Apple : Sony TV 2020: every Sony Bravia and Master Series TV coming this year |
- Sony TV 2020: every Sony Bravia and Master Series TV coming this year
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| Sony TV 2020: every Sony Bravia and Master Series TV coming this year Posted: 05 Feb 2020 12:57 PM PST 2020 has arrived, and with it a slew of new announcements from the biggest and best TV brands out there – meaning we’ve had a good look at the next round of Sony TVs scheduled for release this year. That means more 8K sets, more OLED panels, and more sound vibrating out of panels. Only so much of the 2020 Sony TV lineup has been announced, but we know enough to get a general picture of what’s going to be on offer.
After seeing a few of the models at CES 2020, it's looking like Sony's TV lineup is more of a continuation of last year's lineup than a bold, new vision for TVs, but we're still excited for the TVs coming our way this year. (We felt a bit differently about the audio offering in its televisions, though.) So what exactly has been announced, and what are we in the dark about? Here’s everything you need to know about the Sony TV 2020 lineup. Sony 2020 TV technologyWhat’s new for 2020? Internally, not that much. Sony’s flagship televisions this year use the same X1 Ultimate processor as 2019, meaning that, while there may be some improvements in how Sony deploys and makes use of that processing power, these 2020 TVs don’t actually have any more computing power at their disposal. One new feature is Ambient Optimization, which Sony describes as “a new technology that optimises picture and sound quality in any customer environment.” It will enable select Sony TVs to adjust the picture brightness automatically depending on the level of light in your living room (or bedroom, cabin, wherever), ensuring you don’t suffer from too much glare or struggle with dim images – say, as some may find with the low brightness of OLED models, of which Sony has several. It’s quite similar to the new Dolby Vision IQ technology we’re seeing deployed by Panasonic in its new HZ2000 OLED TV, though it won’t be exclusive to only one HDR format, and will also be able to detect the layout of the room (furniture, curtains, etc) and fine-tune the acoustics of the sound being played by its speakers. Several sets will continue Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, which uses motor-driven ‘actuators’ placed around the set’s casing to vibrate sound across the whole panel. It’s a neat concept in theory, though it can serve to muddy the audio somewhat as it spreads it around. The Z8H will use what Sony calls a ‘frame tweeter’ to enhance this, though it seems to be the same underlying concept as in previous years.
Acoustic Surface Audio+ vibrates the panel itself to emit sound from across the screen. Sony TVs are well-known for their TV stand designs – which might be a weird reputation to embrace, especially as the tilted screens of previous years weren’t always received warmly. But the premium models this year will actually have adjustable feet below the television, allowing an element of customization that means you don’t need a counter / table as wide as the panel to prop it up. We also can’t talk about Sony in 2020 without mentioning the next-gen PS5 console – and Sony has made sure at least some of its new sets will support the console’s advanced capabilities. The Z8H’s panel can display 8K gaming, for starters, while both it and the X900H 4K LED will support 4K play at 120Hz frame rate. (The X900H will need to wait for a software update sometime after launch, though.) As ever, the new Sony TV range will make use of the Android TV smart TV platform, now in its Android 9.0 (Pie) iteration, with 4K HDR models coming with built-in Google Assistant, Alexa compatability, and Apple AirPlay 2 for casting from iOS devices. Sony also supports Dolby Vision rather than the competing HDR10+ format. New Sony TVs for 2020
Sony Z8H 8K LCD (available in 75, 85 inches): Sony's flagship 8K display was one of two new sets shown off at CES this year, with an X1 Ultimate processor, 4K video at 120Hz, Dolby Vision / Atmos, Netflix Calibrated Mode, and even moveable feet for easy placement in your home. Its new 'frame tweeters' should enhance Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech, too. There's no official pricing, but last year's Z Series cost £13,999 (around $17,675) for the 85-inch model, and as the flagship, it certainly won't be cheap! Here's our first look at the Sony Z8H/ZH8 8K TV US models: XBR-75Z8H, XBR-85Z8H UK models: KD-75ZH8, KD-85ZH8
Sony A8H 4K OLED (available in 55, 65 inches): This 4K/HDR display may have lower specs than the Z8H flagship, but it's still a heavyweight in Sony's 2020 TV lineup. Its OLED panel will ensure deep blacks and incredible brightness control, with the X1 Ultimate processor, Dolby Vision / Atmos support, and Netflix Calibrated Mode to make it shine. This year's OLED also gets Sony's X-Motion Clarity technology for the first time, which should help smooth out fast-moving scenes. Here's our first look at the Sony A8H/AH8 4K OLED TV US models: XBR-55A8H, XBR-65A8H UK models: KD-55AH8, KD-65AH8
Sony A9G 4K OLED (new 48-inch size): Hold on, isn't this a 2019 model? Correct! But Sony is using the stellar A9G to introduce its first 48-inch OLED display. Other manufacturers such as LG will be doing the same in their TV ranges, but Sony will still be one of the first few doing so. US models: XBR-48A9G UK models: KD-48AG9
X950H 4K LCD (available in 49, 55, 65, 75, 85 inches): Another LCD set with the X1 Ultimate processor, Dolby Vision / Atmos, and the Sound-from-Picture Reality tech for pinning audio to its source onscreen. The 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch models have a flush design with minimal bezel, too. Sony is making a number of improvements this year like the expansion of X-Wide Angle technology to the 55- and 65-inch models and improved Acoustic Multi-Audio, one of the biggest issues we had with last year’s X950G. US models: XBR-49X950H, XBR-55X950H, XBR-65X950H, XBR-75X950H, XBR-85X950H UK models: KD-49XH9505, KD-55XH9505, KD-65XH9505, KD-75XH9505, KD-85XH9505
X900H 4K LCD (available in 55, 65, 75, 85 inches): A 4K/HDR set that uses the less advanced X1 processor. You won't get as advanced picture processing, but you still get the same format support and full-array local dimming for detailed brightness control. US models: XBR-55X900H, XBR-65X900H, XBR-75X900H, XBR-85X900H UK models: KD-55XH9005, KD-65XH9005, KD-75XH9005, KD-85XH9005
X800H 4K LCD (available in 43, 49, 55, 65, 75, 85 inches): Same X1 processor as above, but without the full array local dimming – meaning brightness won't be as consistent. UK shoppers will be able to choose between the XH80, XH81 and XH85, with each varying slightly in the design, feet, and sizing. In the US, the 43-inch version will cost $699, the 55-inch will come in at $999 while the 65-inch and 75-inch come in at $1,199 and $1,799, respectively, and the range-topping 85-inch X800H at $2,699. US models: XBR-43X800H, XBR-49X800H, XBR-55X800H, XBR-65X800H, XBR-75X800H UK models: KD-43XH8505, KD-49XH8505, KD-43XH8196, KD-49XH8196, KD-55XH8196, KD-65XH8196, KD-43XH8096, KD-49XH8096, KD-55XH8096, KD-65XH8096, KD-75XH8096, KD-85XH8096 X70 4K LCD (available in 49, 55, 65 inches): Likely the cheapest 4K/HDR set in the Sony 2020 TV lineup, this UK-only set ditches the Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support for simpler television offering. Expect lower-spec processing too. UK models: KD-49X7052, KD-55X7052, KD-65X7052 Sony Master Series 2019 Models
Sony Z9G 8K (available in 85, 98 inches): An 8K wonder powered by Sony's X1 Ultimate processor, with a resurrected Backlight Master Drive from Sony's 2016 Z Series TVs delivers enhanced contrast and precision controlled brightness – as well as a dedicated viewing mode for watching Netflix. Intrigued? The 85-inch model retails at £13,999 (around $17,675), while a monstrously large 98-inch model will jump you up to £84,999 (around $107,330). If the price tag doesn't puts you off – or even if it does – read more in our five-star Sony Bravia Master Series Z9G 8K HDR TV review. US models: XBR-85Z9G, XBR-98Z9G UK models: KD-85ZG9, KD-98ZG9
Sony A9G 4K (available in 55, 65, 77 inches): This second-tier Master Series set uses the X1 Ultimate processor to power some serious 4K visuals – as well as the same Netflix Calibrated Mode as the Z9G. With an OLED panel, you'll also be getting some vivid color contrast and deep blacks, even if high-end LED tech is starting to give it a run for its money. Speaking of money, the 55-inch model will start at $2,799 / £2,999 (around AU$3,970). Check out our Sony A9G OLED review for why we gave it a full five stars. US models: XBR-55A9G, XBR-65A9G, XBR-77A9G UK models: KD-55AG9, KD-65AG9, KD-77AG9 Sony Bravia 2019 Models
Sony A8G OLED (available in 55, 65 inches): Featuring the same X1 Extreme processor and Acoustic Surface Audio as last year's A1 OLED, the A8G / AG8 sticks to 55 and 65-inch models, leaving the 77-inch size to its Master Series OLED counterpart. In a snazzy design choice, you can also adjust the height of the TV stand to make room for a soundbar. Starting at $2,500 / £2,299 (around AU$3,570) for the 55-inch model, and $3,500 / £3,199 (around AU$4,999) for the 65-inch. US models: XBR-55A8G, XBR-65A8G, XBR-77A8G UK models: KD-55AG8, KD-65AG8, KD-77AG8
Sony X9500G (available in 55, 65, 75, 85 inches): Now onto the 4K LCDs... This model still packs in the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support of its more expensive siblings, and the more advanced X1 Ultimate processor for enhanced upscaling and image processing. You get the welcome choice of four distinct size options, including a massive 85-inch display. Starting at $1,399 / £1,899 (around AU$1,972) for the 55-inch model – though given our Sony X9500G review, you may want to hold off. US models: XBR-55X950G, XBR-65X950G, XBR-75X950G, XBR-85X950G UK models: KD-55XG9505, KD-65XG9505, KD-75XG9505, KD-85XG9505
Sony X9000G 4K HDR TV (available in 49 inches): A mid-priced, X1 Extreme powered version of the above – and coming in at a more size-friendly 49 inches. Currently only announced for UK. UK models: KD-49XG9005
Sony X8500G 4K HDR TV (available in 55, 65, 75, 85 inches): A step down again, the X8500G / XG85 goes back to a simpler X1 processor (no Extreme or Ultimate upgrade) and more basic backlighting and dimming zones. Last year's model came with edge LED lighting, which simply couldn't meet the demands of today's HDR pictures – but we'll reserve our judgement on this one until it's come in to review. Starting at $1,099 / £1,399 (around AU$1,549). US models: XBR-55X850G, XBR-65X850G, XBR-75X850G, XBR-85X850G UK models: KD-55XG8505, KD-65XG8505, KD-75XG8505, KD-85XG8505
