Apple : Appian and UiPath join forces to drive digital automation in the enterprise |
- Appian and UiPath join forces to drive digital automation in the enterprise
- Appian adds AI capabilities to its low-code platform
- 2019 Eurovision live stream: how to watch the song contest from anywhere
- Here's how you can buy the OnePlus 7 Pro in India on May 15
- OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro launched in India starting at Rs 32,999
- Nebra Anybeam laser projector puts a cinema in your pocket
- World of Warcraft Classic beta goes live May 15 with full release August 27
- OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 6T: old vs new OnePlus phones compared
- OnePlus launches Bullets Wireless 2 earphones
- OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is the company's first super-fast internet phone, coming soon
- The cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles and deal prices in the May sales 2019
- Best upcoming games 2019: most anticipated titles for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch
- The best iPhone 6S deals and UK contracts in May 2019
- The best PS4 Pro prices, deals and bundles in May 2019
- The best cheap PS4 bundles, deals and prices in the May sales
- Best soundbars for TV shows, movies and music in 2019
- The best free Android games 2019
- Amazon's Fire TV stick is down to its lowest price ever
- Best over-ear headphones 2019: the best-sounding, most comfortable cans
- Google Assistant arrives on Sonos One speakers
| Appian and UiPath join forces to drive digital automation in the enterprise Posted: 14 May 2019 01:58 PM PDT Appian and UiPath have announced a new technology alliance aimed at driving fast and high-impact digital automation for enterprises. The partnership between the two companies includes a no-code integration between Appian and UiPath which is now available on the Appian AppMarket. Together Appian and UiPath are making it faster and easier for businesses to deploy enterprise automation solutions which help bring people, robots and systems together resulting in improved customer experience, efficiency and operational performance.
Better togetherChief Product Officer at UiPath, Param Kahlon explained how the new partnership will allow businesses to integrate their robotic process automation (RPA) efforts with their business process initiatives, saying: “Our alliance with Appian, together with bi-directional ‘no-code’ integration, enables our joint customers to easily integrate their RPA and business process management initiatives. This is delivering an end-to-end ‘automation first’ approach where robot, system, and human activities are orchestrated uniformly to deliver accelerated digital transformation. As our customers adopt UiPath enterprise RPA technology at an unprecedented rate, the benefit of this alliance becomes even more important.” UiPath's Enterprise RPA Platform delivers rapid automation of manual, rules-based repetitive processes and has been used to automate millions of tasks for both business and government organizations all over the world while Appian's low-code platform allows developers to move from idea to applications 20 times faster than traditional development. Appian's Vice President of Product, Malcolm Ross praised the new partnership, saying: “We believe companies need a simpler way to create powerful software applications. Our partnership with UiPath enables the seamless customer experience and operational efficiency that organizations need, and our low-code platform assures the fastest time-to-value in the industry.”
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| Appian adds AI capabilities to its low-code platform Posted: 14 May 2019 01:12 PM PDT In an effort to help businesses easily add artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to their applications, Appian has announced a new service called Appian AI which will allow its customers to add AI to any application built on its platform. While the company already offers integrations for most major AI platforms, Appian AI will include AI services directly powered by the Google Cloud Platform. Appian AI is included in the Appian Platform for free though additional charges may apply with increased usage levels. By integrating AI capabilities such as image recognition and sentiment analysis into human workflows, the company's new service can help transform the customer experience, optimize internal operations and reduce costs.
Appian AIAppian AI makes implementing AI capabilities simple for organizations who can use its no-code Connected System integration to create AI-powered business applications. Since Google's AI is directly integrated into its platform, businesses will no longer have to contract with Google as a third-party provider, thus saving the time and money. Vice President of Software Development at Appian, Medhat Galal explained why the company chose to incorporate Google's AI services into its low-code platform, saying: “We want to give everyone a free and easy way to use AI in all of their enterprise applications. We set up their link to Google’s AI services and our customers are off to the races. And, we subsidize the entire cost of the free tier of Appian AI, so all the customer has to think about is which services to use for their business problem.” Businesses looking to leverage Appian's new AI capabilities can take advantage of the Google Translate API for language detection and translation services, the Google Vision API for Optical Character Recognition, Google Natural Language, Google Cloud Storage and full Google Cloud Console administration and management by Appian.
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| 2019 Eurovision live stream: how to watch the song contest from anywhere Posted: 14 May 2019 11:30 AM PDT The Eurovision Song Contest is back for 2019 in its 64th edition of the fabulous competition. This year the event is set to take place at the Tel Aviv Convention Centre in Israel after the country won in 2018 with Netta's song "Toy". The singing action will really get going at the two semi-finals due to start on May 14 and 16 before the final on May 18 - and we have all the information here about getting a Eurovision live stream. In total 17 acts will perform in the first semi-final with 18 due to sing in the second semi-final. The top ten from each will progress to join the host nation Israel as well as the "Big Five" of the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, for a 26 act final event. Bulgaria has dropped out this year due to financial reasons (Eurovision isn't cheap to enter), while the Ukraine is also out – the country's singer, Maruv, explained: "I am a musician, rather than a tool of the political stage". Representing the UK is 21-year-old singer Michael Rice who was voted in after competing on the BBC's You Decide selection show. He will sing a song called "Bigger Than US" which was written by Laurell Barker, Anna-Khara Folin, Jonas Thander, and John Lundvik. Once everyone has performed Madonna is set to take to the stage for a final performance. Winners are picked based on viewers' votes and with up to 20 votes available per song, it's important to play your part if you want to be involved. So watching the event is key and we're going to tell you exactly how you can live stream the Eurovision 2019 song contest from wherever you are in the world. This year the semi-final events, as well as the grand final, will all be available to watch via the Eurovision YouTube channel. This means easy access through any device that you can get at YouTube with. The downside? You'll miss out on the commentary. Perhaps that's a positive if you're hosting a Eurovision party and really like the limelight.
How to live stream Eurovision 2019 in the UK:Good old aunty Beeb will be broadcasting the entire Eurovision Song Contest for free. That means you can watch the main final via the BBC 1 on your TV from 8pm BST but it also means you can enjoy it online via the iPlayer with Graham Norton as your wise-cracking host. For the semi-finals you'll need to find your way over to BBC4 where Scott Mills and Rylan Clark-Neal will be commentating. Another great way to access the content from any device you need to use is by using TVPlayer.com or - if you'd sooner ditch the commentary - on Eurovision’s official YouTube channel. You can watch the Eurovision final from anywhere in the world using this and a VPN, here's how. Live stream Eurovision 2019 for free anywhere else in the world:
How to live stream Eurovision 2019 in Australia for free:Since Australia's SBS is airing the whole final it should be easy to enjoy it on the big screen. That also means you can get all the fun online using the SBS On Demand service that works on multiple devices – ideal if you're on the go. Just remember to set your alarm if you want to watch all the singers live, as the show begins at 5am AEST. Find out more in our full guide on live streaming Eurovision in Australia.
How to live stream Eurovision 2019 - US stream:The Eurovision Song Contest will not be broadcast by Logo this year. That means you'll either need to get viewing via YouTube or by using the official BBC feed and a VPN.
How to watch Eurovision 2019 in Canada for free:This year OMNI Television will broadcast the Eurovision 2019 event in Canada. But if you're out of Canada at the time but are still interested, scroll up to see how you can enjoy the contest using a VPN. It means you can watch everything for free from elsewhere on a tablet or phone.
How to watch Eurovision 2019 in New Zealand this year:New Zealand's usual Eurovision broadcaster, UKTV, will not be airing the event this year. But you don't need to be home in New Zealand to enjoy. You can still watch all the action online using a VPN. Check out how easy that is up the page with our handy guide.
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| Here's how you can buy the OnePlus 7 Pro in India on May 15 Posted: 14 May 2019 11:27 AM PDT The much awaited OnePlus 7 series was announced just a while back at an event in Bengaluru, India. The OnePlus 7 Pro is the top-end variant out of the lot and comes with a notch-free QHD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate, triple camera setup and top-of-the-line performance courtesy of Snapdragon 855. Interested buyers will definitely need to pay a premium for the tech it packs in which is something that takes the Pro variant of the phone out of the affordable category. OnePlus 7 Pro starts at Rs 48,999 for 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage while the variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage costs Rs 52,999. The phone tops at 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for which a buyer will need to shell out Rs 57,999. With the first flash sale scheduled for May 17 (May 16, if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber), it can be a hit or a miss situation as far as flash sales are considered. But what if we tell you that there's a chance for you to own the new OnePlus 7 Pro before everyone else? How to buy OnePlus 7 Pro in India on May 15As part of its launch cycle, OnePlus will be hosting exclusive Pop-ups on May 15 in seven cities of India. The OnePlus 7 pop-ups will be held in Bengaluru, New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmadabad. People flocking to these pop-up events will have the chance to buy a OnePlus 7 Pro on the spot. However, there is a caveat. At the OnePlus pop-ups, only the Mirror Black colour option will be available to purchase. This means, interested buyers can get the OnePlus 7 Pro with 6GB and 8GB of RAM but the top-end variant will not be available at the spots. So, if you want to buy the new OnePlus 7 Pro and live around the locations mentioned above, then you can get it from the OnePlus pop-ups before the phone goes on sale for everyone else. OnePlus 7 Pro will be available to purchase from Amazon India, OnePlus India Store and OnePlus Experience stores offline from May 17. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro launched in India starting at Rs 32,999 Posted: 14 May 2019 10:31 AM PDT OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro have finally been launched in India. This marks the first time OnePlus has gone on to launch two phones in a single day. While both of them come under the all-new OnePlus 7 series, there are major differences between them, right from the hardware that they pack to the prices. OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro pricing and availabilityThe OnePlus 7 starts at Rs 32,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and Rs 37,999 for the model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The former comes in Mirror Grey finish while the latter will be available in Mirror Grey and Red colours. OnePlus 7 will be available sometime in June as no official date has been revealed yet.
OnePlus 7 Pro starts at Rs 48,999 with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and will come in Mirror Grey colour. The second variant has 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and costs Rs 52,999. It will be available in classic Mirror Grey colour along with the new Almond and Nebula Blue hues. The OnePlus 7 Pro tops at 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage making it the most expensive OnePlus phone till date at Rs 57,999. This variant will only be available in blue colour. OnePlus 7 Pro will go on sale for the first time on May 16 at 12 PM on Amazon India for Amazon Prime subscribers. For non-subscribers, the sale starts on May 17. Simultaneous sales will be held on OnePlus India Store with the phone also being available at OnePlus offline stores. OnePlus 7 specifications
Image Credit: TechRadar OnePlus 7 features a 6.41-inch AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution, flush with a waterdrop notch. The display is topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass for added protection. OnePlus has improved the in-display fingerprint sensor for the OnePlus 7 series and it's faster than ever now with the third generation sensor. The stereo speakers have been fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos for an enhanced audio experience. Both the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 640 for graphic-intensive tasks. This is paired with upto 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It runs on Android 9.0 Pie based OxygenOS and OnePlus promises Android updates for the next two years. The dual camera setup on the back consists of a primary 48MP sensor and a secondary 5MP depth sensor. The cameras support HDR and can also record 4K videos at 60fps. On the front, there's a 16MP selfie camera which also doubles up as facial recognition system for the phone. OnePlus 7 has a 3,700mAh battery and supports 20W fast charging. OnePlus 7 Pro specifications
Image Credit: TechRadar OnePlus 7 Pro sets a new benchmark for OnePlus in terms of design, display and cameras. The Pro variant features a 6.67-inch OLED panel with QHD+ (3440 x 1440 pixels) resolution and a refresh rate of 90Hz. There's no notch on the front which gives the phone a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It is also topped with a 3D Gorilla Glass unlike the 2.5D glass on the regular variant. The display on the OnePlus 7 Pro also supports HDR10+ which makes it one of the best screens to watch videos on. This, along with the 90Hz refresh rate should make for a delightful visual experience. As there is no cutout for any kind of notch on the front, OnePlus has gone ahead and embedded the 16MP selfie camera in the body of the phone itself. Through a motorized mechanism, the front camera pops-up from the top edge. As far as the durability of the motor is considered, OnePlus claims to have tested it for around 300,000 cycles. In the event of slippage, the accelerometer detects the phone falling and closes the front camera to avoid damage automatically. OnePlus 7 Pro is also the first OnePlus phone to come with three cameras on the back. These are- 48MP primary shooter with Sony IMX586 sensor and an aperture of f/1.6, an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x zoom and an ultra-wide 16MP snapper with 117-degree field-of-view. The primary and telephoto cameras are backed by Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and supported by dual LED flash and PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus). The cameras can shoot upto 4K at 60fps just like the regular OnePlus 7 model. OnePlus 7 Pro is also powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and the RAM capacity goes upto 12GB for this one with 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage, making it the first phone in the world to use UFS3.0 based storage. In addition, the OnePlus 7 Pro has a 10-layer liquid cooling solution that helps dissipate heat more effectively through the body of the phone. It has a 4,000mAh battery which supports the new Warp Charge 30 fast charging solution by OnePlus. This is upto 34% fast than the charging speeds on the OnePlus 6T. OnePlus also announced Wireless Bullets 2 with Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX HD support. The Wireless Bullets 2 can last for over 14 hours on a single charge.
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| Nebra Anybeam laser projector puts a cinema in your pocket Posted: 14 May 2019 09:53 AM PDT A cinema in your pocket is the dream of many a movie fan. Being able to rock up anywhere you find a big flat wall to project your favorite films onto at the drop of a hat makes us ready to spill our popcorn in fevered anticipation. Portable projectors aren’t exactly a novelty these days, with everything from the superb Nebula Mars 2 to the flawed-but-innovative Samsung Galaxy Beam smartphone line having already caught our eyes. But the newly-crowd funded Nebra Anybeam continues in this tradition, claiming to be the world’s smallest pocket cinema projector, with a few tricks of its own up its sleeve. It’s quite the claim, but with the Nebra Anybeam sat in the palm of your hand, it’s definitely making a good attempt – it’ll easily fit into all but the tightest of pockets, measuring just 19 x 60 x 103mm, and weighing a mere 140g. It makes not only transporting the projector easy, but placing it for a viewing session simple too, as it takes up so little space. Despite its size, the Nebra Anybeam sports a full size HDMI port. That means it can connect up to almost any AV equipment you can think of, from a games console to a laptop to a streaming stick. Plug something like a Google Chromecast into the back of it, and you’ve essentially got a pocketable casting device.
Image Credit: Nebra The big pictureThe Nebra Anybeam can display 720p resolution images and videos up to 150 inches in size, depending on the distance it’s placed from the surface it is beaming onto. As it’s using a laser projection system, with its beam hardly spreading as it leaves the device, it’s incredibly good at keeping in focus, no matter the image size. All you need to worry about is keystone correction (the setting which alters a projection's shape to avoid getting a parallelogram image), which can be adjusted by a menu setting. Menus are navigated by a multi-directional button, which includes a long-press function for accessing different setting options. As the projection system is using lasers instead of an LED or bulb, the device can be kept within a small housing, due to the fact it generates far less heat – there’s no need to tuck a fan away in with the rest of the internals. It also has the knock on benefit of being very quiet in operation, as projector fans can be quite noisy otherwise. That’s a positive, given that there’s just a 1 Watt speaker onboard here. It’s about as useful as listening out for a dormouse's whisper. Thankfully, there’s a 3.5mm jack on board for hooking up an external speaker, but it does diminish the projector’s portability somewhat. Likewise, there’s no internal battery here. You’re going to have to keep the Anybeam connected to the mains, or keep a portable charger handy. But it’s powered over a simple microUSB connection, meaning even a laptop can keep it juiced – the fact we’re at a stage where a projector can be powered by a portable charger alone (power consumption here is listed as low as 3 watts) is a marvel in itself. We'd hope to see one complete with its own battery power built in should a second iteration ever make it to market. The projection choice also greatly extends the projectors lifespan, however, with a laser system capable of outliving its bulb counterpart by as much as ten times.
Image Credit: Nebra Laser performance and build optionsSo what of the image quality itself? Given the form factor, it’s surprisingly good. To expect a level of performance equivalent to a full size LED projector would be foolish – at 30 ANSI lumens, with a claimed 80,000:1 contrast ratio, it’s not going to worry HDR projector manufacturers. But as a pocketable device, it does remarkably well, boosted by its versatile form factor. In a well-lit room you’ll struggle to get a strong, rich image from the projector at anything but the shortest of distances from a surface. But dim the lights and pull the blackout curtains across and you’ll be able to get a very watchable image. It’s probably best suited to the mobile presentation-giver than the cinephile, but it’ll make for an interesting option for festival goers and viewing sessions under the stars. Nebra’s projector gets even more interesting with its line-up of different Anybeam version options. We’ve had the standard, standalone Anybeam in the office, which we’ve described above. That costs £219 (about $285 / AU$410). But it’s flanked by a further three Anybeam options. The £199 ($260 / AU$370) Anybeam Dev Kit is essentially the same as the standalone version, but comes without the casing enclosure, letting you build it into any device of your choosing. For the same price, the Nebra Anybeam HAT takes the concept and turns it into a Raspberry Pi compatible module, while £249 ($325/ AU$465) bags you the Nebra Anybeam Monster, putting the standalone device into a larger, eyeball-like case. It’s a solid offering from the crowd-funded project then, so long as you keep your expectations in check. Expect the range to go on wider release from August, when its shipping date is due to be hit.
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| World of Warcraft Classic beta goes live May 15 with full release August 27 Posted: 14 May 2019 09:46 AM PDT Blizzard has announced that World of Warcraft Classic – the long-awaited reboot of the game which turns back the clock 13 years – will go live on August 27, although current WoW subscribers will get a chance (and note, it is just a chance) to beta test it long before then, starting from tomorrow in fact. The Classic version reverts the game to how it was when the ‘Drums of War’ update (patch 1.12) was released in August 2006, except it keeps many of the contemporary bells and whistles the current MMO benefits from. If you subscribe to World of Warcraft, you’ll get this retro reboot for free, as well as the chance to jump into the closed beta test from tomorrow (May 15) as mentioned. Essentially, you’ve got to register your interest in the beta here, and hope you are lucky enough to be picked.
That said, even if you don’t make it early on in the beta, Blizzard notes that there will be a series of stress tests throughout the summer, with increasing numbers of players being invited to participate. As we’ve heard in the past, part of the idea of WoW Classic is to make things tougher, just as it was back in the day, with the broader aim of fostering greater levels of social interaction to deal with those challenges.
Here's what you get in the World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Image credit: Blizzard) Collector’s EditionThe release of Classic is part of celebrating 15 years of WoW, and Blizzard is also producing a World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition that will go on sale on October 8 for £90 (around $115, AU$170). It includes the usual in-game bonus items and various collectibles such as a statue of Ragnaros the Firelord (‘by fire be purged!’) and a mouse mat sporting a map of Azeroth, among other goodies. There will also be an in-game WoW event which will build up to a 25-player raid featuring some of the most renowned bosses from the past, with the chance to earn a special Obsidian Worldbreaker mount for those who successfully make it through.
