Apple : Google Glass still getting upgrades, but still not for you

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• Google Glass still getting upgrades, but still not for you
• Apple WWDC 2019: date and keynote predictions
• PlayStation Productions is set to turn your top PS4 games into movies
• Salesforce resolves massive outage with gradual access restoration
• Amazon Prime Day 2019 US: everything you need to know for the July deals event
• Huawei ban causes trade-ins to surge as news breaks of Android block
• Chinese VidMate app fraud hits up to half a billion users
• Microsoft has a patent to help you keep track of your adventures
• South Korea moves from Windows to Linux
• Honor 20 will still get security updates despite Google's restrictions on Huawei
• How to watch Game of Thrones season 8, episode 6 online - stream the finale from anywhere
• AMD Navi GPUs appear in leaked benchmarks
• The best free PDF editor 2019: change text and images without paying a penny
• The best online YouTube downloader 2019: save videos straight from your browser
• Warriors vs Trail Blazers live stream: how to watch 2019 NBA Western Conference Finals online
• Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is a VR journey through the cosmos for fans and newbies alike
• Best smartwatch 2019: the top wearables you can buy today
• Memorial Day sales 2019: a guide to the best deals going on
• Get a three-year CyberGhost VPN deal for just $2.75 a month - a 79% reduction

Google Glass still getting upgrades, but still not for you Posted: 20 May 2019 01:49 PM PDT The story isn't over for Google Glass, the company's connected AR headset. Though the original product didn't make much of a splash, running into a bit of controversy with its awkward looks, Google didn't give up on it. The company instead transitioned it away from the consumer market with Glass Enterprise Edition. And, now Glass is getting another upgrade in the Glass Enterprise Edition 2 announced today by Google. The new AR glasses have a few key improvements, with USB-C for faster charging, Bluetooth 5.0, Android Oreo (using the AOSP), and a new Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 chip for improved computer vision and machine learning. The new chip should help save power while simultaneously boosting performance.  The Glass team has also worked with Smith Optics on special safety frames, opening the product up for more work environments. See what our year-long Google Glass experience was like Check out the Magic Leap One AR goggles See where virtual reality may be headed All work and no play While it sounds like the Glass is coming along, even becoming mainstream enough for the team behind it to shift back to Google from parent company Alphabet's Google X program, it's still not a consumer gadget. The technology is progressing, and more powerful computer vision is showing up all over the place, from self-driving cars to smartphone cameras. But between the Glass Enterprise Edition 2 and Microsoft's HoloLens 2, the safest bet for viability is still enterprise – at least for now. Most average consumers who need AR tools won't need them constantly on-hand, and as rudimentary AR tools start appearing on smartphones, they have little reason to buy a $1,000-plus device. Even for those few consumers who could justify buying a pair of glasses with a built-in camera to share footage with friends, there's the much more affordable Snapchat Spectacles to meet their needs. So, even as Google Glass gets a big upgrade and moves from X back to Google, the awaited future where we use augmented reality glasses in our day-to-day lives isn't here yet – but we might start looking for it in the workplace. These are the best VR headsets Via: CNET This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Apple WWDC 2019: date and keynote predictions Posted: 20 May 2019 01:00 PM PDT We're weeks away from Apple's WWDC 2019 keynote and we're expecting to hear plenty of news from CEO Tim Cook and the rest of the company. Its the place where new mobile, Mac and Apple TV software will almost surely debut – and maybe we'll see some new hardware, too. The first WWDC 2019 date is Monday, June 3, Apple confirmed back in March. Once again, the show will go on at the McEnery Convention Center, where Apple has held WWDC for the past two years.  The keynote has always been a showcase for Apple to hype new versions of its software suite, inspiring developers with additional features several months ahead of their typical launch date, all while teasing the rest of us. We could potentially see new hardware, too – though that hasn't always been the case. Apple introduced its HomePod smart speaker along with new versions of the iPad Pro WWDC 2017. But the company only unveiled software at last year's event, waiting to unveil the new iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9 at its October hardware-focused show. We're also expecting the software updates to show how they will integrate all the streaming services Apple introduced at its event earlier this year. Apple TV Plus is the company's platform to house the handful of prestige shows it's been purchasing and producing over the last couple years, while Apple Arcade is the gaming service to play across every Apple device (except the Apple Watch). In any case, here's what we heavily suspect (if not outright know) Apple will talk about at WWDC 2019. iOS 13 The iOS 13 update is the next big release for Apple's mobile operating system, and it's poised to build on the increased speed in older iPhones and Group FaceTime expansion that arrived in iOS 12.  The next Apple mobile OS update is expected to bring long-awaited features like Dark Mode and perhaps iPad layout changes on the table. iOS 9 and iOS 11 brought big changes to iPad software, so we expect the same from iOS 13.  