Sony X7000G / XG70 Sony XG83 4K HDR TV (available in 43, 49 inches): Like last year’s model, the XG83 only offers the most basic X1 Processor and 4K X-Reality Pro Upscaler. You'll still get 4K HDR pictures. but they probably won't look nearly as good as they will on the X9000F and above. That said, you can display HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma - and the XG83 sports a stylish aluminium body. Currently only announced for UK, starting at £999. UK models: KD-43XG8305, KD-49XG8305 Sony XG81 4K HDR TV (available in 43, 49, 55, 65 inches): Down to the X-Reality processor, meaning you won’t get as advanced picture processing as above, but you do get a far wider range of model sizes with the XG81 - with only a ‘brushed aluminium look’ though. Currently only announced for UK. UK models: KD-43XG8196, KD-49XG8196, KD-55XG8196, KD-65XG8196 Sony XG80 4K HDR TV (available in 43, 49, 55, 65, 75 inches): Comparable to the XG81, but more basic dimming zones, and a 75-inch model to make up for it. Announced for UK / US. US models: XBR-43X800G, XBR-49X800G, XBR-55X800G, XBR-65X800G, XBR-75X800G UK models: KD-43XG8096, KD-49XG8096, KD-55XG8096, KD-65XG8096, KD-75XG8096 Sony XG70 4K HDR TV (available in 43, 49, 55, 65 inches): This UK-exclusive set is the runt of the HDR litter: a 4K-resolution display with HDR10 and not much else. You’ll get sharper images than the Full HD sets below, though. Available in silver or black. Currently only announced for UK. UK models: KD-43XG7002, KD-49XG7003, KD-55XG7073, KD-65XG7093, KD-43XG7002, KD-49XG7003, KD-55XG7073, KD-65XG7093, KD-43XG7002, KD-49XG7003, KD-55XG7073, KD-65XG7093, KD-43XG7002, KD-49XG7003, KD-55XG7073, KD-465 Sony Full HD 2019 Models
Sony W66G (2019) Sony WG6/W66G (available in 43- and 50-inch sizes): If you've got a hankering for an HDR-capable TV but aren't too keen on 4K, Sony's entry-level W66G (WG6 in the UK) is exactly what you've been looking for. Perfect for Full HD HDR gaming, or just squeezing some extra-rich colors and depth out of 1080p resolution TV, this 2019 model is a smart compromise between cost and performance. UK models: KDL-43WG663, KDL-43WG663 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Resident Evil 8: release date, news and trailers Posted: 05 Feb 2020 12:48 PM PST When it was first released in 2017, Resident Evil 7 was a much-needed rejuvenation for the classic horror franchise. Capcom departed from its usual formula in a big way and even took the opportunity to embrace new experiences with PlayStation VR. This risk paid off and a large proportion of fans and critics embraced the changes, with a keen eye on what the next game might bring. Following on from Resident Evil 7's release, a very successful Resident Evil 2 Remake and a now confirmed Resident Evil 3 Remake, Capcom still isn't ready to confirm that Resident Evil 8 is in the works. But we're hopeful and think that the next chapter of the core Resident Evil series is inevitable. There's not much in the way of solid information but here's everything we know so far about Resident Evil 8 including news, rumors and what we want to see. [Update: A new report suggests that Resident Evil 8 will keep the first person perspective that was used in Resident Evil 7. Read on to find out more.] Resident Evil 8 release dateCapcom hasn't confirmed Resident 8 is in the works so we don't have a release date yet. But we expect we won't see the next chapter in the Resident Evil franchise until at least 2020—perhaps for Xbox Series X or the PS5? Resident Evil 8 news and rumorsFirst Person Perspective It's not even been announced yet but a recent report has suggested that Resident Evil 8 will keep up the first person gameplay perspective that featured in Resident Evil 7. The report comes from fansite Biohazardcast (via Eurogamer). Resident Evil 7 was the first game in the series to adopt a first-person perspective and although the recent remakes haven't picked it up, it's not entirely surprising that Capcom would want to keep it going in a new instalment. It's a continuation of the different, more experimental approach the series took with Biohazard and would allow the new releases to stand even more distinct from the remakes. And it leaves things open for another terrifying VR port. As this is just a rumor, it should be taken with a pinch of salt until such times as Capcom confirms or denies the existence of Resident Evil 8 and what it may involve if it is to be released. A while away? Resident Evil 3 is definitely on the way but a recent rumor (via GamesRadar) has suggested that Resident Evil 8 could still be a while off. According to prominent leaker AestheticGamer (aka DuskGolem), there was a version of Resident Evil 8 in development all the way back in 2016 which was eventually scrapped before being picked up again in around 6 or 7 months ago meaning full on development hasn't been underway for a full year yet. According to the leaker, as a result of this rejigging fans shouldn't expect to see Resident Evil 8 "anytime soon". Of course, this information is only coming from one person and should therefore be taken with a massive pinch of salt, especially given there's not even been any official confirmation that there is indeed a Resident Evil 8 on the way. AestheticGamer does have a good history of providing accurate information, having revealed details on Resident Evil 7's Not A Hero DLC as well as reporting that Resident Evil: Resistance had connections to Resident Evil 3 before it was officially confirmed, but that's no replacement for an official comment from Capcom on its plans for the Resident Evil franchise. Testing for an unrevealed game According to a recent Reddit post, Capcom has invited members of its Resident Evil Ambassadors programme to test an unrevealed game. While there are hopes that it's the still-to-be-confirmed Resident Evil 8 there's also a rumor that it could be a new entry in the fossilised Dino Crisis franchise as Capcom has recently filed for a trademark related to the series. This isn't the first time Capcom has invited Resident Evil Ambassadors to test an unannounced title recently; last time the testing turned out to be for the multiplayer Resident Evil experience, Project Resistance. Does the fact that the previous round of testing was related to a Resident Evil game make it more likely to be a similar scenario this time? It's impossible to say, but the most likely candidates for this unannounced title at the moment new entries to the Resident Evil or Dino Crisis series. We won't know for sure until Capcom makes an official announcement. Resident Evil 3 Remake confirmed As suspected, Capcom has confirmed it's working on a remake of the classic Resident Evil 3, following on from the success of the second game's remake. This is an exciting reveal, but it's not the Resident Evil 8 confirmation we're holding out for. Project Resistance confirmed
Testing on an unconfirmed title The email, translated from Japanese to English and published by fansite Biohaze, reads: “To all Resident Evil Ambassadors, thank you for your patronage regarding the Resident Evil series. Today, we are letting you know that we are recruiting testers for a game that’s in development! “We are interested in incorporating the feedback of all Ambassadors into our development, so please read the details below and, if you are interested in participating, click the entry button.” It's possible these emails referred to Project Resistance, however it may be that they reference Resident Evil 8. Capcom has numerous unannounced titles in development
Work has already started It’ll build on the work of Resident Evil 7 The first thing that he confirmed was that Resident Evil 7 was the start of a new direction for the series and that it was “the start of a new kind of survival horror, and of a new series.” “We’re already thinking about various plans for the next game,” he revealed, “but we also want to see how we can continue to evolve survival horror itself. In the next few years technology will continue to advance and what players want may also change.” It is, admittedly, hard to draw any solid information from this. When Takeuchi spoke in this interview it’s clear that planning was still in the very early stages and it’s quite possible that things such as plot and setting were still yet to be nailed down. While we’d surmise that Resident Evil 8 will build on the fresh new feel of Resident Evil 7, Takeuchi’s comments on wanting to evolve the genre as well as capitalize on changing technologies and player desires suggests that the team aren’t locking themselves into a formula just yet. Just as Resident Evil 7 integrated virtual reality in an interesting experiment that played on the new first-person perspective of the game, Resident Evil 8 could do the same all over again. We could see another perspective change, the team could find new ways to integrate virtual reality technology, or it could even delve into new augmented reality technology. Part one of the "making of" documentary gives a good insight into the kinds of gameplay experiments the team were looking into.
It seems that Takeuchi is telling fans not to assume there’s a new formula from which the developers won’t waver. Resident Evil will be taking a survival horror approach to the creation of survival horror – adapt, change and stay on your toes because you don’t know what new technology or fan request is around the corner. One thing we do know, however, is that the Resident Evil team will “always want to create horror experiences where the characters overcome a difficult situation.” Takeuchi said he believes this is what survival horror is “all about” before adding that “the next Resident Evil game, and the one after that, every future Resident Evil, will feature characters getting through crises like this.” It’s this essence of “core survival horror concept of people overcoming the odds” that Tekeuchi says the series will “always retain.” From this, at the very least, we can assume that the future of the series will place a heavier focus on the survival horror elements showcased in Resident Evil 7, rather than delving back into the more action-heavy gameplay of releases such as Resident Evil 4. Shinji Mikami could come on board That could change though. In an interview with PCGamesN Mikami was asked if coming back to direct Resident Evil 8 was something he’d consider. He would, of course, have complete creative freedom to with the game as he’d like. His answer was short and far from finite: “I might.”
Resident Evil 8: what we want to seeMore enemies A different location
More answers VR support
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| Apex Legends Season 4: latest update news, tips, patch notes and more Posted: 05 Feb 2020 11:51 AM PST EA surprised many with the sudden announcement of Apex Legends back in February 2019, a free-to-play battle royale shooter that sees the publisher going toe-to-toe with genre mammoths PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite Battle Royale. Developed by Respawn Entertainment and set in the Titanfall universe, Apex Legends is a squad-based battle royale shooter where teams of three go up against 57 other players to try to gather loot and be the last person (or squad) standing. However, unlike Fortnite and PUBG, Apex Legends sees players take on one of eight classes, each represented by a unique character (imagine Fortnite mixed with Overwatch and you’ll be on the right track.) Apex Legends has now celebrated one year of play and is into its fourth season, Assimilation, which began on February 4 2020. If you're new to Apex Legends and looking to see what you're missing or you've dropped off the map for a while and you'd like to catch up on the latest, we're here to keep you up to date on what's fresh in Apex Legends.
