Apple : PSG vs Borussia Dortmund live stream: how to watch Champions League 2020 football from anywhere |
- PSG vs Borussia Dortmund live stream: how to watch Champions League 2020 football from anywhere
- Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live stream: how to watch tonight's Champions League online from anywhere
- A look inside a VPN server
- AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile CPUs may be close based on recent product listings
- The Apple Watch 3 is in stock and on sale for $199 at Best Buy
- Apple Watch 6 release date, price, news and leaks
- Malicious phishing scam disguised as HIV results
- Best portable laptop battery chargers and power banks in 2020
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| PSG vs Borussia Dortmund live stream: how to watch Champions League 2020 football from anywhere Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:54 PM PDT This Champions League clash is set to be played behind closed doors due to the threat of coronavirus, but you can watch it from the safety of your own home, thanks to TechRadar's PSG vs Borussia Dortmund live stream guide. The first leg of this last 16 clash lived up to expectations that it would provide goals, and with PSG chasing the game, this second leg is likely to be even more open. Since that defeat three weeks ago, PSG have gone on to win all three of their subsequent games and will be confident of reversing the deficit tonight. Currently sitting second in the Bundesliga, Dortmund remain in good form and come into this game off the back of a 2-1 win at Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday - their fifth straight victory on the trot. Thomas Meunier and Marco Verratti for PSG are suspended after both picking up bookings in the first leg, while defenders Colin Dagba and Thiago Silva are injury doubts for the French side,. Meanwhile, Thomas Delaney and Marco Reus remain on the sidelines for the Germans. Its all set up to be a cracking game in Paris. Read on to find out how to watch, no matter where you are in the world, with TechRadar's guide to getting a PSG vs Borussia Dortmund live stream.
Use a VPN to watch Champions League football when away from homeScroll down to find out your football viewing options for tonight's match in some of the major Champions League watching countries around the world. And if you're out of the country and are worried that you won't catch the game, don't sweat. With the option of using a VPN service, you can tune into this fixtures no matter where you are in the world. And best of all, it's really easy to do.
How to stream PSG vs Borussia Dortmund live in the UK
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How to live stream tonight's Champions League match in Canada for FREE
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| Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:52 PM PDT In a huge Champions League clash at Anfield, Liverpool face a 0-1 deficit in the second leg of a fascinating last 16 tie against wily Spanish opposition. Don't miss a moment of this Champions League football tonight by following our Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live stream guide. Atletico head to Merseyside with a slim advantage, but Liverpool may draw some confidence from the fact the Spanish side have only won one of their last six away Champions League games and haven't been in great domestic form, either, currently sitting just 6th in La Liga. Despite recently experiencing their worst run of the season, the Reds have still won 19 of their 21 home matches this season, and the impassioned crowd will likely play a part in tonight's game - one of the few not being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus. Liverpool look set to receive a fruther boost, too, with club captain Jordan Henderson expected to be available for selection again. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his absence through injury coincided with the team's dip in results. Brazilian keeper Alisson, however, has been ruled out again, with Adrian set to deputise. On the opposite side of the pitch, Thomas Partey looks set to return to the Atletico midfield, while Álvaro Morata may preferred to Diego Costa up front in Diego Simeone's starting XI. Read on to find out how to watch the Champions League tonight, no matter where you are in the world, with our simple guide to getting a Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live stream you can trust.
Use a VPN to watch Champions League football from outside your countryScroll down to find out the best football viewing options for tonight's match in some of the major Champions League watching countries around the world. And if you're out of the country and are worried that you won't catch the game, don't sweat. With the option of using a VPN service, you can tune into this fixtures like Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid no matter where you are in the world. Best of all, it's really easy to do. A VPN allows you to change your IP address so you appear to be in a completely different location. We've tested hundreds of VPNs and can recommend ExpressVPN as the best VPN service currently available. And don't forget that a VPN isn't just for football. There's loads you can do with them, from unblocking restricted sites and watching Netflix in other countries to adding an extra layer of security for online shopping and banking.
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live stream: how to watch tonight's match in the UK
How to live stream Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid in the US
How to live stream Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid for free: watch tonight's game in Canada
How to live stream Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid in Australia
How to watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid in New Zealand
How to live stream tonight's UEFA Champions League match in India
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| Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:42 PM PDT VPN use has increased considerably over the past five years. While users in the west are less likely to go online through a VPN client, those in Asia and BRICS nations are the top subscribers. This affords online privacy, encryption, and even the avoidance of region blocking, useful for watching overseas TV or Netflix. But what are you getting for your $10 a month? To find out what goes on behind the scenes in a VPN server, we spoke to NordVPN. In what is believed to be an industry first, TechRadar Pro and NordVPN have teamed up for a guided tour of a VPN server. NordVPN technicians helpfully set up an SSH session to demonstrate the key aspects of a random selection of VPN servers.
Mark Halstead is the CTO of NordVPN and he guided us through the company's policy on logging and how this is implemented. His colleague Tom Okman also joined us for some further explanations. Anatomy of a VPN serverWe started by looking at a VPN server. Using a VPN is simple as a subscriber. You sign into the server via the VPN client, which by default encrypts and routes all activity from your PC to the chosen VPN server. From this point, the VPN server authenticates access and provides a gateway to the internet beyond. The server is protected by a NAT/Firewall, while recursive DNS helps to guarantee a successful connection to the intended website or service (perhaps streaming a YouTube channel). A database of live sessions might also be running, alongside some statistical monitoring. A VPN is supposed to enhance your privacy and help ensure online anonymity. One of the key advantages of using a paid VPN subscription is that the company providing access to its VPN servers keeps as little information about you and your activity as possible. Operating systems create logs by default, which means that any conscientious VPN provider would take steps to disable this. So, how meticulous has NordVPN been? The session revealed that NordVPN's Linux servers are configured with various tools that enhance security, privacy, and authentication. FreeRADIUS is used for authentication, while the squid proxy software is also used. SaltStack is used for correct server configuration, controlling the infrastructure. A running VPN server (in this case a box based in Ireland with 149 days of uptime) is configured with OpenVPN as well as IPsec for encrypting data. Four threads on TCP and four on UDP are routed through OpenVPN, with both transport protocols given equal status.
How DNS leaks are preventedOne important privacy aspect of VPNs is protecting against DNS leakage. This is when requests to a DNS server (basically an index of IP addresses and corresponding website URLs) are visible to anyone monitoring the connection, despite using a VPN. Observation of your online activity in this regard could leak information that could prove inconvenient at best. DNS leaks can be checked at IPleak.com, but what are VPN services doing to prevent DNS leakage? NordVPN's servers, as expected, use their own DNS. But operating systems offer challenges. For example, on Android the operating system must disable IPv6 to avoid DNS leak possibility. This appears to be a short-term solution, however, as NordVPN have plans to commission IPv6 VPN servers. Another risk to VPN users that has transpired in recent months is the arrival of VPN servers that claim to be in country X but are in fact situated in country Y. This is not something that NordVPN practices. "We have a really strict policy on that… we think we should only have our servers in the locations we say they are." Ensuring the no logging policyVPN users expect their activity to be private. As the data is being encrypted between the client device and VPN server, it is reasonable to assume that logs won't be kept of activity beyond. But what if a government demands it? VPNs based in certain countries (such as the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, the so called Five Eyes) would be compelled by law to provide logs of its subscribers' activity on one or more servers. NordVPN's approach to no logging is to simply disable logs on their servers. By basing the company in Panama, it is under the jurisdiction of an authority that has no mandatory data retention laws. In addition, Panama is not involved in the Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes alliances. NordVPN operate a "warrant canary" page on their site so subscribers can check if the VPN service has received warrants, gag orders, or "National Security letters." We've already seen that a VPN server is complicated; with 5629 servers in 58 countries, how do NordVPN ensure their servers don't log subscriber activity? Simply, logs are configured to write to a virtual device that does not exist. All generated data about connections, destinations, and activity are simply discarded into the ether using the dev/null path. To demonstrate, Mark showed us servers in Italy, Hong Kong, and Ireland. Hong Kong and Ireland were TechRadar Pro's choices, whereas Italy was NordVPN's. In all three cases, a grep command demonstrated the status of the chosen servers (or in the case of Italy, all servers). Each check showed that logs were discarded to the non-existent virtual path of dev/null. The result is logless VPN servers - exactly what a security and privacy-conscious VPN user is looking for. NordVPN is so confident of its no-logging policy that it has contracted auditing giant PricewaterhouseCoopers to assess its VPN servers. Successful audits are a badge of honour that enhance reputations.
Security and DDoSConnecting to a VPN server should be straightforward. However, with the potential for so much activity to be exposed, VPNs are regularly targeted by DDoS attacks. Distributed denial of service attacks strike at a server's ability to process data effectively, resulting in the server's owner taking it offline. "If a provider that we rent a server from is not prepared… there were some issues for customers connected to the server. It was more than 500Gb per second," Mark told us. "We never work in one country with one provider," continues Tom. "We have a mechanism that monitors the health of the systems, and automatically takes the service out of the quick connect and the APIs." This means that the target server is made intentionally unreachable for PC and mobile clients. "We work with cloud providers such as Cloudflare and Amazon in some cases, so that's more mitigated." While NordVPN has a strategy for dealing with DDoS attacks when targeted, they're also building faster servers. Relying purely on RAM, their diskless servers and new TCP technology are likely to have an impact on making the entire VPN industry faster. Making VPNs fasterIn a busy marketplace, VPN companies need to stand out from the competition. One way to do this is to offer improved performance for VPN customers. NordVPN is developing several technologies to enhance speed and security and took the time to share details of two of them. Diskless servers are pretty much what you would expect, servers with no moving parts. Designed to boot remotely and rely on RAM rather than a physical spinning HDD, diskless servers have been introduced with a triple benefit: reducing reliance on leased servers, enhancing security, and improving performance. In a theoretical DDoS attack, a VPN running on a diskless server can be taken offline instantly, mitigating the impact of the attack considerably. "With these servers in RAM, I don't think hacking into the system would make much sense," Tom tells us. "Once it's rebooted, once the credentials are changed, it's automatically reinstalled, fresh from the start." Imagine going online via a VPN and finding that your internet connection speed has increased. It sounds back-to-front, but NordVPN's TCP splitting technology, upon which there is a patent pending, overcomes ISP throttling (also known as traffic shaping or data prioritisation, although the terms are not precisely interchangeable). NordVPN's tests have revealed that connections to sites based outside Europe using TCP splitting are faster than those made without the technology in place. Performance like this can enhance streaming and online gaming, not to mention online collaboration on creative projects. It might just be the next big thing in VPN marketing: "Get faster internet with a VPN!"
Improving the VPN industryA few bad business decisions can ruin an online reputation. Security software applications have been found selling customer data, for example. VPN companies have fallen by the wayside, but there is a maturity to the industry. Part of the Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2Coalition), the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) is a consortium of VPN companies driven to improve digital safety for customers. NordVPN joined several well-known and influential VPN companies that have signed up to the VTI as founding members. With the launch of a bug bounty program in December of 2019, NordVPN is making itself as open and honest as an encryption service can possibly be. If the rest of the industry follows this lead, everyone will benefit.