A Bloomberg report has outlined other features allegedly coming in iOS 13, like one that lets users swipe their fingers around a keyboard to spell words (presumably like SwiftKey), along with expansions of Screen Time and the Health app. Another new feature supposedly enables folks to use their iPad as a secondary screen, while a HomePod upgrade lets the speaker respond to different users' voices. At this point, we don't know which older devices will be compatible with iOS 13. Apple typically requires devices to run a particular chip or newer to run their OS, with iOS 11 and iOS 12 supporting iPhones and iPads with an A7 processor (iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad Mini 2) and better. Based on previous iOS rollouts, the first iOS 13 beta for developers will likely arrive during or a few days after WWDC 2019. Everyone else will be able to try out the new OS when its public beta launches, which is expected at the end of June. We're anticipating an official release alongside the iPhone 11, which should be coming in October, if Apple follows its usual schedule. macOS 10.15 We loved macOS 10.14 (aka Mojave) for finally introducing system-wide Dark Mode and additional creative tools, but we haven't heard much at all about macOS 10.15 – which doesn't even have a cool nature-themed codename yet (in keeping with recent releases, it will likely reference a California biome). We don't know much about what's officially coming, but macOS 10.15 could include iOS features like Siri Shortcuts (and potentially the Shortcuts app), Screen Time, improved Apple ID management and special iMessage effects. We've also seen rumors that iTunes will be split into four different apps: Music, Books, TV, and Podcasts.  There's also the possibility that macOS 10.15 enables Mac users to link up their iPads as secondary displays. On the other hand, it's also possible that we'll only see incremental improvements, as happened with the move from 10.13 Sierra to 10.14 High Sierra. If that's the case, perhaps we'll see that minimal upgrade in the name – Dry Mojave, maybe? Apple ruffled feathers when it raised minimum system requirements for macOS Mojave and locked out older machines, so we don't expect those thresholds to change this time around. To be specific: we expect anything newer than a 2015 MacBook, mid-2012 MacBook Pro, any late 2012 MacBook Air/Mac mini/iMac, late 2013 Mac Pro or 2017 iMac Pro to be able to run the next macOS. Assuming Apple runs its usual schedule, it will introduce macOS 10.15 and release it in late September. watchOS 6 We haven't heard anything about watchOS 6, but we're assuming that update will be announced at WWDC 2019 for owners of the newer Apple Watches. Perhaps it will be the long-awaited sleep tracker feature (Apple did buy sleep tracking company Beddit two years ago), though that's rumored to be coming to Apple's wearables in 2020. But sources told Bloomberg that Apple plans to sever its wearable's close dependency on iPhone by adding an App Store directly to Watch (and ergo, watchOS). This opens the door to third-party developers (finally!) but Apple reportedly also plans to toss in some basic apps that have been on iOS for years, liek Calculator, Voice Memos, and the ability to send Animoji and Memoji stickers. There will also be two new health apps: one called 'Dose' to monitor pill reminders and the other 'Cycles' to track menstrual cycles. watchOS 6 will almost certainly be compatible with the latest Apple Watch 4 and previous Apple Watch 3, while support for Apple Watch 2 is likely. We don't have high hopes for the original Apple Watch, however, as it stopped getting updates with watchOS 4. We expect Apple to follow precedent and launch a watchOS 6 beta shortly after WWDC 2019, then release a final public version in September. tvOS 13 If you thought we hadn't heard much about Apple's other probable software updates, we know even less about tvOS 13, which we expect to be announced at WWDC 2019.  But Apple TV devices will certainly support the company's new streaming services. Apple TV Plus will have exclusive shows from big names like Oprah, Steven Spielberg, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and M. Night Shyamalan, and is expected to launch in later 2019. That's around when Apple Arcade is set to launch, which will have a host of games you can play across iOS, macOS and tvOS devices. At last year's WWDC, Apple mentioned very little about the then-upcoming tvOS 12, which brought Dolby Atmos overhead surround sound, Dolby Vision HDR standard and zero sign-on that auto-filled passwords from your home Wi-Fi network (for US users, at least). We don't know about any features coming with the supposed tvOS 13, but if it follows precedent, it will arrive in mid-September. Mac Pro...and more Apple is reportedly considering introducing a new version of the Mac Pro, according to Bloomberg. While we didn't get any details of how the desktop machine might be revamped, but there's plenty to update, given the second and last generation Mac Pro came out in 2013. This fits last year's news that Apple was aiming for a 2019 release of a wholly revisioned Mac Pro, per a lengthy TechCrunch report. Gone is the 'trash can' design, as the company is allegedly considering a ground-up revision. Apple is also preparing its own brand of external monitor (going by the codename J290) that will pack HDR support, per Bloomberg. Other rumors suggest a 31.6-inch 6K screen with mini-LED backlighting, according to Pocket Lint. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