As we said in our full Apex Legends review: "Truth be told, the Battle Royale movement has never quite grabbed me. I dabbled in PUBG and spent a dozen hours or so with Fortnite, yet nothing ever quite stuck the landing. Apex though, has got me hook, line and sinker. Featuring intuitive controls, an outstanding comms system and remarkable rogue’s gallery, Respawn has created what feels like the AAA outing for the genre." Apex Legends update news
Apex Legends AssimilationAs of February 4 2020, Apex Legends: Assimilation is underway. So what's new? Well, there's a new Legend, a new weapon, some map changes and an all new Battle Pass to get started on. Read on for a rundown of what to expect. New Legend As with previous seasons, Apex Legends Season 4 has introduced a brand new Legend. This time, things went a little differently. Originally, Forge, a robotically enhanced fighter was introduced as the legend for Season 4. However, he was then murdered and replaced by Revenant (the character fans long-suspected to be the Season 4 legend anyway). Revenant, also known somewhat more tellingly as the "synthetic nightmare" was once human and the "greatest hitman the Mercenary Syndicate ever had". But when his programming failed, he saw what his employers and Hammond Robotics had turned him into: "a walking nightmare of steel and vestigial flesh.” Revenant vowed to get revenge and killed everyone involved in ruining his life. Now, two centuries later Hammond Robotics has returned to the Outlands and he's renewed his vow to take out anyone involved with Hammond Robotics. Those familiar with the Titanfall universe will know Hammond Robotics as the creators of the Titans and it seems that they're going to be playing a bigger role in Apex Legends this season. As far as abilities are concerned, Revenant's tactical ability is "Silence" which allows his to throw a device that deals damage and disables enemy abilities for ten seconds. His passive ability is "Stalker", which makes it possible to crouch-walk faster and climb higher than the other Legends can. Finally, his ultimate ability is "Death Totem" which allows him to drop a totem that protects those who use it from death for a set amount of time. Instead of being killed or downed, a player will be returned to the totem instead. New Weapon The Sentinel has been confirmed as the new weapon in Season 4 of Apex Legends. It's described as a powerful bolt-action sniper rifle which stands apart from other weapons of its ilk as it comes with a charge mechanic. In the dev stream released before the season launch, it was hinted that this mechanic will give players a little more decision making to do when making a shot and could provide some interesting gameplay. Map Changes Season 4 has brought some map changes, the designs for which have been driven by a desire to "get players to make new decisions". The Planet Harvester is a key addition to the World's Edge skyline. Hammond Robotics are using the device to harvest materials from the core of the planet for unknown (but likely nefarious) reasons. The Planet Harvester offers a large, multi-level space in which to play and since there's not been anything like it before, it brings new gameplay options. According to Respawn, fights in this area tend to be "self-contained as squads will tend to enter the fights through the long hallways that lead to the center of the structure." The expectation is that this will make third parties more predictable. As well as being a change, Planet Harvester has wrought some changes of its own: it's split Capitol City in two. Now the city is made up of two zones, Fragment East and Fragment West, with a large fissure of dead space between them. This fissure can only be crossed in two locations by means of a zipline and a fallen skyscraper bridge. If you do happen to fall into the fissure between the zones because of a poorly timed jump or sheer curiosity, you'll find yourself carried slowly back up and allowed to land on the other side you were probably trying to get to. The downside is you'll take 25 damage for the fall and, as you float up, you run the risk of being a sitting target for enemies. A smaller addition is the Survey Camp. This area will have Weapon Racks which will have guaranteed weapons up for grabs, making it a tempting place to visit. Anniversary Event As Season 4 is launching on the one year anniversary of Apex Legends, there's going to be a special event. According to Respawn, those who log into the game in the first week of Season 4 (that's February 4 to February 11) will receive an Anniversary Gift. this includes a Year 1 Origami Flyer charm, a Year 1 loyalty badge and 10k XP for your first match of the day for every day the event is running. Battle Pass It wouldn't be a new season of Apex Legends without a brand new Battle Pass. For 950 Apex Coins you can pick up this pass which offers 110 levels to climb by completing daily and weekly challenges, with more than 100 exclusive items including Legendary Skins, Apex Packs, Loading Screens and Music Packs to earn. Players who pick up the battle pass immediately unlock the Legendary R99: Zero Point skin and three new Epic Legends skins. Getting through the rest of the levels could see you earn Rare and Legendary rewards like the Health Drain Lifeline, Blue Steel Crypto, Cyber Punked Wattson and Heat Sink Flatline. Ranked League Series 3
Alongside Season 4, Ranked League Series 3 has also launched. Ranked League Series 3 brings a few changes, including Splits and a new tier: Master Tier. As Respawn is seeing more players move into the upper echelons of the rankings to become Apex Predators, it's finding that it's getting harder to "showcase the skill between any two Apex Predators this season." As a result, a new tier, Master Tier, has been added between Diamond and Apex Predator. Players will need to reach 10,000 RP to make it to Master Tier as was the case with Apex Predator. The Apex Predator Tier will now be exclusive to the top 500 players per platform, so players who reach Apex Predator Tier could find that they drop down to Master Tier if other players earn more RP than them. Respawn has said "We feel this should give more prestige to making and keeping your Apex Predator rank, while still keeping the tiers above Diamond very exclusive." As far as Splits are concerned, after looking at the lengths of previous Ranked Series, Respawn has decided that Series 3 will be three months long, like Series 1, but that it will be divided into two Splits. This means that Ranked Series 3 essentially comes in two parts, with Split 1 taking place on World’s Edge, while Split 2 will freshen things up by taking place back at King’s Canyon. Split 1 is to take place between February 3 and March 23, and Split 2 will follow on from March 24 to May 5. Soft resets will take place between each Split and Respawn has confirmed that "ranked rewards will be granted for the highest tier achieved in either split of the series, but exclusive animated badges will be granted if you can make it to the same tier both splits." There are also some new party restrictions as the game moves into the new Ranked Series. Players will find that once they get to Platinum Tier or higher, they'll only be able to party with players who have 1 Tier of difference from them. It's hoped this will keep matches more tight when it comes to higher skill levels. As far as what's staying the same, players will still see soft resets take place going into the new series. So, "at the start of Series 3 everyone will be soft reset on their ranked position by 1.5 Tiers down. That means if you ended Season 3 in Gold II, you’ll be reset to Silver IV. Players in Platinum IV will be reset to Silver II, and Apex Predators will be reset to Platinum II." As previously said, the soft reset will also now take place at the beginning of each Split. Entry RP cost to Ranked Series is also the same and there won't be any further changes to the scoring system.
Apex Legends tips and tricksApex Legends can be difficult to get to grips with. There are a lot of different characters each with their own abilities and skills, plus this battle royale arguably leans more heavily on strategy and teamwork than some of its competitors. Get ahead of the pack with our selection of Apex Legends guides, designed to help you become a champion.
How to download Apex LegendsApex Legends can be downloaded for free from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Origin Store or Apex Legends website. Simply search for the title, download the game and enjoy! But do keep in mind that a good internet connect and subscription to either PS Plus, Xbox Live or Origin Access is required to play. The good news is that Apex Legends is also coming to mobile in the future, following in the footsteps of Fortnite and PUBG.
Apex Legends roadmap - what's next?Respawn Entertainment has shared the season roadmap for Apex Legends. Apex Legends Battle Pass seasons run for approximately three months. Currently four seasons have officially been announced:
Now that Season 4's launch date has been confirmed for February 2020, we're reaching the end of the known world for Apex Legends. No doubt, in the coming months, Respawn will establish and reveal its new goals for the game's second year. Is Apex Legends coming to mobile?Yes. In EA’s quarterly earnings report, the publisher announced that it’s looking at bringing the Respawn Entertainment-developed game to mobile platforms and to both South Korea and China. “We’re in advanced negotiations to China and mobile”, EA’s CFO Blake Jorgenson stated, before later mentioning South Korea as another expansion point. We shouldn't expect to see Apex Legends on mobile for at least a year, though. According to EA Chief Executive, Andrew Wilson, the game won't launch until the fiscal year 2021.
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| BlackBerry wants to secure your entire workforce Posted: 05 Feb 2020 11:32 AM PST BlackBerry has announced a new solution called BlackBerry Digital Workplace that provides users with a simple and secure way to access both corporate on-premise and cloud content. Being able to access company resources and data remotely empowers today's mobile workforce. However, using a VPN or VDI to do so can fail to safeguard computers, enterprise networks and other endpoints against malware and other cyber threats. BlackBerry Digital Workplace is based on the company's Zero Trust Architecture and because of this, it eliminates the need for a VPN or VDI solution while providing continuous threat protection by using AI and machine learning in order to enable users to securely work anywhere and from any device.
BlackBerry Digital WorkplaceBlackBerry Digital Workplace allows organizations to protect even more users by providing a turnkey solution to quickly onboard or offboard all users. As today's workforce is made up of a mix of full-time employees, contractors, remote workers and partners, organizations require a way to enable this wide range of users to easily access business resources that are protected by firewalls from either company-managed devices or personal devices. By using BlackBerry Digital Workplace, this mixed workforce can now use their personal devices to access corporate email, calendars, contacts, remote desktop and files with many of the same capabilities that would be available by using a devices that is owned and managed by their organization. With the company's new solution, IT departments can easily wipe all corporate data from a user's personal device without having to worry about a complex enrollment and deprovisioning process. Executive vice president of enterprise products at BlackBerry, Billy Ho explained how BlackBerry Digital Workplace can help boost productivity without sacrificing security in a press release, saying: "Unlike traditional workspace products that inhibit productivity in the name of security, BlackBerry Digital Workplace is easy to use and cost-effective, while simultaneously protecting users both online and offline. Built for virtual workers in the digital age, this solution leverages the power of artificial intelligence alongside BlackBerry’s advanced networking and security features to give users an unparalleled level of productivity, security and flexibility.”
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| PS5 who? Google and Amazon are apparently the Xbox Series X rivals Posted: 05 Feb 2020 11:31 AM PST The PS5 vs Xbox Series X showdown is just the latest in a 20-year console battle between Microsoft and Sony, but Microsoft may be worried about bigger rivals. In an interview with Protocol, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that while he respects Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft's true rivals in gaming are the likes of Google and Amazon. Coming from the same person that said "I don't need to sell any specific version of the console in order for us to reach our business goals" in an interview with the Verge right after E3 2019.