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| AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile CPUs may be close based on recent product listings Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:31 PM PDT We may not have to wait much longer for AMD's Ryzen 4000 mobile processors. The much-anticipated 7nm mobile processors have shown up in product listings on Amazon for multiple Asus gaming laptops in China and Canada. The early product listings were spotted by Tom's Hardware and include two versions of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 seen earlier this year at CES. There was also a product listing for an Asus TUF gaming laptop. While that third model is listed as having the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor that we've already learned about from AMD, the two Zephyrus G14 models show their processors as a Ryzen 7 4800HS.
The Ryzen 7 4800H is a known commodity, with an 8-core/16-thread design and a 2.9GHz base clock that can boost up to 4.2GHz. We've seen it in early Ryzen 4000 benchmarks that show it blasting past competing Intel chips and even topping the Ryzen 5 3600 in one benchmark. The Ryzen 7 4800HS, however, is not so well known. It will presumably be much the same as that 4800H, but may have different on-board graphics or offer lower thermals to better fit into thin-and-light laptops. Tom's Hardware suggests it may be the latter. A March release date?The product listings on Amazon China suggest the three laptops will release on March 31. That may feel soon enough, but Tom's Hardware had also spotted similar listings on Newegg Canada that had an even earlier release date: March 16. So, we could be seeing AMD's new laptop processors in the wild in a matter of days. at which point it may be time for Intel to start sweating. In most of the leaked benchmarks we've seen, AMD Ryzen 4000 laptop processors trounced Intel's competing offerings in terms of both raw CPU performance as well as integrated graphics performance. AMD already appears to be pushing Intel out of the way in the desktop space with its Ryzen processors, based on the sales figures we've learned from one retailer. But, Intel is a little better entrenched in the mobile PC marketplace. Close relationships with laptop manufacturers have helped ensure that, but AMD has started finding some inroads. Last year, we saw Microsoft embrace AMD in the Surface Laptop 3, albeit only in one model. That model didn't use a Zen 2 processor, though. AMD's latest chips may have far more appeal thanks to the efficiency improvements offered by the shift to a 7nm process, which comes alongside increased power and impressive core counts.
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| The Apple Watch 3 is in stock and on sale for $199 at Best Buy Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:26 PM PDT If you've been searching for a cheap smartwatch deal, then you're in luck. Right now, Best Buy has the Apple Watch 3 in stock and on sale for just $199. That's an $80 discount and a fantastic price for a feature-rich smartwatch. The Apple Watch 3 is packed with health and fitness-focused features while also keeping you connected. The smartwatch tracks activity, workouts, and calories burned and offers 24/7 heart rate monitoring. The swim-proof smartwatch will even notify you when an unusually high or low heart rate is detected and features a breathing app to help with everyday stress. The Series 3 watch provides an 18-hour battery life and includes basic smartwatch features such as the ability to make calls, send messages, and receive notifications. Discover more Apple watch sales with the best cheap Apple Watch prices and deals or just out our roundup of refurbished Apple Watch deals. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Apple Watch 6 release date, price, news and leaks Posted: 11 Mar 2020 12:23 PM PDT We don't expect the Apple Watch 6 to be released until later in 2020, but it’s never too early to start tracking all the rumors we've heard. We'll also compare those early rumors with all the features we actually want in Apple's next high-tech smartwatch. We’ve collected all the current news and rumors about Apple’s next wearable, along with our expert analysis on when it might launch and what it might feature. Below the known information, you’ll find our wish list of the things we want most from the Apple Watch 6 in order to make it a substantial upgrade on the Apple Watch 5. That wearable was good, but it wasn't a huge upgrade on the Apple Watch 4, so we're hoping for more this time around. Update: A massive leak suggests the Apple Watch 6 will get a few long-awaited features, like sleep tracking, as well as more novel health-related additions like monitoring blood oxygen levels - though it's unclear what hardware and software will make it possible. Cut to the chase
Apple Watch 6 release date and priceWith the exception of the original Apple Watch, each new model has launched in September of their respective years, so while there are no Apple Watch 6 release date rumors yet we’re fairly confident that it will land in September this year. More specifically, based on the days and dates that Apple tends to release new models we’ll probably see the Apple Watch 6 on September 8 or 15. That’s not when you’ll be able to buy it though – expect to wait roughly 10 days from the announcement to the on-sale date. As for price, it's likely to cost at least as much as the Apple Watch 5, meaning a starting price of at least $399 / £399 / AU$649.
Apple Watch 6 news and rumorsWe’re already hearing a few rumors about the Apple Watch 6, including the possibility that it could switch to a new screen type. The Apple Watch 5 uses an OLED screen, but a report suggests the Apple Watch 6 might use microLED. The main advantage of microLED is that it should be more power-efficient, which could mean the Apple Watch 6 would have better battery life. Another possible change to the screen is the addition of a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Currently the Apple Watch range doesn’t have any biometric security, but building a scanner into the screen would be a slick way to offer it.
This theory is based on a patent, and you can see a related image above. The patent explains that this could be achieved by moving the wireless antennas to the strap so there’s more room for other components under the screen. It’s a change that as well as potentially creating space for a fingerprint scanner could also theoretically leave room for a larger battery. It would however limit the ability for third-party companies to offer straps, and likely mean that strap replacements would be very expensive. One other feature the Apple Watch 6 might offer is native sleep tracking. That’s according to “people familiar with the work” speaking to Bloomberg. The Apple Watch range already supports third-party sleep tracking apps, but surprisingly Apple still doesn’t offer its own, so it’s a believable addition. But we've been waiting for a first-party solution that's more directly integrated with Apple's ecosystem. Another massive leak suggests sleep tracking is coming, along with better parental controls and new 'tachymeter' distance-tracking markings (a feature on traditional analog wristwatches) ringing the Apple Watch face. Also revealed in the leak: the Apple Watch 6 could get the capability to monitor blood oxygen levels and warn wearers if those drop low enough to risk a cardiac arrest. And, predictably, better ECG. And as well as new features, the Apple Watch 6 might also sport improved water resistance and wireless connectivity, as well as faster general performance. None of that is terribly surprising, except perhaps water resistance, since the Apple Watch 5 is already water resistant to depths of 50 meters. This claim comes from Ming-Chi Kuo (a respected Apple analyst), who says a switch to liquid crystal polymer (LCP) materials in the circuit boards will allow for it. A big departure for an upcoming Apple Watch may be a switch to a digital crown rather than the rotating option that sits on every Apple Watch model. There's no guarantee this will be included on the Apple Watch 6, but it may be something the company is experimenting with thanks to a patent that we've seen from the company.
It's very likely the Apple Watch 6 will come with a new version of the company's software onboard. We currently expect that to be called watchOS 7, but so far we've yet to learn of any of the features that will come with it. What we want to seePlenty more Apple Watch 6 rumors are sure to roll in, but in the meantime here’s what we’re hoping the wearable will offer. 1. Better battery lifeThe Apple Watch 5 actually has worse battery life than the Apple Watch 4, and while there’s a good reason for that (the addition of an always-on screen), we’d still like to see some big improvements for the Apple Watch 6. At a minimum we want it to match the Apple Watch 4’s life, but ideally we want it to be even better, comfortably offering two or more days of life between charges. That would also make it more viable for sleep tracking – a feature that Apple is rumored to be adding. 2. More fitness features
The Apple Watch is a great health and exercise device already, but we were disappointed to find that no significant new fitness features were added for the Apple Watch 5, so we’d like to see some for the Apple Watch 6. What exactly they might be we’ll leave up to Apple, but possibilities include the ability to more accurately track more exercises, or additional sensors for monitoring your health. The more granular the health info, the more accurately we can track progress and personal development. 3. A dimmer option for the always-on screenThe always-on display was a great new feature for the Apple Watch 5, but one significant issue with it is that it’s too bright to comfortably use at night in the dark. As such we want an option to have it go very dim, without turning off completely. This would also likely improve battery life, so it’s a win-win. 4. Always-on for all apps
Another issue with the always-on screen is that it’s not properly supported by all apps, meaning that rather than a basic version of an open app being shown on the always-on display, it will in many cases switch to a basic digital clock, meaning you can’t view the app without properly waking the screen up. We’d like to see this changed for the Apple Watch 6, so that every app is able to fully support the always-on screen. 5. Sleep trackingWe’ve been asking for sleep tracking on the Apple Watch for years and so far Apple hasn’t listened. There are rumors that sleep tracking might be in the works, so this might be something we finally get. But on the other hand, with third-party apps offering it, Apple might decide not to bother. 6. Improved syncingWe found syncing things (such as songs and podcasts) to the Apple Watch 5 was a lot fiddlier than it really should be, as not only do you need it to be charging and near your iPhone, it also just didn’t seem to reliably work even then in our tests. Coupled with it being hard to see what’s saved on your watch, the whole process just lacks the polish we’d expect from Apple, so this definitely needs some work for 2020’s model. 7. A circular screenWhile our other wishes are realistic, this one isn’t. We can’t see Apple ditching the current screen shape – and nor do we want it to – but we would love to see a circular option added alongside the square screens. While it won’t happen, it would be a huge selling point for the new model if it did, especially since the Apple Watch 5’s design is very similar to the Apple Watch 4’s.
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| Malicious phishing scam disguised as HIV results Posted: 11 Mar 2020 11:55 AM PDT Security researchers have discovered a new phishing scam which lures users into opening a malicious Excel document by pretending to offer their HIV test results. Phishing campaigns have seen a huge increase over the past year as the scammers behind them have begun employing new tactics to trick users into falling for their schemes. This time though, they may have taken things too far as researchers at Proofpoint have observed scammers sending phishing emails with malicious Excel spreadsheets pretending to be patients' HIT test results from Vanderbilt University.
While those who are more observant may notice that the university's name is misspelled in the contact of the email as “Vanderbit”, most users likely won't as the rest of the phishing email appears as if it comes directly from the university. Malicious Excel fileThe phishing emails sent out in the campaign all contain an attachment named “TestResults.xlsb” that requires users to 'Enable Content' to view their test results. If a user does decide to enable content, malicious macros are then executed which download and install the Koadic penetration test and post-exploitation toolkit. Through Koadic, the attackers are able to gain complete control over the infected computer and from there they can execute any command they like to download additional malware or steal files from the machine. Senior director of threat research and detection at Proofpoint, Sherrod DeGrippo provided further insight on how cybercriminals are now using health-related lures to trick users into falling for phishing scams in a blog post, saying: “This latest campaign serves as a reminder that health-related lures didn’t start and won’t stop with the recent Coronavirus-themed lures we observed. They are a constant tactic as attackers recognize the utility of the health-related “scare factor.” We encourage users to treat health-related emails with caution, especially those that claim to have sensitive health-related information. Sensitive health-related information is typically safely transmitted using secured messaging portals, over the phone, or in-person. If you receive an email that claims to have sensitive health-related information, don’t open the attachments. Instead, visit your medical provider’s patient portal directly, call your doctor, or make an appointment to directly confirm any medical diagnosis or test results.”