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| OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 6T: old vs new OnePlus phones compared Posted: 14 May 2019 09:30 AM PDT 2019’s ‘flagship killer’ is finally here and it brought a friend, as OnePlus has announced both the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro. While the OnePlus 7 Pro is a true top-end handset with a price to match, the standard OnePlus 7 is more in line with the company’s previous phones and a more obvious successor to the OnePlus 6T. With that in mind we’ve compared the OnePlus 7 with the OnePlus 6T. Obviously the OnePlus 7 is an upgrade in a number of ways, but a lot of things also stay the same. So read on below for an overview of what’s different, what’s not, and how much of an improvement the OnePlus 7 actually looks to be.
The OnePlus 6T looks a lot like the OnePlus 7. Image credit: TechRadar OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 6T design and displayThe OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 6T both have a 6.41-inch 1080 x 2340 screen with a pixel density of around 402 pixels per inch. Both phones also have an in-screen fingerprint scanner, though the OnePlus 7’s scanner is slightly bigger, so easier to hit. They also have a similar design – unlike the OnePlus 7 Pro there’s no pop-up selfie camera here, so you get a small teardrop notch at the top of the screen on both the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 6T, with a slim strip of bezel below the screen as well. The back meanwhile is a sheet of glass with just a dual-lens camera breaking it up, and while the OnePlus 6T is available in Thunder Purple, Mirror Black and Midnight Black, the OnePlus 7 is landing just in Mirror Grey. OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 6T camera and battery
The OnePlus 7 has a dual-lens camera. Image credit: OnePlus Here’s where things start to really get different, as while both handsets have dual-lens rear cameras, on the OnePlus 7 you get a combination of a 48MP f/1.7 main lens and a 6MP telephoto lens, while the OnePlus 6T has a 16MP f/1.7 lens paired with a 20MP f/1.7 lens. The OnePlus 7 also has some improved camera processing software, offering the likes of HDR+ and super resolution (which can improve image details). Both phones have a 16MP front-facing camera though.
The OnePlus 6T also has a dual-lens camera but the specs differ. Image credit: TechRadar We were fairly impressed with the OnePlus 6T’s camera, but on paper it sounds like the OnePlus 7 should have its predecessor beat for photos. We’ll let you know exactly how good it is when we’ve put it through a full review. There’s no difference in the battery specs though, as both phones have a 3,700mAh battery. In practice we found the OnePlus 6T comfortably offered a day of life for the average user, making it slightly above average. Given that the screen specs on the OnePlus 7 are much the same we’d expect similar life from it, but we’ll put this to the test when we review the phone. OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 6T power
The OnePlus 7 is more powerful, as you'd expect. Image credit: OnePlus Being newer, it’s no surprise that the OnePlus 7 has more power than the OnePlus 6T. Specifically, it has a Snapdragon 855 chipset, while the OnePlus 6T uses a Snapdragon 845. The latter was top-end when the OnePlus 6T launched, but it has since been superseded by the Snapdragon 855, which can also be found in the likes of the Sony Xperia 1 and the US version of the Samsung Galaxy S10. The OnePlus 7 also benefits from UFS 3.0. This is a type of storage and it’s far faster than the UFS 2.1 storage used by the OnePlus 6T, so should further improve performance. As with everything else though we’ll let you know how it pans out in practice once we’ve put the OnePlus 7 through a full review. What the OnePlus 7 doesn't get is a RAM boost, as both it and the OnePlus 6T come with either 6GB or 8GB of the stuff. OnePlus 6T vs OnePlus 7 price
The OnePlus 7 is a similar price to the OnePlus 6T. Image credit: OnePlus The OnePlus 7 is going on sale in June in the UK, where it will cost £499 (roughly $645/AU$930) for 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or £549 (around $710/AU$1,025) for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That's similar to the OnePlus 6T, which started at $549 / £499 (roughly AU$930) for 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, rising to $629 / £579 (around AU$1,080) for a model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage - which is actually slightly more than the OnePlus 7. Of course, getting hold of the OnePlus 6T might now be tricky and if you do find it you'll probably be able to get it for less than the original RRP. TakeawayThere’s no question that at least on paper the OnePlus 7 is the better phone. It would have been very surprising if that wasn’t the case. But it looks to only be a better phone in certain ways. The chipset, storage and camera all look to have had an upgrade, but the design, screen and battery seem much the same as they were on 2018’s handset. It certainly feels like a conservative upgrade and probably won’t be enough of a change for OnePlus 6T owners to justify upgrading – but then if you’re in that boat there’s always the OnePlus 7 Pro, which is the company’s true flagship for 2019. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| OnePlus launches Bullets Wireless 2 earphones Posted: 14 May 2019 09:01 AM PDT OnePlus has launched its latest wireless headphones, the Bullets Wireless 2, alongside the OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro, and OnePlus 5G smartphone models. Available from May 21 for $99 / £99, the second-generation buds look very similar to the original One Plus Bullets Wireless earphones, but have been upgraded with better battery life and connectivity.
With support for OnePlus’ Warp Charge technology, the OnePlus Bullets 2 Wireless earphones only need "10 minutes of charge for 10 hours of playback". This is a huge improvement from the originals, which could offer only five hours of playback from a 10-minute charge. Battery life in general appears to have improved, with the Bullets Wireless 2 earphones boasting 14 hours of charge as opposed to their predecessors' measly eight hours. Better connectivity, better soundThe new OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 earphones are nearly $30 more expensive than their predecessors, but according to OnePlus, "deliver an extraordinary audio experience". The Chinese company says the new earphones have been furnished with "fully upgraded triple-armature driver structure", including "two moving iron drivers for great quality highs" and one dynamic driver to handle the mid and bass frequencies. The audio should be of a higher resolution than the original earphones, as the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 support aptX HD, which means they can handle "24-bit Hi-Res audio", for what OnePlus says is "better-than-CD sound".
Image credit: OnePlus The new Bullets Wireless earphones also support Bluetooth 5.0, and a 'Quick Pair' function that allows the Bullets Wireless 2 to pair-up with OnePlus phones "quickly and conveniently". Like the originals, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 earphones are connected via a neckband, and the back of each earbud is magnetic, allowing you to clip them together around your neck to prevent them getting in the way. Clipping the buds together also has the effect of pausing your music playback; a handy feature if you find controlling your music with the inline remote a hassle. Simply separate the earbuds, and your music will resume where you left off.
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| OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is the company's first super-fast internet phone, coming soon Posted: 14 May 2019 09:00 AM PDT The just-announced OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro aren't capable of connecting to a 5G network, but the company has revealed a version of the handsets that will make use of next-gen connectivity tech. The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G has been confirmed, but there has yet to be a clear release date or pricing information on the upcoming handset. All OnePlus can tell us at the moment is that the phone is "coming soon", and there's no clear idea on how much it is set to cost.
The handset is largely similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro, but the company has had to do some work to redesign the internals of the phone to fit in the 5G antennae. That involved reworking the NFC antenna too. In the UK, the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G will be an exclusive to EE while we haven't heard which carrier will be ranging it in the US or Australia. In fact, we don't yet know for certain whether the 5G handset will make it to either of those countries. Although we don't have an exact price yet, you shouldn't expect it to be cheap. The company's CEO previously told TechRadar that its first 5G handset will cost between $200 and $300 more than its previous phones. Considering the OnePlus 7 Pro begins at £649 and tops out at £799 in the UK, it may be we see the price near the £1000 mark for the 5G handset. OnePlus promises to share more details about the 5G edition of its latest flagship phone in the near future. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles and deal prices in the May sales 2019 Posted: 14 May 2019 08:52 AM PDT So you're well into 2019 now and still haven't found any cheap Nintendo Switch bundles to suit you? Well, let's see what we can do about that as we scour the net for the hottest Nintendo Switch deal prices. We're listing all of the best Nintendo Switch sales right here and we're always on the the lookout for the best bundles with extra games, controllers and other accessories so we can share them with you while they're hot. Scroll past the bundles on this page and we'll show you prices on extra Joy-Con and Pro controllers and Nintendo Switch memory cards too. If you want to play online multiplayer and get other benefits like free games you'll want to pick up a Nintendo Switch Online subscription deal too. US Nintendo Switch bundles are small in number this week, but we've rounded up the best ones, including packs with extra games or accessories. In the UK you can find plenty with the best Nintendo Switch games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe and more all with a decent discount too. You'll find all the cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles from reliable retailers below. If you're looking for another dose of Nintendo's handheld happiness then maybe you want to consider a cheap 3DS deal too. We have a dedicated page of Nintendo Switch prices for our Australian readers too. The latest cheap Nintendo Switch dealsWant to know where to buy a Nintendo Switch? Check out our comparison charts and the latest bundle highlights with extra games and accessories below for the best deals. Don't forget, on its own, the MSRP/RRP Nintendo Switch price is $299/£279, so you don't want to pay more than that unless you're getting some extras. We've highlighted our picks of the best and cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles below. Just be aware that many game bundles at quieter times of the year don't really offer much of a discount over buying the items separately. We'll steer you clear of console bundles that actively charge you more than the regular combined MSRP (not cool, guys!).
The UK scene for discounted Nintendo Switch deals is quite competitive thanks to the large number of retailers trying to get your business. We usually find a strong selection of bundles every week nowadays, even in those quieter times of year not particularly known for sales. So take a look below for discounts on packages with games, hardware and accessories.
As with any new console we imagine you're wanting to know a bit more about the console before you put any money down. So in addition to finding the best Nintendo Switch bundle deals, we're going to help bring in answers to the burning questions.
What are the Joy-Con controllers?The Joy-Con controller is actually a pair of controllers that attach to the sides the the Nintendo Switch when not in use or when playing in tablet form away from the TV. When playing the Nintendo Switch on the TV, you can remove them and play with one in each hand. The left hand gets a controller with an analogue stick and d-pad, the right hand handles the one with a second analogue and the usual A, B, X and Y face buttons. Or you and a friend can use one each in multiplayer games with the d-pad doubling up as impromptu face buttons. You get a pair with the console, but you might want to buy more to allow extra players to get involved in games like Mario Kart 8, FIFA 18 and many more. Or maybe you just fancy some different colors for your own use.
What's the Joy-Con Grip controller?The Joy-Con Grip is an additional accessory that joins the two Joy-Con controllers together, forming something something a bit more solid for you to hold thanks to the extended handles and plastic block between the two sides. The square dimension form-factor may remind older gamers of the Dreamcast controller, while everyone else will mainly be thinking how it resembles an odd-looking dog face. Nintendo is providing one in the box with the Nintendo Switch, so you won't have to buy one separately. This won't charge your controller though and doesn't have a battery pack.
Yes and it doesn't come with the console. But you won't actually need one to play any games, so don't feel pressured in to buying one. The Nintendo Switch Pro controller is a more traditional-style pad and launched alongside the Nintendo Switch. Prices aren't cheap though, starting around $69.99/£64.99. There's currently no sign of a Nintendo Switch Premium Edition console with one included. Do I need to buy extra controllers for multiplayer on Nintendo Switch?Possibly not! Remember how the Joy-Con controller splits in two? Turn them sideways and you get two basic controllers, each with their own analogue stick and face buttons - the d-pad acts as face functions on the left controller. So far we've seen 2K's NBA series, Snipper Clips and Mario Kart being used this way for local multiplayer in both docked and tablet modes. So you get multiplayer functionality straight out of the box with no additional purchase required. However, if you want to play four-player games, then you're going to need to invest in an extra pair of Joy-Con controllers or some Pro controllers. We'd buy the Joy-Cons as a pair (see our comparison chart above) as you'll save a bit of cash over buying them separately. Better yet, if your friends own a Switch, ask them to bring their controllers to the party! Super Mario Odyssey dealsThis has been one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch so far and an absolute must for Mario and platforming fans. Like Zelda below though, this being a first-party Nintendo title, it's taking forever to go down in price. It's slowly happening though, so we've rounded up the cheapest Super Mario Odyssey prices for you below. If you're not getting this game in a bundle, we'd strongly advise picking it up separately as soon as possible. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dealsThe reviews have heaped huge praise upon this eagerly awaited launch title, making it an essential purchase for any Nintendo Switch buyer. As with any new console, the prices of the big games can be more expensive than usual. We've shopped around for you though and have found the best prices for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch. Take a look below. With only 32GB of internal storage, you'll be wanting to pick up a cheap memory card or two for your new Nintendo Switch for any digital purchases or the inevitable game-fixing patches. Don't fret though, they're actually surprisingly cheap, with even 64GB ones coming in at under £20/$25. What memory cards does the Nintendo Switch need? Those will be Micro SD cards also known as, depending on their size, as MicroSDHC (up to 32GB) or MicroSDXC (up to a huge 2TB soon). Nintendo also has their own branded cards, but you'll be paying more just for a label. So for now, we'd take a look at this range of cheap MicroSDXC Nintendo Switch-friendly cards. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best upcoming games 2019: most anticipated titles for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch Posted: 14 May 2019 08:32 AM PDT We're almost half way into 2019 already and while we've already seen some great releases, there's still a host of exciting new games on the way to feed your gaming fix. Whether you're looking for boot-shaking scares, heart-racing thrills or some wholesome narrative, we've got you covered. Here at TechRadar we've gathered together a list of the best upcoming games coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in 2019 (as well as the most anticipated games that haven't got a firm release date yet). We'll be updating this list as titles release and others are announced, so watch this space. So without further ado, buckle up and get ready to update your wishlist with the best upcoming games in 2019...
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (Image credit: Beenox) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled isn't just a nostalgia trip, but a dynamic racing game for new and old players alike – as long as you don't take it too seriously...
Shenmue 3
Shenmue 3 (Image credit: YS Net) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? We aren't quite sure what to expect with Shenmue III, especially considering it's not being made by Sega, but hopefully the wait was worth it...
Pokémon Sword and Shield
Pokémon Sword and Shield (Image credit: Nintendo) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? The new games will be based in the Galar region, which is essentially the Nintendo version of Great Britain - including soccer stadiums and quaint countryside.
Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 (Image credit: Gearbox Software) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? The fourth core entry in the first-person shoot and loot franchise sees you playing as a Vault Hunter aiming to stop the antagonist Calypso twins from harnessing the "Children of the Vault" and taking possession of the Vaults which exist beyond the planet of Pandora. Expect larger-than-life characters, a lively and colorful alien planet to explore, tons of absurd weapons, and a wisecracking sense of humor. Make sure you check out our Borderlands 3 preview for all the juicy details.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Image credit: Respawn Entertainment) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? So far we've only seen a teaser trailer for the upcoming single-player Star Wars title, but that's enough to get us excited. Plus, Respawn has promised a first-look at gameplay footage during EA Play and E3.
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds (Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? If you were disappointed by Fallout 76 then The Outer Worlds could be one to watch.
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal (Image credit: iD Software) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Doom Eternal is aiming to go bigger and better than ever before, introducing an enhanced Doom slayer and a host of new demons - and this time the invasion has spread further than Mars.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Image credit: Square Enix) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? The development road for Final Fantasy 7 Remake hasn't been smooth. The game was initially announced back at E3 2015, and we still don't know when it'll actually release. However Sony's latest State of Play got us excited all over again, with Square Enix dropping a new teaser trailer to whet our appetites.
FIFA 20
FIFA (Image credit: EA) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? No firm release date or information has been released on FIFA 20, the expected next entry in the long-running football simulation series, yet but we're counting on incremental improvements and some new features to gush over. How has the FIFA series changed over the years? Here's how FIFA became the champion of soccer simulators.
Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima (Image credit: Sucker Punch Productions) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Ghost of Tsushima is set in 1274 Japan - during the first Mongolian invasion - and sees you take on the role of last samurai on Tsushima Island, determined to defend his home and traditions.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 (Image credit: CD Projekt Red) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? If you've been living under a rock and don't know about Cyberpunk 2077 then let us enlighten you. Cyberpunk 2077 is an dystopian RPG from The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red, set in a gritty, science fiction world metropolis. It's based off the pen-and-paper RPG of the same name and promises to be a game-changer.
Death Stranding
Death Stranding (Image credit: Kojima Productions) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? We also know Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo Del Toro and Troy Baker are involved - and we probably won't see it release in 2019.
The Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls 6 (Image credit: Bethesda) When's it out? What platform? What's it about?
The Last of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part 2 (Image credit: Naughty Dog) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? We don't know much about the story so far but Joel hasn't appeared in the footage we've seen yet, although we do know Troy Baker is involved so he's definitely going to show up eventually.
Metroid Prime 4
Metroid Prime 4 (Image credit: Nintendo) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Due to development problems, we don't know much about what Metroid Prime 4 will involve, or when we will see it, but we can't help but be excited.
Starfield
Starfield (Image credit: Bethesda) When's it out? What platform? What's it about?
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing (Image credit: Nintendo) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? We're expecting Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch to offer the same charm and wholesome atmosphere of previous Animal Crossing titles, while hopefully adding some new characters, more furniture and more areas to explore.
Dragon Age 4
Dragon Age (Image credit: BioWare) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? It'll no doubt be a couple of years before we see the fourth instalation in the popular RPG franchise Dragon Age, but we're expecting a bigger open-world, further exploration of that cliffhanger and even more characters to swoon over and seduce. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The best iPhone 6S deals and UK contracts in May 2019 Posted: 14 May 2019 08:17 AM PDT When it comes to Apple, there is a clear divide between its top of the line flagship devices with their massive price tags, and Apple's earlier, far more affordable devices with their mid-range specs - the iPhone 6S falls into the latter category. We've had a fair few new iPhones since the 6S, we've had the 8's, iPhone X's and now the iPhone XS Max (bit of a mouthful really). The good news here is that these new releases have driven the prices of the iPhone 6S way, way down. Sub-£20 a month tariffs appear quite frequently now, so getting a great deal on Apple's 2015 flagship phone makes it a great budget option if you don't want to spend the earth on your new iPhone deal. If you want more than the minimum of data, then check out our comparison chart below, or head straight down to our pick of the best tariffs on the web. The 6S may be one of iPhone's older phones now, but it still features a lot of the features we have come to expect from flagships. It has improved battery life and 3D touch, where you can press a bit harder on the screen to get a different response. See also: iPhone 8 deals | iPhone 7 deals | iPhone deals | iPhone SE deals | Samsung Galaxy S9 deals | Best mobile phone deals | iPhone 6S review
The top 5 best iPhone 6S deals in the UK this month:We've gone all Top of the Pops to show you our favourite five iPhone 6S deals on the market right now - we'll give you a clue...they're much cheaper than the iPhone XS! Read about all of the best iPhone 6S deals here, including tariffs on EE, O2 and Vodafone.