PlayStation Productions is set to turn your top PS4 games into movies Posted: 20 May 2019 12:49 PM PDT Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced a new production studio called PlayStation Productions that will focus exclusively on adapting the company’s hit videogame franchises into TV shows and movies. The new production studio will be headed by PlayStation’s former VP of Marketing, Asad Qizilbash, and overseen by PlayStation boss Shawn Layden. According to Layden, a number of titles are already in production, though he says that the new studio won’t follow a set cadence for releasing those films like you’ve come to expect from, say, Marvel Studios. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Qizilbash said the team has spoken to a number of Hollywood producers including Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Kevin Feige to get an understanding about the production process and what to expect.  That said, according to Layden, what the PlayStation Productions doesn’t want to do is simply make a shot-for-shot retelling of a game. Instead, it has to be a vision of the game written by someone who understands the franchise and can adapt it for movie-going audiences. "We want to create an opportunity for fans of our games to have more touch points with our franchises," says Layden. "When fans beat a 40-50 hour game and have to wait three-four years for a sequel, we want to give them places they can go and still have more of that experience and see the characters they love evolve in different ways." Is Hollywood ready for videogames? While you'd be forgiven for having some reservations about a studio dedicated to videogame movie adaptations – you know, those films that often tank at the box office – but Sony's heart seems to be in the right place here.  Moreover, Sony seems more concerned with creating quality content with PlayStation Productions than it is with just pumping out cash-grab films: the film studio has been in the works for two years now, and Layden's statement confirms that it's in no rush to get a lackluster movie in theaters by the end of the year. It helps, too, that this is a good time to announce more videogame adaptations in the wake of the relatively well-received Detective Pikachu film. As traditionally niche movies are finding success at the box office, more entertainment properties are realizing the untapped potential of their IPs, something Sony has in spades – like Uncharted, The Last of Us, or Spyro. So while it's OK to be skeptical about what kind of films a movie house run by a former PlayStation marketing exec might churn out, you can rest assured that it won't, can't be any worse than some of the godawful videogame movie adaptations we had growing up (*cough* Super Mario Bros., Bloodrayne, Doom...). Need something new to play? These are the best PS4 games This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Salesforce resolves massive outage with gradual access restoration Posted: 20 May 2019 12:19 PM PDT Salesforce users were taken aback last week when the platform experienced a massive outage after the deployment of a database script inadvertently gave users broader access than intended. The San Francisco-based cloud software giant initially blocked access to all instances of its software for organizations affected by the database script flaw. Once Salesforce was able to isolate the affected organizations, it restored access for non-affected organizations. The outage itself was caused by a faulty Pardot database script which allowed users to view and edit all of their company's data regardless of their permission settings. Apple and Salesforce team up on workplace apps Five qualities to look for in a cloud service provider Using old Creative Cloud apps? Adobe says you risk copyright infringement As of Saturday, customers who were unaffected by the database script issue had their full access restored while Salesforce only restored access to users with a system administrator profile if their organization had been affected by the flaw. Salesforce outage Organizations with a valid backup of their profiles and user permission data were able to deploy that information directly from a Sandbox copy to the production environment on Saturday. However, if a Salesforce customer lacks a Sandbox containing production profiles and permission sets, the company said that admins would have to manually modify the configurations to grant appropriate access to users. In total, the outage lasted for 15 hours before administrators regained access to Salesforce. By moving their critical applications to the cloud, organizations can cut costs while allowing employees to access them from anywhere but the recent Salesforce outage is a prime example of how cloud apps can also leave businesses open to a loss in productivity when a system does go down. We've also highlighted the best CRM software Via CRN This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Amazon Prime Day 2019 US: everything you need to know for the July deals event Posted: 20 May 2019 12:16 PM PDT Get ready to mark your calendar because Amazon Prime Day 2019 is only a couple of months away. The tech giant hasn't officially announced the date, but based on previous years we know the big shopping event will be held in mid-July.  Prime Day first launched in 2015 and has grown into the biggest shopping day of the year with Prime Day 2018 even surpassing Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Last year's Prime Day had 89 million visitors that logged on to the site with 100 million products purchased during the sale event. Globally it was the biggest day of sales in Amazon’s history, and we expect Amazon Prime Day 2019 to be even bigger. It didn't just increase in terms of territories or numbers, but the sale itself lasted longer too. Where 2017's Prime Day ran for only one day (well, 30 hours), 2018 ran for a day and a half (36 hours). We expect this year's sale to last even longer, so Prime members will have even more time snag the hottest deals of the year. Last year's Prime Day was also the first year that discounts were extended to local Whole Foods Market stores. Prime members were able to save on popular grocery items and earned rewards and cash back through Amazon's site. Read on to learn what we can expect for this year's Prime Day and everything we've learned from last