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| Best portable laptop battery chargers and power banks in 2020 Posted: 11 Mar 2020 11:13 AM PDT While finding the best portable laptop chargers can be difficult, it’s not impossible. They may not be as prevalent as power banks for mobile phones and tablets – perhaps because most people simply find an outlet at a cafe to charge their notebooks. However, they’re out there; you just have to know where to look. It does take a bit of research, though. Many portable laptop chargers are finicky and don’t always work. Some are even too big and too heavy to be worth carrying, so you’re better off just going to a cafe and paying for a cup of coffee or charge at an airport or a train station when you’re traveling. However, if you do find one that works for you, it’s definitely worth it for the convenience. The best portable laptop chargers are some of the most useful gadgets for digital nomads and remote workers. That’s where we come in; we found the most reliable and best value portable laptop chargers on the market. This way, you don’t have to sift through the bad; you just have to pick the best for you. Best portable laptop battery chargers and power banks at a glance:
Mophie Powerstation AC is able to power a 15-inch MacBook Pro. With the Mophie Powerstation AC, high power output is the name of the game. This portable laptop battery charger is able to power a 15-inch MacBook Pro. Meanwhile, the USB-C port is rated at 30W with a USB-PD label, meaning its one of the few batteries capable of fast charging an iPhone X or iPhone 8.
Omni 20 USB-C has an insanely high capacity. If you have a newer laptop, and find yourself running out of juice throughout the day, the Omni 20 USB-C might be for you. Not only does it have an insanely high capacity, but it also allows charging of multiple USB-C devices simultaneously. So, if you’re working and you need to charge your Nintendo Switch and a mobile device, you go for it. Plus, the Omni 20 also serves as a USB hub, clearing out some extra storage space in your bag.
Poweradd Pilot Pro2 covers most of the laptops on the market today. The PowerAdd Pilot Pro2 doesn’t just come with 10 connectors that cover most of the laptops on the market today, but it’s backed by a two-year warranty. That means you can use the 23MAh/85Wh capacity without worry. The Pilot Pro2 is also light enough to carry around wherever you go, coming in under 560g. The only thing that holds it back is that it doesn’t have any USB-C connectors, so if you have a modern Ultrabook or MacBook, you may want to go elsewhere, otherwise you’ll have to carry a separate power supply to keep the battery charger backed up.
RAVPower RP-PB058 delivers up to 30W of power. As technology marches forward, new laptops need less power to function. This is especially ture for high-end laptops like the MacBook Pro, HP Elite x2, Huawei Matebook Pro X or the Dell XPS 13. For all of these devices, and more, USB-C is king – the RAVPower uses this revolutionary connector to deliver up to 30W of power, which should be plenty for the best Ultrabooks. You can recharge it using a 30W wall charger that can also be used to power compatible laptops – very handy, indeed.
MaxOak Apple MacBook Charger goes the extra mile to make sure that it matches the expectations of its audience. The MaxOak MacBook Charger is a perfect example of a laptop battery charger that goes the extra mile to make sure that it matches the expectations of its audience. This portable laptop charger has all the hallmarks of an Apple device, without the logo – but that’s what those Apple stickers are for – with a matching brushed aluminum finish. It’s the second most capacious portable laptop battery charger on this list, but its huge amount of juice comes with a catch – it carries so much power that at least one airline has outright banned it, so bear that in mind if you plan to use this charger while traveling. It’s also pretty heavy at almost 1kg and will cater to most MacBooks, but nothing else.
Qi-Infinity Upgraded Powerbank targets Microsoft's popular Surface lineup. The Qi Infinity Upgraded Powerbank is the only product here that targets Microsoft’s popular Surface lineup by offering the appropriate DC output voltage. It comes with a generous five ports, four of which will let you charge other 5V devices (which includes anything from other power banks to tablets and smartphones). But, what’s really interesting here is the addition of fast charging through Qualcomm’s Qi tech. You’ll be able to charge the new MacBook as well, but no traditional laptops that rely on a 19V DC output. Just keep in mind that with a capacity of 35Ah, it might not be allowed on some airlines.
MaxOak K2 is the biggest battery on our list. The K2 is the world’s second highest mountain and it is fitting – to some extent – that MaxOak named this battery after that lofty peak. After all, at 50Ah, this is the biggest battery on our list and one that is also the heaviest of the lot. It supports laptops up to 60W (3A, 20V) as well as fast-charging. Note that it takes up to eight hours to charge the battery and that can only be achieved via a proprietary charger. Sadly, it doesn’t carry a USB Type-C connector – which makes it useless for newer laptops – and you won’t be able to lug it around on the plane (as with the previous two peripherals, the massive capacity here may mean it’s banned on some flights).
Sandberg Powerbank 20000 comes with a couple of features that make it a rather enticing option. Sandberg's Powerbank is neither the cheapest nor the most powerful around. However, it does come with a couple of features that make it a rather enticing option. It outputs a number of voltages (12V, 16V, 19V and 20V), automatically choosing the right one depending on the device which is connected. This portable laptop battery charger also features two USB ports, and they’re hardwired to output 5V. You’re also supplied with 12 different charge tips, but if you have an Ultrabook that needs a USB Type-C port for charging, you’ll be out of luck. It also features a premium brushed aluminum finish, with bright blue LED status lights that clearly indicate the amount of juice left, or how close the battery is to full charge.
RavPower AC Power Bank is a Reddot award winner. If you are looking for a versatile laptop charger, then do consider this RavPower offering. It is by far the most expensive model on our list, but this Reddot award winner carries a feature that no one has replicated till now. It has an AC output that can deliver up to 100W of power – yes, this could even power a TV if needed. Note that you will probably need an adaptor (there’s one bundled) because the power bank can only accommodate two-prong plugs. You will be able to take it on a commercial flight, but you will not be able to recharge it via USB.
Dell Power Companion PW7015L is a far sleeker battery pack. Dell sells the Power Companion with various battery capacities. It is more compact than the RAVPower models, and the unit looks like a Dell power brick that charges your laptop. When you're at your desk, you can daisy-chain to recharge the Power Companion and your Dell laptop by connecting your Dell charging brick to the Power Companion, and then connecting it to your notebook. Dell's Power Companion is a far sleeker battery pack if your office relies on Dell Inspiron, Latitude, XPS or Venue laptops and tablets, with the added benefit that it has extra USB ports should you need them. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Ring 3 cameras revealed with crime-preventing upgrades Posted: 11 Mar 2020 11:00 AM PDT Amazon-owned security company Ring has upgraded its lineup of smart security cameras with two new models, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 and Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus. The new Ring cameras boast many of the same specs as their predecessors – including a very similar design – but come with a few new features that should reduce false motion-detection alerts, improve connectivity, better battery life and help to identify people captured by the camera.
These new features could help to prevent would-be intruders and – if worse comes to worst – identify nefarious characters who try to enter your home when you're away. One of these new features is a 'near motion zone', that comes into effect between 5 and 15 feet from your front door. This new motion zone should prevent the Ring Video Doorbell 3 and 3 Plus from over enthusiastically sending you notifications every time a car drives past, instead focusing on the area directly outside of your home. Both new Ring cameras now come with dual-band Wi-Fi, offering 5GHz for better wireless connectivity – for comparison, the Ring Video Doorbell 2 could only handle 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Roll the cameraAnother feature, which is unique to to the more premium Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, is the ability to record pre-roll footage. This means that you'll be able to see up to four seconds of video before a 'motion event'; previously, the camera would only be triggered in the seconds after it detected motion, which meant it was possible to miss footage of a person when they first appeared in the vicinity of your Ring Doorbell. This works thanks to a module that contains three additional cameras, which all work together to record the scene from your front door; these three feeds come together to create one 1080p image. Whether this will drain the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus' battery remains to be seen; after all the camera will need to be constantly rolling. Amazon says that the new module actually helps to save battery, and it is possible to hard-wire both new cameras if you'd prefer not rely on their internal batteries. As the more highly-specced camera of the two new models, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is pricier than its sibling, costing $229.99 (about £180 / AU$350). Meanwhile, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 will cost $199.99 (around £150 / AU$300) – both devices will ship in the US from April 8, with global pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Protection at the expense of privacy?The new Ring cameras should prove popular, as smart video doorbells have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. These nifty smart home devices give us the chance to see exactly who is at their door – even when away from home – as well as recording intruders in the event of a break-in. Saying that, they may not be as useful as we previously thought. Earlier this year, an investigation by NBC into Ring video doorbells found that the popular devices are rarely used by police investigating crimes. Furthermore, privacy concerns have somewhat dented the Ring brand, with a recent data breach exposing the personal data of more than 3,000 device owners. In response, Amazon unveiled new web dashboard of privacy controls that allows its users to better manage the access settings of their devices, as well as requiring all users to sign in using two-factor authentication. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Play Ori and the Will of the Wisps for just $1 / £1 with the latest Game Pass Ultimate deals Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:55 AM PDT Ori and the Will of the Wisps has landed in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate library which means you can get started straight away for just $1 / £1. That's all thanks to the latest Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deals, which offer incredible savings on Microsoft's gaming subscription service. So get your Spirit Light containers ready and start preparing your shard collection, we can get you bashing, grappling, and wall jumping without your wallet breaking a sweat. If you're new to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service, you can set up a one-month subscription for this low $1 / £1 price. That's great if you're just looking to play Ori and the Will of the Wisps as quick and cheap as possible, but if you're looking for a longer-term membership there are even better ways to save with the latest Game Pass Ultimate deals. Before you sign up for your one-month membership, grab a cheap Xbox Live Gold subscription (the best we've found this week is this $52 / £39 12-month membership). Add those Live Gold months to your account and when you join Game Pass Ultimate they will automatically be converted into the much more expensive subscription! This is a fantastic way to save big on a Game Pass Ultimate subscription and is fully endorsed by Microsoft. But if you've already signed up before, there are still plenty of ways to save with a cheap Game Pass deal, like this $10.49 / £7.99 three-month Game Pass subscription. We're running through all the ways to save with Game Pass Ultimate deals below, so you can get back to Ori and the Will of the Wisps for less. Play Ori and the Will of the Wisps for as little as $1 / £1Best Xbox Live Gold dealsIf you want to maximise your savings on that Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate deal, you'll want to pick up a cheap Live Gold subscription first. You can convert anything up to 36 months into a Game Pass Ultimate subscription when you sign up for that $1 / £1 trial, so the more months you stack the more you save. Best Xbox Game Pass dealsIf you've already subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate, but still want to find some Game Pass deals to boost your membership length for less, these offers should do the trick. You're not getting access to online play, PC offerings, or exclusive discounts, however, so if you're after those you should check out the Game Pass Ultimate deals below. You'll still find Ori and the Will of the Wisps available on the standard Game Pass subscription. Best Game Pass Ultimate dealsThese Game Pass Ultimate deals bring everything together in one handy subscription which usually comes at a slight premium. However, today you can save plenty of cash on a cheap Game Pass Ultimate subscription and start playing Ori and the Will of the Wisps straight away. We're tracking all the latest Game Pass sales right here on TechRadar, as well as the best Xbox Live Gold prices around. While you're at it, why not refresh your gear? We're keeping tabs on all the best Xbox One controller prices around. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Time for an upgrade - these cheap 4K TV deals are offering excellent price cuts this week Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:45 AM PDT If you're looking for cheap 4K TV deals, we'd have to point you towards these Samsung sales available across the US and UK. We're seeing some fantastic savings on premium displays on both sides of the pond right now, with glorious high-quality TVs going for stunning prices. Even without the reductions, Samsung 4K TVs offer brilliant value for money - premium HDR10, a massive range of smart TV apps, and an easy to use setup are all bundled into low everyday prices. That's what makes these cheap 4K TV deals so special - you're saving cash on top of an already low price tag. We're seeing these Samsung 4K TVs come in for as little as $295 in the US, though you might also want to check out this $299 price tag on a more recent model. With savings reaching into the $280 range, there has never been a better time to grab a cheap 4K TV deal. In the UK, we're seeing discounts on the popular 2019 RU7470 range. While not as premium in display (or price) as the 8-Series, this is still a high-quality lineup. With fantastic picture quality and special Ultra-HD Dimming technology for higher contrast and detailing, you can save anything from £50 - £100 on these powerful TVs. Prices start at £379 on the 43-inch model, but again, we'd really point you towards this £399 price on the 50-inch version to get the most value. These cheap 4K TV deals will help you secure a premium display for less this weekend. Plus, with so much content offering 4K streaming and broadcast at the moment, there's more opportunity than ever to push your display to its limits and enjoy stunning picture clarity. Samsung 4K TV sales in the US
Today's best cheap 4K TV deals in the UKCurrys are holding a fantastic 4K TV sales event this weekend, and new subscribers can also grab a free 6-month subscription to Spotify with their new TV to boot.
