in June 2017 while the MacBook Pro 2018 model came out under the radar in July 2018 – a summer release for the MacBook Pro 2019 makes sense and is highly plausible. However, after Intel announced the 10nm Ice Lake chips at CES 2019 for a late 2019 release date, we could see Apple delay the MacBook Pro until Fall to take advantage of the new tech. Either way, we’ll continue to keep an eye out for updates.
Image Credit: TechRadar MacBook Pro 2019 priceJust the fact that Apple hasn’t upgraded its non-Touch Bar MacBook Pros this year says a lot about its direction, which is likely to phase them out and continue asking us pay for tech that, while promising, hasn’t been perfected yet. The worst part of the 2018 models is the fact that you need to shell out thousands to get the highest amount of RAM (the 32GB RAM option is only available to the 15-inch models) and the largest SSD combo. Otherwise, you’re stuck with base amount of RAM and a Touch Bar that isn’t even universally compatible yet. Photographers and filmmakers who need a bigger screen? You can forget about getting a non-Touch Bar model. You can also forget about upgrading your 13-inch. The majority of its parts are soldered, so you’ll have to bring in a professional and break your warranty. Then you may have to invest in a third-party docking station because the only ports available to you are the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack. Of course, it’s hard to predict these things, but you’ll probably see more of the same prices. At the moment, the basic 13-inch with Touch Bar configuration, featuring 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and four Thunderbolt 3 ports, will set you back $1,799 (£1,749, A$2,699). You’re basically paying 300 bucks more for the Touch Bar, Touch ID and two additional Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Image Credit: Apple What we want to see from MacBook Pro 2019Apple hasn’t been getting a lot of love lately, what with the great keyboard debacle of 2016-2017, the troubled Touch Bar and the soldered RAM, to name a few. But, we’re still hoping Apple takes a new lease on life in 2019 and actually gives the users some of the things they need. More port variety, please However, if we’re really being honest, limiting us to Thunderbolt 3 is inconvenient. MacBook Pro is for professionals who want a more seamless workflow. Yes, the Thunderbolt 3 is powerful and versatile, allowing for charging, output and data transfers; but we’re still using other devices and accessories that don’t support it. If we’re expected to connect this cable to that adapter to plug in to that port, we’re not going to be happy. And, while we’re at it, can we just bring back MagSafe charging, please? Some of us tend to trip over those cables, and it was nice to know that we wouldn’t damage those older models in the process. But, seeing how Apple launched the latest MacBook Air with just two Thunderbolt 3 ports and no MagSafe charger, we don’t exactly have our hopes up that Apple is going to diversify the ports on the MacBook Pro 2019. Improved Touch Bar That’s all fine and dandy and, we must admit, the technology has promise. However, if Apple is going to ask for a few hundred bucks for a new feature, can we please get more use out of it? So far, Touch Bar compatibility is only limited to a few programs and apps, and we want to see more added to this list. Plus, it would be nice to get it properly working without the freezes and fat finger issues.
Image Credit: TechRadar Or offer an alternative We’d like to see an option for such users. Bring back the Touch Bar-free 15-inch model and upgrade the 13-inch model without it, perhaps. Better keyboard, display and sound The MacBook Pro designers should take cues from the iPhone X and get rid of the bezeled display. That’s a lot of precious real estate wasted, and pushing for a bezel-free display will give users a bigger screen without having to compromise the size. Plus, by going bezel-free, it’ll give the update a fresher, more modern look. Also, a laptop designed to edit 4K media should have a 4K screen option. And, while Apple’s at it, we’d like to see it reconsider those speakers. We get that Apple is pushing for a more compact design, but the speakers in the older MacBook Pros are so much better. With all the technology they come up with, it would be welcome to receive a premium set of speakers with better base and more volume. New Intel processor However, at CES 2019, Intel announced Ice Lake, its first round of 10nm Sunny Cove processors for laptops. We’re expecting to see these chips in late 2019, so if Apple wants to include these next-gen CPUs in its next MacBooks – which it definitely should – it would need to delay the next MacBook Pro until late 2019. We’ve also seen rumors that Apple is going to back up whatever processor it includes in the MacBook 2019 with more RAM – particularly in the 13-inch model. Where previous 13-inch MacBook Pros topped out at 16GB, word on the street is you’ll be able to get an extremely portable Mac with a whopping 32GB of memory. This is excellent news, as memory demands keep going up year over year.
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