year's Prime Day. When is Amazon Prime Day 2019? Even though Amazon hasn't announced the exact date of the big day, we can take a pretty good guess based on previous years. Last year Prime Day went live on Monday, July 16 at 3 PM ET and lasted for 36 hours. Past years the event only lasted for 24  or 30 hours and happened between July 10 and 12. Thanks to the World Cup, Prime Day started later in the month last year. We predict this year they'll stick to last year's event date and start Prime Day on Monday, July 15. The big question is whether the sale will be extended beyond past years. Each year the sale has been lengthened so we're placing bets that Amazon Prime Day 2019 could be a record 48-hour event. Last year Amazon didn't formally announce the dates of Prime Day till only a few weeks before the big event. Thanks to some snooping from the TechRadar team, we were able to figure out the date a full month before it was announced. Top Amazon Deals You Can Buy Now Even though Prime Day 2019 is still a couple months away, that doesn't mean you can't find stellar deals now from the tech giant. We've scoured Amazon's site to find the best discounts that you can take advantage of today. We'll be updating this page regularly, so check back to shop the best deals up until the big shopping day. Image credit: Amazon What were the best-selling items from Prime Day 2018? Prime members around the world purchased more than 100 million products during the 2018 Prime Day event. The top-selling items from last year's Prime Day included a mixture of home goods, electronics, and Amazon devices. In fact, it was the biggest event ever for Amazon devices with the Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot leading the pack of best-selling items worldwide. The top selling products in the US from Prime Day 2018 consisted of the 6-Qt Instant Pot, Fire TV stick, Echo Dot, 23andMe DNA Test, and the LifeStraw personal water filter. Image credit: Shutterstock How can I sign up for Amazon Prime? To participate in the big shopping event, you must be an Amazon Prime Member. Your membership will not only let you partake in Prime Day, but you'll also have access to Amazon Prime movies, books, music, photos, and more. You can sign up here for a 30-day trial and cancel at any time. All you need is an Amazon account with a valid credit card tied to the account. Once you sign up for your free trial, you'll have access to all the Prime benefits, receive free two-day shipping and partake in the biggest shopping event of the year. Image credit: Amazon What other retailers participate in Prime Day? Every year more and more retailers are trying to compete with the tech giant by participating in their own version of Prime Day. You'll find discounts on clothing, tech, home goods and more from a variety of online and local retailers. Last year Walmart joined in on Prime Day by offering free two-day shipping without membership fees and free same-day pickup on qualifying items. They also discounted a wide array of products that included TVs, Google Home devices, kitchen appliances, laptops and much more. Other big retailers like Target, Best Buy, Macy's and eBay also promoted their own one-day sale with discounts on best-selling items throughout their site. We expect this year that more retailers will participate in the July event and will even extend the one-day sale to a weeks worth of discounts. Amazon Prime 1-day delivery Amazon just recently announced plans to offer free one-day shipping for Prime members on most orders. Amazon's CFO Brian Olsavky revealed the ambitious project during Amazon's first-quarter earnings call. To achieve this, the tech giant says they plan to invest $800 million in the second quarter of 2019 and continue its expansion of their fulfillment and logistics network. Amazon currently offers free 2-day shipping for all Prime members and offers free one-day and same-day delivery on certain items in eligible zip codes. Amazon's future plans include increasing the locations and available items so free one-day delivery replaces the standard two-day Prime delivery window. While we don't think the new one-day delivery will be rolled out in time for Prime Day, we do believe there will be more items available for one-day and same-day delivery in eligible zip codes for the big shopping day. Image credit: Shutterstock Prime Day and Whole Foods Last year Prime Day extended its sale from devices and electronics to discounts on groceries at the Whole Foods Market chain. Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 and Prime Day 2018 was the first time they promoted the big sale event at the grocery store. Savings included price cuts on popular food items and discounts for first time users of the grocery delivery service Prime Now. Amazon also offered $10 back in Amazon credits to use on Prime Day for members that spent $10 at Whole Foods. Amazon credit card users also received double the rewards when they used their card at Whole Foods during the week leading up to Prime Day. We expect this year to be more discounts on groceries in-store as well as promotions with the Amazon Rewards Card and Prime Now. Image credit: Amazon How much money did Amazon make on Prime Day? Amazon was predicted to gross $3.4 billion on Prime Day last year, although we don’t know if that prediction is accurate as Amazon doesn’t release such information. However, it did announce that third party sellers shifted a billion dollars of product in just one day. As for its own sales, Amazon was content to say that “sales this Prime Day surpassed Cyber Monday, Black Friday and the previous Prime Day, when comparing 36-hour periods, making this once again the biggest shopping event in Amazon history.” That’s a little sneaky, mind you: last Prime Day only ran for 24 hours, not 36. What were the best deals on Prime Day? As ever, some of the best deals on Prime Day were on Amazon’s own devices. The Echo Show dropped from $229.99 to $129.99, the Echo Spot from $129.99 to $99, the Echo Dot from $49.99 to $29.99, the Echo from $99.99 to $69.99 and the Echo Plus from $164.98 to $99. There was a big drop on the Amazon-owned Ring video doorbell pro too, which went from $249 to $174, and on the Echo Look camera: that went from $199.99 to $99.99. Kindles and Fire ranges got deep discounts. The Fire Stick went from $39.99 to $19.99 and the Fire TV Cube from $119.99 to $89.99 (we told you it was worth waiting a few weeks before Prime Day) while Fire Tablets dropped significantly: the Fire 7 went from $49.99 to an incredible $29.99, the Fire 10 from $149.99 to $99.99 and the Fire 7 Kids from $99.99 to $69.99.  