We're keeping tabs on all the latest 4K TV sales right here on TechRadar, but if you really want to upgrade you might also want to check out the best OLED TV deals from around the web. You can also make the most of your new TV with these Amazon Fire Stick deals. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| This company wants to heal and repair your VPN Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:40 AM PDT The endpoint security company Absolute has announced that it will now provide many of its existing customers with free access to its patented Persistence technology in order to help them proactively repair and install their existing VPN applications. By turning on this capability, businesses' IT teams can ensure that remote workers have uninterrupted access to corporate networks, business applications and data during the global coronavirus outbreak. President and CEO at Absolute, Christy Wyatt explained how the company's Persistence technology can help ensure business continuity in a press release, saying:
“As we hear from customers globally that they are encouraging more employees and/or students to work and study remotely, never has there been a more critical time for ensuring security controls remain installed and effective. Enabling our customers to reinstall and recover VPN applications allows them, in turn, to enable employees with secure, simple access to the sensitive applications and data required to do their jobs, wherever they are working… and maintain business continuity and their ability to take care of their customers.” Application Persistence for VPNAs the coronavirus continues to disrupt businesses' day to day operations, many organizations of all sizes have faced increased pressure to rapidly implement remote work policies and the technologies needed to put them in action. To support IT teams tasked with ensuring employee productivity, organizational security and business continuity, Absolute has decided to offer free access to its Application Persistence for VPN service for all of its Visibility and Control tier customers through August 31, 2020. Keep in mind though that the service does not work for every VPN and at this time, only Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, F5 BIG-IP Edge Client and Pulse Connect Secure are supported. Keeping VPN clients updated and configured correctly remains a challenge for many businesses and Absolute's upcoming "2020 State of Endpoint Resilience Report" revealed that nearly half of endpoint devices with a VPN client installed have one that is misconfigured, out-of-date or non-compliant.
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| Disney Plus UK release date, movies, TV shows, deals, Sky Q and more explained Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:40 AM PDT Disney Plus UK is less than two weeks away – and Disney has revealed which movies and shows are coming to the new streaming service on day one. The Disney Plus release date in the UK and Ireland is March 24, and you can sign up already. We've now seen a full list of Disney Plus UK movies and TV shows, so you can see if the service is worth it for you or not. With Disney Plus, you can watch all the Star Wars, Disney, Marvel and The Simpsons you could ever want – and the line-up is looking really good. Pre-orders are open, and you can pick up a year of Disney Plus for just £49.99 right now. The usual Disney Plus UK price is £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year, so it's a decent deal, but it's only available until March 23. Save £10 here: Disney Plus previously launched back in November in territories like the US and Australia, but if you were hoping we'd get every episode of The Mandalorian at launch in the UK, episodes will only start to 'roll out' on the March 24 launch. Still, future originals are more likely to keep pace with US releases. Existing DisneyLife customers will be migrated onto Disney Plus – though we're not sure how that'll work yet. Below, we'll talk you through everything we know about Disney Plus's UK launch, price, compatible devices, free trial, shows, movies and official confirmation of Sky Q integration. Disney Plus UK release date: start streaming in MarchDisney Plus has an updated release date in the UK: March 24, a week earlier than initially planned. It launches in Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland at the same time. It's been a long wait, but it'll hopefully be worth it. And just to make it extra enticing, just weeks before launch, Disney UK has confirmed that 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be available at launch. Watch the trailer below: It does feel like the delayed rollout of the service has made piracy Disney Plus's worst enemy, even knowing a firm date is on the horizon for many European countries. We saw the UK release date for Rick & Morty Season 4 brought forward after fan backlash over the delay, but doing so for a whole platform such as Disney Plus was likely too big a task. After all, a lot of Disney movies were still on Sky over the holidays, including most of the Star Wars films. Even with the Disney Plus UK release date coming months after the US, though, programming like The Mandalorian is rolling out on a weekly basis. So you won't see it all at once. Disney Plus: UK pre-order deal, price and subscription tiers explainedDisney has confirmed that Disney Plus will cost £59.99 for an annual subscription, or £5.99 per month. As mentioned above, until March 23 you can pre-order a year's subscription and bring the price down to £49.99. Monthly and yearly, then, are the two available tiers, and you can cancel at any time. Unlike in the US, where it's bundled in with ESPN and Hulu, in the UK Disney has so far only been announced as a standalone service. Either tier gets you four concurrent streams, unlimited downloads with a maximum of 10 devices and the option to create seven profiles. Disney UK doesn't specifically mention 4K resolutions, just 'high-quality' viewing. Since it's available in the US and Australia, though, expect to see that for the same price tier. We'll explain more about compatible apps below. In the US, you can gift a year of Disney Plus either digitally or in the form of physical cards, but no such option has been announced for the UK yet. Disney Plus will launch with Sky Q and come to Now TV at a later dateDisney Plus has made a deal with Sky to integrate Disney Plus on its Sky Q platform at launch. That means you can watch Disney Plus alongside all your other Sky content – it'll just be added to your Sky bill. This is a major convenience win for users of the service. Disney Plus will be available on Now TV in the coming months, too. Disney Plus free trial UK: watch seven days for free at launchIf you don't want to subscribe to Disney Plus right now, expect a 7-day Disney Plus UK free trial at launch similar to what we've seen in other territories. It's easy to cancel if you don't want to commit. Disney Plus UK: devices and appsDisney Plus should launch on pretty much any device you can name in the UK, including mobile devices, games consoles, streaming media devices and smart TVs. You can take Disney Plus shows on the go, too, downloading as many movies and shows as you can fit on your device, as long as you have an active subscription and connect to the internet every 30 days. In the US, the app launched on Apple TV, Roku streaming devices, Android, iOS, PS4, Xbox One, Nvidia Shield, Hisense TVs, Google Chromecast and Amazon's Fire range of streaming devices. One notable exception is the Nintendo Switch, which is still pretty poor at supporting streaming services. Philips has confirmed its Android-based smart TVs will support Disney Plus, and Amazon has confirmed its Fire TV devices will feature the service too. Disney Plus UK: shows and movies, including The Simpsons
The full list of Disney Plus UK movies and shows has been revealed. Click that link for more on what you can expect on day one. Every Star Wars movie minus The Rise of Skywalker is confirmed for day one, as well as a near-complete list of Pixar movies and Marvel movies. You'll also get 2019's Aladdin and The Lion King movies on day one. Star Wars series The Mandalorian is the clear highlight of Disney Plus originals. As mentioned, episodes will only start to 'roll out' on March 24. Expect the live-action Lady and the Tramp, High School Musical: The Series, Encore!, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Togo, Diary of a Future President, Forky Asks a Question and The Imagineering Story at launch, too. The Simpsons was initially left out of initial marketing for Disney Plus UK, but now the service has confirmed the animated sitcom is coming on Twitter, suggesting some kind of deal has been made. The timing was notable: this was the same day Disney Plus and Sky announced their deal. Could The Simpsons have been a part of the overall partnership? In the future, Disney Plus is getting plenty of big exclusive shows. From the Marvel Cinematic Universe side of things, new shows include The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (August), WandaVision (November), Loki (2021), Hawkeye (2021) and animated show What If?. Further off, expect TV shows based on Moon Knight, Ms Marvel and She-Hulk. Unlike Marvel's Netflix shows, too, these will canonically be part of the MCU, and feature actors crossing over between the movies and these TV series. Lucasfilm has a second season of The Mandalorian coming in October 2020, then further off it's making shows featuring Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Diego Luna's Cassian Andor from Rogue One.
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| 10 days with the Huawei Mate XS: over a week with the latest foldable phone Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:33 AM PDT It's hard to summarize the Huawei Mate XS in just a star rating. It's a new product category; both a tablet and a phone - entirely usable in either mode with minimal compromise. While we've seen other foldables like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, as well as the Motorola Razr, the Huawei Mate XS perhaps best brings the two product categories into one foldable hybrid. Its hardware is unmatched. That said, for the foreseeable, we won’t be able to write about Huawei’s Android phones and tablets (and indeed foldables), without mentioning their software differences when compared to other Android phones. Since Google cut ties with Huawei at the behest of the US government, the Chinese manufacturer's devices have been handicapped. While Huawei is doing the right things - investing massively in plugging the Google-shaped holes in its software story, and being mindful of how it sells and markets its new phones, it would be reckless to underplay the real-world implications of no Google services to those outside China. It's difficult for a review to capture all the nuances of how incredible the Mate XS is as a hybrid device, or how far-reaching the lack of Google Mobile Services is to a western user. That’s why we've written this diary which documents a week with one of the most complex smartphone stories of our generation.
Day zero: I came from a Mate 30 ProHuawei tested the Google-free waters ahead of announcing the Mate XS with its Mate 30 Pro. Despite launching in 2019, it only hit select shelves in the west in 2020. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro launched in the UK with limited availability because Huawei knew its Google-free status would be a challenge. Unsurprisingly, the theater surrounding its sale is an ongoing, carefully orchestrated production. Sales staff are being briefed on how to sell a phone with no Google services and who to sell it to. Huawei is also, no doubt, assessing how much a fantastic bit of hardware (which the Mate 30 Pro certainly is), is being held back by the software situation. It wants to sell phones, but it doesn’t want high return rates and resentful customers - that would kill the brand equity that it has worked so hard to build. I already had some experience with that phone, so had some idea of what to expect. But this story isn’t about the Mate 30 Pro. Hour one: setupI opened the box on the train, handling it as if a relic that might turn to ash if the wind changed direction. All the buzz surrounding the Mate XS made mention of the plastic screen being ever-exposed, so the last thing I wanted to do was scuff it up before I fired it up. Huawei has fortified the plastic on the front with, well, more plastic. A double layer and adhered together, with the screen coating costing more, pound for pound, than gold. I wanted to try being a little haphazard about how I used the Mate XS in my time with it - just not straight out of the gate.