It may be very similar to its predecessor, but there's no denying that the iPhone 6s makes a fantastic alternative to the more expensive Apple devices like the iPhone 8 and iPhone XR. The phone works fluidly at nearly every task and will cost you a lot less than Apple's current flagships. Low end cost with high end features Read TechRadar's full iPhone 6S review This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The best PS4 Pro prices, deals and bundles in May 2019 Posted: 14 May 2019 08:00 AM PDT So you're thinking about PS4 Pro deals or maybe a bundle? Well we can most certainly help you out there as we're always checking out the latest sales. Maybe you're upgrading from your older PS4 so you can dive into 4K gaming. Or maybe you've never had a PS4 and are thinking you may as well start with the best. All solid choices, especially if you're already set with a 4K TV, even better if it has HDR too. There are some fantastic-looking games out now to really make a PS4 Pro shine; Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, God of War, Detroit: Become Human are all serious lookers and jaws are bound to drop further when The Last of Us Part 2 sneaks onto our 4K TVs later this year. You'll find all of the latest and best PS4 Pro prices from the big name stores in our comparison chart below. There's not too much difference in price between retailers at this time of year, but we're constantly on the lookout for the latest deals and bundles. Looking to buy in Australia? You'll want to take a look at our AU page. If you'd prefer a standard PS4, then check out our PS4 bundles (USA) or PS4 deals (UK) pages. Don't forget to top up your subscription with one of our discounted PlayStation Plus deals too. So keep this page bookmarked to stay informed of the latest PS4 Pro bundles when they arrive. If you're looking for more information on the PS4 Pro, take a look at our handy Q&A below the bundles. PS4 Pro bundle deals (USA)Worthwhile PS4 Pro bundles have been pretty much non-existent in the US for the last few months. The PS4 Pro on its own has seemingly sold out at the regular $399 price, meaning we've only seen units for sale via third-party sellers on sites like Amazon/Walmart for prices often at least $40 more than usual. This long after release, we're not cool with that you shouldn't be either. As a bare minimum, you want at least one game with the console for $399, ideally less in the next few months. The only decent PS4 Pro bundle today is the Read Dead Redemption 2 one we've just added below, don't expect stock to last long on this one though. PS4 Pro bundle deals (UK)Need an extra controller on the cheap? Take a look at the best DualShock 4 deals. We also have a guide to the best PlayStation VR deals too.
Cheap PlayStation Plus dealsIf you're buying a PS4 Pro, you'll probably need a cheap PlayStation Plus deal too. PlayStation Plus (aka PS Plus or PS+) allows you to play PS4 games online, along with access to the Instant Game Collection, a bunch of free games for PS4, PS3 and Vita each month. The default price for a year is £40. We've shopped around for you though and found a range of prices. So check out our guide of you want the best PlayStation Plus deals. What is the PS4 Pro?Essentially, the PS4 Pro is an upgrade of the PS4, rather than a 'next-gen' console. The keywords to take in from the PS4 Pro are 4K and HDR. The new machine will allow game developers to include 4K options in their games, so expect the like of Uncharted 4, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Days Gone, Horizon: Zero Dawn and more to look even better on a 4K TV. HDR, or High Dynamic Range is the other buzzword to be excited about as the PS4 Pro will allow for extra detail to be seen on a range of games and also a wider range of colors not usually displayed by traditional HD TVs. Will my old PS4 games work on PS4 Pro?Absolutely. If you're planning on upgrading to a PS4 Pro from an older PS4, all of your games will still work. Not every title will be patched to take advantage of the new 4K/HDR capabilities, but the default upscaling (if you have a 4K TV) will more than likely see some improvement to the visuals and the improved console power may give the frame-rate a boost on some titles. What else can I watch in 4K/HDR on PS4 Pro?The PS4 Pro is compatible with 4K and HDR, and the content options for both are increasing all the time on services like YouTube and Netflix. Amazon Prime video is yet to be updated for 4K content though. Does the PS4 Pro support 4K Blu-rays?No. This was a surprise if we're honest, especially as both the Xbox One S and Xbox One X consoles do. It's a bit of a gamble for Sony, but at the same time, 4K Blu-rays are very expensive for now and many consumers look to digital services to provide their 4K movies and TV content instead. Do I need a 4K TV to run a PS4 Pro?No, the PS4 Pro will still work on a regular 1080p TV, you won't get the benefits of upscaling or HDR though. You may see a slim amount of extra detail, or frame-rate boost, but we wouldn't expect a massive leap. If you are thinking of buying a 4K TV soon, then it's probably a good idea to splash out on the PS4 Pro instead of the regular or new PS4 Slim as it'll future proof you for a while. Be sure to look out for a TV that supports HDR too, in order to take full advantage of the PS4 Pro's capabilities. Will PlayStation VR be better on the PS4 Pro?Early reports say yes. The PlayStation VR frame-rate is better on PS4 Pro and the resolution gets a bit of a bump too. PlayStation VR will certainly work on the older PS4s, you don't need a PS4 Pro to get involved there. Does the PS4 Pro have optical audio support?Yes! The optical audio output has been removed from the PS4 Slim though, which is a massive shame. PS4 Pro owners though will still be able to use optical connections for their soundbars and sound systems. What are the best games on PS4 Pro?We've dived through our back catalogue of PS4 games that have received a PS4 Pro update patch to see which ones look the best and have a noticeable difference. Take a look at our extensive feature - The best PS4 Pro games. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The best cheap PS4 bundles, deals and prices in the May sales Posted: 14 May 2019 07:49 AM PDT Ok, let's do this. 2019 is here and you're finally after a cheap PS4 bundle deal. The release schedule has just come to the end of the busy season, so you've got plenty of games to choose from as we round up the best PS4 prices. Naturally, lots of the below PS4 bundles come with the hottest new games. We're on the hunt for the lowest PS4 prices all year round, so we aren't easily fooled by the fake deals that don't actually save you any money over buying the games individually. We're here to help save you as much money as possible. We also want you to play the games everyone's shouting about which is why we're going the extra mile to track down PS4 and PS4 Pro bundles with the likes of Days Gone, Red Dead Redemption 2, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, FIFA 19, Spider-Man and more. Sometimes though, you can get a load of older games with a cheap PS4 for even less money, so we'll keep our eyes out for those offers too. This page lists the best cheap PS4 prices in the UK, but we also have dedicated guides for US readers and our Australian ones too. Below you'll find a comparison chart that automatically pulls in the freshest and cheapest PS4 deals from UK retailers, followed by our hand-picked selection of the best PS4 bundles that offer the best value discounts on the additional software or accessories. After those deals you'll find we've also covered the same options for the PS4 Pro prices.
The PS4 Slim is... slimmer, quieter and smaller The PS4 Slim launched (with no games included) in September 2016 for around £259 (500GB) or £310 (1TB) and has now replaced the original fatter PS4. The new console is smaller, lighter, more power efficient and cheaper than the remaining stock of the older PlayStation 4 deals nowadays, so you're not paying more for the refined tech. We'd advise you check out the cheap PS4 bundles further down this page as many of them are cheaper than buying the console on its own or you can get a lot more for a spending a bit extra on top. You'll often find that the most attractive way to get a cheap PS4 is with a bundle with extra hardware or extra games. These are the best PS4 bundle prices currently available in the UK – we update these deals on a regular basis. Just want the PS4 Slim on it's own? Well we'd recommend one of the bundles above as the discount on the big games makes it worth spending slightly more. If they're not for you though we've found the best prices for standalone consoles this week to be at ShopTo's eBay store where you can get a black PS4 Slim for £219.99. Extra PS4 retailer links:Want to look through some more cheap PS4 deals? It's ok, you're only hurting our feelings a little. The links below will take you straight to the PS4 console deals section of the following websites, just in-case you fancy digging out a bargain of your own.
The PS4 that offers 4K gaming and Netflix Essentially, the PS4 Pro is a 4K upgrade of the current PS4, rather than a 'next-gen' console. The keywords to take in from the PS4 Pro are 4K and HDR. The new machine allows game developers to include 4K resolution and High Dynamic Range options in their games, so expect the like of Red Dead Redemption 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, God of War, Uncharted 4, Horizon: Zero Dawn and more to look even better on a HDR-enabled 4K TV. You'll also be able to stream 4K content from Netflix and YouTube. Want to get the right TV? Then check out our cheap 4K TV sales and deals page. We've seen big discounts as Sony fights off the latest Xbox One X deals too. If you're buying a PS4, you'll probably need a cheap PlayStation Plus deal too. PlayStation Plus (aka PS Plus or PS+) allows you to play PS4 games online, along with access to the Instant Game Collection, a bunch of free games for PS4, PS3 and Vita each month. The default price for a year is £50. We can do better than that though, so check out our selection of the best PlayStation Plus deals. Need an extra cheap PS4 controller? Don't forget to check our Best DualShock 4 deals. Or maybe a cheap PlayStation VR deal? If you're still torn, maybe you'd prefer one of our Xbox One deals? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best soundbars for TV shows, movies and music in 2019 Posted: 14 May 2019 07:36 AM PDT There are all kinds of reasons why it makes sense to upgrade your at-home entertainment system with a best-in-class new soundbar. One of the main reasons is that if your own one of the latest 4K TV screens, it can be really worth investing in a device that'll deliver the top quality sound that's built to match. Let's face it, even the best Samsung TV can use help from a new soundbar. As TV tech advances, there's even more reason to bolster your set-up with a soundbar. That's because as displays get slimmer and slimmer their built-in speakers tend to be lacking. The obvious answer is an all-singing, all-dancing speaker system. If you admire the slim aesthetic of your new TV over everything else, then a good soundbar is your best option. The top soundbars available to buy right now won't stick out next to your shiny new slim screen like a normal stereo system would. Instead, they are built to be just as aesthetically pleasing as they are aurally pleasing. The majority of soundbars on this list are made to sit in front of your screen, but they can also be wall-mounted above or to the side of it as well, providing you with ultimate choice as to how your home entertainment set-up looks. Most soundbars are powerful and look great, but there's also another reason we'd recommend them: they're a good solution for smaller homes and rooms with little space that wouldn't be able to squeeze a 7.1 channel speaker system in. Despite most only featuring front-facing speakers, many soundbars are able to confidently project sound in a way that makes it seem as though there's booming audio coming from every direction. The main problem with soundbars? There's so many to choose from. If you don't find the right one for you, you can end up with a soundbar that doesn't fit with your home theater setup – or barely sounds better than your TV's built-in speakers. Read on below for the best soundbars available to buy in 2019, whether you're after Dolby Atmos support, multi-room audio, sleek design, or any variety of other advanced features alongside your soundbar's premium audio experience.
What's the best soundbar for around $200/£200?We can't stress this enough: when it comes to soundbars, there’s a lot of choice. Despite being called soundbars, they tend to come in different shapes and sizes. They also range in price from under £100/$100 to over £1,000/$1,500 (see: Creative X-Fi Sonic Carrier). The cheaper the model you go for, the more basic the connections are likely to be. Whereas more expensive ones add superior HDMI inputs (including 4K/HDR passthrough), wireless audio streaming (e.g. Bluetooth and AirPlay), better power, more refined speaker drivers, and decoding of Blu-ray sound formats. Of course a full surround setup is the premium solution to bad-sounding TVs, but if you're short on space (as well as budget) then a soundbar offers a good compromise. So what is the best soundbar for around £200/$200?
Best Soundbars 2019: TechRadar's top picks
Image credit: Samsung Not content with dominating the TV world, Samsung now seems to have its sights set on becoming the number one brand for home entertainment audio, too. All this effort has already delivered outstanding results in the shape of both the HW-K850 and, especially, HW-K950 Dolby Atmos soundbars, as well as a range of ground-breaking multi-room wireless speakers. But, above everything stands the South Korean manufacturer's HW-MS650. No other one-body soundbar has combined so much raw power with so much clarity, scale and, especially, bass, or excelled so consistently with both films and music. It’s the sort of performance that only genuine audio innovation can deliver - and with that in mind, it’s well worth its $450/£599 price tag. Read the full review: Samsung HW-MS650 Soundbar
Image credit: Sony The Sony HT-ST5000 is the priciest soundbar you’ll find here, but for the money you’ll get an exceptional piece of equipment that offers support for Dolby’s spatial Atmos tech – on top of dealing exceptionally well with more conventional surround sound. The build quality and design of the soundbar is exceptional, and its general audio performance impresses with its clarity and spatial presentation. Still, the lofty price tag might turn some users off, and most people will get everything they need from less expensive units like the Samsung HW-MS650 above. But, if you want to have the best high-end soundbar around, the HT-ST5000 is the best soundbar you can buy today. Read the full review: Sony HT-ST5000
Image credit: Q Acoustics The Q Acoustics M4 soundbar doesn’t immediately set pulses racing with its slightly prosaic looks, ‘mere’ 2.1-channel sound and lack of any HDMI support. However, you only have to hear what the M4 can do with both music and movies for your doubts about it to evaporate almost instantly. In fact, it sounds so good that it starts to make the idea of trying to deliver more channels from an affordable soundbar look a bit silly. In fact, though, it sounds so much better than pretty much any rival soundbar in the same price bracket that it’s actually ridiculously good value - especially if you care about music as much as you care about movies. Read the full review: Q Acoustics M4 Soundbar
Image credit: Samsung The Samsung HW-N950 is something special. It's the latest flagship soundbar from the company, but the first to benefit from Samsung’s acquisition of Harman Kardon – a partnership that's already paying dividends. The HW-N950 is a whole-hearted upgrade on our previous award-winner, Samsung's HW-K950 – which long held the #6 spot on this list. Most importantly, the N950 now supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, compared to the K950 which was disappointingly limited to the former. With that in mind, the Samsung HW-N950 is simply one of the best soundbars that we have heard to date – and one of the only soundbars that really delivers a 7.1.4-channel immersive audio experience. The use of wireless rear speakers and a subwoofer, make the N950 easy to install and setup and allow the N950 to deliver object-based audio as the content creators intended, without resorting to psychoacoustic trickery. Read the full review: Samsung HW-N950
Image credit: Philips The Philips Fidelio B5 is an impressive bit of kit, and it's the perfect soundbar for someone who appreciates good cinema sound but has no interest in tearing up their living room to install a 5.1 surround sound system to use only every now and then. The B5 enables you to pick and choose your movie moments, and do it on a whim. And it creates a pretty decent surround sound experience too, using both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Digital Surround decoding. The combination of convenience and good audio – the raison d'etre of the soundbar – with its transformative surround sound capabilities makes the Fidelio B5 a great option for the movie fan who can't face all the aggravation of a proper 5.1 installation. Read the full review: Philips Fidelio B5
Image credit: Sonos The Sonos Playbar is a non-HDMI device that uses optical to hook up to a TV. Used simply on its own it delivers a massive sonic boost to your TV listening, but operating it does require using a smartphone or tablet app. The benefit is that it can seamlessly segue in to a Sonos wireless system, and can even act as the front three speakers in a 5.1 setup with two Play:1s acting as rears. Unfortunately although it's optical-only setup will be great for most, it does exclude owners of TVs that lack this connector, which has pushed it a little further down this list. Read the full review: Sonos Playbar
Image credit: Sonos The Sonos Beam is a fantastic soundbar for its price, one that takes full advantage of the Sonos ecosystem and is a joy to use (and set up, if your television has HDMI ARC). Its smaller form factor means it’s a device that will sit comfortably next to a 32-inch TV but it’s got enough of a footprint to not be dwarfed by a much bigger set. The Sonos Beam doesn’t offer earth-shattering bass and the lack of Dolby Atmos support will irk some, but at this price point it'd be more of a surprise if it had been included. The voice control may be Alexa-only for now, but it works well and if you have adopted some of Amazon’s TV toys, it really is worth experimenting with. Read the full review: Sonos Beam
Image credit: Denon With its nine drivers are arranged in trios for left, center and right channels and a virtual surround mode to create the illusion of having more speakers around the room, the HEOS Bar is pretty much whatever you want it to be. Blessed with such a balanced soundscape, the HEOS Bar proved immediately adept with music, and has a consistently warm yet refined sound quality that's all its own. The fact that it lacks the opportunity to tweak the audio settings is not as important as we had feared. Music sounds superb, especially lossless tunes, from which HEOS Bar drags out a lot of detail. However, we did notice on a couple of occasions that the first half-a-second was cut-off songs. Read the full review: Denon HEOS Bar
Image credit: Focal Focal, most known for its excellent sounding speakers (and the recently released Focal Listen headphones), is late to the soundbar space, but its Focal Dimension was worth the wait. The Dimension soundbar is simply gorgeous, with its piano black accents and aluminum unibody construction. At $1,399 (£799, AU$1,699) it's not exactly cheap, but you're paying for excellent build quality, sound and design. Read the full review: Focal Dimension
Image credit: Bose Boasting high-end design, Bose's slim soundbar looks superb, and sounds above average. At 97.9cm wide, it’s best partnered with larger screen sizes (50-inch+) and priced at £599/$700/AU$999, it offers great sound. There are caveats regarding usability and price, but overall it warrants a cautious two thumbs up. It's also worth mentioning that, as this isn’t a 2.1 package, there’s no subwoofer supplied – although Bose will sell you a wireless Acoustimas sub and the ST300 can be partnered with the brand’s Virtually Invisible (i.e. small at 10cm) 300 surround speakers. The system is also compatible with the Bose SoundTouch wireless multiroom system which includes smaller Bluetooth speakers. Read the full review: Bose SoundTouch 300
Image credit: Polk If $300 is your budget cap for a smart sound bar, then we highly recommend the Polk Audio Command Bar for any small or medium-sized living room. As you might be able to tell based on the soundbar’s design, the Command Bar comes with Alexa built right into it making it unquestionably smart. It’s also relatively inexpensive too, coming in at $250 (£249, AU$649), and it comes with a subwoofer. It has defined and powerful low end, some cool smart features, and looks pretty good, too.
Image credit: Credit You know, it just didn't feel fair comparing the Creative X-Fi Sonic Carrier to other soundbars on this list. It'd be like comparing jet-skis to yachts. That being said, if you have the deep pockets to afford it, the Creative X-Fi Sonic Carrier is in a different league of soundbars. It features 17 speakers set in an 11.2.4-channel or 15.2-channel configuration that can put out well over 110 dB of sound and supports Dolby Atmos right out of the box. Is $4,000 too much to spend on a soundbar - even one as genuinely awesome as the Creative X-Fi Sonic Carrier? Probably. But is a few grand worth spending to turn your basement or garage into a club / near-cinema-quality home theater? Yeah. It is.
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| The best free Android games 2019 Posted: 14 May 2019 07:36 AM PDT What’s better than a free game? Pretty much nothing. Except when it’s terrible and you’ve wasted time on downloading and playing it. Fortunately, there are loads of fantastic free games for Android – and we list the very best here. Whether you’re into word games, endless runners, platformers or puzzles, there’s something here for you. Click through to the next pages to see each category or read on below for our pick of the week. And check back weekly for our latest pick. Free Android game of the week: OCO
OCO is a one-thumb platform game that will make your head spin. Everything takes place within minimal rotating circular arenas, and your aim is to grab all of the bling. All you can do is tap the screen to jump – it’s precisely when you do this that makes all the difference. Depending on the level you’re tackling, you may have to figure out which walls to rebound off of to change direction. Or there might be speed-up mats and jump pads. On emerging victorious, OCO will wryly provide minimum jump and time targets, adding replay value to levels you’ve already completed. With daily challenges, a level editor and un-intrusive advertising, OCO is a good bet for platform game fans looking for something a bit different, and that’s perfectly suited to one-handed mobile play.