There were good deals on TVs too. In the US, the excellent TCL TVs were massively discounted and better known brands such as Hisense were chopped too: for example Hisense’s 43-inch 4K TV dropped from $349.99 to $239.99.  The best phone deal we spotted in the US was a big drop on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, which went from $799 to a much more affordable $549. Image credit: Amazon Why did Amazon crash on Prime Day? Did the crash cost it money? Amazon struggled to cope with traffic on Prime Day, an issue that affected not just the Amazon site but services such as Prime Video and Twitch. Customers found their shopping carts would suddenly empty, or links simply wouldn’t work, or they couldn’t access Amazon at all. The issues were largely confined to the US website and customers, although problems with Prime Video lasted well into the evening in the UK. Some sites got their calculators out and concluded that the worst outage, which lasted for 63 minutes, cost Amazon just under $100 million in lost sales. Amazon disagrees, saying that the effect on sales was “minimal”.  CNBC has seen internal documents that describe what happened. First, it didn’t secure enough servers to cope with the demand; secondly, that shortage caused a “cascading series of failures” that knocked out key services; and thirdly, Amazon temporarily killed all international traffic to reduce the load. All of those things happened within the first 15 minutes of Prime Day.  The outage wasn’t the only issue Amazon faced on Prime Day. There were also strikes in protest at the way it treats its workers. Image credit: Amazon Why were workers striking and supporters urging Amazon boycotts on Prime Day? Prime Day wasn’t the first time Amazon has been accused of terrible working practices, but it was a great day to get the issue into the papers. Workers in Spain and Germany went on strike over working hours and conditions while activists urged people to send Amazon a message on Prime Day by boycotting it altogether over its treatment of workers and its tax arrangements. It was also marked by a surge in health and safety complaints from UK workers.  As you’d expect, Amazon denies the allegations, with a spokesperson telling us: These allegations and the data are just not accurate — safety incidents in our fulfillment centers did not increase around Prime Day, they actually decreased from the previous week. We’re proud of our team and our workplace, and invite anyone to come see for themselves – we offer public tours of our buildings and you can learn more at amazonfctours.com."   Amazon also told Wired that the Organise campaign behind the publicity was indulging in fake news. “To our knowledge, Organise doesn’t verify that respondents actually work for the company they claim to work for.” Image credit: Amazon What could Amazon have done better on Prime Day? It should have anticipated and been able to cope with the load not just on its ecommerce site but on its cloud services too: we weren’t the only ones irritated because we couldn’t get our Preacher fix on Amazon Prime Video. It’s all the more embarrassing when you remember that Amazon provides the cloud infrastructure for many high-profile sites and services: Prime Day wasn’t a great ad for that side of its business. Our main criticisms aren’t technological, though. Navigating the deals was hopeless and many of the deals were laughable, especially in gaming: we frequently found much better console bundles on AO.com’s eBay page than we did on Amazon.  Here’s a great example. On Prime Day, one of the flagship deals we identified was $50 off a set of Bose QuietComfort 25 headphones. That brought the price down from $299 to $249. Just three weeks later, Amazon US was listing the same headphones for $169. Image credit: Amazon Will Amazon Prime Day 2019 do things differently? Yes. CNBC reports that Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO of worldwide retail, has already demanded improvements to prevent a repeat the previous Prime Day’s capacity problems: “tech teams are already working to improve our architecture”.  We’d like to think that Amazon will also improve the navigation and discoverability of its deals for Prime Day 2019, although we aren’t holding our collective breath: both factors’ general rubbishness didn’t stop Prime Day breaking all records, so there’s not much incentive for Amazon to change it unless it decides better navigation will drive significantly higher sales. But that's why we're here to show you the best Prime Day deals! It’s a safe bet that Prime Day 2019 will be longer. It’s already grown from one day to one and a half; further inflation seems inevitable. Image credit: Amazon What does all this mean for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? It’s clear that Amazon is prioritising Prime Day over Super Black Friday Deals Month or whatever convoluted name it’s going to give its Black Friday sales period in 2019: according to Digitalcommerce360.com, 67% of this year's Prime Day deals were lower than comparable deals on the preceding Black Friday.  