In the box, the phone is flattened out, in its tablet mode, so that’s how I left it when I switched it on. As the Huawei logo flashed up, first impressions were positive - an impossibly thin tablet, that turns into a phone, a folding screen that doesn't feel naff - this is special. The setup process was very similar to that of the Mate 30 Pro. Connect to Wi-Fi, log into a Huawei account, link it up with Huawei Phone Clone on an old device (at around 60Mbps no less), and bam - all my apps bar Google-related services and my Barclays banking app shifted across. There was one striking difference, though - a message warning me not to peel the screen protector off, get the phone wet or fold it in temperatures below -5 degrees Celsius / 23 degrees Fahrenheit. If the political situation didn't rule out half of North America, that last point would, as -5 isn't event that cold! This was doing nothing for my fear of using the Huawei Mate XS in the real world. Still, the fear didn’t deter me; my week with Huawei’s new super phone had begun. Hour two: fold, unfold, repeatBefore I dove into the software, first things first, I folded and unfolded it - a lot. The phone’s screen turns from a 6.6-inch tall smartphone to an 8-inch tablet. That might not sound like much of a difference, but it is. It means you don't have to rotate your phone from portrait to landscape to beautifully showcase your pictures, you can open it and get a much better result, not to mention an "oooooh". The unfolding mechanism is activated by hitting a latch on the back of the phone which unclasps the folded back side. It pops out a little, after which, you do the rest. Initially, I didn’t love the clasp. If felt like yet another moving part in a device that already had more of those than most. The fact it enables the Huawei Mate XS to fold flat is a huge deal, though. The Mate XS's 11mm thickness makes it thicker than most phones, but it’s still manageable, especially if you’re coming from an already large flagship like the OnePlus 7T Pro.
Day one: softwareMy first full day with the Huawei Mate XS after the novelty of its design subsided just a little, and I'd spent most of it setting it up. Huawei has invested $1 billion in its App Gallery, and in enticing developers to create for its non-Google devices. That said, it’s clear that the associated improvements will be phased over the coming years, as the Huawei Mate XS’s app store experience is virtually identical to that of the Mate 30 Pro. That means you get a handful of the top ten apps available through it, but it isn’t comprehensive, yet. Still, you can install apps manually, and there are other app stores; APK Pure and Aurora Store are the two I find most reliable and can recommend. 100% of the apps I needed were available in one or the other, except for games I’d bought through the Google Play Store, like Final Fantasy.
This was the first psychological hurdle I had to get to grips with - my Google Play investments were lost so long as I was living my best folding life. Irrespective, I pressed on, setting up apps like Outlook to cover my Google Calendar, Drive, and Gmail needs. Some Google apps even worked without any headaches too - specifically Chrome and Maps, with the limitation being that I couldn't log into my Google account on them. Most impressive, however, is the web browser experience. Whether through Chrome or Huawei’s default browser, viewing sites in desktop layout makes the Mate XS feel like something of an early days Chromebook. I was able to upload files to Google Drive and even access my Gmail with a full web view. Hooked up to a mouse and keyboard, while it wasn’t a perfect experience, provided I had internet it was much better than it would have been if this was a traditional phone. Day two: no sideloading GoogleHaving sideloaded Google Services onto the Mate 30 Pro, by day two with the XS, I was ready to give getting my old favorites onto the foldable a real stab. The method I used before was pretty straightforward; a few downloads, a couple of screen taps, mouse clicks, and a manual install of six APK files, and I was done. Not on the Mate XS though. I tried twice to sideload Google Services, but no joy. Hmm. Time to get comfortable with finding workarounds to missing Google features.
The implications of no Google are far-reaching, extending beyond standard Google apps. Uber, for example, doesn't work on the Mate XS as it uses Google location-related APIs. WhatsApp backups don’t work either as they are saved to Google Drive - the list of affected apps is extensive and random, so be prepared for a journey if you pick up a Mate 30 Pro or Huawei Mate XS. Given the added novelty and utility a folding phone brings, however, in a masochistic way, this need to find app workarounds added to the sense of novelty that comes hand-in-hand with using the Mate XS. The ground-breaking hardware made it worth the extra effort, for me at least. Day three: I dropped a £2,000 phoneFor the first few days with the Huawei Mate XS, I’ve been coddling it. The foldable has lived in a microfiber sleeve. Nothing too firm or protective, but I haven’t been putting it on any surfaces without something soft cushioning it. Do this, and the phone will look great - my Mate XS on day three is totally scratch-free. That said, by the afternoon, I wanted to test it out with no sleeve so I'd get an idea of how scratch-proof it really is. As much as it pained me, I started putting it directly on surfaces, and straight into jean and jacket pockets. By the evening, I was using the foldable like an actual phone, sliding it into my pocket, pulling it out, opening and closing at will - it was a dream, until… Picture the scene - I’m in a kitchen (with tiled flooring). I pull the Mate XS from my pocket, open it up - and the doorbell rings. Lowering the phone to my waist, I walk over to answer it, but I don't realize there's a terrified cat about to fly between my legs - he hates strangers, and in turn, doorbells. I stumbled, almost fell, steadied myself on a chair with the hand holding the foldable - it dropped from about half a meter. The flattened screen hit a wall, which seemed to have spread the impact as it bounced off and onto a tiled floor. My heart fell through my chest. It was only day three, and I’d broken the most expensive, exclusive phone I’ve ever used! Wait; no, no, I haven't? Turning the Mate XS over, the screen works fine. It folds, there aren’t any dents on the display, or on the metal frame. I’m not entirely sure how, but it looks as good as new… Day four: party tricksDinner time, and four days in, I’m comfortable with what the Mate XS can and can’t do. It can take fantastic pictures; the 40MP main camera is lifted from the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and P30 Pro, so that’s little wonder. Combined with its 16MP ultra-wide lens and 8MP telephoto one, it makes for a very good camera phone, as the example images below show. It’s also a beautiful thing reading magazines on the unfolded Huawei Mate XS. The Kindle app, for example, works great, and my Prime membership includes titles like Time magazine - which has never looked better on a phone. Video is also a real treat on the foldable. While Netflix isn’t officially supported, I found an APK floating around, which works well - albeit with no support for downloads. Amazon Prime Video is fully functional, though, as is BBC iPlayer. Then there’s what happens when you pull it out in public - no one flinches. As a phone, it’s so incredibly phone-like, people don't think anything of it. Only when I opened it up when showing a friend a picture across the dinner table did people gasp, and curse. Then there’s the picture-taking experience beyond the camera itself being decent: Huawei’s camera app has been augmented to take advantage of the folding screen, so when you take a picture of friends, they can see themselves and pose. Even without Google, the Mate XS is a serious people-pleaser.
Day five: battery-tasticThere are two batteries keeping the Mate XS alive, one in either of its folding halves. They combine to make a total of 4,500mAh, which for a phone or a small tablet, is a decent capacity. Better yet, the two batteries make 55W charging speeds possible. This means you can power it up by 80% in around half an hour. A phone that lasts all day, turns into a tablet, and charges very quickly - where’s the catch? Well, from a battery point of view, there isn’t really a catch as such. Sure, there’s no wireless charging here, but I’d take 55W wired speeds over the 25W speeds of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus and lose the wireless charging, personally. Day six: masterful multitaskingSomething I’ve seldom done is use split-screen multitasking in the real world. The only phone I’ve ever fired up the native Android split-screen feature on when out and about, was the extra-long Sony Xperia 1. The two halves end up being weirdly usable, given the phone's height. That was until I started using the Huawei Mate XS. Unfold the Mate XS, drag in from the left or right side, and a shortcut bar appears. You can populate this with apps, after which you can drag the ones you need into the frame - one to the left side of the screen, one to the right.
Each half of the phone is the size of a full smartphone in portrait orientation, and being able to drag a floating window across either is just the icing on the cake. WhatsApp in one half, Google Maps in another - topped off with a floating calculator - ideal for planning an upcoming road trip across Ireland with a WhatsApp group in my case. The floating apps also work in phone mode, which can come in handy for example if you want to fire up Spotify as a quick pop-up window while your workout app is ticking along in the background. Huawei gets hardware and software, and that’s never been more evident than on the Huawei Mate XS - not once did the phone bug out. Day seven: worth suffering through any woes?There’s no doubt about it, the Huawei Mate XS is held back by the lack of Google. That said, I’d still rather have one than a Samsung Galaxy Fold, which does have unadulterated access to Google Mobile Services. Why? The Galaxy Fold isn’t a good smartphone - in my opinion, its front screen is too small. Meanwhile, the Mate XS is a larger tablet than the fold - 8 inches versus 7.3-inches, a larger phone - 6.6-inches versus 4.6 inches, and a thinner closed device - 11mm versus 15.5mm. As for the clamshell foldables, the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola RAZR, they’re compact, sure, but they don’t do much that traditional smartphones can't, so just don’t feel worth the hefty price premium.
That's why Huawei really does need to be applauded for the Mate XS’s hardware. That said, it isn’t without its faults. The hinge elements look like a stylus on either side - people will try to pull them out. The ever-exposed screen of the XS does scratch more easily than glass too, it's worth noting. Five days of using it without a case, and there’s a slightly frayed horizontal strip from hinge to hinge. This is along the back part of the screen in contact with a surface when the Mate XS is face up. When the screen’s on, you can’t make it out, but if the light catches it in just the right (or wrong) way when the screen’s off, it looks like a series of micro scratches. Alarming? That depends - personally, I'm impressed it isn't worse. I expected the phone to fare poorly when faced with real pockets, tables, and that painful drop I put it through. The Huawei Mate XS is definitely more fragile than traditional smartphones, but it’s also much more impressive. Day ten: finally, I have GoogleTen days in with the Huawei Mate XS, (an eye on XDA Developers forum the whole while), and finally, a new Google Mobile Services hack surfaces for the Mate 30 Pro that I can try. Google has been blocking every hack that’s cropped up in recent months, so the fact other users had success with this new hack gave me hope. I tried it, and you know what? It actually worked. Well, it worked with a caveat. Every time I reboot the phone, I lose Google access and need to wipe the phone and start from scratch. On any other phone, this would have been a deal-breaker. For me, specifically faced with the prospect of using the Mate XS, this is just a powerful incentive to never switch it off. And so I go, folding away with full Google Mobile Services, sideloaded onto what I believe to be the most advanced smartphone money can buy - with a power bank to hand, just in case. Final wordHuawei’s mobile business has been rocked, hard. It had to contend with an unprecedented software challenge in 2019, shortly after establishing itself as the global number two smartphone seller in 2018, knocking Apple down a spot on the podium. That’s a fall from grace. But the Huawei Mate XS lives in a bit of a bubble - the bubble of unfolding phones that turn into small folding tablets. The mere fact that it’s the best phone in that bubble is a testament to why you should still be paying attention to Huawei, even with all the drama.