The best free racing games for AndroidOur favorite free Android 3D, retro, 2D and on-rails racers.
Beach Buggy Racing 2Beach Buggy Racing 2 is a high-octane kart racer. True to form, your dinky vehicle belts along larger-than-life tracks, taking in everything from medieval castles with fire-breathing dragons, to an ancient world full of dinosaurs – and gigantic sea creatures you can bounce off. Naturally, your aim is to get to the checkered flag first, across just two laps. To do this, you must find shortcuts, and make use of power-ups that can turn opponents into a block of ice, blast them into the heavens, and far more besides. Sadly, there are no leagues, and Beach Buggy Racing 2 only ever offers you two race choices at any given time. But the compulsion loop is extremely strong, the upgrade/unlock path reasonable, and the racing action some of the best around on Android.
Disc Drivin’ 2Disc Drivin’ 2 is the turn-based driving game which was presumably created when someone reimagined shuffleboard as Mario Kart and shoved that strange concoction online for web-based multiplayer contests. The concept of a turn-based racer is bonkers and it shouldn’t work, but it really does. As you flick your little disc about tracks suspended in space, the tension ramps up as you home in on your opponent. You will learn to master shortcuts, zip past hazards, and also how to make best use of bonus powers afforded to your little disc. It’s absurd to think that one of the best mobile racers on Android is about flicking a coin around a race track, but there we have it. Miss this one at your peril.
Asphalt 9: LegendsAsphalt 9: Legends, like its predecessors, is a decidedly nitro-happy, larger-than-life take on arcade racing. It has you belt along at insane speeds, regularly soaring into the air, your car spinning and pinwheeling in a manner that’d have your car insurance company angrily tear up your policy documents. This racer also differentiates itself by streamlining controls to the point you needn’t steer. The car moves on rails, with you swiping between lanes, and timing actions like boosts and drifts. That might sound reductive, but this doesn’t detract from the racing feel, it gives you a keen sense of focus on timing, and there’s a manual option if you really want that. Being an Asphalt game, there’s some grind, but this is offset by you being immersed in the most outlandish and eye-dazzling arcade racing on Android.
Asphalt Xtreme: Rally RacingAsphalt Xtreme: Rally Racing takes Asphalt off-road. It ditches its collection of sports cars and larger-than-life city circuits for jeeps and trucks – and an awful lot of mud, dirt, rocks, and grime. Another thing there’s an awful lot of is freemium mechanics. As is seemingly law for an Asphalt game, exciting racing is sadly gunked up by all manner of timers and IAP gates. But put that aside and you’ll find Xtreme an entertainingly daft addition to the series. Blasting through deserts, canyons and jungles, with your off-roader soaring into the air in a manner that’s almost certainly not covered by insurance, never really gets old. And although the basics – loads of nitro; floaty physics; crazy tracks – might be familiar, the new environments alone make this one worth a download.
CarmageddonCarmageddon is a blast from the past of PC gaming. It masquerades as a racer, but often feels like you’re hunting prey – albeit while encased in a suit of speeding metal. The game’s freeform ‘arenas’ are networks of roads in a dystopian future. People and cows blithely amble about while deranged drivers smash each other to pieces. Victories come by way of completing laps, wrecking all your opponents, or mowing down every living thing in the vicinity. In the 1990s, this was shocking to the point of Carmageddon being banned in some countries. Today, the lo-fi violence seems quaint. But the game’s tongue-in-cheek humor survives, sitting nicely alongside bouncy physics, madcap sort-of-racing, and deranged cops attempting to crush you into oblivion should you cross their path.
Asphalt 8: AirborneAsphalt 8: Airborne is a high-octane racer that gave a cursory glance towards realism. It then decided against bothering with such a trifling issue, and decided it’d much prefer you to pelt along at insane speeds under the power of glorious nitro, which frequently sends your car soaring into the air. Not one for the simulation crowd, then, but this racer is perfect for everyone else. The larger-than-life branched courses – hyper-real takes on real-world locations – are madcap and exciting. Rather than doing laps around a boring circuit surrounded by gravel traps, you blast through rocket launch sites, and blaze through volcanos. There are downsides – cynical IAPs and timers abound, welding a massive comedy tailfin to this otherwise sleek racer’s stylings. But for dizzying speed, mid-air barrel rolls, and loads of laughs, this racer is tough to beat.
Sonic Forces: Speed BattleSonic Forces: Speed Battle reimagines Sonic The Hedgehog as an into-the-screen lane-based auto-runner. Which probably sounds a lot like Sonic Dash – but here, you battle it out against online opposition. With trap-laden courses and pick-ups you can regularly grab as you belt along, Speed Battle has hints of Mario Kart about it. Races are packed with tense moments as you unleash a fireball, in the hope of taking out a distant leader, or have the checkered flag in sight, but know your opponents are only fractions of a second behind. There is some grind – chests with timers; multiple currencies; glacially slow leveling up. But Speed Battle puts a colorful, entertaining spin on auto-runners that’s fun even if you keep your wallet firmly closed.
Data WingData Wing has the appearance of a minimal top-down racer, but it’s far, far more than that. That’s not to say the racing bit isn’t great - because it is. You guide your little triangular ship around neon courses, scooting across boost pads, and scraping track edges for a bit of extra speed. But there’s something else going on here – an underlying narrative where you discover you’re, in fact, ferrying bits of data about, all under the eye of an artificially intelligent Mother. Initially, all seems well, but it soon becomes clear Mother has some electrons loose, not least when you start getting glimpses of a world beyond the silicon. With perfect touch controls, varied racing levels, a few hours of story, and plenty of replay value, Data Wing would be a bargain for a few dollarpounds. For free, it’s absurdly generous.
One Tap RallyThis game does for racing what auto-runners do for platform games. One Tap Rally is controlled with a single finger, pressing on the screen to accelerate and releasing to brake, while your car steers automatically. The aim is to not hit the sides of the track, because that slows you down. Win and you move up the rankings, then playing a tougher, faster opponent. In a neat touch, said opponents are recordings of real-world attempts by other players, ranked by time. In essence, this is a digital take on slot-racing, then, without the slots. But the mix of speed and strategy, along with a decent range of tracks, makes you forget about the simplistic controls. If anything, they become a boon, shifting the focus to learning track layouts and razor-sharp timing. Top stuff.
Splash CarsIn the world of Splash Cars, it appears everyone's a miserable grump apart from you. Their world is dull and grey, but your magical vehicle brings colour to anything it goes near. The police aren't happy about this and aim to bring your hue-based shenanigans to a close, by ramming your car into oblivion. There's also the tiny snag of a petrol tank that runs dry alarmingly quickly. Splash Cars therefore becomes a fun game of fleeing from the fuzz, zooming past buildings by a hair's breadth, grabbing petrol and coins carelessly left lying about, and trying to hit an amount-painted target before the timer runs out. Succeed and you go on to bigger and better locations, with increasingly powerful cars.
The best free strategy games for AndroidOur favorite free Android RTS and turn-based games, board games and card games.
Pocket Cowboys: Wild West StandoffPocket Cowboys: Wild West Standoff invites you to endless high-noon standoffs, with four gunslingers ready to fill their enemies full of lead. But instead of being a free-for-all brawl, this game is more like rock/paper/scissors, with a smattering of chess. During each round, you choose to move, shoot, or reload. Depending on which character you’re controlling, shooting may unleash leaden death on a wide area, or just on the space next to you. Success relies on correctly anticipating what your (online, human) opponents will do, and making the right move yourself. This straightforward slice of strategy affords Pocket Cowboys great immediacy; but stick around for the long haul and you can upgrade your team, and partake in events, all while formulating strategies to avoid your gang too often being sent to Boot Hill.
King CrusherKing Crusher is a real-time strategy brawler in a shoebox. The backstory finds the king being annoyed that adversaries exist, and so he dispatches you to remove them. Your little band must therefore trudge through forests, deserts, and cemeteries, wiping out anyone in their path. Although King Crusher immerses itself in a range of RPG tropes, such as building your team, upgrading powers, and taking on quests, it’s also perfectly suited to mobile. Each battle takes place on a tiny grid, where you must quickly react to danger, and unleash your team’s powers on whoever you happen to be duffing up. It all works wonderfully. There’s enough depth to keep you scrapping over the long term, but the bite-sized action-packed battles are ideally suited to phone-based play.
HearthstoneHearthstone is a head-to-head card game that immerses you in a world populated by hunters, mages, warriors, and other fantasy types. Players take it in turns to try and batter their opponent’s health down to zero, playing cards that represent minions, spells and other skills. This genre is often baffling to the newcomer, but Hearthstone is an accessible and balanced game. Although IAPs lurk – cards can be bought with bling won in-game, but also by using actual cash – veterans have proved that you can blaze through the leaderboards without spending a penny. However you choose to play, this is a game that rewards those in it for the long haul. Have patience and learn its mechanics, and you may eventually become a master of this fantastical world of character and chance.
The Battle of PolytopiaThe Battle of Polytopia is a turn-based game akin to a stripped-back Civilization designed specifically for one-thumb mobile play. Each game has you start with a single city, the aim being to dominate a little isometric world. You either race to be the best within 30 turns, or emerge victorious when you’re the only tribe still standing. Wisely, Polytopia focuses more on approachability than depth. The tech tree is abbreviated, stopping short of guns. The maps are small. Cities can be conquered, but you can’t found new ones with settlers. Each of these decisions helps the game flow, but despite its compact nature, Polytopia affords plenty of opportunities to strategize. That’s especially true when venturing into online multiplayer with other people – a mode open to anyone who buys one or more extra tribes.
First StrikeFirst Strike is Risk with nuclear weapons. You command a nuclear power, and set about taking over the world. Mostly, this involves lobbing missiles at neighbors before invading, and researching the technology to stop your enemies turning your country into radioactive rubble. This is a sobering game. Futuristic graphics are joined by a sombre soundtrack, and clinical casualty readouts appear when a major population center is destroyed. Fittingly, victory doesn’t come with a fanfare, but the game asking: “You win?” The free version contains ads that somewhat disrupt the experience, but this is an otherwise, thoughtful take on land-grab strategy, with a message that we really don’t want to see a devastating first strike – or even a single nuclear missile launched in anger – in the real world.
South Park: Phone DestroyerSouth Park: Phone Destroyer marries real-time strategy with the cartoon mayhem found in the popular TV show. If you’ve played Clash Royale, it’s a bit like that, only with swearing, juvenile jokes, and lots of cartoon cowboys and Native Americans stomping about shooting at each other. If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll appreciate the entertaining single-player story with the show’s famous faces sending each other messages, and occasionally phoning you. The battles are enjoyable, too – the basics are accessible, but there’s plenty of depth for the long-term. The usual freemium monetization mars things a touch, as does enforcing online player-versus-player match wins for progression. But for the most part, you’ll be yelling RESPECT MA AUTHORITAH! until everyone in the vicinity demands you stop.
Brave HandBrave Hand is a card game that starts off with a basic solitaire at its foundation, welds that to a game of ‘higher or lower’, and dispenses with the ‘lower’ bit. Your aim is to clear the table of cards, by beating the top card in any given pile. The snag is most cards start off face down. You can use a low card as a ‘scout’ that forces two cards to flip. But beyond that, it’s chance that dictates your fortunes as you dig into successive cards in a pile, hoping one won’t beat you. Despite being very reliant on luck, Brave Hand is compelling. It perhaps won’t dislodge the likes of Sage Solitaire from your home screen, but it should appeal to card game fiends who fancy something fresh.
Really Bad ChessThis game flips chess on its head in brilliant fashion, by messing around with the pieces rather than the board. During your first go at Really Bad Chess, you might examine what’s in front of you and quickly come to the conclusion you have a few too many queens. Your opponent, by contrast, will have a suspicious lack of decent pieces. This is intentional. In Really Bad Chess, the AI’s capabilities never change, but the pieces do. As you improve, the setup shifts. Get really good and you’ll have to take on the computer with a pile of pawns while it attacks you with as many queens as it can feasibly get away with. For free, you also get a daily puzzle and two attempts to beat it. A $2.99/£2.89 IAP unlocks local multiplayer and removes the ads.
Train Conductor WorldYou might moan about trains when you're - again - waiting for a late arrival during your daily commute, but play this game and you'll thank your lucky stars that you're not in Train Conductor World. Here, trains rocket along, and mostly towards head-on collisions. It's your job to drag out temporary bridges to avoid calamity while simultaneously sending each train to its proper destination - it's exhausting. From the off, Train Conductor World is demanding, and before long a kind of 'blink and everything will be smashed to bits' mentality pervades. For a path-finding action-puzzler - Flight Control on tracks, if you will - it's an engaging and exciting experience.
Sage SolitaireHaving been mercilessly ripped off by a pretender (who cynically thanked the original's developer for "inspiration"), Sage Solitaire finally made it to Android. It rethinks solitaire for mobile, mostly by smashing it into poker. Cards are removed using poker hands, with the added complication each hand must use cards from at least two different rows. Clearing the deck and amassing points requires careful strategy and a little luck, not least given how rapidly the lower stacks empty. Win three times and you unlock Vegas mode, where you can try your luck making bets on your skills (and, in all likelihood, lose a boatload of virtual money). Regardless of the mode you favour, Sage Solitaire's one of those seemingly throwaway casual games that manages to take hold to the point of obsession.
Clash RoyaleThere's always a whiff of unease on recommending a game from a developer nestled deep in the bosom of freemium gaming, but Clash Royale largely manages to be a lot of fun however much money you lob at it. The game is more or less a mash-up of card collecting and real-time strategy. Cards are used to drop units on to a single-screen playfield, and they march about and duff up enemy units, before taking on your opponent's towers. The battles are short and suited to quick on-the-go play, and although Clash Royale is designed for online scraps, you can also hone your strategies against training units if you're regularly getting pulverised. There are the usual timers and gates for upgrades, but the game largely does a good job of matching you against players of fairly similar skill levels, meaning it's usually a blast and only rarely a drag.
Radiant DefenseRadiant Defense is a fantastic tower defence game, given a dazzling modern look. You do all the usual tower defence stuff like building up your weapon strengths and deciding how best to stop the endless marching enemy, with some "super weapons" to unlock and hundreds upon hundreds of waves to beat. And it all looks astonishingly pretty on a big screened device. In this age of austerity and scrimping, we've all long since sold our last set of dominoes and melted down our Monopoly counters for scrap. The best free shooting games for AndroidOur favorite free Android FPS titles, twin-stick blasters and vertically-scrolling retro shoot ’em ups.
PifflePiffle is a shooting game where you fling strings of balls at blocks, depleting their face numbers until they explode. The backstory is that the nefarious Doc Block is doing something suitably evil with the blocks, hence why you’re trying to eradicate them. Okay, that’s not the deepest of stories, but it doesn’t matter when the cartoonish action is so inviting and immediate. Flinging balls around the colorful levels is lots of fun, not least because they resemble tiny meowing cats. There’s some grind here, and you’re going to hit levels that urge you to open your wallet. In the main, though, this is a bright and breezy arcade treat, with nice surprises as you work your way to the ultimate goal of stopping the blocks – and Doc Block – for good.
PewPewPewPew is a twin-stick blaster in the classic mold. It has no time for storylines. Instead, it dumps you in a ship, hurls countless enemies your way, tasks you with blowing them to pieces, and dresses the entire thing in gorgeous old-school neon vectors. From the off, this is a tense, exciting game. The arena you’re within is claustrophobic and frequently packed with ships and projectiles. Surviving for any length of time requires mastery of the controls, and learning how different enemies behave. But there’s depth here, too. Once you’ve suitably honed your shooty skills, you can take on a mode with giant space rocks, and a version of PewPew that removes your weapons entirely, presumably making the ships pilot really wish they’d added ‘bring a really big gun’ to their to-do list.
AZ RocketsAZ Rockets is the follow-up to 99 Rockets, an insanely hard precision shooter featuring little triangular ships on rails. The aim was to blast objects as the ships moved along a pre-defined path. One miss and your game instantly ended. AZ Rockets initially seems very similar, but this time the game’s ‘merely’ hard – a timer has replaced ‘one error means game over’. Also, your targets are now letters, which when all shot often spell out a message of encouragement. You’ll probably need it, but this combination of the whimsical and tough-but-fair gameplay makes for a compelling concoction. And given the clockwork nature of the levels, this is a game you can potentially master – without being the kind of one-thumb gaming genius necessary for success in 99 Rockets.
Shadowgun LegendsShadowgun Legends is a first-person shooter with tongue firmly in cheek. Set in a world where mercenaries are rock stars, and aliens are so much cannon fodder, this is a bold, brash, noisy slice of wanton arcade violence. If you’re looking for nuance, head elsewhere. The story and characters here are wafer thin. But if you’re after action, Shadowgun Legends does the business. Missions are linear in nature, challenging you to be fast and accurate. Combat is responsive and fluid, and you soon find yourself amassing a pile of cash, upgrading kit, and adding to your fame. Get good enough and your adoring fans will build a statue in your honor. It still won’t be enough to convince you this is a console-quality shooter, but this game feels perfect for mobile: streamlined, bite-sized, free-flowing, and fun.
Tower FortressTower Fortress is a semi-randomized, hard-as-nails shoot ’em up. It takes place in a mysterious tower infested with strange creatures. And if you don’t ascend to the top, everyone is doomed, for some reason. Getting to the top isn’t easy. Your hero dodders about, shoots his gun, and can double-jump in a Sonic-style spin attack. Which sounds fine until you realize even the most innocuous foe can trip you up, such as seemingly-benign frogs. But then you reach the end of a section, nip into a secret area with a key, grab a power-up, and feel like a boss. Until you meet an actual boss, who’ll kick your face off. One to persevere with, then – and once your arcade thumbs are in tip-top condition, give each of the four zones a thorough blasting.
Drag'n'BoomDrag'n'Boom shows that you should never encourage a teenage dragon. Here, the rebellious fire-breather zooms about minimal landscapes, belly-sliding down hills, soaring into the air, barbecuing soldiers, and generally being a menace. Fortunately, you get to be the dragon, rather than the put-upon army rather wishing it had better weapons. The game recalls Angry Birds in how you ping your dragon along, but also borrows from twin-stick shooters, Sonic the Hedgehog (super-fast tunnel bits), and even The Matrix (slo-mo as you aim). Although there’s admittedly not masses of variation across the game’s 50 levels and endless mode, it’s hard to be too critical. Drag'n'Boom looks great, and has the kind of grin-inducing breezy gameplay that’s perfect for slotting into the odd moment when you feel the need to unleash your inner dragon.
Time LockerThis vertically scrolling shooter plays with convention in a manner that messes with your head. The basics are familiar – you’re dumped within a vertically scrolling environment and must shoot ALL OF THE THINGS. Occasionally, obliterated foes drop bonus items that boost your weaponry, providing the means to unleash major destruction while yelling YEEE-HAA – if that’s your sort of thing. However – and this is a big ‘however’ – everything in Time Locker only moves when you do. The temptation is to blaze ahead, due to bonus points being won for covering greater distances, and because you’re being pursued by the sole thing that doesn’t freeze when you do – an all-devouring nothingness. But careening on isn’t always a good strategy, because blundering into a single foe or projectile ends your game. Risk versus reward, then, in this fresh and great-looking blaster that dares to try something different.