That’s not to say Amazon won’t take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It will, and it’ll offer the same kind of discounting that we’ve seen in recent years. But Prime Day is more important to the firm, and we’d expect its discounts to be deeper, especially on its own devices. Image credit: Amazon Prime Day: why does it matter more to Amazon? There are some crucial differences between Prime Day and Black Friday. The first is that Prime Day is Amazon’s own day. It’s right there in the name, which of course refers to Amazon’s Prime membership programme and associated services. Amazon doesn’t own Black Friday, and that means ultimately it’s just another retailer shouting for attention – a massive retailer with a really loud voice, of course, but Black Friday is a sales event for the entire retail sector. It’s much harder for rivals to muscle in on something that Amazon has effectively created from thin air. The second and more important difference is that Black Friday doesn’t create new spending. It just moves it slightly. As we’ve discovered in recent years, the money people spend over the Black Friday period is money they were probably going to spend anyway: all Black Friday really does is concentrates pre-Christmas shopping in the last week of November.  Prime Day spending is different in two ways. First of all, people aren’t spending the money they’d already planned to spend on Christmas presents. And secondly, they’re buying mainly for themselves, not for others. If you go back to the list of bestsellers there’s an awful lot of impulse buying in there: Instant Pots and Hue Lightstrips, frying pans and dishwasher tablets. This is new spending, not merely moving pre-planned spending.  There’s another key benefit for Amazon. Its best-sellers on Prime Day weren’t just Amazon devices; they were Amazon devices that connect to Amazon services. Fire TVs, Kindle Fires, Echo devices, Alexa remotes. Each one of them connecting to Amazon Prime, and each one of them requiring a Prime membership to buy in the first place. So when Black Friday rolls around, Amazon will have a whole bunch of Prime members for whom shopping on Prime is the default, and who might want to enhance their Amazon-powered smart homes with Amazon-branded Black Friday deals. Prime Day means that for Amazon, Christmas now comes twice a year. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Huawei ban causes trade-ins to surge as news breaks of Android block Posted: 20 May 2019 11:22 AM PDT It seems that the news of Google's ban on Android services for Huawei phones is causing worry among users, as a large surge in trade-ins began as soon as the situation was confirmed. UK trade-in site Music Magpie told TechRadar that it saw 154% more Huawei devices offered than a regular Monday, picking up pace throughout the day, after Google blocked Huawei's access to future Android systems, following the decision by the US to place the brand on the 'Entity List', effectively stopping American companies working with Huawei. The trade-ins peaked at 1PM BST, where more Huawei devices were being traded in than any other brand - and with the news affecting devices worldwide, it's likely we could see a similar trend in other countries too. What could Huawei users miss out on in Android Q? See the best phones on the market right now Grab a great mobile phone deal with our smart price finder The fervor was driven by the fact that consumers were unable to work out if their devices would be supported with key parts of the Android system in the future, meaning access to security updates and the Google Play Store, which distributes the broad range of apps that make Android so popular. The Huawei P20 was one of the most traded-in models, which saw thousands of said device being offered to Music Magpie, and phones from the more powerful Mate range also landed in the top 10 for the day. What does the future hold for Huawei? The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is one of the more popular handsets from the brand. Image credit: Huawei The uptick in trade-in traffic is hardly surprising as consumers scrabble to understand whether they'll be holding onto a phone that can't do the key things they need, although both Google and Huawei have confirmed they will still support devices on the market with apps and security updates. It's interesting to note that users who bought the Huawei P20 at launch are getting only 20% of the price they paid for the phone, which is a huge drop for a phone only just a year old. It highlights the worry that the news of the ban has caused, if users are willing to accept such a decline in value. We're still waiting for long-term confirmation of what Google's suspension of the Android elements means for its cooperation with Huawei, but if nothing changes then it looks like the world's second-largest smartphone brand could have real issues convincing users to buy its future handsets. Google's block on Huawei should worry all smartphone users This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Chinese VidMate app fraud hits up to half a billion users Posted: 20 May 2019 10:55 AM PDT New research from Upstream has revealed that the popular Android app VidMate has been hijacking user's smartphones to use additional data, incur unwanted charges and collect personal information. Currently the app, which allows users to stream and download videos and songs from services such as Dailymotion, Vimeo and Youtube, has over 500m download reported and all of those users could potentially be at risk from fraudulent activity. Hidden software within VidMate delivers invisible ads, generates fake clicks and purchases, installs other suspicious apps without consent and collects user's personal information. The app also depletes users' data allowance which can bring unwanted charges. Android apps used in multimillion dollar ad fraud scheme Pointing to the future: the next step in fraud prevention Android is now even more secure VidMate is not available in the Google Play Store and instead