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| Doom Eternal won't be 'true 4K' on Google Stadia after all Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:30 AM PDT Despite id Software’s promising otherwise, this week it has confirmed that Doom Eternal will not deliver a true 4K experience on Google Stadia. In a blog post, Doom Eternal developer id Software confirmed that the Stadia port of the first-person shooter will run at 1080p and 60 fps on HD displays, and will up-sample to 2160p from 1800p at 60 frames per second on 4K displays. It’s worth noting that the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro versions of Doom Eternal will also be upsampled to 4K, but the PC version's highest "Ultra-Nightmare" setting will support true 4K performance.
News of the game’s Stadia performance will likely come as a surprise to many. At the launch of its cloud gaming service at last year’s GDC, Google touted Doom Eternal as one of the leading titles for Stadia, with id Software taking to the stage to boast that the game would run in “true 4K”, prompting whoops and cheers from the audience. "If you're gonna prove to the world that you can stream games from the cloud, what better proof than Doom?" said Doom Eternal’s co-creator Marty Stratton. "And if you're gonna prove to a developer that you're serious about building a robust platform, what better team than iD, where we push every platform to its limit? "We couldn't be happier to be bringing Doom Eternal to Stadia, and are thrilled to announce that the game will be capable of running at true 4K resolution, with HDR colour at an unrelenting 60 frames per second." Another blow for StadiaThe news, which comes after it was revealed at launch that neither Destiny 2 nor Red Dead Redemption 2 are supporting true 4K on Google’s streaming platform, unsurprisingly hasn’t gone down well with Stadia owners on Reddit. “Damnit, this blows. With Vulkan and the power of the cloud, this was supposed to be a sure thing,” one disgruntled Redditor writes. “I'm not upset about the resolution itself for my own reasons, but I am upset it isn't hitting true 4k @60fps because now I'm starting to truly doubt Stadia's tech is actually capable of achieving this. Stadia's huge selling point was the best power with the best convenience… not console power with more convenience.” Another moans: “Majorly disappointing. This was supposed to be the showpiece but all it shows is stadia is barely on par with old-gen consoles. “Stadia is going to look like a joke come PS5/XBSX and I doubt [Google] is planning any upgrades any time soon.” If you’re not as disappointed, Doom Eternal will arrive on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on March 20, with a Nintendo Switch version to follow later in the year. Via MSPowerUser This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 11 Mar 2020 10:03 AM PDT You can save big with some excellent fitness tracker deals and sales on the latest smartwatches this week at Amazon. Plus, you'll find plenty of iPad and laptop price cuts as well. We've spotted some fantastic savings on top tech out in the wild, with headphone deals offering up the amazing Sony WH-1000 XM3 headset for a brilliant price and extra savings on everything from Xbox One consoles to impressive 4K TVs. We've rounded up our favorite Amazon sales below, but you can also check out all our picks further down the page. Amazon Daily Deals: today's top sales
Cheap Garmin and Fitbit fitness trackers
Sony WH-1000 XM3 deals return
Cheap and cheerful laptop deals abound
PC gaming deals offer excellent savings
Amazon Echo bundles offer savings on smart home accessories
The latest 4K TV sales
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| Get low monthly bills with this stellar 20GB data iPhone 11 deal on EE Posted: 11 Mar 2020 09:54 AM PDT As a brand, Apple isn't exactly synonymous with the word cheap so when you stumble across a strong discount on its latest range of handsets, its well worth making the most of it. Of the latest trio of devices, iPhone 11 deals repeatedly stand out as the best value option. And for those trying to limit their monthly bills, one offer on EE really stands out. The offer looks like this - 20GB of data at a monthly price of £31 a month. That comes waaay below the average spend so it is no surprise that to get that low the upfront cost is quite high - £150 to be exact. While that seems like a lot, it still actually works out as one of the cheapest iPhone 11 deals around and if you use the code 10OFF, you'll save an extra tenner. We've listed everything you need to know about this offer below.
These iPhone 11 deals on EE in full:What makes the iPhone 11 so good?The iPhone 11 is the cheapest of Apple's latest trio and yet, really isn't much of a downgrade. You still get Apple's new incredibly fast CPU, a 6.1-inch screen, IP68 rating and even a 3046mAh battery, enough to keep you going all the way through the day on one charge. Read our full iPhone 11 review This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Cyberpunk 2077 release date, price, trailers, gameplay and news Posted: 11 Mar 2020 09:54 AM PDT The Cyberpunk 2077 release date was delayed to September 17, meaning it won't be hacking into our digital lives this April after all. The game is complete, says developer CD Projekt Red, but the extra time allows for more polish, and you can expect new teasers, trailers and gameplay footage in the coming months thanks to the delay. Cyberpunk 2077 is a massive dystopian RPG launching on Xbox One, PC, and PS4 – and it could be the current-gen swan song before PS5 and Xbox Series X come out, or even after, with a confirmed Xbox Series X release and a PS5 one highly likely to follow. This vast open-world game is draped in dizzying neon colors and futuristic gadgetry, and packed with more branching storylines than you could shake a high-tech drone at. In both an extended Cyberpunk 2077 trailer and in our hands-off demo at E3 2019, we saw a bit more of the metropolis of the future, where body modification has become an obsession, and you play a mysterious outlaw in the sleazy underbelly of Night City. (Will we see more at E3 2020? It's likely.) Here's all the news, trailers, and announcements we've had on Cyberpunk 2077 so far. Or, if you can't take the anticipation ahead of the game's 2020 release, check out our thoughts on the Cyberpunk RED tabletop role-playing game instead. [UPDATE: A sign that Cyberpunk 2077's release is drawing ever closer: the game has been submitted to age ratings agencies around the world. Read on to find out more.] Cut to the chase
What is Cyberpunk 2077?
Cyberpunk 2077 is a neon cyberpunk game that has The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red moving from a gritty, high fantasy world to an equally gritty, science fiction world metropolis. It's based off the pen-and-paper RPG of the same name, but plays a hell of a lot like The Matrix game we've always wanted. We caught our first peek at the game behind closed doors at E3 2018 – you can check out what we saw in the 48-minute walkthrough video below (in the trailers section). Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that looks vastly different from its developer's The Witcher series, with towering neon skyscrapers, bionic enhancements and a focus on vertical movement rather than wide open plains. It's also all in first-person. At E3 2019 we learned a lot more about the plot of the game, which features the one and only Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays a character named Johnny Silverhand who's embedded in a biochip that's placed in the main character's brain. In order to unlock the secrets to the biochip, what basically becomes the main thread of the game, Silverhand will guide you to Alt Cunningham, the most legendary net runner of all-time. The only problem? She’s dead. But her consciousness lives on the web and you’ll need to do whatever it takes to track her down – including, but not limited to, befriending or eliminating leaders of the biggest gangs in Night City. Cyberpunk 2077 release date
The Cyberpunk 2077 release date is September 17, 2020. It wasn't always that way, as the game's first official teaser trailer stated it would come out “when it’s ready.” It didn't have a solid date attached to it until the E3 2019 trailer, which gave it an April 16, 2020 launch date. That was the constantly touted Cyberpunk 2077 release date for six months until the latest (and hopefully last) delay. The reason for the Cyberpunk 2077 delay to September isn't because the game isn't done. CD Projekt Red says it's finished, but more time to fine-tune the expansive game is necessary. It is, after all, a massive RPG. Cyberpunk 2077 trailersThe latest Cyberpunk 2077 trailer is a 15-minute deep dive into the game's lore, world, and gameplay. If you don't mind spoiling some of the visual treats in store – including what it's like to actually step into cyberspace – check out the video here. E3 2019 gave us an incredibly slick trailer, with a look at some new characters, weapon-play – including Keanu Reeves, who will be playing the rock star Johnny Silverhand. Get your fix in the trailer below. In March 2019, we got yet another video, this time of the development team gearing up for the E3 2019 showcase event. Those hoping for a 2019 release may want to start to brace themselves however – though the game remains without a release date, the suggestion of the video below is that development is still in full swing, and a release date may be some time away yet: After a veritable truckload of hype, CD Projekt Red released 48 minutes of gameplay footage, based on the demo journalists saw at E3 2018. In it, you'll see what gunplay looks like, character creation and backstory assignment, plus how you'll upgrade yourself via cybernetic enhancements. You'll meet some of the characters in Cyberpunk's seedy crime circuit and explore the city on foot and in vehicles. (Quick warning: the trailer contains nudity, violence and swearing.) We were treated to a Cyberpunk 2077 trailer during E3 2018 which you can watch below:
Cyberpunk 2077 news and featuresSubmitted for age rating Cyberpunk 2077 has reached an important stage: it's been submitted to age ratings agencies around the world. The news comes from CD Projekt Red Head of Studio Adam Badowski who tweeted that the game has now been sent out to PEGI, ESRB and others, adding that while the team awaits the rating it is "polishing technical aspects and playtesting it". This is an exciting reveal to fans after the game's five month delay and Badowski notes teasingly that the game is "looking better and better with each passing day". Based on ratings for The Witcher 3 and what we know already about Cyberpunk 2077, it seems likely that the game will receive a high age rating. Who are the Tyger Claws? As we're approaching the release of Cyberpunk 2077 new information on the game has been a little limited and CD Projekt Red has been keeping quiet. But a recent video posted to YouTube by Madqueen Show (via VG247) is purporting to reveal one of the gangs that will roam Night City when the game is released: Tyger Claws. The gang, which also exists in the tabletop RPG of the game, is described in the video as being “a Japanese booster gang" which "settled in the district of Westbrook, also known as ‘Japantown,’ the part of the city where people go when they’re looking for thrills. As they are the protectors of the Japanese community at large, it is thought they are backed up by one of the most powerful megacorporations of Cyberpunk 2077: Arasaka.” The contents of the video haven't been confirmed by CD Projekt Red but adding some credence to it is a Tyger Claws poster over on the official Projekt Red store which describes Tyger Claws as a Night City gang hailing from Japantown. Another gang poster features a group called the Valentinos from the barrio. Grimes tells all in apparent gameplay leak Grimes appeared on a live stream in late February, and spoke about her involvement in Cyberpunk 2077 as the singer / performer Lizzy Wizzy, possibly revealing more than she was meant to, with mention of how her in-game character appears and the rather sci-fi situation she finds herself in. Spoilers below, obviously. The YouTube video was quickly pulled, but this thread on Reddit features a "summary" of what was mentioned (meaning this may not be perfectly verbatim): "I did my voice acting for Lizzy Wizzy, that game is going to be fucking good. I mean I haven’t played it, but I saw someone play an hour of the game. The game was fantastic, and I play a pop star who committed suicide on stage, and they had to quickly come and preform emergency surgery and replace her whole body with cybernetics while she was dead for an hour and then she finished the show as a cyborg. One of the greatest pieces of performance art ever made."