So, it should be clear that Microsoft is betting on its titanic presence in the cloud world to drive the future of the Xbox brand, and it's not too surprising. After all, Project xCloud was revealed way back in October 2018 before we'd even heard of Google Stadia in the first place. With the backing of Microsoft Azure combined with the experience of the Xbox team in the gaming space, Project xCloud could become a major competitor when it drops later this year. So far, game streaming hasn't become the mainstream behemoth that Google perhaps wanted it to be, but now that GeForce Now is out and xCloud is on the way, that could potentially change. One thing is clear though, Microsoft wants to get as many people into the Xbox ecosystem as possible. And with the company unleashing all of its games onto PC and with rumors of a $60 xCloud streaming console, it's hard to see how Sony or Nintendo could have the cloud infrastructure to compete. Never say never - but we'll see how the future of gaming is impacted by streaming, especially once the next generation of consoles kicks off in earnest. Via The Verge
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| 5 shows worth watching on Sky Comedy Posted: 05 Feb 2020 10:40 AM PST Sky Comedy launched last Monday in the UK, and it's well worth checking out if you consider yourself a bit of a comedy snob. As well as the main channel's regular airing of great modern-era US sitcoms, it's resulted in a payload of great comedy content being added to Sky on-demand and Now TV. It's less the kind of place you'd watch broader nonsense like Two and a Half Men, and more somewhere you'd check out HBO shows like Veep or Ballers. Sky Comedy can be found on channel 113, or 121/122 on Virgin Media. If you're streaming instead, sorting by channel is the best way to get an overview of everything on there. There are some real highlights outside of traditional sitcoms: two classic Chris Rock stand-up specials are on there, both funnier than his most recent Netflix effort. Both seasons of Flight of the Conchords are available to stream, as well as the more recent live special by the band. Not every show on there is a winner – we're not really in the mood to watch Entourage in 2020 – but everyone will find something to watch. Below, we've picked out five of the highlights on there that we think you'll enjoy. The Righteous Gemstones
Sitcom fans are likely familiar with Danny McBride and Jody Hill's lineage of HBO comedies, which began with Eastbound and Down and continued with dark school sitcom Vice Principals. This latest show is about a rich family of televangelists with plenty of skeletons in their closet. It co-stars John Goodman and Walton Goggins, and the style of comedy is a similar deal: dark jokes, gross humor and Southern accents. The show airs every Wednesday on Sky Comedy (starting tonight at 9pm) as one of the channel's first major exclusives, and you can stream it on Sky and Now TV, too. It's already been renewed for a second season by HBO – it originally debuted last summer in the US. AP Bio
AP Bio is about a failed Harvard professor (Always Sunny's Glenn Howerton) who's forced to teach the titular subject in the local high school of his deceased mother's hometown. Instead of doing that, though, he manipulates his students into wreaking vengeance on an old rival of his. It's a touch nastier than most US sitcoms of the moment, like Brooklyn Nine Nine, and feels more in line with shows like Community from a decade ago. All 13 episodes of season one are available to stream on Sky and Now TV, and it's been renewed for a third season in the US. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Somehow, Curb Your Enthusiasm will be 20 years old this October, and in those two decades, we've had 10 seasons of Larry David's disastrously awkward social situations. Later seasons have been made more irregularly as David seems to return to Curb when he's got new ideas for the show, but it's still as funny as ever. Season 10 is airing every Tuesday on Sky Comedy, but you can stream it on Sky and Now TV too if you don't fancy tuning in live. 30 Rock
This classic NBC sitcom about the chaotic behind-the-scenes drama of a sketch comedy show never had a proper UK home during its seven-season run from 2006-2013, but now the show airs daily on Sky Comedy. It still has the sharpest joke writing of any sitcom of its generation, even if its peak comes early in its second and third seasons. If you don't fancy watching live, you can also stream it all on Now TV and Sky until March 31. At 20 minutes an episode, you could quite easily burn through entire seasons of this in a weekend. Parks and Recreation
The combination of 30 Rock and Parks and Rec bulk out the Sky Comedy daytime schedule, and it's a nice contrast to just seeing Friends, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory occupying UK airwaves. Parks and Rec hails from the same generation of NBC sitcom as The Office and Community, and it's about the parks department of a fictional Indiana town. That's essentially a jumping off point for jokes about small town America and the various eccentrics that live in that world. Parks and Rec ended up being a launching pad for many major comedy actors over the last ten years, from Amy Poehler to Rashida Jones and, of course, Chris Pratt. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best Windows hosting services of 2020 Posted: 05 Feb 2020 10:30 AM PST Most web hosting packages run on Linux servers, and it's easy to see why: the operating system is fast, reliable, secure and free, with an impressive software ecosystem that includes some of the best web applications around. For all these benefits, Linux won't be the right setup for everyone. If your site is based on Microsoft technologies like ASP.NET or .NET, or you're intending to run Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server or some other Microsoft stack product, you'll need to choose a Windows plan. Opting for Windows hosting doesn't restrict you to Microsoft products. Most plans offer one-click easy installation of popular apps like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, phpBB and more. There's no cPanel, but something similar (like Plesk) will make it easy to view your website status, create email accounts, tweak settings and generally manage your plan. Select a VPS or dedicated hosting plan and you'll also be able to use Remote Desktop to manage the server from its own desktop. Windows hosting has some issues. You won't get the same choice of applications as with Linux. There's less help available for troubleshooting apps like WordPress on the Windows platform. There are Microsoft licence fees to pay, too, so it's a little more expensive than Linux plans. Overall, though, if you need to take advantage of Microsoft technologies, Windows hosting can deliver a great service for a surprisingly low price. Read on for five top Windows hosting providers you might want to check out first.
Windows hosting has a reputation for being costly, but 1&1 IONOS's shared Windows range shows it doesn't have to be that way. Prices start at $1 (£1 for UK page) a month for the first year, $7.99 (£5 for UK page) afterwards, yet even the most basic plan is better specified than some of the Linux competition. You get 1 website, 100GB web space and unlimited bandwidth, along with 25 email accounts with 2GB storage per account, plus daily backups, 24/7 phone and email support, a free domain and an SSL certificate thrown in. Windows-specific features include five Microsoft SQL databases of up to 1GB each, ASP.NET 4.7, ASP.NET Ajax and MVC 3, 4 and 5. There's support for SQL import, SSI and dedicated app pools, and your plan will be running on Windows Server 2019 (many hosts are still using 2012). Ramping up to the top-of-the-range Expert Windows plan gets 500 databases (1GB SSD), 500 email accounts, a dedicated IP, regular malware scanning and an integrated Cloudflare-based CDN. Again, this is good value at $1 (£1 for UK page) a month for the first six months, $14 (£7 for UK page) afterward. These are shared plans and don't give you full control over the server, but more flexible VPS and dedicated plans are also available at very low prices, and opting for Windows instead of Linux will cost from an extra $14 (£10) a month. Factor in the one-month trial and 1&1 IONOS could be a sensible choice for novices looking to try out Windows hosting with the minimum of risk.
A2 Hosting is a capable provider with a huge range of plans covering everything from basic shared products, managed WordPress and email hosting, to reseller plans, cloud VPS and dedicated servers. A2's Windows offerings include a capable Swift plan priced at $5.88 (£4.5 for UK) a month initially, $11.99 (£9.27 for UK) on renewal. This is a shared product, but a good one, with unlimited websites, subdomains, email addresses, databases and more. Highlights include free site migration, SSD storage as standard, virus scanning, automatic backups, free Let's Encrypt SSL, Anycast DNS, and Cloudflare Free CDN for a claimed average of 200% faster page loads. Your site will be hosted on Windows Server 2012, although you can choose Windows Server 2016. Windows Server 2016 debuted many new features – Nano Server, containers, ReFS, Linux Secure Boot support – but you won’t be using these capabilities on a shared hosting plan. What you do get with the Swift plan is support for an array of current and legacy Microsoft products and standards: ASP.NET 2.x, 3.x and 4.x, classic ASP, .NET Core 2.2, ASP.NET MVC 4 or 5, IIS 8.5 and Silverlight 4 or 5. And if your needs are more cross-platform, there's PHP 5.6, 7.0, 7.1 or 7.2 support, phpMyAdmin, and one-click installers for PrestaShop, WordPress, Drupal and more. If shared hosting isn't enough, A2 also provides managed Windows VPS plans. These are well specified and priced fairly from $25 (£19.32 for UK) a month initially, $49.99 (£38.65 for UK) on renewal, which represents decent value for the features and support you get.
While there are plenty of low-cost shared Windows hosting packages around, they're not the best choice for everyone. We suspect that many users who need a Windows website will also require more speed and functionality than the average customer, and budget hosting may not be good enough. Hostwinds' Windows VPS hosting offers no less than 10 plan configurations, making it much easier to find and purchase the precise level of service you need. The baseline specification is impressive. Every plan offers free site migrations, SSD storage, and 1Gbps network connectivity (100Mbps is common with other plans). You also get the ability to use Windows Server 2008, 2012 or 2016, along with fast response times for any support issues (30 seconds for chat or phone, 5 minutes for tickets), and 99.999% uptime guaranteed overall. The starter Tier 1 plan offers relatively limited resources, with one CPU core, 1GB RAM, 30GB disk space and 1TB traffic per month. But it's also good value at $9.89 (£7.6) a month for the first term, $10.99 (£8.4) on renewal. Those prices are for a monthly billing cycle, too – no lengthy contract required. Upgrading to a higher tier gets you more power. The mid-range Tier 5 plan offers four CPU cores, 8GB RAM, 150GB disk space and 3TB bandwidth, for example, and is priced at $45.89 (£35.20) a month initially, $50.99 (£39.1) a month afterwards. Optional extras are reasonably priced. You could add cloud backups for $1 (£0.70) a month, for instance, while spending $5 (£3.60) on basic server monitoring will see Hostwinds watch your system and automatically raise a support ticket if it goes down. Put it all together and these seem well-designed hosting plans which are powerful, configurable, with excellent support and a generous 60-day money-back guarantee. If basic Windows hosting isn't enough, Hostwinds could be worth a try.
Many web hosts provide some level of Windows support, but it's often limited to a specific set of products, such as dedicated servers. That could become an issue if you decide you'd like to upgrade or downgrade your hosting at a later date, so it makes sense to look for hosts which offer more flexibility. HostGator has a range of Windows plans covering personal and business-friendly shared hosting, and ranging up to highly-specified dedicated servers with the power to run just about anything. Most of these products are distinctly short on limits and restrictions. The starter Personal plan may only support one website, but you're allowed unlimited subdomains, emails, MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server databases, and unmetered bandwidth and disk space. It’s priced from $2.64 (£2) a month if you sign up for the three-year plan, $6.95 (£5.3) on renewal, which is cheaper than the equivalent Linux plans of some providers. There is a potential downside in HostGator's relatively dated software: Windows Server 2008 R2, IIS 7.5, MSSQL Server 2008 R2 Web Edition, Access Databases 2007, 2010, ASP.NET up to 4.5, PHP 5.2.17 and PHP 5.3. This won't matter to everyone, but check your technical Windows requirements before you sign up. HostGator's dedicated plans are a little more up-to-date, though still lagging behind some of the competition, with Windows Server 2012 R2, IIS 8.5, SQL Server 2014 Express, and ASP.NET from 2.0 up to 4.6. Headline prices are reasonable, with the Value Server plans starting from $119 (£85) a month, and occasional special deals as low as $79.99 (£57) for legacy servers. Be sure to carefully check the small print, though – you might have to sign up for three years to get these prices, and large introductory discounts mean that you could pay more than double on renewal.