the app is distributed through third-party app stores such as CNET or Uptodown. VidMate Upstream used publicly available information to uncover the fact that VidMate was developed by a subsidiary of UC Web which is owned by the Chinese cloud giant Alibaba. The firm's security platform, Secure-D, detected and blocked almost 130m suspicious mobile transactions initiated by VidMate. These transactions originated from close to 5m unique mobile devices across 15 countries. Ethiopia, Nigeria, Malaysia and Kuwait were among the top affected markets likely due to how common digital payments via mobile are in these countries. Upstream's CEO Guy Krief provided further insight on the company's findings, saying: “Mobile advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry on the rise and a very fertile ground for fraud. The VidMate example, whereby a single app is responsible for 130 million suspicious transaction attempts over a few months, is cause for great concern. The growing sophistication of disguised malware calls for an ever more vigilant approach. In the fight against digital fraud ongoing technological innovation is key.” Protect your devices from the latest cyber threats with the best antivirus This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Microsoft has a patent to help you keep track of your adventures Posted: 20 May 2019 10:24 AM PDT When you're traveling on an exciting new adventure, sitting down to write about everything that happened each day may be the last thing you feel like doing. Microsoft appears to be taking aim at this hurdle with an AI-powered system for automatically creating travel diary entries for you, per a patent spotted by Neowin. Based on details in the patent, the proposed system would be able to use details from your devices, digital assistant, GPS data, media and more to identify when you've taken a trip. It would then process that information and generate a travel diary entry with details on where you went and what you did, complete with paired imagery and maps. The system would then present you with a completed entry, and you'd have an opportunity to edit it. Your edits would be taken into account for future diary entries, as the system learns your preferences and style. Linux is coming to Windows 10 Soon you'll be able to get Windows 10 apps without the Microsoft Store The Windows 10 May 2019 update should be here soon AI week in the sun This new system would be something like a souped-up version of Google Maps' monthly recap of places you've been. As nifty as that sounds, there's no guarantee Microsoft will deliver, or even be able to. If you've ever seen the kind of text AI generates, such as predictive text-generated Harry Potter fan fiction, you know it can be on the wrong side of sensible. Microsoft surely has more power behind it's artificial intelligence. So, perhaps it can manage to generate this type of content with accurate, logical text. But, there will remain the question of whether the company will actually bother to do so. If we've learned anything from the likes of Google's Project Ara, it's that even an awesome patent doesn't mean a product is coming. While this could be tech that changes the way we travel, Microsoft could easily never build a product around this patent. Though there may be an audience for automatically generated travel diaries, many adventurers may prefer to put their experiences in their own words, with their own interpretation of events and emotional reactions that AI can't guess at. And, even among the audience of people who don't want to write their own travel diaries, there will surely be some skeptics when it comes to allowing AI even more access to their information. Those potential hurdles could keep Microsoft from releasing an actual product. Get up to speed on the conversation around AI and ethrics This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

South Korea moves from Windows to Linux Posted: 20 May 2019 10:15 AM PDT In an effort to prepare for Windows 7's End of Life early next year, South Korea has revealed that all of its government computers will soon make the switch from Windows to Linux. The official Windows 7 End of Life is set for January, 14 2020 and Microsoft has said that it will provide support for up to three years after that date though companies will need to pay. However, for governments such as South Korea which depend on Windows 7, the cost of extended support could quickly become too high to manage. For example, support for Windows Enterprise users using Windows 7 for the first year after the End of Life date will cost $25 per device. This price rises to $50 per device for year two and $100 for year three. South Korea gets world's first 5G network How to prepare for Windows 7 End of Life Windows 7 end is coming - and Microsoft wants to make it easier to upgrade Windows 10's extreme telemetry also poses another problem as system information is sent back to Microsoft which could be a security risk for South Korea's government. Switching to Linux According to The Korea Herald, the South Korean government will switch from Windows 7 to a Linux-based operating system though the country has not yet revealed which Linux distribution will be used. South Korea will likely test out various Linux distributions before setting on just one before next January. The country's Interior Ministry expects the transition to Linux to be quite costly and the purchase of new PCs are expected to cost the government $655m. The ministry's digital service bureau chief Choi Jang-hyuk said the ministry expects cost reductions by introducing an open-source OS while also avoiding have to rely on a single operating system. Considering make the switch from Linux to Windows yourself? We've also highlighted the best Linux distros Via BetaNews This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Honor 20 will still get security updates despite Google's restrictions