AirAttack 2Bad news! It turns out the Axis of Evil needs overthrowing immediately, on account of having access to a ridiculous number of planes and tanks, some of which are the size of small villages. Sadly, we've had some cutbacks, which means our air force is now, er, you. Still, we're sure you're going to love your time in AirAttack 2, cooing at gorgeous scenery shortly before bombing it, surviving bullet-hell, and puffing your chest to a thumping orchestral soundtrack. Sure, you might have to turn down the graphic effects a bit on older hardware, and it's a bit of a grind to reach later levels, but you're not going to get better freebie shooting action this side of World War III. The best free puzzle games for AndroidOur favorite free Android brain-smashers, logic tests and path-finding games.
Friday the 13th: Killer PuzzleFriday the 13th: Killer Puzzle bucks the trend in Android horror games. Instead of traipsing about a rickety building that may as well hang ‘Enter to be horribly murdered!’ above the door and getting the odd jump scare, you instead face a sliding puzzler. Think Sokoban – but with buckets of cartoon gore. The aim in each level is to slide horror icon Jason Voorhees into unsuspecting campers, who are then summarily dispatched. The required pathways become increasingly convoluted; hazards and move limits also act as barriers to your desire to get all stabby. The puzzles are well designed, and the horror neatly straddles the line between icky and ridiculous. After all, it’s hard to take things seriously when your mother’s decapitated head, levitating in the corner, is offering sagely wisdom.
Tiny BubblesTiny Bubbles is a mostly meditative match game set in a world of gloopy bubbles. A premium app in its previous life on iOS, it comes across intact to Android in free form, merely dropping in the odd ‘commercial break’ if you don’t fancy splashing out on IAP. The game itself is delightful, having you figure out how to match four bubbles of the same color, which then pop, ideally in an explosive chain reaction. Complications come by way of color mixing demands, troublesome bubbles to remove, and the machinations of a bubble-blowing fish. If that all sounds a bit too sedate, the game ramps things up some in the arcade mode. But however you take on this puzzler, it’s bursting with fun!
Flipflop SolitaireFlipflop Solitaire is at its core spider solitaire. The aim is to remove every card from the table. Cards can be built on the tableau in rank, and in-suit sequences can be moved between columns – but Flipflop shakes things up by messing with the rules. First, it’s primarily designed for smartphones, and you get just five columns of cards. This is trickier than the standard spider layout, and so the game allows you to stack cards in both directions – enabling dizzying sequences like 9876787654543. You only have to stop stacking when you run out of space. These changes might seem paltry, but they have the effect of making almost every hand technically possible to win. Throw in endless undos and this transforms Flipflop from yet another throwaway card game into a deviously clever mobile puzzler.
A Way to SlayA Way to Slay turns epic and extremely bloody sword fights into a kind of turn-based puzzle. You start each bout surrounded by angry foes with a penchant for getting all stabby and head-choppy. Double-tap on any enemy and your hero zips his way over, before painting the screen red with their insides. On making a move, your opponents also get a chance to adjust their positions – and they are vital to keep track of. For if you venture too near to anyone, it’s your innards that end up decorating the sparse landscape. The key to victory, then, rests in figuring out the combination of moves that will see you tap your way to victory, a lone survivor surrounded by a sea of corpses. Top stuff, assuming you’ve the stomach – and brains – for it.
redred is a puzzle game that challenges you to make the screen go red– though given the intentionally obtuse nature of many of the 50 challenges, you might be the one turning crimson after a few hours pitting your wits against some of the more devious puzzles. It starts simply. A big red button sits in the center of the screen, inviting you to press it. Do so and a chunky red line fills part of the background. Keep pressing and soon enough the entire screen is filled. Job done. Next! Explaining any more of the game would spoil things, so you’ll just have to take our word for it that red is relentlessly inventive, frequently vexing, and something of a minimal masterpiece.
AquaviasAquavias is a sedate path-finding puzzle game. The aim is to deliver water to cities, which will otherwise suffer from drought. Unfortunately, a buffoon has decided the means of moving said water is by way of elevated and fragmented aqueducts. Each section – most being a single line or quarter circle – can be individually rotated, the idea being to gradually fashion a solid path for the water to follow. Naturally, this is where you come in. Each tap rotates a piece 90 degrees clockwise. Depending on the level, you’ll either have a limited number of moves, or a rapidly draining reservoir. Over time, the complexity of the required pathways increases – notably when T-junctions enter the fray; but the game never becomes overbearing, and its pleasing visuals and soundtrack further add to the charm.
Calculator: The GameCalculator: The Game is a puzzler geared towards sums, featuring a sentient, snarky calculator who’s relentlessly eager to show you its buttons. The aim in each level is simple: use whatever buttons are provided to reach a goal number, within a limited number of steps. So if you need to get to 9 and see +3 and x3 keys, that’s pretty simple. The thing is, this calculator likes playing you as much as you’re playing it. Before long, it’s gleefully adding buttons that enable you to knock digits off of your total, reverse them, or hurl numbers through portals. This one’s not your standard desktop calculator, then, but all the better for it. And it’s a surprisingly entertaining game, given that you’re ultimately doing math.
CubwayOne of the more abstract games you’re likely to install on your Android device, Cubway comprises over 50 minimal scenes you traverse as a tiny red square. The aim is simply to reach a goal, but all kinds of objects block your path and respond to your presence in varying ways. You must figure out how to get past them all, despite being restricted in terms of movement – forward or backward are your only options, although you can (and will often have to) stop, move slowly, or backtrack, depending on the hazard before you. As you travel, a story of sorts is revealed, although the text reads like a strange self-help guide. Otherwise, Cubway is a success – it’s intuitive, the mechanics are fresh and clever, and the aesthetics are unfalteringly atmospheric.
OutfoldedOne of the most sedate, forgiving puzzle games you’ll ever play, Outfolded also manages to do something interesting with minimal blocky environments and trundling shapes. For each of the game’s scenes, the aim is to reach a goal by ‘unfolding’ one or more shapes. Each move you make, one of the shape’s faces disappears, leaving you with whatever’s left for further turns, and you can only move in a direction if you have an intact face pointing that way. Early on, you can make all kinds of blunders and still reach the goal. But before long, the shapes become complex many-sided things reminiscent of Tetris blocks, requiring you to think carefully about the order in which their sides are unfolded and the routes you take. Mess up and you can undo as many moves as you like. Even this isn’t galling, the rewind animation being pleasing even when you’ve already watched it several times on a particularly tough level.
Does Not CommuteThis superb arcade puzzler finds you directing traffic about a small town. A vehicle enters the screen, and you’re told where it needs to leave, steering it by way of directional arrows. Easy. Only, this town is afflicted with strange temporal oddness that means subsequent journeys overlap previous ones. Before long, you’re making all kinds of detours to avoid collisions with cars you’d a minute ago driven to safety, which would otherwise wipe seconds off the timer as you wait for damaged vehicles to limp towards their exit. Adding to its smarts, Does Not Commute includes a storyline with multiple characters, playing out across its varied environments. The only snag on mobile: you must complete the entire game in a single sitting. If that sounds like too much, a one-off IAP unlocks checkpoints.
KerfluxIt's rare even in mobile gaming – frequently full of innovation – to find a fresh take on puzzling, but Kerflux surprises with a simple, original concept that's perfectly executed. A crunchy chip-tune plays and you're presented with three waveforms. The music dulls, as if you're underwater, and that's your signal to start manipulating two of the waveforms so they combine to form the third. Achieving this goal is straightforward, and you can initially blaze through the game's levels – even if a more leisurely pace is perhaps more rewarding. Before long, though, any complacency about Kerflux's apparent ease evaporates when additional waves appear and you're juggling four of them, trying to find the perfect combination that unlocks the next challenge.
OrbitAlthough you play games, few of them are about play itself, in the sense of experimenting with a set-up or situation and seeing what happens. Orbit, though, while presenting itself as a puzzle game, is more a minimalist sandbox where you immerse yourself in the delights of creating tiny solar systems. The game is played by slingshotting celestial bodies around black holes. They then proceed to leave colored trails in their wake, while gravity does its thing. Soon, you have planets clustering together, wheeling around one or more black holes, creating minimalist modern art while they do so. It's all rather gorgeous and mesmerizing. The only snag is ads periodically wrecking the mood, although they can be eradicated with a single IAP.
RGB ExpressIn RGB Express, your aim is to build up a delivery company from scratch, all by dropping off little coloured boxes at buildings of the same colour. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Only this is a puzzler that takes place on tiny islands with streets laid out in a strict grid pattern, and decidedly oddball rules regarding road use. Presumably to keep down on tarmac wear, roads are blocked the second a vehicle drives over them. Once you're past the early levels, making all your deliveries often requires fashioning convoluted snake-like paths across the entire map, not least when bridge switches come into play. Despite its cute graphics, then, RGB Express is in reality a devious and tricky puzzle game, which will have you swearing later levels simply aren't possible, before cracking one, feeling chuffed and then staring in disbelief at what follows. The best free arcade games for AndroidOur favorite free Android arcade titles, fighting games and retro fare.
Williams PinballWilliams Pinball squeezes some of history’s best pinball tables into your Android device. Each has been lovingly recreated, with superb physics, lighting, and visuals. Although this being a free app, your experience does end up bouncing around some freemium bumpers. You start by choosing one table to unlock from the selection, and you then gain XP, table parts, and coins from daily challenges (single-ball; score attacks). Parts and coins can be used to gradually unlock other tables for challenges, and then free play. This takes ages, and we doubt many players will ever get tables to level four, where creator Zen Studio’s animatronic components come into play. Still, the vanilla pinball’s great, the challenges are fun, and at worst you’ll have one amazing table to play, assuming you pick well at the start. (Hint: Attack from Mars or Medieval Madness!)
Fly THIS!Fly THIS has hints of mobile classic Flight Control, which some time ago vanished from Google Play. Like the older title, Fly THIS has you draw paths for planes to follow, so they land at airports. But instead of following Flight Control’s endless stylings, ramping up the panic until an inevitable collision, Fly THIS feels more puzzle-oriented in its execution. You deal with fewer planes, but the maps are smaller and peppered with hazards, such as weather and mountains you probably don’t want to steer your aircraft into. You’re also charged with getting passengers from A to B – and must do so within a strict time limit. The entire thing becomes a grin-inducing – and sometimes challenging and frustrating – juggling act. It’s different from the game that inspired it, but no less appealing.
Don’t Trip!Don’t Trip! is an endless runner with a unique vantage point, given that it’s played from above. You plant a massive foot on the ground, aiming to avoid stepping in anything gruesome or deadly, and then twist your phone around to find free space for your other foot. There’s a great physicality about the game that comes from this oddball control method, which can only really work on a handheld touchscreen device. Also, the distinctly zoomed-in nature of the viewport quickly makes Don’t Trip! surprisingly challenging. This is especially true when you suddenly find yourself facing rooms packed full of deranged automated vacuum cleaners armed with massive spikes, knives and swinging axes. So much for robots reducing the hassle of housework…
Super FowlstSuper Fowlst is the follow-up to claustrophobic high-octane avoid ’em up Fowlst. In this sequel, demons from the first game have overrun the world, and they can only be stopped by a head-butting chicken. So, yeah, this isn’t your typical arcade game. As you dart left and right, like a refugee from Flappy Bird, you must line up your arc-like paths with fire-spitting enemies, and make use of the local environment to, for example, unsportingly crush foes under massive boulders. There’s a lot to like here, including the procedurally generated stages, plentiful secrets and unlockable characters. And although we’d say the boss battles are a bit too difficult, Super Fowlst is so good you’ll keep on clucking until those giant demons are toast.
Candies 'n CursesCandies 'n Curses is a great warning that when all of your friends start properly freaking out about that haunted house down the road, perhaps you should listen. Molli Pop didn’t, and now she’s stuck in tiny rooms packed with spirits, ghosts, and all manner of spooky critters. Fortunately, she can zap them with her torch. This is a speedy one-thumb affair, with you swiping to make Molli leap between platforms and change direction. Because of the claustrophobic nature of the game, you must constantly have your wits about you, to avoid life-force-depleting collisions – especially with tricky end-of-level bosses. There are only six rooms to visit, but the game’s challenge is such that it’ll take a while before you see them all. In the meantime, you’ll get plenty of fast-paced ghostbusting fun for free.
Train PartyTrain Party is a collaborative or competitive game for between two and 12 players. It features a little train happily chugging along, about to have a rather nasty surprise, given that no-one’s thought to lay some tracks. You and your friends must therefore avert a derailing disaster, figuring out the best place to drop sections of track, dealing with stubborn local wildlife, and ensuring a rogue track bomber doesn’t scupper your plans with a bang. When collaborating, the train automatically heads to whoever’s device has a completed section of track; but in competitive mode, it always goes around in order. The last player to not cause an accident wins, and – presumably – is then qualified for a combined job in rail transit, zookeeping, and counter-terrorism.
BaconBacon is an entertaining and lightly satirical arcade game, poking fun at food hacks. They say bacon makes everything better, and so Bacon puts that to the test, by having you flick the tasty foodstuff on to nearby foods – at least at first. You tap to drop your slice of meaty goodness into a sizzling pan. Another deft tap should be enough to flip it on to a nearby cheeseburger. Next up: pancakes. And then it all goes a bit weird. The game will ask you to put bacon in a glass of red wine, atop the Chinese character for pleasure, and – brilliantly – on Francis Bacon. The physics and controls are pitch-perfect, and some levels are surprisingly tough – but almost always very silly indeed.
Sneak OpsSneak Ops is a retro-infused stealth game where every day brings a new mission. The goal is to get to the chopper by stealthily moving through an enemy compound without being spotted. The game utilises intuitive top-down gameplay - initially, you can freely scamper about the tiles, but when deeper into your mission, it’s vital to carefully time runs past cameras – and regularly use your ability to smack guards over the head. Getting to the chopper is tough, but if you don’t fancy starting from scratch on being captured, you can ‘buy’ restart points with floppy disks that litter the compounds – an odd quirk we suspect a real spy would give up their best attaché case for. Fun gameplay and a fresh daily challenge keep Sneak Ops feeling fresh.
SpaceteamSpaceteam is a superb multiplayer game that deftly showcases your ability (or lack thereof) to work as part of a (space)team. With between two and eight players connected in local multiplayer, you’re informed that your spaceship is fleeing an exploding star, and you must perform actions to stave off your transport being blown up in a manner that would be a major downer for everyone on board. The snag is the controls were designed by a lunatic. They’re spread between everyone’s screens, and demands simply show up as text-based prompts, so you’ll be searching for the Dangling Shunter switch and Spectrobolt slider, while pleading with everyone to “please turn on the Eigenthrottle”. Captain Kirk never had it this tough.
HeliHopperHeliHopper is a helicopter game that involves quite a lot of hopping and an awful lot of crashing. In part, this is probably because helicopters are primarily designed for zooming through the air rather than jumping around like frogs, but there you go. The aim of HeliHopper is simple: using a basic slingshot mechanism (think Angry Birds), you must direct your helicopter to another landing pad. Depending on the particular level you’re tackling, you might be able to nudge the helicopter mid-flight, collect bling, or complete several painstakingly precise ‘flights’ in a row. An ideal arcade blast for quick sessions, HeliHopper provides a set of defined missions and nine endless modes. Although if you never want to set foot in a helicopter after smashing hundreds of the things here, don’t blame us.
JodeoJodeo features a cycloptic blob being put through the grinder by a sadist. A claw-like contraption lifts the jelly-like critter above an ‘experiment’ and lets go. Your aim: to move it left and right, squelching over every edge of geometric shapes lazily rotating on the screen – without falling off. With standard 2D forms, Jodeo might have been entertaining, but it wouldn’t have been as interesting. Here, you’re tackling 3D objects moving in and out of a 2D plane, along with other ‘scientific’ conditions, such as someone unhelpfully hurling meteors your way, or turning off a shape’s lines so you can’t see them. The experience is short, but it’s hard to gripe about a freebie – not least given the protagonist’s seemingly permanent expression of sheer terror.
Beat StreetBeat Street is a love letter to retro brawlers, echoing the likes of classic arcade title Double Dragon. Yet here you duff up all manner of evil gang members by way of using only a single thumb. This is quite the achievement. Old-style scrolling beat ’em ups might not have had a modern-day gamepad littered with buttons and triggers, but they still had a joystick and two action buttons. Here, though, you drag to move, tap to punch, and use gestures to fire off special moves. It works wonderfully. Beat Street gradually reveals new abilities and features – not least weapon pick-ups, one of which rather unsportingly has you smack opponents over the head with what’s described as an ’80s brick.
Stranger Things: The GameStranger Things: The Game re-imagines the Netflix TV show, set in 1984, as a 1980s videogame. How meta, you might think… but it works. You take on the role of gruff Officer Hopper, trying to uncover a mystery at the heart of Hawkins, Indiana. As you work your way deeper into the game, you gradually find new characters, each with individual powers that are vital for further progression. This pixelated adventure game looks the part (despite not being quite as retro as games of the period), and offers an entertaining mix of straightforward puzzling (find an object; put it somewhere specific), and gleefully punching local security forces when they get in your way. Well, it is set in the 1980s – you’re not supposed to solve mysteries with brainpower alone.
iHUGUiHUGU is an arcade game that reckons everyone should get along and hug – just not too often. The bulk of the title is a quick-fire arcade memory test, where you hug each character you come across precisely once. If they’ve been hugged before, flick them by – or your game’s over. Once you’ve powered up your hug bar, iHUGU provides a brief diversion in the form of a mini-game, which can be anything from darting about and grabbing leaves, to whatever the hug equivalent of a beat ’em up is (a ‘hug fight’, apparently). The entire thing’s endearingly daft. With eight locations, 100 characters to unlock, and a character editor to create terrifyingly freaky monsters with which to hug, there’s longevity here, too. iHUGU also proves there are still new things to say in single-finger Android gaming. We hug it.
Up The WallUp The Wall is suitably named given that it probably will drive you mad. It’s an autorunner with a vicious streak, but also some serious design smarts. You start out by selecting a character from the claw machine, and that determines which world you’re dropped in. You might be a rubber duck blazing along bathroom tiles, or a skull skidding through a fiery hell. The aim: get to the end of a hand-crafted level to add the character to your collection. Even the so-called ‘easy’ levels are tough, and the swipe controls are sometimes a bit iffy. But the trippy visuals, head-bobbing audio, and varied isometric worlds peppered with devious traps will keep drawing you back.
Silly Sausage: Doggy DessertIn Silly Sausage: Doggy Dessert, the world’s stretchiest canine finds himself trying to worm his way through a land of cake, chocolate, ice cream, and a worrying number of spikes, saw-blades, and massive bombs. Rather than walk like a normal pooch, the furry hero of this game stretches as you swipe, until his front paws can cling on to something. His bottom then snaps back into place. It’s quite the trick – but also a hazard if one end of his body ends up in danger when the other end is worryingly distant. There are 50 scenes in all, along with tricky bonus rooms to try and beat. And although some of the later bits of the game are perhaps a bit too testing, this one as a whole is a very tasty, satisfying arcade treat.