Liquid Web is a popular provider of high-end professional web hosting services, and its current range includes some very capable Windows products. The company's Cloud VPS range hosts your web space across multiple devices to improve performance and scalability, delivering what Liquid Web claims is the "fastest managed VPS hosting on the planet". All plans include features that might be chargeable extras elsewhere – unlimited sites, Gigabit transfer, Cloudflare CDN, DDoS attack protection, US or EU hosting – and run Windows Server 2012 or 2016, yet you can still get a capable setup for $59 (£48) a month ($29 a month if you go annual). Unusual touches include a choice of SQL Server versions. 2014 or 2016 Express come by default and you can add the Web Editions for $35 (£25) a month, but Standard and Enterprise editions are also available if you need them. For even more control, you could opt for one of Liquid Web's Private Cloud Servers, although these are primarily made for organizations considering the price. These give you all the power of a Cloud Dedicated Server, but also allow for creating, managing and using custom VPS instances (separate virtual servers). You could set up a Windows VPS to run your ASP.NET site, for instance, but also create a Linux VPS instance to run WordPress, another for PrestaShop, maybe a third as a Windows development environment – it's up to you. Private Cloud Servers prices start from $1599 (£1261) a month with no long-term contract requirements, and no leap in costs after an initial discount expires. Liquid Web may charge a Windows license fee on top of that, but you'll only pay once per Cloud Server. This allows you to create as many Windows-based VPS instances as you need, at no extra cost. Interestingly, if you remove all Windows instances then the license fee will no longer be charged, a handy money-saver for users who only need Windows support occasionally. Whatever product you choose can be fully managed by Liquid Web's excellent support team, another company highlight. The firm doesn’t just promise to keep your site up and running, there’s a commitment with a 100% uptime SLA (service level agreement), a strong sign of confidence in its services that you rarely see elsewhere.
You might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides:
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| Google bug sent videos from Google Photos to strangers Posted: 05 Feb 2020 10:10 AM PST Google has begun notifying some users that videos stored in their Google Photos accounts were accidentally shared with others as the result of a bug in another one of the company's services. The search giant recently began sending out email notifications to users in which it explained that a bug had led to their videos being included in other user's data when downloaded through the company's Google Takeout service. In a statement to 9to5Google, a Google spokesperson provided further insight on the incident, saying:
“We are notifying people about a bug that may have affected users who used Google Takeout to export their Google Photos content between November 21 and November 25. These users may have received either an incomplete archive, or videos — not photos — that were not theirs. We fixed the underlying issue and have conducted an in-depth analysis to help prevent this from ever happening again. We are very sorry this happened.” Google TakeoutGoogle Takeout allows users to download their data from Google apps for backup purposes or to use with other services. The service can retrieve content from Google Photos, Drive, Hangouts, YouTube and many other Google products. Before the company fixed the bug, some users who downloaded their data using Google Takeout may have received other people's videos in their Google Photos data archive. Google recommends that any users who received videos that aren't theirs, should just delete them. While convenient, storing your private data in the cloud does come with some risks and this bug illustrates how your private information can be exposed without your knowledge.
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| Save on latest MacBook deals offering luxury laptops for less this week Posted: 05 Feb 2020 10:01 AM PST Best Buy has unleashed a wealth of MacBook deals this week, offering decent savings on their range of MacBook Air and Pro laptops. You'll find the cheapest offering of the latest models up for under $1,000 right now - perfect if you've been saving for a brand new luxury computer. That Apple premium pricing is still evident in these MacBook deals, but finding that Apple sparkle for less is always exciting. We're seeing a selection of MacBook Air deals and Pro sales included in Best Buy's latest laptop savings, with each one sitting at a slightly different position in terms of power and price. You'll find skinny, streamlined MacBook Air deals that offer the perfect portable laptop for study and light work priced as low as $949.99 right now, but creeping over the $1,000 price point you'll find the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro at a respectable $1,199. We're listing our top picks from Best Buy's flash sale, but you'll find more MacBook deals below our highlights as well as a handy guide if you're not sure which model to splash the cash on. Not in the US? Scroll down to find the best MacBook deals in your country.
Today's best Apple MacBook Air dealsToday's best MacBook Pro deals at Best Buy
Which MacBook deal is right for you?A cheap MacBook deal is still a MacBook, and Apple's laptops rarely lose their value. That's great news for purchasers - your computer will hold its price tag for a long time after you buy it after all. But that does mean you'll need to be sure you're picking up the MacBook deal to suit you. So which MacBook deal is right for you? As with any laptop, finding the perfect model comes down to what you envision yourself using the computer for. There's no point in spending over $2,000 on a top of the range MacBook Pro with a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM if you're just going to be surfing the net. On the other hand, it's equally frustrating to spend $949 on the cheapest MacBook Air deal on offer today only to find that you would have been able to store all the programs you need by spending just $150 more. We'd recommend picking up a MacBook Air model if you're using your new laptop for web browsing, light work, and study. If you're going to be running heavier programs like the Adobe suite or Logic Pro you'll want to take a look at higher processing and RAM options in the MacBook Pro. Still on the hunt? We've rounded up all the latest MacBook Air sales and MacBook Pro prices from a range of your favorite retailers. We're also making things even cheaper with a selection of refurbished MacBook deals to keep costs down further. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Carphone Warehouse's mobile phone and free PS4 bundle deal saves you over £200 Posted: 05 Feb 2020 09:44 AM PST Some mobile phone deals that pop up out there on the internet require a second look and some careful maths to make sure they're really worth getting. Carphone Warehouse's latest offer is one of those, offering up some confusingly brilliant value. Somehow Carphone has pulled off a bit of a magic trick, offering up a Sony Xperia 5 deal on EE with 10GB of data for £39 a month. Doesn't sound great yet, right? But then you throw in the Free PS4, copy of COD: MW and a free pair of Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds and it becomes top-notch value. Tallying all of that up compared to the £39 a month you're paying leaves you in profit of well over £200, getting a host of extra freebies on top of this mobile phone deal. We've listed all of the details of this offer for you to look through below. Or, if you're not quite convinced by the Sony Xperia 5 and even the free gifts can't make it up to you, consult our guide to the best mobile phone deals to see what else is available right now.
Why buy from Carphone Warehouse?Everyone knows the name 'Carphone Warehouse' but what is it that makes the retailer really standout? Providing 'text to switch' features - allowing you to easily change over your number when you switch contracts - as well as phone trade-ins to save money with your old handset, Carphone is working to make your purchase as easy as possible. Combine that with Carphone's next day delivery guarantee and click and collect options from 850 stores and the high-street retailer is looking like a strong option - discover its latest prices and offers with our Carphone Warehouse deals guide. How to claim your earbuds?Bought this Sony Xperia 5 deal? Now all you have to do is head over to this link before March 2020, enter your devices IMEI number and proof of purchase and then verify your purchase. After that the headphones will be sent within 28 days. What's the Sony Xperia 5 like?There are a few features to love about this phone but most importantly is the screen ratio. At 21:9, this is the ideal handset for watching films, games and most other forms of media. Past the unusual screen ratio, the Sony Xperia 5 is rocking a large 3140mAh battery, a triple camera setup and even an IP68 rating. Read TechRadar's full Sony Xperia 5 review This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best Buy deal alert: the 10.2-inch iPad gets a $100 price cut Posted: 05 Feb 2020 09:26 AM PST Best Buy's Apple Event is happening right now, which includes massive discounts on Apple's best-selling devices like the all-new iPad. iPad deals:
Interested in other iPad models? We've listed even more of the cheapest iPad deals that are currently available. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Breath of the Wild 2 release date, news and trailers for the next Zelda game Posted: 05 Feb 2020 09:16 AM PST Dust off your climbing boots and paraglider, gamers: Nintendo has confirmed that a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel is in development, with a breathtaking trailer pointing to a darker turn for the next mainline Zelda game. Nintendo dropped the bombshell at the end of its E3 2019 presentation, confirming our suspicions after the Japanese publisher appeared to be hiring for a 3D level designer in 2018. However, we've been kept in the dark regarding an official release date. But what will Breath of the Wild 2 do differently from the first game, and when will we finally get our hands on it? Breath of the Wild was a masterclass in open-world game design, breathing a huge gust of fresh air into the Zelda franchise while somehow retaining everything that made the series special. Widely considered one of the best games of 2017 – if not all time – it's no surprise Nintendo is working on a direct sequel. We may not know when we'll get our hands on Breath of the Wild 2, but one leaker claimed that we could be seeing the game as soon as this year. However they have since suggested that, while they may have been the initial plan, the game is experiencing unexpected delays, pushing the release date back further than originally anticipated. Nintendo hasn't given us a whole bunch to go on, but we've gathered up everything we know so far about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 below for your perusal. [UPDATE: Breath of the Wild 2 is rumored to be experiencing delays. Read on to find out more.] Cut to the chase
Breath of the Wild 2 release dateNintendo hasn't shared much information other than the trailer and a few sparse comments – run through below – but the trailer did close off with a line stating the Breath of the Wild sequel was "in development". We certainly don't think we'll see the game being released in the coming months. Last year, leaker Sabi (via wccftech) suggested that Breath of the Wild 2 is due for release in 2020, but warned that, "Zelda release dates are historically delayed, internally or publicly". And it seems they were right, as the leaker has since claimed that Breath of the Wild 2 has been delayed, likely into 2021. While it's always worth taking rumors with a big pinch of salt, Sabi is a pretty reliable leaker. The Twitter user leaked most of the big announcements from E3 2019 before they happened – reportedly even earning himself a cease and desist order from Nintendo. Breath of the Wild 2 trailersWe got our first glimpse of BOTW 2 at E3 2019, with this spooky trailer that shows Zelda and Link exploring an underground chamber – with some mysterious runes, glowing hands, and a brand-new haircut that has set the internet on fire. Suffice to say: we're excited. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 trailer is just 82 seconds long and there's no dialogue whatsoever – but there are some clues to be gathered from it. It features a torch-carrying Link and Zelda traversing a dark dungeon beneath Hyrule (no big surprise there). Spirit-like tendrils creep around the musty tomb they're exploring, with the pair riding a large elephant-like beast. Something shocks the pair, and then we cut to what appears to be the resurrection of some long-dead (and creepy looking) warrior. Could this be the return of Ganondorf? The video then cuts to a long shot of Hyrule Field, with Hyrule Castle in the distance. There's a tremor, the castle is smothered with dust... and that's the end. The clip finishes with a message that reads: "The sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development." We wouldn't usually expect so much animation to be done so early in development, but it probably helps that Nintendo already has the in-game engine from Breath of the Wild. Breath of the Wild 2 news and rumors
Could Zelda have a bigger role this time around? (Image Credit: Nintendo) A 2020 release date? It may be delayed And it seems they were right, as the leaker has since claimed that Breath of the Wild 2 has been delayed, likely into 2021. Monolith recruitment Hiring extra hands for the development of such a highly-anticipated game can't be a bad thing and suggests that the teams are working hard on getting the game ready for whatever the as-yet-unrevealed release date is. Behind the scenes We haven't seen much from the game since this trailer but some are hoping that we'll get an update sometime soon. More hiring calls One hint comes from a Nintendo Japan tweet regarding some job listings for a “scenario planner” and a “level designer” for the game. The fact that such core roles are still being filled suggests that the game is still in the fairly early stages of development and isn’t likely to be a 2020 release. We can’t know for certain, of course, until Nintendo confirms an exact release date but we’re inclined to say later rather than sooner. All the DLC that never was "Initially we were thinking of just DLC ideas," says Anouma. "But then we had a lot of ideas and we said, 'This is too many ideas, let’s just make one new game and start from scratch.'" A darker turn for the series We've heard from Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma that the game is going to have a darker tone than Breath of the Wild, and will even be "a little bit darker" than Majora's Mask (via IGN). The trailer certainly supports this, with what looks like Ganondorf's corpse being resurrected by a disembodied hand, and seemingly imagery from 2006's Twilight Princess, which saw Hyrule turned into a bleak shadow realm – largely in response to the far cheerier and cartoonish The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
A Gerudo corpse, possibly Ganon, is grabbed by a mysterious force (Image Credit: Nintendo) The Twilight realm We know that BOTW's dev team originally toyed with the idea of an alien invasion, and seeing shadow creatures teleport out of the sky could well have been what they have planned this time around. A clue in the audio u/ReroFunk also suggests we could see the demon king Demise return for the next Zelda game. Demise was the final boss in Skyward Sword, and revealed to be the original form of Ganondorf. The below still from the Zelda trailer also looks a lot like Demise when you think about it.