Confirmed for Xbox Series X – as a Smart Delivery title The official Twitter account for the game responded to news of Microsoft's new Smart Delivery feature – which allows Xbox owners to access souped-up versions of previously-purchased games, even after switching to a next-gen console – stating that anyone buying Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One would get the game for free on Xbox Series X. It's a big incentive to buy early, rather than wait for the improved graphical power of the next-gen console. We doubt PS5 will have the same feature, though you can be sure we'll get official word on the game coming to the next-gen PlayStation console too. As to when the next-gen versions will land? The tweet only says "when available", though we expect it will happen some time in 2021. Nvidia GeForce Now support You'll have to buy Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam before playing it on GeForce Now but this is a big win for Nvidia after losing Activision Blizzard's games. VR not happening Mamais wasn't particularly forthcoming on the topic of a port for Nintendo Switch, either, saying it's unlikely but that similar things had been though of The Witcher 3. “I don’t know if Cyberpunk 2077 would work on the Nintendo Switch. It might be too heavy for it. But then, we did put Witcher 3 on it and we thought that would be too heavy too, but somehow we pulled it off.” Big names on the soundtrack Game map Reddit Q&A reveals more details According to the poster, the game's day and night cycle will have an impact on quests; at certain times of day, for example, a location may be more or less guarded which could impact your likelihood of success. Weather, though, won't have an impact quite so severe although in-game characters will react to it. The game's crime system has been revealed as being similarly dynamic— so police won't jump on you for a small crime like, say, assault on a particular individual. But they will "absolutely try to fry your ass" for more extreme things like causing harm to large groups of people with a gun or vehicle. Quests in the game will be wide-ranging, branching and evolving, even impacting one another. And the game won't necessarily end with the completion of the main story; you can opt to keep playing. Replayability is said to be higher with this game than The Witcher 3. As far as customization goes, the developer has acknowledged that players are interested in car customization but has asked for more patience before saying anything with regards to any plans, while, interestingly, there won't be an option to buy a new apartment. Instead V's apartment will evolve and change depending on the paths that players take when playing the game and it'll feature options within it for customization and expression though what they are has not been confirmed.
Post-launch content In an interview with GameSpot at PAX Australia, the head of CDPR's Krakow office, John Mamais said “I think it’s a bad idea to do microtransactions after you release a game. It seems like it’s very profitable, though. It’s probably a hard decision for the guy that runs the business to decide if we should do it or not. But if everyone hates it, why would we do something like that and lose the goodwill of our customers?” As far as Mamais is concerned, the Witcher 3's model which saw free DLC launched with big paid expansions was "a good model" which "worked pretty well." As a result, Mamais added "I don’t see why we wouldn’t try to replicate that model with Cyberpunk 2077. We’re not talking about that yet, but it seems like that would be the smart way to go.” Photo mode? The video shows a scene of the Night City skyline while the symbol of a camera shows briefly. The hashtags on the tweet itself read Capture Cyberpunk and Photos From Night City. This makes a photo mode seem very likely and given it's a feature found in most big budget games these days that may not be entirely surprising. However, the game's first person perspective may present some challenges if CD Projekt Red wishes to allow players to take pictures which will include their fully-customised avatars. No Reeves romance for you What about multiplayer? Character creation will be gender fluid Jonkers said that "you don’t choose your gender anymore. You don’t choose, ‘I want to be a female or male character’ you now choose a body type. Because we want you to feel free to create any character you want." GTA-style radio Coming to Stadia Spin-off card game “The game thrusts players into the dark alleyways of Night City, where ruthless gangs clash with corporations in an endless war for money, power, and control. “In Cyberpunk 2077: Afterlife, players become Fixers, the data brokers and masterminds in Night City that recruit cyberpunks, equip them with gear, and send them out on missions. But nothing's free in Night City. Players need to balance between what they want and what they can actually afford. Using an innovative drafting mechanic and special dashboard, players must decide which cards they want to buy, and which to sacrifice for funds in order to purchase new ones. Each successful mission raises the player's Street Cred, with mission survivors becoming Veterans, imparting their knowledge and experience to newer recruits. In this chrome-infused world, Street Cred is the only currency that truly matters.”
Hardcore mode that says goodbye to UI Of course, it’s not just the hardcore players that are being catered to in Cyberpunk 2077; Liu revealed that there will also be modes for those who are less experienced with first person games and shooters and wish to enjoy a more laidback experience. “If you want to play more casually for the story and maybe you’re not experienced with shooters, which was a real big concern for us. We want to tell a story and maybe you’re a big fan of The Witcher and you’re not comfortable playing a shooter, we have settings available for that.” Liu explains that as well as settings for less experienced players, there will also be weapons. The smart gun, for example, will help players to aim. Though it comes at the cost of the smart gun being a weaker and slower weapon. It will, however, be a good start for those looking to get to grips with the aiming system. For those unfamiliar with first person games, there’s also going to be a Field of View slider. Making more of the game world visible through the eyes of the avatar should alleviate that sense of tunnel vision that comes from trading third person view for first person and the potential for nausea this can cause some players. Environmental hazards
Settings available for those uncomfortable with FPS Cyberpunk 2077 will look just as good on console as PC "Actually no, we have a very custom engine, the RED Engine," Liu responded. "And actually, we’re targeting consoles as first-class platforms and it looks amazing there. So obviously, if you spent, you know, $2,000 building your PC rig, it’s going to look better on that. But the graphics are quite amazing for what you’re going to get from Cyberpunk 2077 on consoles and low-end PCs." Could we see a movie adaptation in the future? "I can’t really say anything on that," Pondsmith told VGC in response to whether he is optioning the Cyberpunk movie rights. "But with Keanu Reeves being tied up in things, it’s become much more of a possibility." "At this point we are teaching people about this new kind of cyberpunk. My favorite film is Blade Runner, but I recognise inherently that it’s a cerebral film and 2049 was even more cerebral. A cerebral film is not necessarily going to allow other people to enter that space and understand it, but at the same time you don’t want to do it totally action." Keanu Reeves' band gets its first single There may or may not be three games in development Take your pick of protagonists There will be romance
There will be no morality system There's more than Night City In an interview with VG247, the Lead Quest Designer, Pawel Sasko, revealed that players will be able to go beyond the walls of the metropolis and explore an area known as the "Badlands". Largely desolate and populated by Nomads, this area will have its own quests. You can even start the game as a Nomad and begin your story outside of the city. Multiple Endings
New Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay shown at E3 2019, but not playable Inside Pacifica, two gangs – The Animals and The Voodoo Boys – are fighting for supremacy. In order to meet Bridgitte, the head of the Voodoo Boys, you'll have to first deal with her lieutenant Placide, who wants you to infiltrate The Animals' hideout. Your goal, at least you're told, is to find a high-tech van that's monitoring all the network traffic in Pacifica. To get to this van, you'll have to make your way past The Animals' crew. The reason they're called The Animals, it turns out, is because they take a drug that enhances their muscle mass. To get through them you'll either need to fight your way through – a risky proposition – or sneak your way into the hideout. Customization: perks, skills and attributes The choices are vast, and while they're not completely limitless, CD Projekt Red doesn’t want to confine you to a single play style or set path. The reasoning behind that, it seems, is to better mirror the game’s source material – a 30-year-old tabletop role playing game called Cyberpunk (however, there was also a later edition called Cyberpunk 2020). Behind all of the hacking and gunplay lies a fairly complex RPG – the perks screen we saw during our demo had more than 20 perks to choose from and level up. These perks impact how your character plays, but can also impact what choices you have in conversations with the world’s NPCs.
Image Credit: CD Projekt Red Vampire Bloodlines and Deus Ex were inspirations for the game Tomaskiewicz said that games such as Deus Ex, Vampire Bloodlines and Elder Scrolls had influenced him in his work on Cyberpunk 2077's quests. He cites the original Deus Ex as a particular influence and praises the ways in which it gives players the freedom to complete missions in multiple ways. This suggests we can expect a great deal of freedom and complexity and non-linearity in Cyberpunk 2077’s missions as well as in the protagonist you'll be using to cause havoc in the game world which is something quite different from the tight gameplay-loop found in The Witcher. CD Projekt Red is working on two AAA titles – both to be released by 2021 This release window was reaffirmed on the official CD Projekt Red forums, with moderator Donata Popławska confirming the studio is sticking to its original roadmap. "As far as the strategy of the CD Projekt Capital Group for 2016-2021 is concerned, its plans to release the second AAA game by 2021 remain unchanged," the moderator wrote (translated via Resetera user Antiax). However, Popławska did not expand on what the second AAA title to be released in this time frame could be. "We are currently focusing on the production and promotion of Cyberpunk, so we do not want to comment on further projects," they continued. Lady Gaga could be making an appearance? In addition ActuGaming claimed the collaboration would be officially announced at E3 2019, with Gaga rumored to be making an appearance at the gaming convention however that didn't happen. In 2018 Gaga tweeted a strange mix of letters and numbers, which the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account replied to with "Of course! Of course we will!", suggesting the A Star is Born actress would be involved with the game in some way or another. E3 2018 confirmed features It's a first person RPG set in a huge open world known as Night City – a metropolis split into six districts, each offering a different environment to explore. During the demo we only saw a small part of one of them. Players can create their own character called V and embark on their journey to crawl up from the criminal underbelly. This is a dark game and though The Witcher series is mature, this takes it to a new level. As you'd expect, the game lets you augment your body using various bits of tech – illegal or otherwise – and you can use drugs to enhance your combat, or a kind of digital brain-hack called 'Braindance'. We know weapons are wide ranging and seriously creative, with smart guns and bullets as well as terrifying Mantis Blades for melee. There are no loading screens in Cyberpunk 2077 and the story and side quests are branching and numerous, and your choices genuinely impact the outcome. You can read more about how impressed were were by what we saw.
Image Credit: CD Projekt Red It will be on Steam It’s going to be bigger than The Witcher 3 In fact, he said that The Witcher 3 was being treated as a learning experience and that they could do better. To do better, the studio has doubled in size with studio head Adam Badowski saying that after The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 needs to be “even better, even bigger, even more revolutionary” than what had originally been planned.