Grumpy Cat’s Worst Game EverThis one’s far from the worst game ever, but it does feature an amusingly grumpy cat. It’s actually a set of simple mini-games, reminiscent of Nintendo’s WarioWare series, only here, they feature a miffed moggie that’d sooner be somewhere – anywhere – else. Each miniature challenge in Grumpy Cat’s Worst Game Ever can be understood in an instant – stamping a paw on a laser pointer by tapping the screen; firing the cat upward to secure a cardboard box of dreams; pressing shaped buttons to traverse a path and reach a fish. The variety of mini-games keeps it fresh and interesting, and the game is often smile inducing thanks to its mix of colorful art, ludicrous concepts and eternally irritated feline. The longer you survive, the faster and more demanding everything becomes. Fail and the grumpy cat scowls, but you’re also awarded coins to acquire new games by way of stickers won from a prize machine. Naturally, every one of them features the grumpy cat.
Hammer BombTake an early 1990s FPS, smash it into an auto-runner, add a dash of Pac-Man, and you'd end up with Hammer Bomb. You're dumped in dank mazes and dungeons full of hideous beasts and must stomp along, finding keys, loot, weapons and the way out. Levels are randomised, adding a Roguelike quality to proceedings, and the entire game's underpinned by a levelling up system. This means XP being awarded for killing loads of monsters, rapidly finding the exit, or performing other tasks, such as completing quests (which, in a nod to Ms. Pac-Man, involves hunting down roaming foodstuff). Every few levels, you face off against a massive screen-high boss, darting towards it with whatever weapon you have to hand, before fleeing like a coward. Survive long enough and you can swap coins for upgrades. Top tip: as soon as you've 150 coins and level 3 status, grab the radar, because Hammer Bomb is much friendlier when you can spot monsters on the top-down map. The best free match games for AndroidOur favorite free Android games where you swap gems and match tiles, aiming for a high score.
Six MatchSix Match is a new take on match games. Instead of swapping gems, you switch coins by having the suitably named Mr Swap-With-Coins barge past them. The twist: a number on the cuboid hero’s head denotes how many moves he has left before he freezes to the spot – six at most before he must make the next match. This twist makes for a very different match experience – one that’s far more strategic than swiping at the screen like a maniac. You can’t afford to waste moves – particularly when Six Match introduces new concepts to help and hinder. These include bombs, coin-shifting cages that assist and frustrate in equal measure, deadly skulls, and poker-style card hands that boost your score. The combination of factors proves clever and engaging, and offers scope for long-term play as you work out strategies to improve your score.
Push & PopPush & Pop is a sliding tiles puzzler, with mechanics not a million miles away from Threes! (or low-rent knock-off 2048), but this is no mere clone. Instead, it builds on the basics of shifting tiles or blocks around a limited space by also borrowing ideas from Sokoban and Pac-Man, before stripping everything right back again. Play occurs on a five-by-five grid, around which you slide a cuboid. On every move, a new block appears somewhere on the grid. Arrange five into a solid line by pushing them and they disappear, freeing up space, and leaving behind gems the blocky hero can collect by eating or shoving blocks through them. Further complications are added when immovable blocks appear. Your game’s over when you become stuck. With its neon visuals and ethereal soundtrack, Push & Pop takes simple foundations and runs with them, fashioning an intriguing, engaging, and surprisingly novel title.
Laps – FuseLaps – Fuse is a match-three game based around numbered discs. If three or more of the same meet, they fuse into a new disc with twice the face value. The tiny snag: you’ve limited slots to hurl discs into. The other tiny snag: the discs you hurl zoom about the edge of a circle. The other other tiny snag: you’ve only 20 laps to secure your high-score – and thereby Laps bragging rights. This isn’t a thoughtful Threes-style outing, then – more an arcade puzzler on fast-forward. You at every moment you must plan ahead, trying to set up matches and chain reactions that fling your circling disc back a little way, buying you a few seconds of extra time. It’s a tense, clever take on what’s become a tired genre. And should you master the main mode, you can unlock ‘endless’, ‘furious’ (faster), and ‘extreme’ (fewer slots – presumably for masochists).
Wilful KittyWilful Kitty is a sliding tile puzzle game on a four-by-four grid. But before you yawn and assume it’s another 2048 knock-off (which itself was a Threes! knock-off), guess again. Because this game features cats. And all the things that cats really like. The twist here is a little kitty moves about the grid as you swipe, and objects that enter the grid are combined into consumables and toys. For example, milk and a bowl becomes a kitty drink, and a plate and some fish makes a hearty lunch. This shift in mechanics shakes up everything you knew about this kind of game – as does you being able to charge up a ‘satisfaction bar’ that when full unleashes a ‘Hyper Kitty Dash’, clearing a chunk of the playfield in double-quick time. It’s entertaining serving the tiny cat’s every need – and surprisingly challenging, too. Because it turns out this Wilful Kitty has bite.
Age of 2048Age of 2048 is effectively a reskin of popular swipe-based tile puzzler 2048. Now, 2048 was really a low-rent knock-off of the far superior Threes! (which has its own free version), but it had the advantage of being open source, therefore opening itself up to all kinds of variations on the basic theme. In the original 2048, you swipe to slide numbered tiles about a four-by-four grid. Merged pairs then double their face value. But Age of 2048 is all about buildings. Initially, you swipe bits of rock together, until you’re fashioning tents and stone monuments. Build a ‘wonder’ – the largest building type and the equivalent of the 2048 tile in the original – and you unlock the next stage. Ultimately, Age of 2048 is still a slightly limited game, lacking the nuance and charm of Threes!. But its concept, design, and the addition of some useful power-ups, ensures it’s worth a download, and that it manages to stand out from the crowd.
TopsoilWith its four-by-four grid and penchant for rapidly restricting the playfield, Topsoil comes across a bit like a horticultural Threes! There’s no sliding cards about, though – instead, you’re presented with a string of things to plant, and prod open spaces to plonk them down. After three, you get a chance to harvest – and this is where things become more complicated. You get more points for harvesting many plants at once, which requires them to be on adjacent squares. But on harvesting anything, the soil beneath is turned over. Soil cycles between blue, yellow, and green, and groups of plants cannot cross different soil colors. The net result is a clever game where you must plan ahead, and where you keep digging for strategies to last longer and discover new plants to grow and harvest.
ImagoThere are a lot of Android puzzle games that involve you sliding blocks about, but Imago is one of the best, even giving Threes! a run for its money. You drag numbered tiles around a grid, merging those of the same colour and shape. On doing so, their numbers combine, but when merged groups reach a certain size, they split into smaller tiles, each retaining the score of the larger piece. Successful games require careful forward planning, with only a few moves it can be possible to ramp up scores dramatically, into the millions or even billions! The game's relative complexity is countered by a smart modes system that gradually introduces you to Imago's intricacies. There's also a Daily Flight mode that provides a regular influx of new challenges, for when the standard modes begin to pall. On Android, we noticed a few minor visual glitches here and there, but otherwise this is a must-download puzzle game that's among the best on the platform.
Threes! FreeIn Threes! Free, you slide numbered cards around a tiny grid, merging pairs to increase their values and make room for new cards. Strategy comes from the cards all moving simultaneously, along with you needing to keep space free to make subsequent merges, forcing you to think ahead. On launch, it was a rare example of a new and furiously compulsive puzzle-game mechanic. Within days, it was mercilessly ripped off, free clones flooding Google Play. Now, though, you can get authentic Threes! action entirely for free, and discover why it's 2048 times better than every freebie 2048 game (personality; attention to detail; music; small elements of game design that make a big difference). You get 12 free games to start. Add groups of three more by watching a video ad. And you can always upgrade to the paid version if you get suitably hooked.
BejeweledThere are loads of freebie Bejeweled knock-offs on Google Play, and so if you fancy a bit of gem-swapping, you may as well download the original. For reasons beyond us, Android owners don't get the multitude of modes available on some other platforms, but there's the original match-three 'classic', the can't-lose 'zen', and the superb 'diamond mine'. In the last of those, matches smash a hole into the ground. You're playing against the clock, and over time uncover harder rock that needs special moves to obliterate. It's a frenetic, intense experience considering this is a match-three title, although high-score chasers might cast a suspicious eye over the offer to extend the time limit by watching an advert. The best free platform games for AndroidOur favorite free Android platformers, from classic retro 2D fare to full-on console-style adventures.
Spicy PiggySpicy Piggy is like Canabalt, but with an auto-running pig that breathes fire. Along with carefully timing jumps, you belch flames that obliterate everything from enemies to walls. (It turns out the pig’s wolfed down some particularly hot chili, and is desperate for a drink.) This is, to put it mildly, a tricky game. You must perform intricate finger gymnastics to prod the three action buttons (you can also slide) at the perfect moments to nail a route’s required choreography. There are checkpoints, but unlocking one requires spending collected fruit (which can only be grabbed once) or watching an ad. The game therefore tends to be staccato, or forces you to replay sections again and again. Even so, it brings home the bacon if you’re after an exciting hardcore auto-runner.
Yeah Bunny 2Yeah Bunny 2 might be wafer-thin on plot – find a mother bird’s kidnapped chicks – but it’s big on fun as your speedy rabbit zooms about platforms, grabbing carrots, collecting coins, squashing enemies, and trying very hard to not get impaled on a spike. We’re in traditional platform-gaming territory, then, but without conventional controls. This bunny auto-runs, and so your interactions are limited to timing jumps, whether that’s across deadly pits, or from wall to wall, ninja-style. Levels can become puzzle-like as you figure out how to get to areas with this stripped-back setup, and sometimes backtracking can be a chore. For the most part though, Yeah Bunny 2 is a blast – and surprisingly exciting during levels where you’re chased by a gigantic, deadly boss.
Snow KidsSnow Kids finds a chunky cartoon penguin on a mission to, apparently, immerse himself in an epic snowball fight. Not everyone else shares this dream, mind, and so his path is blocked by angry sheep, and other hazards. Fortunately, when they’re hit by a snowball, they freeze; said chilled critters can then be booted across the screen, potentially taking out their cohorts. With retro-style pixel art, chiptune music, and some entertaining boss fights, Snow Kids is a love letter to classic scrolling platforming action. It’s certainly not the most innovative game on Android (nor even from its creator, also responsible for Super Cat Tales 2 and Drop Wizard Tower); but if you’re in the market for some cartoonish leapy gem-collecting larks, with a snowball-flinging twist, you’ll have a ball.
Turn Undead 2: Monster HunterIn stills, Turn Undead 2: Monster Hunter looks like an action-packed platform game. Its heavily armed, cloaked hero can be seen performing all manner of monster-killing feats with two massive guns that fire stakes the size of a small tree. Only Turn Undead 2 – as the name hints at – is in fact turn-based. This means you get all the trappings of a classic platform game, but within the framework of a clockwork turn-based puzzler. You get time to plan every move you make, but with the ongoing realization that you might not make it to the exit if you put a foot wrong. Arguably, it’s a little too tough at times, which can frustrate. Even so, this game’s well worth hunting down, purely because of how well the mash-up of genres works.
Super Cat Tales 2Super Cat Tales 2 follows in the feline footsteps of its superb predecessor. All chunky retro-style visuals and leapy gameplay, this high-octane platformer finds a ragtag gang of moggies trying to save their world from an alien invasion. Like the original, this sequel cleverly rethinks platform game controls for the touchscreen – tapping or holding the left or right of your device’s display is all that’s required for running, leaping, wall-jumping like a furry ninja, and obliterating robot foes when you chance upon a massive yellow tank. Smartly, this time round you can switch cats on the fly, making use of each one’s special power to blaze through tricky sections, or unearth sneaky secrets. For a fiver, we’d recommend this one; for free, it’s a total no-brainer.
It’s Full of SparksIt’s Full of Sparks is a speed-run platformer where sentient firecrackers must find a body of water to hurl themselves into before their fuses make them explode all over the shop. The first level is a sprint to the finish line, but the game immediately makes things more complicated. You first don some red shades, which give you a button for turning on and off chunks of red landscape. Two more colors soon join the show. As the levels increase in size, you end up with a crazed, tense dash for survival, juggling bits of landscape via delicate finger choreography that’d impress even the finest flautist. The game can be frustrating, and larger levels need quite a bit of trial and error, but this game’s charm and innovation ensures its spark won’t die for the duration.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 ClassicSonic The Hedgehog 2 arrived on consoles in 1992 and, like its predecessor, is a super-fast side-scrolling platform game. The aim is to zoom through levels, grab gold rings, and avoid the enemies and spikes liberally sprinkled about. This sequel also adds a Super Dash Attack to help Sonic obliterate foes, and 3D special stages, which recall newer Sonic fare on mobile. The game is rightly regarded as a classic, and the mobile version is a rare example of retro done well. Rather than giving you a bog-standard emulator, Sega has fully ‘remastered’ the game in widescreen, added enhancements and secrets, and provided touchscreen controls that are actually pretty good. There are obnoxious ads here and there, but they’re a small price to pay to get Sonic 2 on your Android for nothing; and if they bug you, a one-off IAP removes them forever.
Cat BirdCat Bird is another in a long line of platform games where a cute protagonist has somehow found themselves in a kind of videogame hell, surrounded by danger and death. The hero is an oddball combination of cat and bird - although Cat Bird is a bit rubbish at the ‘bird’ bit, only being able to glide rather than fly. Level layouts are largely built around this ability, with the furry affront to evolution often gliding past saw blades by a hair’s breadth, before snagging keys and taunting doddering enemies. Really, it’s all very familiar territory, but the delicate pixel art is lovely, with subtle animations like Cat Bird’s twitchy ears, and tiny hopping birds in the background. Also, the level design manages to smartly make use of the hero’s flappy nature, meaning success requires the use of your brain alongside twitchy thumbs. Download it meow. (Sorry.)
Flat PackFlat Pack rethinks platform games by wrapping levels around 3D shapes. The aim is to dodder or fly about, grab six sides of a golden cube, and make for the exit. But each level has its own twist, forcing you to think on your feet – or rotors if you’re careening through the air, heading for some spikes. Early on, for example, you contend with ‘flipping gravity’. This requires moving around a cubic section of level in a specific way, so you can enter from another direction. One level is two huge blocks that smash together at regular intervals, squashing slowpoke adventurers who dawdle. And it only gets more disorienting from there. This could so easily have been a gimmicky offering, but it’s the smart level design that transforms Flat Pack into a must-have freebie.
Hoggy 2Hoggy 2 is a platform puzzler that feels like it’s escaped from a Nintendo console. The premise involves the evil Moon Men kidnapping the children of the blobby heroes. You must find where the kids have been hidden, somewhere inside a massive maze full of jars. Each jar houses a bite-sized challenge packed full of platforms, enemies, traps, and fruit. Eat all the fruit and you’re awarded a key. Collect enough keys to unlock new areas of the maze. The platforming bits are frequently deviously fiendish. Early levels ease you in, but you’re soon facing tests that seem impossible until you spot something crucial – a block you’d previously not noticed, or a different order in which to approach things – whereupon you feel like a genius. Should you best all 200 hand-crafted levels, you can make your own in a level editor, or take on those the Hoggy community’s created. That this all comes for free is astonishing. Download it now.
Drop Wizard TowerDrop Wizard Tower is a superbly crafted love letter to classic single-screen arcade platform games like Bubble Bobble. You dart about, knocking out enemies, grabbing gems and fruit, and duffing up bosses, working your way towards a final confrontation. However, there’s a twist in that Drop Wizard Tower fuses old-school platforming with auto-running. Your little wizard never stops moving, and can only be directed left or right. And he only shoots the instant he lands on a platform. You’ll likely fight against this at first, cursing Drop Wizard Tower for straying from traditional left/right/jump/fire controls. But the game really works on mobile, and when it clicks you’ll be zooming about, stunning foes with your magic wand, and booting them away to create tumbling ‘avalanches’ of enemies.
Sonic The HedgehogSonic The Hedgehog hasn’t fared as well as one-time rival Mario. Whereas Nintendo’s mascot still features in first-rate platformers, Sega’s blue hedgehog is more often mired in freemium rubbish. With Sonic The Hedgehog, though, you’re getting the original Genesis/Mega Drive classic. In fact, you’re getting more. This is no lazy emulator, but a fully remastered game, with improved performance and widescreen 60fps visuals. Although a touch fiddly at times, care’s been taken with customizable on-screen controls, and there’s gamepad controller support, too. Most importantly, the game itself remains compelling, with Sonic zooming about colorful landscapes filled with platforms, traps, gold rings, patrolling enemies, dizzying loops and tunnels, and the occasional boss. Retro-gaming’s often a disappointment, but Sonic stands the test of time. If only all old games were reworked for mobile with such care.
Circle AffinityA brutal, brilliant platform game, Circle Affinity finds its protagonist in a literal take on the circles of hell – only here there are considerably more than nine. He scoots about the edge of each disc, leaps into it, and then must jump to the outer edge of the next circle, which bobs about in the air. All the while, massive teeth-like daggers close in, and demons march back and forth, waiting for you to blunder into them. Games are initially short, and Circle Affinity almost taunts you on death, as you try to master the inherently-disorienting nature. Over time, you'll begin to survive a little longer, whereupon you'll be rewarded with new eye-searing color schemes and additional play modes.
Leap DayTouchscreens should be a poor fit for platform games, which typically require the kind of precision that only comes from a physical controller. This is why so many mobile titles opt for auto-running, distilling platform gaming to its core essence of timing jumps. In Leap Day, your little yellow character is tasked with getting to the top of a tall tower. You can jump, double jump and slide down walls, but that's it. You must therefore carefully leap past cartoon foes and gigantic spikes, grabbing fruit along the way. At various points on your climb are checkpoints, which can be bought with 20 fruit or by watching an ad. This means you don't have to start from scratch on coming a cropper. And when you do reach the summit, you can come back the next day for an entirely new level to try.
Bean DreamsAlthough there are exceptions, traditional platform games rarely work on touchscreens. Fortunately, canny developers have rethought the genre, stripping it back to its very essence. In Bean Dreams, you help a jumping bean traverse all kinds of hazards, by sending the bouncing hatted seed left or right. Each level is cleverly designed to offer optimum paths, boosting your points tally when hitting the goal having made the fewest bounces. Timing is everything, then, but there are further challenges that reward exploration. To find the pet axolotls spread across the map, or collect all the fruit, you must use different approaches, which adds plenty of replay value.
Cally's Caves 3Poor Cally. It's like she can't go for five minutes without her parents being kidnapped. It's third time unlucky for her in Cally's Caves 3, but lucky for you, because you get an excellent old-school platformer that costs nothing at all. Cally leaps about, shooting and stabbing enemies in a gleeful manner you might consider unusual for a young girl with pigtails. The game's brutal, too, with a checkpoint system that will have you gnashing teeth when you die a few steps before a restart point. But the weapon upgrade system is clever (keep shooting things to power up guns!), there are loads of items to discover, and unlike on iOS, the free Android version has several extra unlocked modes. The best free sports games for AndroidOur favorite free Android golf, football, tennis and extreme sports games.