Ganon, Demise, or something else entirely? (Image Credit: Nintendo) Lots of dungeons (and an extended map) Zelda's turn in the spotlight? Zelda's devs have seemed pretty dismissive of the idea of a female Link in the past – sadly – but we may in this game see sections playing as Zelda, or at least with her playing a more active role in the story.
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| Does Birds of Prey have a post-credits scene? Posted: 05 Feb 2020 09:02 AM PST Birds of Prey has a reason to stick around after the credits. Let's get that out of the way straight away. If you want to see absolutely everything the newest DC Comics adaptation has to offer, you'll want to wait right until the final moments. It's tradition to include a post-credits sequence in superhero movies, now, thanks to Marvel's many efforts in this area. Warner's DC movies have been doing post or mid-credits scenes since Suicide Squad, and followed with similar scenes in Justice League, Aquaman and Shazam. Birds of Prey, then, is the latest to give us something after the movie ends. So unless you're dying to get out of the cinema before you get a parking ticket, it's worth sticking around and seeing what the deal is. Yes, Birds of Prey has something in its post-credits
We'll talk more about it when the movie has been released, but yes, there is a reason to stick around after the credits when you're watching Birds of Prey. When the movie hits full release this coming weekend around the world, we'll clarify what it is and explain what we think it means. But in the meantime, we'll give you a chance to see the movie, sit through the credits and enjoy this without having it spoiled. Birds of Prey is released on February 7. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Surface Pro X price drops by $200 in the latest laptop deals Posted: 05 Feb 2020 08:36 AM PST You can save yourself $200 with this fantastic selection of Surface Pro X deals from Best Buy. The latest Surface Pro laptop is receiving one of its first price drops this week, with the lowest price sitting at $899 right now. Spending just a little more will net you a 256GB upgrade at just $1,099 or you can go all out with a 512GB SSD for $1,599. These are some fantastic laptop sales to take advantage of, with the latest Surface Pro X deals offering something for everyone. That said, if you're after something a little cheaper, these Surface Pro 7 deals are sporting even lower price tags right now. You can pick up a Surface Pro 7 with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD with a keyboard for $764.99 right now. These Surface Pro deals certainly aren't to be sniffed at if you're in the market for a luxury 2-in-1 laptop or tablet and don't fancy the Apple flavor. Grab them while they last and you can take advantage of the lowest prices we've seen yet on Microsoft's latest Pro offerings. Be wary that many of these prices don't include the Type Cover keyboard accessory, however, you'll find the latest prices for those further down the page as well. Not in the US? Scroll further down to find the best Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X deals in your area. Today's best Surface Pro 7 deals and salesThe Surface Pro x offers Microsoft's latest 2-in-1 laptop and runs on the Microsoft-Qualcomm brainchild ARM chip, the Microsoft SQ1. It looks and feels like the sleek powerhouse it is and brings a massive 13-inch PixelSense display to the Surface party. If you think you'll need a headphone jack, however, you might want to consider these Surface Pro 7 deals instead. While the Pro X does excel in a few areas, connectivity seems to be a sore spot. Instead, the Surface Pro 7 offers a still-lightning fast tablet computer complete with audio out. Today's best Surface Pro X deals and salesStill looking for more? We've got all the latest Surface Pro prices right here on TechRadar, plus we've even been shopping for the best Surface Go deals as well. If you're considering joining the iOS team, you'll find a range of fantastic iPad sales on offer, and if you're looking to save even more you can find some great refurbished iPad and Macbook deals out there as well. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Six Nations 2020 live stream: how to watch every rugby union game online from anywhere Posted: 05 Feb 2020 08:23 AM PST The 2020 Six Nations got started at breakneck speed last weekend...it was like it had never been away! With England shocked in Paris, champions Wales dominating and Ireland overcoming Scotland, there have already been plenty of talking points. And you're in exactly the right place if you're unsure how to get a Six Nations live stream where you are this weekend. Four of the six teams have new coaches since the 2019 instalment of tournament, with only England's Eddie Jones and Scotland’s Gregor Townsend still in place this time out. Jones will have to use all of his managerial experience to lift a set of players who may still feel wounded after their 32-12 humbling by South Africa in the World Cup Final in Japan back in November. Wales come into the tournament as champions following last year's Grand Slam triumph, and it will be interesting to see how they fare under new coach Wayne Pivac. With France set to host the World Cup in 2023, all eyes will be on the nation's new coach Fabien Galthie and the youthful squad he'll be looking to blood in the run up to that tournament. Ireland will have a familiar face looking on from the stands as coach, with former assistant Andy Farrell replacing Joe Schmidt in the hot seat. While much of Scotland's hopes will be resting on the shoulder's of talisman Finn Russell, however the stand-off's breach of discipline which saw him unceremoniously sent home during his teams preparation for their opening tie against Ireland has placed his involvement in the tournament in doubt. Oh...and then there's Italy, too! For all the info about how to watch a Six Nations live stream, read on. And you can scroll down to see a list of next weekend's fixtures, too.
How to live stream Six Nations 2020 in the UK for freeGreat news! Every single Six Nations match will be shown live in the UK on free-to-air television. The coverage is spread across the BBC and ITV, so take a look at our info box below to see what channel is showing which individual games. If you're trying to watch online (either live or on catch-up) then you can get access via the BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub websites or mobile apps. Alternatively, just head to an online streaming TV service such TVPlayer.com, which has all of the UK's freeview channels (including the BBC and ITV) in one place. This means you can catch the match on TV, computer, tablet and smartphone for free if you're in the UK - or subscribe to TVPlayer Plus if you want to record it and watch later. Not in the UK this weekend? No worries - just download and install a VPN and use a UK location to watch live as if you were back home. Full instructions below. How to live stream the Six Nations when you're not in your countryIf you're outside your country of residence - whether that be the UK or anywhere else - and try to start streaming the rugby via your native broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't as it is location restricted. But there's a way you can watch anyway. By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream - assuming you comply with the broadcaster's Ts&Cs, of course. Six Nations 2020: Fixtures and UK TV scheduleAll times in GMT ROUND TWO: Ireland v Wales, 2.15pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin. TV - ITV SPORT + S4C Sunday, February 9, 2020 France v Italy, 3pm, Stade de France, Paris. TV - BBC SPORT ROUND THREE: Italy v Scotland, 2.15pm, Stadio Olimpico, Rome. TV - ITV SPORT Sunday, February 23, 2020 England v Ireland, 3pm, Twickenham Stadium, London. TV - ITV SPORT ROUND FOUR: Ireland v Italy, 2.15pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin. TV - ITV SPORT Sunday, March 8, 2020 Scotland v France, 3pm, BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh. TV - BBC SPORT ROUND FIVE: Wales v Scotland, 2.15pm, Principality Stadium, Cardiff. TV - BBC SPORT + S4C
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How to live stream Six Nations rugby in the USWhat is the format of the Six Nations?Taking place each year from the beginning of February and concluding by the end of March, the tournament is contested by the international sides of France, England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Each Six Nations team plays the other five once per season with home advantage in alternate seasons, giving a total of 15 matches per Championship. A win earns that team four points, while a draw earns both teams two points. A losing side receives no points, however a bonus point can be picked up by a team regardless if they won, lost or drew if they score four or more tries in a game. Losing sides can also still pick up two bonus points if they score four tries or more in the process and lose by a margin of seven points or fewer. The team with the most points at the season wins the Six Nations Championship Trophy. If the winning team has defeated all five other Unions, it is given the title ‘Grand Slam Winner’. Who are the favourites for the 2020 Six Nations?Beaten World Cup finalists England are current favourites with most bookies to lift this year’s Six Nations Championship trophy. What happened in the 2019 Six Nations?Regarded as outsiders at the beginning of the tournament, Wales clinched their first grand slam in seven years, with a clean sweep of victories against their five opponents. Who has won the most Six Nations championshipsEngland lead the pack with six championship wins, their last in 2017. Wales and France are both close behind on five.
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| The best free text to speech software 2020: convert text to spoken audio Posted: 05 Feb 2020 08:21 AM PST Free text to speech software can be enormously helpful for anyone who's visually impaired, or has a condition like dyslexia that makes reading on screens tricky. It can also help overcome language barriers for people who read a language but don't speak it, or are in the process of learning. Text to speech software is also ideal if you want to listen to a document while doing something else, if you find it easier to retain information you've heard, or if you want to sense-check something you've written. Here's our pick of the best free text to speech software for reading either individual paragraphs or whole documents aloud. For ripping audio from videos, check out our guide to the best YouTube to MP3 conversion software. The best free text to speech software at a glance
There are a couple of ways to use Balabolka's free text to speech software: you can either copy and paste text into the program, or you can open a number of supported file formats (including DOC, PDF, and HTML) in the program directly. In terms of output, you can use SAPI 4 complete with eight different voices to choose from, SAPI 5 with two, or the Microsoft Speech Platform. Whichever route you choose, you can adjust the speech, pitch and volume of playback to create a custom voice. In addition to reading words aloud, this free text to speech software can also save narrations as audio files in a range of formats including MP3 and WAV. For lengthy documents, you can create bookmarks to make it easy to jump back to a specific location and there are excellent tools on hand to help you to customize the pronunciation of words to your liking. With all these features to make life easier when reading text on a screen isn't an option, Balabolka is best free text to speech software around. How to convert text to speech with Balabolka
Natural Reader is a free text to speech tool that can be used in a couple of ways. The first option is to load documents into its library and have them read aloud from there. This is a neat way to manage multiple files, and the number of supported file types is impressive, including ebook formats. There's also OCR, which enables you to load up a photo or scan of text, and have it read to you. The second option takes the form of a floating toolbar. In this mode, you can highlight text in any application and use the toolbar controls to start and customize text to speech. This means you can very easily use the feature in your web browser, word processor and a range of other programs. There's also a built-in browser to convert web content to speech more easily.