There may be multiplayer The company president said in March 2018 that these elements are not on the table right now, so it's possible that they'll be introduced after the game's release in a sort of online world like GTA Online. There will be online Whether or not the online elements will feed into the multiplayer is unclear. But there won't be microtransactions It appears that while many studios are feeling the need to move to a service model to ensure their titles make money, CD Projekt is staying committed to the story-driven single player experience with Cyberpunk 2077, one which served them very well with The Witcher. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| These Arlo Pro deals mean there's never been a better time to grab a cheap home security camera Posted: 11 Mar 2020 09:54 AM PDT Cheap home security cameras are flying off the shelves this week, with Arlo Pro deals leading the pack in savings right now. The latest offers from Walmart and Amazon are bringing cutting prices across the US and UK, so there's never been a better time to grab a cheap home security camera setup. If you're looking to cover a medium-sized area outside or inside, you'll find two-camera Arlo Pro 2 home security systems for just $260 / £365 right now. However if you're looking to cover more ground, there's also three-camera options in the US available for as little as $334. Smaller UK homes can also benefit from this fantastic £193 Arlo Pro deal on a single camera setup. If you're after the most recent model, you'll find this Arlo Pro 3 two-camera bundle coming in at just $399 - $100 off! All of these models offer wide fields of view from wireless cameras and can be easily set up both inside and outside your home. You'll benefit from clear night vision settings, even clearer if you opt for the 2K Arlo Pro 3 model, as well as motion detection with notifications heading straight to your smartphone, configurable activity zones to avoid repeated triggers for unnecessary movement, and Google Assistant, Alexa, IFTTT and Stringify compatibility. These cheap home security cameras come packed with a range of extra features to keep you safe as well - from two-way audio through to a 100+ decibel security siren that can be activated remotely or through sound or motion. Plus, you'll find big savings with these Arlo Pro deals, bringing the cost of cheap home security cameras down even further this week. Today's best cheap home security camera deals in the US
Today's best Arlo Pro deals in the UKYou'll find a range of cheap action camera deals available this week, but we're also tracking the latest dash cam sales to keep you safe wherever you are. You can also check out all the latest smart home deals right here on TechRadar. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Apple headphones 2020: which AirPods or Beats are right for you? Posted: 11 Mar 2020 09:52 AM PDT Apple headphones used to be restricted to the wired EarPods you’ll find in the box of a new iPhone, but these days the tech giant is well on its way to becoming a credible audio brand that can stand up to the likes of Sony and Bose. That’s partly down to its acquisition of Dr Dre’s Beats headphones in 2014, which expanded Apple’s portfolio to include colorful, fashion-forward on-ear headphones, wireless over-ear headphones, and slick running earbuds. In 2019 came the upgraded Apple AirPods, complete with the brand's own H1 chip. This clever chip allows for cool features like the ability to summon Siri hands-free, super-fast pairing with iPhones, and increased battery life when it comes to taking calls. The H1 chip now comes with all new Apple headphones, from the AirPods Pro to the Beats Powerbeats Pro, and beyond. Choosing between headphones that share many of the same specs can be tricky, which is why we've put this handy guide together. Before we dive into our top picks however, we've answered some common questions about Apple headphones to make your buying decision even easier: Are Apple headphones worth buying? It depends on what you're looking for – if you want easy pairing with your iPhone, you can't go wrong with Apple or Beats headphones. Looking for pure audio fidelity? You're better off looking at competitors like Sony and Bose, though more Apple headphones like the AirPods Pro sound very good indeed. How much are Apple headphones? Prices vary, but Apple headphones tend to sit at the pricier end of the mid-range. For example, the Beats Powerbeats 3 cost $199.95 / £169.95 / AU$259.95 at launch, while the AirPods Pro cost $249 / £249 / AU$399. Can I work out with Apple headphones? Yes. The best Apple headphones for working out at the Powerbeats Pro, thanks to their earhook design and sweatproof IPX4 rating. Other models, like the AirPods Pro have no such rating, though Apple says that they're water and sweat-resistant. Are AirPods noise-cancelling? The only noise-cancelling AirPods are the AirPods Pro. Otherwise you'll have to look to Beats headphones like the Studio 3 Wireless and the Solo Pro to block out environmental sound. Can AirPods connect to Android phones? Yes, they can. You might find they're marginally slower to pair than they would be with an iPhone, but the difference is negligible. However, if you are using AirPods with an Android, you'll miss out on features like auto-pause or the ability to customize noise cancelation. Do Beats work better with Apple? Again, Apple headphones – and therefore Beats headphones – are designed to work seamlessly with Apple's ecosystem. That doesn't mean you can't use Beats headphones with other operating systems, but you may miss out on some features if you do. The best Apple headphones of 2020
Apple's best headphones of 2020, the AirPods Pro, bring active noise cancellation, a much better fit, and an improved design to the company's previous true wireless earbuds. They're not quite the best true wireless earbuds out there (that honor goes to the Sony WF-1000XM3), and at $249 / £249 / AU$399 they aren't cheap, either. That said, if you’re an iPhone user looking for some well-fitting earbuds with strong sound quality, you could do a lot worse than the latest AirPods – the redesign means they’re far less likely to fall out, and the additional microphones provide strong noise-cancelling (particularly when commuting), as well as a useful Transparency mode, which really does let the outside world in. The sound quality of the AirPods Pro has certainly improved since the previous iteration – there’s a notable emphasis on vocals and bass, meaning these earbuds are better for pop fans than those who enjoy a more natural presentation that lends itself to classical music or more orchestral sounds. Apparently, there's a new AirPods model on the horizon to join the original buds and the newer Pros. The AirPods Pro Lite are rumored to be a new, cheaper variant of the company's popular true wireless earbuds, and they could be released this year. Read more: Apple AirPods Pro review
Bringing top-notch adaptive noise cancelling to its on-ear offering for the first time, Beats Solo Pro is a marked step up from its previous iterations – particularly when it comes to build quality. Sturdier than the Beats Solo 3 and sporting a cool matte finish in each color, the Beats Solo Pro feel like the biggest step up in quality the series has seen in some time for its larger line of headphones. Like the 2019 AirPods and AirPods Pro, they come with the H1 chip which allows for fast pairing and hands-free Siri integration. Priced at $299.95 (£269.95 / AU$429.95 / NZ$499.95), the Solo Pro will likely appeal most to users who want a great pair of Beats cans without committing to Apple's bulkier, pricier over-ear option, the Beats Studio 3 Wireless. The active noise-cancelation brings Apple's Beats somewhat closer to the best offerings from Sony and Bose, although those two are still ahead by some distance – the Sony WH-1000XM3 and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are our top two picks in this field. We do like the simple-one button access to the transparency mode here, though. This optional feature allows some outside noise to come through, which can be handy in an office if you want to be aware of someone calling your name or making sure you're aware of traffic around you when walking or cycling. Read more: Beats Solo Pro review
The PowerBeats Pro true wireless earbuds are something special – they’re supremely comfortable, sound decent and seem to never, ever fall out. They might not be the best true wireless earbuds in Apple's audio arsenal now that the AirPods Pro are here, but they are Apple’s most premium play into the world of running headphones, and are the buds we'd recommend to most workout enthusiasts. That's thanks to features like the pressure-reducing micro-laser barometric venting hole, their long on-board battery life and good sound quality. If we had to choose between wearing these and the original AirPods around the house or office, these are what we’d wear. Read more: Beats PowerBeats Pro review
With an over-ear, closed back design, the Studio 3 are among the best noise-cancelling headphones Beats has ever made. The battery has massively improved since previous models too, so you can enjoy music for up to 22 hours, or 40 with the active noise cancellation turned off – just like the Beats Solo Pro. However, there are sound issues you just don’t hear in other good headphones at the price. It’s not boomy bass but a tire of blubber sitting between the bass and mids that makes the Beats Studio 3 Wireless less articulate and open-sounding than most alternatives. Still, they're a good match for iPhones missing 3.5mm jacks – in fact, you can pair them with any smartphone thanks to the Bluetooth technology. The Studio 3s are available in multiple colors too, including red, matte black, white, porcelain rose, blue and shadow grey. Read more: Beats Studio 3 review
The second generation Apple AirPods, the AirPods (2019), aren't a huge improvement on their predecessors, but they still sport some cool features, that may make them worth buying if you're an iPhone user in particular. They still feature the iconic design of the original AirPods, and sound quality hasn't changed at all – it's lively, but not on par with the best true wireless earbuds of 2020. The bulk of the upgrade comes from the new H1 headphone chip, which improves connectivity and battery life, and allows for a new ‘Hey Siri’ voice activation feature. The AirPods (2019) also come with an optional wireless charging case means you can use a Qi-compatible charging mat to power the case, rather than sticking a cable into the Lightning charging port in the bottom of the case. Like their predecessors, they are super easy to pair, but they are very much optimized for using with iPhones. The best true wireless earbuds give you more flexibility when it comes to your device of choice, and can offer superior sound quality – as well as sleeker designs. There’s also no getting away from the fact that these are an expensive pair of headphones, and for that kind of money we think that you can find better products elsewhere – especially if you're looking to pair with anything other than an iPhone. Read more Apple AirPods (2019) review
The PowerBeats 3 running headphones are yet another pair of Beats headphones that aim to keep your tunes pumping while you keep your legs pumping. They may come with the high price that is a signature of the Beats and Apple brands, but they offer a lot for runners, and especially for Apple users. With a 12-hour battery life and a quick charge function that can add an hour of battery life in a few minutes, the PowerBeats 3 should rarely run out of juice in the middle of anything short of an insane ultra-marathon. They’re also ready for all the sweat from your brow, and can even handle a run in the rain. The Beats Powerbeats 4 could be coming soon, too – and they could make perfect running headphones. After some digging around in iOS 13, a new icon for the upcoming buds was discovered, which shows they'll sport the same workout-friendly design as the true wireless Powerbeats Pro. Read more: Beats PowerBeats 3 review The best Apple headphones, at a glance
Apple headphones: what's coming next?2020 is set to be a huge year for Apple headphones. This year, we’re expecting to see the first pair of Apple over-ear headphones, the AirPods Pro Lite, and the Powerbeats 4. According to a report by respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who correctly predicted the release of the upgraded Apple AirPods and the AirPods Pro in 2019, the first over-ear Apple headphones will launch alongside a number of new products in the first half of 2020. A March release date is possible, based on previous Apple launches, though icons for the new Apple headphones have been discovered in iOS 14, which is due to release between September and November this year – so we may be waiting a little longer. An inventory listing from US store Target, may have revealed the price of the hotly-anticipated cans, too. YouTuber Jon Prosser posted an image to Twitter, purporting to show the upcoming over-ear headphones in Target's system, mysteriously listed as "Apple AirPods (X Generation)". The product in the image appears to cost $399, which works out at around £300 / AU$600 – if these are the rumored Apple StudioPods, then the brand is aiming for the higher end of the price scale, surpassing the cost of competitors like the Sony WH-1000XM3 and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro Lite will reportedly be an entry-level version of the noise-cancelling AirPods Pro, which suggest the rumored wireless earbuds might be cheaper than the most expensive Apple earbuds currently on the market. Rumors have been circling since mid-February, after a report from DigiTimes claimed that the new true wireless earbuds will launch in the first half of 2020. Lastly, the Powerbeats 3 could be getting a follow-up in the form of the hotly-anticipated Powerbeats 4 wireless earbuds. That’s based on a US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing that depicts a pair of wireless earphones, called 'Power Beats Wireless' awarded to Apple on February 27. While Apple hasn't confirmed the existence of the Beats Powerbeats 4 – if that’s what they’ll be called – FCC filings are usually a good indicator that a product is on the verge of being released. Most recently, we've seen our first images of the Powerbeats 4; on March 9 WinFuture published what it says are photographs of the new wireless earbuds, along with new information on battery life, design, and support for Siri. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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