Nano Golf: Hole In OneNano Golf: Hole In One has apparently decided that anyone who needs more than a single shot on any given mini-golf course should be immediately expelled. Here, then, you drag back your finger to set power and direction, aiming for the hole. Get your hole-in-one, and you score a point; miss and your game instantly comes to an end. In play, Nano Golf comes across like mini-golf in fast forward. Courses are tiny, but strewn with hazards, including teleporters and cannons. There’s always something new, which keeps you on your toes. And although the game is arguably quite lightweight in nature, it’s entertaining trying to beat your high score, or figure out how unlockable balls (Bee ball! Explosive bombs!) shake things up.
Touchgrind BMX 2Touchgrind BMX 2 is a BMX trials sports game. In other words, it’s not enough to just be fast – you also have to be a massive show-off, catapulting your bike into the air, before performing all manner of stunts. However, unlike the majority of trials games on mobile, Touchgrind eschews a side-on view for something far more tactile and ambitious. Your bike is seen from above and behind, and you’re invited to park two of your fingers on it – one on the handlebar and one on the seat. Subtle movement allows you to steer, while flicks let you perform the aforementioned stunts. Success and high scores rely on mastery of stunt combos and committing courses to memory, and then stringing together bike-based choreography that’d make your hair curl if you were to try it in the real world. Great stuff.
Rowdy WrestlingRowdy Wrestling manages what some people might consider impossible: taking a sport that’s already full of spectacle and the ridiculous, and making it even more so in every conceivable way. Bouts involve absurdly bouncy physics and fighters whose arms whirl about their person. Buttons enable you to move left and right, jump, and attack, but this isn’t a game about precision and nuance. Instead, it’s a madcap free-for-all, where you feel like you’re, in terms of control, clinging on by your fingertips. Fortunately, it’s a blast. Although it can irk when you lose because your wrestler’s seemingly doing his own thing, it’s hard to stay mad at a fighting game that’s this stupid. And it moves beyond single-bout gimmickry, too, with tag-team and career modes.
Score! MatchScore! Match reimagines the beautiful game (as in, soccer – or football if you’re British and the S-word sends you into apoplectic fury) as a turn-based match of wits where you draw passes and attempts at goal with a finger. The basic premise will be familiar to anyone who’s played other Score! games,, but in this one you’re not attempting to recreate history’s greatest goals. Instead, you go head-to-head against other players online, in two-minute first-to-two-goal bouts. There’s a lot of freemium gunk lurking: currencies; timers; loot boxes. Also, the AI’s wonky, and the commentary is laughable. But the underlying mechanics are great to the point none of that really matters – not least when you’re one-nil down and have only seconds to get the equalizer that will secure a penalty shoot-out.
Virtua Tennis ChallengeVirtua Tennis Challenge is based on the classic tennis game that years ago once graced the Dreamcast. Although it politely doffed a sun visor in the direction of realism, the game was very much a frantic, exciting arcade outing – and that’s just as true on mobile, as you scoot about the court, trying to better your opponent with a dizzying array of well-placed lobs and electrifying super shots. Given its console origins, the game controls as well as can be expected. And that means badly if you opt for the gestural controls, which make your tennis star look like they’ve had a few gins too many before appearing on the court. But go for the on-screen D-pad and buttons, and Sega’s tennis game is a fine example of having your own little Wimbledon nestled on your smartphone.
Mad Skills BMX 2Mad Skills BMX 2 is a one-on-one racing game. You pit your skills against various opponents, racing them on tracks packed full of ramps and bumpy sections designed to make you giddy as you zoom along. And this is very much a fast game. When deep into a race, the scenery blazes by in a blur as you battle to beat your opponent and take the checkered flag. It’s a true arcade experience, with two-button/one-thumb controls making racing all about track mastery and careful timing. Somehow, it often feels like a breakneck upside down Tiny Wings. And although it does eventually spray pay-to-win freemium in your face, for a good few hours this one’s wheelie good.
Battle Golf OnlineBattle Golf Online is a major revamp of the original – and hugely entertaining – Battle Golf. Once again, the golf bit is stripped right back to two players whacking balls toward holes that appear from a lake. Some of these are greens with slopes to aid the ball’s progress. Others are rather more esoteric – a lighthouse with smashed-out windows; a submarine; the Loch Ness Monster with a hat. The controls are straightforward – a tap to stop an aiming arrow and another to choose your shot’s power. And that’s just as well, because this game’s more about speed than precision – and the first to five wins. Against the computer AI, this results in frenetic, entertaining battles, but the hole-in-one comes from online multiplayer, where you battle it out against real humans. Just watch out for people performing the so-called ‘pro’ shot, hitting and hoping before holes surface from the water.
TouchdownersTouchdowners is, it’s fair to say, not an entirely accurate recreation of American football. Here, two three-strong teams (usually human, but sometimes skeletons or chickens), face off, their arms spinning wildly as they move. Also, the pitch appears to be a massive trampoline. If you can wrestle your bounding trio into submission, you might get a touchdown. If the other side gets one: game over. (Unless you’re in Career mode, whereupon it’s first to three – or first to five in the final.) It’s all totally stupid, but – much like Wrassling and Dunkers, by the same team – loads of raucous, breezy fun. Just expect to be a touch disappointed next time you watch a real match, and the Miami Dolphins aren’t soaring through the air, desperately fending off an attack from a team of actual sharks.
Super Stickman Golf 3This third entry in the Super Stickman Golf series is perhaps feeling a bit too familiar, but the game remains the best side-on golf to be found on Android. As ever, your little stickman is charged with smacking balls about courses comprising floating islands, laser-infested bases, and space stations. You set your direction and strength, hit the ball, and hope for the best – although this time you can also add spin. Power-ups eventually enter the mix, providing opportunities to discover new ways to lower your scores. There are also two multiplayer modes – a deranged real-time race and a more sedate turn-based affair. The free version of Super Stickman Golf 3 is a little limited regarding simultaneous multiplayer games and access to new courses, but a single IAP unlocks the premium game.
Pokémon GOAlthough a far cry from classic Pokémon titles, there's no getting away from the sheer impact of Pokémon GO. It's resulted in swarms of smartphone users roaming the streets and countryside, searching for tiny creatures they can only see through their screens. In all honesty, the game is simplistic: find a Pokémon, lob balls at it, amble about for a while to hatch eggs, and use your collection of critters to take over and guard virtual gyms. But despite basic combat and the game's tendency to clobber your Android's battery, it taps into the collector mentality; and it's a rare example of successfully integrating a game into the real world, getting people physically outside and - shock - interacting with each other. The best free word games for AndroidOur favorite free Android games that are all about letters, anagrams and crosswords.
TypochondriaTypochondria is the ideal word game for anyone who gets miffed on spotting a terrible spelling mistake when reading a book or article. Your beady eye is pitted against the clock, with you tapping typos within the paragraphs of a crime novel. It proves surprisingly fun – and nerve-racking when you’re down to your final seconds and just can’t find a misspelling. If that all sounds a bit too stressful, there’s a Zen mode for when you want to relax and play endlessly, without any risk. There’s a tough challenge mode, too, which tasks you with finding how many errors are within a specific page. IAP lurks, but only to try your hand at other genres, including sci-fi, romance and non-fiction. Buying any of these inexpensive packs removes the ads.
Alphabear 2Alphabear 2 is the sequel to TechRadar favorite Alphabear – a word game that mixes up anagrams and large furry critters. Each game takes place on a grid, and you select letters to form words. Used letters vanish and bears then fill the gaps. But if turn-based countdowns on any letters reach zero, the tiles turn to stone, scuppering gigantobear schemes. The game shakes things up a bit with timed levels, and a fairly baffling meta-game where you collect bears to unlock a bewildering array of bonuses. There’s also a smattering of educational content lurking within, giving you an excuse when someone asks if you’re wasting all your time playing games again. Well worth bear-ing in mind, then, if you’ve a hankering for a fab new set of word puzzles.
Bonza Word PuzzleBonza Word Puzzle deconstructs the classic crossword. Rather than a clue for each word, you get one for the entire puzzle. Said challenge is essentially a completed crossword that’s been hacked to bits and sprayed across your screen like a cross between a Scrabble set and tetrominoes. Early levels lead you in gently. When there are only a few pieces to manipulate, it’s not much trouble to complete the puzzle before you. But when you’re staring at a dozen or more tiny clusters of letters, figuring out how they all join up is an invigorating test. Bonza does have IAP for level packs, but you get a decent selection for free. Even better: every day, you receive a new puzzle, giving the game reason to stick around on your device for the long term.
Dropwords 2Dropwords 2 brings together Boggle and Bejeweled. You sit before a five-by-five grid of letters while a timer ticks down. When you spot a word that snakes through the board, you tap it out from start to end. Submit your word and its letters vanish; gravity then has its brief moment of glory, bringing in new letters for you to use. Like in timed Bejeweled modes, fast matches are the key to high scores. However, keeping your timer bar full doesn’t just require rapidly submitting words, but also finding longer ones that’ll give you an extra second or two. If that all seems a bit stressful, there are more relaxing modes too. And the app rather neatly provides a slew of other customization options, from larger boards to alternate typefaces – just as well, given the default Chalkboard that whiffs of Comic Sans.
Jumbline 2Jumbline 2 is one for anagram fiends. Its main mode starts life as a row of scrambled letters, and a bunch of empty slots awaiting any words you find. Against the clock (which is surprisingly tense and exciting), or in a more relaxed timer-free mode, you drag to rearrange letters, and then draw a line beneath relevant ones to send a word to its slot. Get them all to try the next level. There are two additional modes as well. Cloud Pop has you fashion words from letters found within clouds, using them before they vanish from the screen, but Star Tower is better, having you create the floors of a tower as it gradually scrolls downwards. Longer words make for taller floors, gaining you precious extra seconds to get your brain in gear and think of something suitably amazing with your next set of letters.
LetterpressLetterpress combines the anagrams of Boggle with the territory capturing of Risk. Two players take part in a turn-based battle on a five-by-five grid of letters. Any letters used in your word turn your color – but there’s a twist: those surrounded by your tiles cannot be captured by the other player during their turn. Strategy within Letterpress is therefore not just about finding the biggest words – and certainly not if its tiles are spread about the board. You must instead cunningly eat into your opponent’s territory while safeguarding your own. Battles become like an intense tug of war, ramping up the excitement and providing the kind of edge not usually found in word games.
SpellspireSpellspire finds you as a crotchety wizard, trying to climb a tower. The snag is that heavily armed monsters want to stop you. This might not sound like the premise for a typical word game, but Spellspire adds a bit of magic to the anagrams mix. On each floor, you get 10 letters to juggle and form into words that become fuel for spells. Short words only unleash a smallish magical blast, but longer words give your foes a serious kicking. Perform well on your quests and you’ll over time acquire new bling, with which to take on tougher floors. There’s a bit of grind – you’ll need to replay levels to get enough clout to duff up even the earliest boss – but Spellspire is always fun, and you’ll smile from ear to ear once you start walloping foes with seven-letter words.
AlphabearAlphabear has you spell out words by selecting them on a grid, but there’s a twist: use letters that are adjacent to each other and bears fill the space. As you remove letters around them, the bears continue to expand. At the same time, you’ll notice countdowns on each of the letter tiles – when they reach zero, they turn to immovable stone, potentially scuppering any gigantobear schemes you had in mind. When your game’s done, you’ll be given a score and probably also a bear, which can act as a power-up in subsequent games. Frankly, this bit doesn’t quite click, given the bewildering array of bonuses on offer, and the rather overt nudge towards IAP to wake up tired bears. Otherwise, this one’s a furry good word game that’s well worth bear-ing in mind.
TypeshiftTypeshift rethinks anagrams, word searches and crosswords. Each puzzle comprises columns of letters you can drag up and down, the aim being to make a complete word in the central row. When you do so, the word’s letters change color. To complete the puzzle, you must color all of the letters. Although completing puzzles at speed rewards you with higher scores on the leaderboard, such aspects to Typeshift are largely hidden. This is mostly a lean-back game to relax with, but should you hanker for an additional layer of brain-smashing, you can try cracking crossword-style puzzles where you match words to set clues. It’s worth noting that Typeshift’s puzzles are hand-crafted, not algorithmically generated, so they do run out - and only some of them are free. Still, there’s always a daily puzzle to try your hand (or your best swiping finger) at.
ScrabbleYes, the proper Scrabble, not some copyright-infringing clone that'll be pulled by the time you read these words. EA bought the license, tidied it up and stuck it out on Android, where it's a remarkably advert and in-app purchase free experience. It's been beefed up with a few new modes, but stuff like the ability to sync with Facebook and play multiple matches is actually exactly what you need. A classic that's not been ruined. Hooray. The best free endless runners for AndroidOur favorite free Android games where you run, hop, drive or pinball towards a high score – or an abrupt end.
Transformers Bumblebee OverdriveTransformers Bumblebee Overdrive is a fast-paced one-thumb arcade game, which has you direct a lone heroic Autobot to blow up a seemingly endless number of evil Decepticon bases. True to Transformers lore, your character gets to transform from vehicle to robot and back a fair bit. He starts off as a car, barreling along in gameplay that echoes arcade classic Spy Hunter. On reaching a Decepticon base, he transforms and starts blasting, dodging laser fire and explosions. With enough points, he can take on a big boss. Given its freemium underpinnings, there’s grind lurking within, but Bumblebee Overdrive is fun from the off, has smart level design, and offers varied boss battles that force you to quickly spot attack patterns – or Bumblebee gets very rapidly transformed into a pile of scrap.
PAKO ForeverPAKO Forever is the third entry in a car chase series gradually leaving behind all semblance of reality. If its predecessors were a bit odd at times, Forever is decidedly nutty. It dumps you in the world’s largest car park, with a seemingly unlimited number of cop cars out for the kill. If you’re rammed just once, your game is over. Initially, that will take mere seconds. But you soon figure out how to drift and snake around obstacles to eke out some extra seconds. At that point, you can start collecting temporary bonus weapons, or chancing upon bizarre ‘events’ like UFOs and volcanic eruptions. The game’s a touch crude, and should arguably be more forgiving; but for a quick blast of high-octane racing survival, it hits the spot.
Alto’s OdysseyAlto’s Odyssey finds the titular board-obsessed protagonist move from the snowy slopes of Alto’s Adventure to sandy dunes. Again, he’s on an endless journey, zooming through eye-dazzling scenery, and regularly flinging himself into the air for the odd bit of show-off and score-chasing stunt work. The game starts off very similar to its predecessor, to the point it might feel like you’re just getting new visuals. You prod the screen to leap, hold to somersault, and must regularly clear massive ravines. You still get chased, too, albeit by rabid wildlife rather than angry elders. But soon you discover new places to explore, and novel ideas like the ability to wall ride. And if working your way through the game’s increasingly tough achievements gets too stressful, there’s a chill-out risk-free ‘Zen’ mode that’s just you, an endless desert, and some moody music.
Bendy in Nightmare RunBendy in Nightmare Run is an auto-runner set in a world of deranged 1920s black-and-white cartoons, seemingly from a place where such creative endeavors are designed to terrify rather than entertain. You spend your time running out of the screen, fleeing from some kind of hideous monstrosity with massive and very sharp teeth, and whatever minions it spews your way. You must swipe between lanes to avoid getting clobbered, and occasionally pick up weapons you can lob behind you, giving your pursuer a taste of its own medicine. This game is no pushover. The battles become increasingly tough, with careful timing and deft swiping required if you’re to have any chance of survival. But the unusual viewpoint and superb aesthetics make Bendy very much worth a download, even if the core gameplay is ultimately rather familiar.
Will HeroWill Hero is a superb, daft, frenetic one-thumb platform game featuring a bunch of squares. Perhaps it’s easier to animate such creatures, but a lack of torsos and limbs hasn’t made Will and his enemies any less violent. Instead, they’re intent on hacking each other to pieces. Initially, you largely spend your time prodding the screen to move forward and attempting to jump on bouncing enemy heads, like a simplified geometric Mario. But grab a chest and all bets are off. You might find a massive sword or missiles within. Will Hero then becomes a blast – a glorious minute or two of gore and destruction, before you lose your concentration for a moment and are sliced in half by an inconveniently placed and surprisingly dangerous windmill. This one’s great – install it immediately.
Power Hover: CruisePower Hover: Cruise is a spin-off from futuristic hoverboarding game Power Hover. Whereas that game mostly featured heavily choreographed levels punctuated by the odd boss battle, this one’s all about endless challenges that involve the robot protagonist eventually becoming a pile of scrap metal. The journey, though, is wonderful. Several of Power Hover: Cruise’s modes could lay claim to being among the best endless runners on Android, and you get over half a dozen here, each with its own distinct feel, hazards and challenges. As you arc across the screen, learning to master the board’s heavy inertia, you’ll be thrilled when dodging dancing lasers inside a pyramid by a hair’s breadth, whirling around a track snaking through the sky, and avoiding projectiles hurled your way by a psychotic monster living deep in an underground tunnel – and who everyone probably should have left alone.
Glitch DashGlitch Dash is a premium auto-runner. It’s also really, really hard. It essentially dumps you in an abstract world of checkerboard corridors peppered with traps. You must swipe to dodge, leap and slide, avoiding walls, laser grids, and massive scythes that some nutcase has left swinging from above. The high-octane gameplay is augmented by an intense electronic soundtrack that broadly matches the moves you must make in order to survive. And unlike the majority of entries in this genre, Glitch Dash’s levels are hand-crafted. This means when you fail (and you will – often, and sometimes when tantalizingly close to your goal), it’s down to your lack of mastery and an inability to make your thumbs do what you want them to. But you’ll try again right away. After all, you’re not going to let a game beat you.
HoppenhelmHoppenhelm has an air of the familiar with its chunky pixelated graphics and tap-to-move mechanics, but this mix of twitch gaming, one-thumb action and arcade fare turns out to be surprisingly compelling and a little bit different. The backstory finds the titular knight lost in dungeons that are filling with lava. With each step he takes, the lava drops back a touch – but you can’t simply hammer the walk button and escape a fiery death because the dungeons are packed full of hazards and monsters. This is where the other two buttons come in. The sword is used to kill enemies, and the shield can protect from fireballs. Because Hoppenhelm is played at speed, the result is a thrilling combination of fast reactions, timing, prioritization, and swearing at your thumbs when the knight is devoured by a goofy floating head.
InfiniroomInfiniroom is Canabalt in a box, infused with the sadistic nature of Super Hexagon. You prod the screen to make the auto-running protagonist leap to avoid electrified boxes that appear from every surface of a room you’re trapped in. And like a certain superhero, he happily runs up any wall he reaches, then along the ceiling and back down again. It’s dizzying and chaotic, but Infiniroom further ramps up the tension by continually chopping and changing the play field. At any moment, you may get a second’s warning before a chunk of space disappears (don’t be there when it does), or a new area opens up. And then the game starts gleefully lobbing saw blades and lasers at you. Not a relaxing game, then, but one you’ll want to play again and again. And given how short Infiniroom games are, you can pack plenty into the shortest break.