As the name suggests, Panopreter Basic delivers free text to speech conversion without frills. It accepts plain and rich text files, web pages and Microsoft Word documents as input, and exports the resulting sound in both WAV and MP3 format (the two files are saved in the same location, with the same name). The default settings work well for quick tasks, but spend a little time exploring Panopreter Basic's Settings menu and you'll find options to change the language, destination of saved audio files, and set custom interface colors. The software can even play a piece of music once it's finished reading – a nice touch you won't find in other free text-to-speech software. If you need something more advanced, a premium version of Panopreter is available for US$29.95 (about £20, AU$40). This edition offers several additional features including toolbars for Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer, the ability to highlight the section of text currently being read, and extra voices.
Developed by the University of Edinburgh, WordTalk is a toolbar add-on for Word that brings customizable text to speech to Microsoft Word. It works with all editions of Word and is accessible via the toolbar or ribbon, depending on which version you're using. The toolbar itself is certainly not the most attractive you'll ever see, appearing to have been designed by a child. Nor are all of the buttons' functions very clear, but thankfully there's a help file on hand to help. There's no getting away from the fact that WordTalk is fairly basic, but it does support SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 voices, and these can be tweaked to your liking. The ability to just read aloud individual words, sentences or paragraphs is a particularly nice touch. You also have the option of saving narrations, and there are a number of keyboard shortcuts that allow for quick and easy access to frequently used options.
Despite its basic looks, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader has more to offer than you might first think. You can open numerous file formats directly in the program, or just copy and paste text. Alternatively, as long as you have the program running and the relevant option enables, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader can read aloud any text you copy to the clipboard – great if you want to convert words from websites to speech – as well as dialog boxes that pop up. Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader can also convert text files to WAV format. Unfortunately the selection of voices is limited, and the only settings you can customize are volume and speed unless you burrow deep into settings to fiddle with pronunciations. Additional voices are available for a US$25 fee (about £20, AU$30), which seems rather steep, holding it back from a higher place in our list.
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| The best free YouTube video converter 2020: watch clips on any device Posted: 05 Feb 2020 08:17 AM PST It's easy to spend hours watching new videos on YouTube when you have a reliable internet connection, but if you're going to be offline, you might want to save a collection of clips to watch later on your PC, tablet, games console, or smartphone. That's when you need a free YouTube video converter. The best YouTube converters include preset profiles to take the guesswork out of choosing the optimum format, resolution, and compression settings for your device. They also let you save and convert clips in batches, and let you choose where they're saved once the download and conversion is complete. Downloading videos from YouTube is against the site's terms of service . There's also a risk of copyright violation unless the video is in the public domain, or you have permission from the copyright holder. If you specifically want to save music or other audio from videos, check out our guide to the best YouTube to MP3 software. If you're using a mobile device, the best video editor for iPhone might be a worthwhile addition to your collection, turning your phone into a mobile production studio. We've also rounded up the best free video editors for your PC or Mac.
When you need a free YouTube video converter, 4K Video Downloader should be your first port of call. It's able to convert videos with subtitles and annotations, and – as the software's name suggests – can handle resolutions up to 4K where available. Those are features you'd normally only find in premium software, but here they're completely free. 4K Video Downloader can also convert videos from many sites besides YouTube, including Vimeo and DailyMotion. You can even download and convert entire playlists up to 24 videos long (a premium subscription will unlock the ability to convert more). The downside of 4K Video Downloader is its relatively small selection of conversion formats - you can save video as MP4, MKV and 3GP, and audio as MP3, M4A and OGG. These will be enough for most purposes, and you get a wide choice of quality options (the exact number will depend on the quality of the source video) but it's a shame WMV and AVI aren't available. If the choice of file types available covers your requirements, then you won't find a better YouTube video converter. Read our full 4K Video Downloader review
Free YouTube to MP3 Converter (from the superb DVDVideoSoft) is a wonderfully simple YouTube converter for ripping the audio from videos and saving it to your PC in a format of your choice. The program lets you queue up multiple files for conversion and features a clean interface that clearly displays what files are waiting to be converted. There's even the option to download an entire channel, though this can be time-consuming so you might prefer to be selective. If you do decide to go on a downloading spree, look in the options menu for the setting that shuts your PC down automatically once it's finished. Free YouTube to MP3 Converter is a particularly useful tool for musicians who may want to download guitar backing tracks to jam along to, or similarly you could grab a karaoke backing track to burn to a CD ready for that weekend party – provided you have the copyright holder's permission, of course. Read our full Free YouTube to MP3 Converter review
Any Video Converter Free can download and convert files from almost any source – CDs, locally stored files, or video sharing sites including YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and LiveLeak. Any Video Converter Free is packed with options, but still accessible. The interface is well designed, with tooltips to explain each function. You can paste in URLs from your clipboard, as with most free YouTube converters, or drag videos directly from Chrome or Firefox. While installing Any Video Converter Free, you’ll be prompted to install ByteFence (an anti-malware tool) and a Yahoo browser extension. It’s not immediately obvious, but you can opt out of these using the small text links labelled ‘Click here to customize the installation’ and unchecking the boxes that appear. Or you might choose to leave them selected to support the developers. Read our full Any Video Converter Free review
Another great tool from DVDVideoSoft, Free YouTube Download comes with a massive 25 video conversion options that can convert your files automatically once they've downloaded for viewing on different devices. Its interface is almost identical to Free YouTube to MP3 converter – a clean, self-explanatory affair with more advanced settings tucked away in an Options menu. There, you can choose to shut down your PC once the download is finished, download via a proxy, and paste URLs from the clipboard automatically. Clicking the file format details beside each thumbnails gives you a great choice of export options. Once you've made your selection, click the 'Download' button and your video will begin processing. You can only download and convert one video at a time without upgrading to the premium version of the software, but there's little else to complain about. Read our full Free YouTube Download review
YTD Video Downloader can download and convert videos from some of the most popular video hosting sites, including Facebook, DailyMotion and College Humor and, of course, YouTube. It features the ability to convert videos into most popular video formats – from MP3 and MP4 to WNV, FLV, MOV, 3GP and AVI. This YouTube downloader's makers claim that the latest version is faster and more stable than previous releases. It also has the handy feature of resuming downloads automatically if your internet connection goes down temporarily. The thing keeping YTD from a higher place in our roundup is the WebDiscover browser that comes bundled with the software, and is difficult to avoid if you don't want its search bar welded to your desktop. Read our full YTD Video Downloader review
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| Valentine's Day at 1-800-flowers: save 28% off Valentine’s flowers and gifts Posted: 05 Feb 2020 08:14 AM PST Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and if you're still searching for the perfect gift, then online flower delivery can be a fantastic option. Lucky for you, 1-800-Flowers is currently offering up to 28% off Valentine's Day flowers when you apply code CUPIDLOVE at checkout. More Valentine's Day sales
See more offers with our roundup of the best online flower delivery services for Valentine's Day. You can also see our list of the 5 best flower delivery websites of 2020. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best speech to text software in 2020: Free, paid and online voice recognition apps and services Posted: 05 Feb 2020 08:11 AM PST While speech-to-text used to be specifically only for desktops, the development of mobile devices and the explosion of easily accessible apps means that transcription can now be carried out on a smartphone or tablet. This has made speech-to-text applications increasingly valuable to users in a range of different environments, from education to business. This is not least because the technology has matured to the level where mistakes in transcriptions are relatively rare, with some services rightly boasting a 99.9% success rate from clear audio Even still, this applies mainly to ordinary situations and circumstances, and precludes the use of technical terminology such as required in legal or medical professions. Despite this, digital transcription can still service needs such as basic note-taking which can still be easily done using a phone app, simplifying the dictation process. However, different speech-to-text programs have different levels of ability and complexity, with some using advanced machine learning to constantly correct errors flagged up by users so that they are not repeated. Others are downloadable software which is only as good as its latest update. Here then are the best in speech-to-text recognition programs, which should be more than capable for most situations and circumstances. Or jump straight to:
Best paid for speech to text apps
Should you be looking for a business-grade dictation application, your best bet is Dragon Professional. Aimed at pro users, the software provides you with the tools to dictate and edit documents, create spreadsheets, and browse the web using your voice. According to Nuance, the solution is capable of taking dictation at an equivalent typing speed of 160 words per minute, with a 99% accuracy rate – and that’s out-of-the-box, before any training is done (whereby the app adapts to your voice and words you commonly use). As well as creating documents using your voice, you can also import custom word lists. There’s also an additional mobile app that lets you transcribe audio files and send them back to your computer. This is a powerful, flexible, and hugely useful tool that is especially good for individuals, such as professionals and freelancers, allowing for typing and document management to be done much more flexibly and easily. Overall, the interface is easy to use, and if you get stuck at all, you can access a series of help tutorials. And while the software can seem expensive at $300, that's a one-time fee and competitive with paid-for subscription transcription services.
Dragon Anywhere is the mobile product for Android and iOS devices, however this is no ‘lite’ app, but rather offers fully-formed dictation capabilities powered via the cloud. So essentially you get the same excellent speech recognition as seen on the desktop software – the only meaningful difference we noticed was a very slight delay in our spoken words appearing on the screen (doubtless due to processing in the cloud). However, note that the app was still responsive enough overall. It also boasts support for boilerplate chunks of text which can be set up and inserted into a document with a simple command, and these, along with custom vocabularies, are synced across the mobile app and desktop Dragon software. Furthermore, you can share documents across devices via Evernote or cloud services (such as Dropbox). This isn’t as flexible as the desktop application, however, as dictation is limited to within Dragon Anywhere – you can’t dictate directly in another app (although you can copy over text from the Dragon Anywhere dictation pad to a third-party app). The other caveats are the need for an internet connection for the app to work (due to its cloud-powered nature), and the fact that it’s a subscription offering with no one-off purchase option, which might not be to everyone’s tastes. Even bearing in mind these limitations, though, it’s a definite boon to have fully-fledged, powerful voice recognition of the same sterling quality as the desktop software, nestling on your phone or tablet for when you’re away from the office. Nuance Communications offers a 7-day free trial to give the app a whirl before you commit to a subscription.