Flipping LegendFlipping Legend is a demanding endless runner smashed into an RPG-like upgrade system. The protagonist embarks on an orgy of destruction atop a chessboard-like pathway, and can only leap diagonally. This initially makes your head spin, not least because the path is a wraparound one. This means if you leap off of its left-hand side, you reappear on the right – something you frequently have to make use of, to avoid the many hazards in your way. To further complicate matters, your health bar drains at an alarming rate, and only refills when you biff enemies. Grab enough bling and you can unlock power-ups for taking out multiple foes. With an energetic soundtrack, a bunch of alternate characters, and a very smart chunky art style, Flipping Legend shows there’s still life left in endless runners (albeit as the hero is busy killing everything in this one).
Binary DashZero points for innovation in Binary Dash, which is another side-scrolling auto-runner where you tap to jump, and tap somewhere else to flip upside-down. But many points for the combination of super-fast gameplay, superb level design, and a visual aesthetic that thumbs its nose at the modern-day penchant for mid-80s pixel art, instead hurling you back to the lurid charms of late 1970s gaming. Yes, Binary Dash more looks like it’s been vomited out of an ancient Atari console, but it nonetheless has a quirky charm. And the game itself is great. It eases you in gently, helping you get to grips with flipping above and below the horizon, thus turning game-ending pillars into pits to leap over when you’re upside-down. Before long, though, your thumbs will be seriously challenged by the tight choreography required to jump and flip your way to the ends of later levels.
Sky DancerYet another into-the-screen endless runner, channeling Temple Run. Yawn. Only Sky Dancer has a certain something that keeps you playing – and that certain something is leaving your stomach in your throat every time you jump. Much of this is down to the construction of Sky Dancer’s world, which comprises tiny chunks of land hanging in the air in a manner that rocks usually don’t have. As you hurl yourself off the edge of one, you must quickly maneuver to land on a platform below. Battling gravity and inertia is exhilarating, especially when the game speeds up and you know the slightest miscalculation will result in you meeting a splattery end on the desert floor.
PinOutPinball infused with the DNA of an against-the-clock endless runner sounds like an odd combination – but it works. In PinOut’s neon world – featuring a gorgeous electro soundtrack – a massive table stretches far into the distance. Within: dozens of miniature tables comprising flippers, ramps, and more than a few traps. The basic aim at every turn is to keep moving forward to the next mini-table – and quickly. Accurate ramp shots are key, and so mastering the game’s physics and the layout of its various stages is essential. For advocates, this is a fresh take on pinball that works brilliantly in mobile form. And for newcomers, PinOut is freed from the frequently arcane rules of pinball, but loses none of its frenetic excitement.
PolywarpComing across like Super Hexagon got infatuated with polygons, Polywarp is a brutally difficult arcade experience that’s also maddeningly compulsive. The basics are simple: your polygon sits at the center of the screen, and walls close in from the edges. By tapping the left or right-hand side of the screen, respectively, you reduce or increase your polygon’s edge count, to match the next shape that’s aiming to crush you. Everything moves at speed and whirls about, like you’re playing in a washing machine packed with an endless number of lurid shapes. Initially, Polywarp feels impossible, but you soon recognize patterns to commit to memory and master. Last 60 seconds and you’ll feel like a champ – until you realize a new, tougher mode’s waiting to humiliate your thumbs.
Cubed Rally WorldMore or less an auto-runner on a five-lane road, Cubed Rally World is all about belting along, steering left and right to avoid anything in your path. Survive long enough in this isometric landscape and you hit the checkered flag, where cube-oriented fame and fortune awaits. But things get really interesting when you grab coins en-route and start buying new vehicles on the game’s home screen. Each vehicle shakes up the visuals and the manner in which you race - the dune buggy, for example, can leap majestically over sandy hills where the UFO bothers farmyard cows to add some variety into a older game format. More importantly, for every vehicle you buy, a new track section is added to the rally, the vehicle you control automatically switching when you reach that point. Amass a suitably large collection and there’s the potential for colossal scores – but completing the rally becomes significantly harder, which helps prolong longetivity.
Magic Touch: Wizard for HireEven now, years after Android proved itself as a major gaming platform, some developers seem to barely remember the touchscreen exists. If you reckon trudging through games with virtual D-pads and buttons can be a chore, Magic Touch: Wizard for Hire will be a little slice of magic. You’re a wizard, defending a castle from interlopers attached to balloons. Cast spells by scribbling gestures to match symbols on the balloons and said flotation devices explode – much to the surprise of their owners, who then rapidly plummet towards a squishy end. Miss just one of them and your wizarding days are done. From the off, this is a fresh, frantic survival game, especially when trying your hand at the super-fast extreme mode. Stick around for long enough and you’ll be able to utilize super spells too, turning enemies into frogs, and summoning a dragon. Which we all need to do on the odd Thursday here and there.
Disney Crossy RoadWe're big fans of Crossy Road, which is both a lesson in how to update a classic arcade game (Frogger), and create a free-to-play business model that isn't hateful. (In short, throw free coins at players, don't make anything pay to win, and add loads of tempting but entirely optional characters to buy.) With Disney Crossy Road, anything could have happened, but this is far from a cheap cash-in. Sure, it starts off very much like Crossy Road - just starring Mickey Mouse. But unlock a few characters (you'll have at least three within ten minutes) and you suddenly find yourself immersed in chunky takes on famous movies, such as Toy Story, Wreck-It Ralph, and The Lion King. Even better, these aren't mere skins on the original. Each world has unique features, from tiny graphical details that will thrill fans, through to subtle shifts in how the game is played that force you to dramatically change your approach.
Alto's AdventureYou might think there's little new in Alto's Adventure, which is essentially endless leapy game Canabalt on ice. But refined visuals best even Monument Valley, with an eye-popping day/night cycle and gorgeous weather effects; additionally, there's a delightful soundtrack, and a kind of effortless elegance that permeates throughout, propelling Alto's Adventure beyond its contemporaries. Ostensibly, Alto's Adventure is a game about collecting escaped llamas, but mostly Alto is keen on mucking about on snowy slopes. You zoom down hills, catapult yourself into the air, and try to somersault before face-planting. Extra challenge arrives in the form of chaining stunts to increase your speed, and outrunning elders, angry you're having fun rather than sitting in a stinky llama pen.
Rust BucketIn Rust Bucket, a cartoon helmet with a sword dodders about a vibrant dungeon, offing all manner of cute but deadly adversaries — skittering skulls, angry armoured pigs, and spooky ghosts. This is a turn-based affair, echoing classic RPGs, but its endless dungeon and savage nature transform it into a puzzle game perfect for quickfire mobile sessions. You must learn how foes move and react, plan every step and always keep in mind a single error can spell doom. In its current incarnation, Rust Bucket cleverly balances enough depth to keep you coming back with the brevity that makes it ideal for on-the-go roguelike larks. Future plans include finite puzzle modes and expanded endless content. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Amazon's Fire TV stick is down to its lowest price ever Posted: 14 May 2019 07:04 AM PDT If you're in the market for a streaming device, then you've come to the right place. Amazon has slashed the price on its best-selling Fire TV sticks. Prime members can get the 4K Fire TV stick on sale for $34.99. That's a $15 discount and the best price we've seen for streaming media player. Amazon also has the 2nd generation Fire TV stick on sale for Prime members for just $24. Prime members can also get the 2nd generation Fire TV stick on sale for $24.99. While the media player lacks 4K streaming, it does offer an Alexa remote so you can stream you favorite content using your voice. You can shop more Fire TV device deals with the best Amazon Fire TV deals, prices and sales that are happening now. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best over-ear headphones 2019: the best-sounding, most comfortable cans Posted: 14 May 2019 07:00 AM PDT The Best Over-Ear Headphones Buying Guide: Welcome to TechRadar's round-up of the best Hi-Fi over-ear headphones that you can buy in 2019. There are many great headphones on the market, including sturdy in-ear 'phones designed for workouts, wireless Bluetooth buds and now a few good true wireless options to give Apple's AirPods a run for their money. However, if you're looking for good quality sound and best-in-class performance, nothing beats the full immersion you'll get from a pair of top over-ear headphones. Of course it's all down to personal preference, but if pristine audio performance matters more to you than a wireless pair of headphones or buds that are super compact, then you can't do better than the headphones we've listed below. As with most tech these days, you need to be willing to make a few trade-offs. Whether that means buying a pair of wired headphones instead of wireless ones, or losing out on features like active noise cancellation so that audio can sound as neutral and clear as possible.
Before you invest in a pair of the best over-ear headphones, you'll need to consider what your priorities are. If you're looking for the best wireless headphones and best noise-cancelling headphones guides specifically, we can help you out, but don't feel bad if you're specifically looking for Hi-Fi headphones and don't mind shaving off some of the non-essential features to get it. We also have a guide specifically about Beats headphones. Although we like slick design, comfort and portability in our headphones, this guide will focus on sound quality above all else. There are a few wireless and noise-cancelling equipped choices in our list, but that's only because they sound great in addition to packing these new features. Be sure to keep checking back, as we'll be constantly updating this guide with the best headphones - which, as you can expect, changes frequently. That said, you can expect this guide to be as up-to-date as we can get it on any given day, ensuring that you're getting out top picks all year round. Without further ado, here's our guide to getting the most for your money, whatever your budget. What are the best over-ear headphones?
Image Credit: Beyerdynamic While Beyerdynamic may not be as well known as its German brother, Sennheiser, the audio company has a history of creating some of the best sounding audio gear on the market – the company’s DT770, DT880 and DT990 were renown for their excellent build and sound quality. Above them all, however, stands the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, an open-back version of the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, a headphone which won our Editor’s Choice for its imaging, design and value for the money. Both headphones are priced the same ($599, £589, AU$1,159), so you won’t find a deal picking up one over the other. The difference here comes down to sound. As they’re open-back, the DT 1990 Pro are meant to be used at home or in the studio for serious analytical listening. Sound is able to get in and out but the good news is that the open-back design gives you the DT 1990 Pro a great sense of space. Soundstage is quite wide, too, allowing even the most lackadaisical listener to pinpoint the exact location of where each instrument is playing. If you've been searching for a pair of Hi-Fi headphones that are used by some of the world's leading audio engineers, these are them. Read the full review: Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
Image Credit: Philips The Philips Fidelio X2's are a superb pair of headphones offering premium comfort and build quality with a sound that rivals even the most vaunted audiophile cans. Perhaps on sheer sound quality they're a notch off the likes of the top Oppo or Sennheiser offerings – but the fact that you'd be saving vast amounts of cash by opting for the Philips is just a no brainer. Read the full review: Philips Fidelio X2
Image Credit: Beyerdynamic The Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pros are a stunning pair of headphones. Are they expensive? To some no, to most yes; but for the sheer listening experience they deliver you'd be hard pressed to take them off after putting them on, even using them with portable HRA players and mobile phones. That said, they really do push the boundaries of what you can do with a dynamic driver. All praise to Beyerdynamic for putting together such a wonderful product. Read the full review: Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro
Image Credit: Sennheiser The fourth entry on our list easily could've been the first if it didn't cost well over $1,000/£1,000. The Sennheiser HD 800 are, hands down, one of the best-sounding pairs of over-ear headphones on the planet, affectionately praised by inner circles of audiophiles the world over. When paired with the proper hardware, they sound absolutely excellent – balanced in every way. Unfortunately, they're supremely expensive and require more audio equipment than the average consumer is ready to buy. Should you find yourself in need – or, let's be honest, in want – of amazing over-ear headphones, these are them. Read the full review: Sennheiser HD 800
Image Credit: 1MORE If you’re looking for a pair of audiophile headphones that won’t break the bank, the 1MORE Triple Driver over-ear is a great place to start. Its build quality and detailed sound really impress and we think bass-lovers will like the slight mid-bass emphasis and control in the lower registers while not sacrificing the mids or highs. The headphone reveals a good level of detail throughout the frequency range and never get harsh in the upper registers. To that end, it’s hard to fault the $250 (about £190, AU$338) 1MORE Triple Driver Over-Ear, making them an easy recommendation for the price. Read the full review: 1MORE Triple Driver Over-Ear
Image Credit: Bowers & Wilkins The B&W P9 Signatures are simply some of the best-sounding headphones we’ve ever used. They have a tight, refined sound that offers an almost unmatched level of detail. That said, the fact remains that they’re a comparatively feature-light pair of cans. If you want to spend less then you can get a much more portable pair that’ll be better suited to the morning commute or a plane ride thanks to additional features like noise-cancellation and Bluetooth connectivity. But, if you’re looking to invest in a seriously high-quality pair of headphones to listen to a high-quality music collection, then there are few that can match the P9s at this price point. Read the full review: B&W P9 Signature
Image Credit: Sony It's almost unfair to stick them in the same category as the more critical listening-focused over-ear headphones, but the Sony WH-1000XM3 are one of the best all-around headphones we heard last year. Not only do they sound great and pack excellent noise-cancellation, but they manage to do this all wirelessly. Other headphones on our list offer superior sound quality, sure, but the WH-1000XM3 manage to offer the best balance of features and performance. And while it's the noise-cancellation that really sell these headphones, they've also got a couple of interesting tricks up their sleeves like built-in Google Assistant and Alexa, plus support for NFC and aptX HD with some Android devices. Offering all of this without a serious price-premium over the competition means the Sony WH-1000XM3 are a great all-around choice for on-the-go music listeners. Read the full review: Sony WH-1000XM3
Image Credit: Audio-Technica Audiophiles typically shun wireless headphones because of poor sound quality. However, Bluetooth audio has improved tremendously over the years. There are now plenty of wireless headphones that can please the music enthusiast, with Hi-Res Audio support being more and more prevalent. That said, the Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT feature some of the best wired and wireless sound quality for a headphone under $200 (£150). They play well with all music genres and offer a near-flat response curve. They're extremely comfortable for long listening sessions and are well built. Battery life is equally impressive with nearly 40 hours of playback from a charge. And while they lack some features of more expensive wireless headphones like active noise cancelling and multi-device pairing, these are tradeoffs worth making for phenomenal sound. Read the full review: Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT
Image Credit: Beyerdynamic The Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless are the best-sounding wireless headphones you can buy, period. Sound is spacious, detailed, and makes you want to rediscover your music library. Their bulky design and average noise isolation make them terrible for travel but if you’re looking for the best sound from a wireless headphone, this is it. Read the full review: Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless
Image Credit: Bose After cutting the wires off its flagship cans with the Bose QC35 headphones, Bose's QC35 II are a slightly more minor upgrade. This time the big addition is Google Assistant, which can be summoned with the press of a button. Otherwise these are more or less the same headphones that we enjoyed the first time around. The QC35s aren't the best sounding out there, but their noise-cancellation is class-leading and if that's your priority then they're a great choice. Read the full review: Bose QC35 II
Image Credit: TechRadar For the money, the JBL Live 650BTNC punch above its weight in terms of sound quality, build, and features. The cons we have listed above – like mapping the assistant to the touchpad and its use of microUSB – are simply nitpicks with none of them being outright deal-breakers. That said, we came away very impressed at the well-rounded package JBL created for the market and would certainly recommend them to anyone in the market for a cheap pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Read the full review: JBL Live 650BTNC review
Image Credit: TechRadar The SXFI Air headphones are something of a mixed bag when used in Bluetooth mode, and if you’re mainly planning to use them indoors then it’s tempting to opt for the less expensive wired version instead. However, the wired mode really shows off the SXFI holographic audio to best effect, adding a dramatic sense of space to music, games and video alike. There’s still some room for improvement when listening to music – but for gaming and video the SXFI Air is about as good as you’ll get for just over $150. Read the full review: Creative SXFI Air headphones review
Image Credit: Microsoft Overall, Microsoft’s Surface headphones are surprisingly good, with a stunningly warm sound, and generous bass frequencies, which means your music will sound great whether you’re listening to subby hip-hop or acoustic singer-songwriters. One criticism of this warm sound is that it can take some of the attack away from lower-mid frequencies, which some users may find a bit underwhelming. However, if sharp trebles and mids tend to give you listening fatigue, these could be the perfect headphones for you. The calling card of these headphones is the active noise cancellation, which we felt worked really well, and we loved how easy it was to control this using the inbuilt dials on each housing. Although we were initially unconvinced by the high price (particularly when you can buy quality cans from heritage audio brands for less), the features work so seamlessly that it feels justified.
Image credit: TechRadar The Focal Stellias sound absolutely fantastic. Their wide-open soundstage and detailed, accurate sound treatment means they make any genre of music sound brilliant. If you listen to songs you think you know inside out, the Stellias' precise separation of the frequencies means that you will probably hear details you’ve never noticed before. So why didn't they make the list? Well, we included them as a bonus option because they're incredible. But they're very, very expensive. They're $3,000. And as good as they are, therein lies the problem: the Focal Stellias are prohibitively expensive for most people, at 10 times the price of our current favorite headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM3s. Read the full review: Focal Stellia review
Check out our videos below for a roundup of the best headphones available. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Google Assistant arrives on Sonos One speakers Posted: 14 May 2019 06:54 AM PDT Google Assistant has finally arrived on the Sonos One smart speaker and Sonos Beam soundbar, via a free free software update in the United States. Sonos says that the update will be rolled out to the "UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, France, and The Netherlands" in July, with "additional countries to follow".
The company originally promised both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support back in 2017, and despite a number of updates to the Sonos One – including AirPlay 2 support – Google Assistant hadn't been among them until now. Flexibility for the smart homeThe integration with Google Assistant means that Sonos One and Sonos Beam users can "easily start a song, queue a TV show, check the weather, and control the smart home" by giving voice commands to the built-in assistant. It will also be possible to control compatible Google smart home devices that work with Google Assistant via the Sonos One or Sonos Beam. In a letter sent out to Sonos shareholders, CEO Patrick Spence said that the new feature "will truly elevate the customer experience and marks the first time that consumers will be able to buy a single smart speaker and get to choose which voice assistant they want to use". "We think giving consumers choice is always the right decision, and we anticipate this philosophy will be adopted in the industry over time." Having interoperability between different voice assistants could prove very lucrative for the company, especially if customers value flexibility in their smart home products as much as Sonos is clearly hoping. In a press release, the company said that Sonos customer "will have the ability to choose an assistant for each individual speaker", which means you could have Alexa built-in to the Sonos Beam in your living room, while the Sonos One in your kitchen is set up with Google Assistant.
The Sonos Beam (Image credit: Sonos) The Sonos One was recently updated with a second generation model, but as Sonos said “the original Sonos One will continue to be supported through regular updates", Google Assistant will be available on the original model as promised. Due to the recent upgrade, you can find the original Sonos One on sale for around $179 / £179 / AU$279 while the second gen model picks up the previous price tag of $199 /£199 / AU$299. The Sonos Beam soundbar, which impressed us with its compact design and superb sound quality, comes in at $399 / £399 / AU$599.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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