Otter is a cloud-based speech to text program especially aimed for mobile use, such as on a laptop or smartphone. The app provides real-time transcription, allowing you to search, edit, play, and organize as required. Otter is marketed as an app specifically for meetings, interviews, and lectures, to make it easier to take rich notes. However, it is also built to work with collaboration between teams, and different speakers are assigned different speaker IDs to make it easier to understand transcriptions. There are three different payment plans, with the basic one being free to use and aside from the features mentioned above also includes keyword summaries and a wordcloud to make it easier to find specific topic mentions. You can also organize and share, import audio and video for transcription, and provides 600 minutes of free service. The Premium plan comes in at $8.33 per month when paid annually, and on top of existing features also includes advanced and bulk export options, the ability to sync audio from Dropbox, additional playback speeds including the ability to skip silent pauses. The Premium plan also allows for up to 6,000 minutes of speech to text. The Teams plan comes in at $12.50 per user for a minimum of three users, and also adds two-factor authentication, user management and centralized billing, as well as user statistics, voiceprints, and live captioning.
Verbit aims to offer a smarter speech to text service, using AI for transcription and captioning. The service is specifically targeted at enterprise and educational establishments. Verbit uses a mix of speech models, using neural networks and algorithms to reduce background noise, focus on terms as well as differentiate between speakers regardless of accent, as well as incorporate contextual events such as news and company information into recordings. Although Verbit does offer a live version for transcription and captioning, aiming for a high degree of accuracy, other plans offer human editors to ensure transcriptions are fully accurate, and advertise a four hour turnaround time. Altogether, while Verbit does offer a direct speech to text service, it’s possibly better thought of as a transcription service, but the focus on enterprise and education, as well as team use, means it earns a place here as an option to consider.
Speechmatics offers a machine learning solution to converting speech to text, with its automatic speech recognition solution available to use on existing audio and video files as well as for live use. Unlike some automated transcription software which can struggle with accents or charge more for them, Speechmatics advertises itself as being able to support all major British accents, regardless of nationality. That way it aims to cope with not just different American and British English accents, but also South African and Jamaican accents. Speechmatics offers a wider number of speech to text transcription uses than many other providers. Examples include taking call center phone recordings and converting them into searchable text or Word documents. The software also works with video and other media for captioning as well as using keyword triggers for management. Overall, Speechmatics aims to offer a more flexible and comprehensive speech to text service than a lot of other providers, and the use of automation should keep them price competitive.
Braina is speech recognition software which is built not just for dictation, but also as an all-round digital assistant to help you achieve various tasks on your PC. It supports dictation to third-party software in not just English but almost 90 different languages, with impressive voice recognition chops. Beyond that, it’s a virtual assistant that can be instructed to set alarms, search your PC for a file, or search the internet, play an MP3 file, read an ebook aloud, plus you can implement various custom commands. The Windows program also has a companion Android app which can remotely control your PC, and use the local Wi-Fi network to deliver commands to your computer, so you can spark up a music playlist, for example, wherever you happen to be in the house. Nifty. There’s a free version of Braina which comes with limited functionality, but includes all the basic PC commands, along with a 7-day trial of the speech recognition which allows you to test out its powers for yourself before you commit to a subscription. Yes, this is another subscription-only product with no option to purchase for a one-off fee. Also note that you need to be online and have Google’s Chrome browser installed for speech recognition functionality to work.
Amazon Transcribe is as big cloud-based automatic speech recognition platform developed specifically to convert audio to text for apps. It especially aims to provide a more accurate and comprehensive service than traditional providers, such as being able to cope with low-fi and noisy recordings, such as you might get in a contact center. Amazon Transcribe uses a deep learning process that automatically adds punctuation and formatting, as well as process with a secure livestream or otherwise transcribe speech to text with batch processing. As well as offering time stamping for individual words for easy search, it can also identify different speaks and different channels and annotate documents accordingly to account for this. There are also some nice features for editing and managing transcribed texts, such as vocabulary filtering and replacement words which can be used to keep product names consistent and therefore any following transcription easier to analyze. Overall, Amazon Transcribe is one of the most powerful platforms out there, though it’s aimed more for the business and enterprise user rather than the individual.
Microsoft's Azure cloud service offers advanced speech recognition as part of the platform's speech services to deliver the Microsoft Azure Speech to Text functionality. This feature allows you to simply and easily create text from a variety of audio sources. There are also customization options available to work better with different speech patterns, registers, and even background sounds. You can also modify settings to handle different specialist vocabularies, such as product names, technical information, and place names. The Microsoft's Azure Speech to Text feature is powered by deep neural network models and allows for real-time audio transcription that can be set up to handle multiple speakers. As part of the Azure cloud service, you can run Azure Speech to Text in the cloud, on premises, or in edge computing. In terms of pricing, you can run the feature in a free container with a single concurrent request for up to 5 hours of free audio per month. After that pricing starts from $1 per audio hour.
IBM's Watson Speech to Text works is the third cloud-native solution on this list, with the feature being powered by AI and machine learning as part of IBM's cloud services. While there is the option to transcribe speech to text in real-time, there is also the option to batch convert audio files and process them through a range of language, audio frequency, and other output options. You can also tag transcriptions with speaker labels, smart formatting, and timestamps, as well as apply global editing for technical words or phrases, acronyms, and for number use. As with other cloud services Watson Speech to Text allows for easy deployment both in the cloud and on-premises behind your own firewall to ensure security is maintained. Best free speech to text apps
If you already have an Android mobile device, then if it's not already installed then download Google Keyboard from the Google Play store and you'll have an instant text-to-speech app. Although it's primarily designed as a keyboard for physical input, it also has a speech input option which is directly available. And because all the power of Google's hardware is behind it, it's a powerful and responsive tool. If that's not enough then there are additional features. Aside from physical input ones such as swiping, you can also trigger images in your text using voice commands. Additionally, it can also work with Google Translate, and is advertised as providing support for over 60 languages. Even though Google Keyboard isn't a dedicated transcription tool, as there are no shortcut commands or text editing directly integrated, it does everything you need from a basic transcription tool. And as it's a keyboard, it means should be able to work with any software you can run on your Android smartphone, so you can text edit, save, and export using that. Even better, it's free and there are no adverts to get in the way of you using it.
If you want a dedicated dictation app, it’s worth checking out Just Press Record. It’s a mobile audio recorder that comes with features such as one tap recording, transcription and iCloud syncing across devices. The great thing is that it’s aimed at pretty much anyone and is extremely easy to use. When it comes to recording notes, all you have to do is press one button, and you get unlimited recording time. However, the really great thing about this app is that it also offers a powerful transcription service. Through it, you can quickly and easily turn speech into searchable text. Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can then edit it from within the app. There’s support for more than 30 languages as well, making it the perfect app if you’re working abroad or with an international team. Another nice feature is punctuation command recognition, ensuring that your transcriptions are free from typos. This app is underpinned by cloud technology, meaning you can access notes from any device (which is online). You’re able to share audio and text files to other iOS apps too, and when it comes to organizing them, you can view recordings in a comprehensive file. The app is available on iOS devices for $4.99.
Speechnotes is yet another easy to use dictation app. A useful touch here is that you don’t need to create an account or anything like that; you just open up the app and press on the microphone icon, and you’re off. The app is powered by Google voice recognition tech. When you’re recording a note, you can easily dictate punctuation marks through voice commands, or by using the built-in punctuation keyboard. To make things even easier, you can quickly add names, signatures, greetings and other frequently used text by using a set of custom keys on the built-in keyboard. There’s automatic capitalization as well, and every change made to a note is saved to the cloud. When it comes to customizing notes, you can access a plethora of fonts and text sizes. The app is free to download from the Google Play Store, but you can make in-app purchases to access premium features (there's also a browser version for Chrome).
Marketed as a personal assistant for turning videos and voice memos into text files, Transcribe is a popular dictation app that’s powered by AI. It lets you make high quality transcriptions by just hitting a button. The app can transcribe any video or voice memo automatically, while supporting over 80 languages from across the world. While you can easily create notes with Transcribe, you can also import files from services such as Dropbox. Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can export the raw text to a word processor to edit. The app is free to download, but you’ll have to make an in-app purchase if you want to make the most of these features in the long-term. There is a trial available, but it’s basically just 15 minutes of free transcription time. Transcribe is only available on iOS, though.
If you don’t want to pay for speech recognition software, and you’re running Microsoft’s latest desktop OS, then you might be pleased to hear that Windows 10 actually has some very solid voice recognition abilities built right into the operating system. Windows Speech Recognition, as it’s imaginatively named – and note that this is something different to Cortana, which offers basic commands and assistant capabilities – lets you not only execute commands via voice control, but also offers the ability to dictate into documents. The sort of accuracy you get isn’t comparable with that offered by the likes of Dragon, but then again, you’re paying nothing to use it. It’s also possible to improve the accuracy by training the system by reading text, and giving it access to your documents to better learn your vocabulary. It’s definitely worth indulging in some training, particularly if you intend to use the voice recognition feature a fair bit. This speech recognition capability is actually in previous versions of Windows as well, although Microsoft has honed it more with the latest OS. The company has been busy boasting about its advances in terms of voice recognition powered by deep neural networks, and Microsoft is certainly priming us to expect impressive things in the future. The likely end-goal aim is for Cortana to do everything eventually, from voice commands to taking dictation. Turn on Windows Speech Recognition by heading to the Control Panel (search for it, or right click the Start button and select it), then click on Ease of Access, and you will see the option to ‘start speech recognition’ (you’ll also spot the option to set up a microphone here, if you haven’t already done that).
Image Credit: Google Mobile speech to text apps to considerAside from what has already been covered above, there are an increasing number of apps available across all mobile devices for working with speech to text, not least because Google's speech recognition technology is available for use. SpeechTexter is another speech-to-text app that aims to do more than just record your voice to a text file. This app is built specifically to work with social media, so that rather than sending messages, emails, Tweets, and similar, you can record your voice directly to the social media sites and send. There are also a number of language packs you can download for offline working if you want to use more than just English, which is handy. Voice Notes is a simple app that aims to convert speech to text for making notes. This is refreshing, as it mixes Google's speech recognition technology with a simple note-taking app, so there are more features to play with here. You can categorize notes, set reminders, and import/export text accordingly. ListNote Speech-to-Text Notes is another speech-to-text app that uses Google's speech recognition software, but this time does a more comprehensive job of integrating it with a note-taking program than many other apps. The text notes you record are searchable, and you can import/export with other text applications. Additionally there is a password protection option, which encrypts notes after the first 20 characters so that the beginning of the notes are searchable by you. There's also an organizer feature for your notes, using category or assigned color. The app is free on Android, but includes ads. iTranslate Translator is a speech-to-text app for iOS with a difference, in that it focuses on translating voice languages. Not only does it aim to translate different languages you hear into text for your own language, it also works to translate images such as photos you might take of signs in a foreign country and get a translation for them. In that way, iTranslate is a very different app, that takes the idea of speech-to-text in a novel direction, and by all accounts, does it well. Working with over 100 languages, the basic version is free to use, but the pro version costs $4.99 for a month, or you can subscribe annually for $39.99. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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