on Huawei Posted: 20 May 2019 09:25 AM PDT Honor is set to announce its flagship Honor 20 phone series tomorrow at an event in London, but whatever is unveiled will be overshadowed by the Google suspension of Huawei Android updates. Due to new sanctions on the Chinese company in the US, Google has pulled access to all core Android services, in a move that could severely impact the launch of new Huawei and Honor phones. Honor previously told TechRadar, "Huawei will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products, covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally." TechRadar has now received confirmation that this will also be the case for the devices that Honor announces on May 21 at its London event. A small gurantee Currently that's expected to be the Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro, which will sit alongside the previously-announced Honor 20 Lite. Whatever Honor announces will be covered by Huawei's commitment above, but there's no gurantee that will remain the case for the entire lifetime of your smartphone. We likely won't know much more for certain tomorrow when the brand announces its new devices either, but we'll be pushing for more information to help you make your choice pre-purchase. What next? Here's what the restrictions: what does it mean for you? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

How to watch Game of Thrones season 8, episode 6 online - stream the finale from anywhere Posted: 20 May 2019 09:07 AM PDT Well, it has finally happened, after what feels like a lifetime, Game of Thrones has finally come to a dramatic end. Yes, this is a sad moment for everyone, but much like Jon trying to ignore the bad and see the good in Daenerys, we're looking to the positives and have tracked down the best places to watch Game of Thrones season 8, episode 6 now that it has aired. Season 8 has been 410 minutes of pure anarchy, suspense and drama that only GoT could achieve. Game of Thrones came big for the last season breaking viewing records, having the longest battle scene in history and breaking our hearts with each and every episode, so you know, exactly what you would have expected from a show like this. After a somewhat...fiery episode last weekend leaving us confused and unsure what was going on, we were sceptical whether or not the show would be able to wrap up succinctly and please the fans, when you watch Game of Thrones season 8, episode 6 we think you'll find they did a pretty great job. Now that it has all come to an end, you can finally watch the final episode of this show that has spanned an entire decade. Or if you're really brave, watch all 6.8 hours of season 8 in one go, even braver? Watch seasons 1-8 all the way through, it will only take you 3 days and 16 minutes! So with the episode now available to watch on catch up, this is how to watch Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 6 on catch up no matter where you are.  After 8 seasons, 2 days, 23 hours and 17 minutes worth of content and a plethora of memorable moments, it has all led to this final episode. You can find streaming options for English speaking countries below.   See how to watch every single episode of every season with our watch Game of Thrones online guide Watch Game of Thrones episode 6: stream from outside your country Want to watch Game of Thrones season 8, episode 6 in (deep breath) the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, UAE or New Zealand? We've found all of your best options and listed them below. But, if you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstances where you've booked a holiday over the air time of the big finale, then things get a bit more difficult. For those unlucky fans, all hope isn't lost yet. You will find that watching it won't be an option thanks to geo-blocking. This means that broadcasters do tend to try and stop you from watching in other countries, putting up some virtual roadblocks. But, thanks to a little bit of working around, there is still a way to catch all the episodes while you're away. By using a VPN, you will still be able to catch up on the show by changing your IP address to a location back where you live, allowing you to watch that important first episode (assuming that doesn't breach any TS&Cs, of course) - and that's without finding some dodgy download or a grainy stream on Reddit. How to watch and live stream the best sport and TV online from absolutely anywhere Watch Game of Thrones episode 6 online in the USA Watch Game of Thrones episode 6 online in the UK Watch Game of Thrones episode 6 online in Canada Watch Game of Thrones episode 6 online in Australia Watch Game of Thrones episode 6 online in New Zealand Watch Game of Thrones episode 6 online in India Watch Game of Thrones episode 6 online in the UAE This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

AMD Navi GPUs appear in leaked benchmarks Posted: 20 May 2019 08:31 AM PDT AMD Navi graphics processors (GPUs) have appeared on leaked benchmarks, though they appear to be engineering samples. Still, this leak could give insight to what we can expect when the GPUs launch later this year. Especially now that Computex 2019, along with the rumored reveal of AMD Navi, is right around the corner, we're starting to see more leaks and rumors about the upcoming GPU platform. Check out the best graphics cards you can buy AMD Navi is going to have to compete with Nvidia Turing What about AMD Ryzen 3rd Generation? This time around, these apparent leaked engineering samples have been unearthed by renowned leaker TUM_APISAK. The leaked specs don't paint that clear a picture of the AMD Navi "731F:C1" graphics processor – but it looks like this AMD Navi GPU will feature a 1,000MHz clock speed, 8GB of video memory (VRAM) and a memory bus clock of 1,250MHz.  Another supposed AMD Navi GPU, the "7310:00", was spotted in the Ashes of the Singularity benchmark by Wccftech. As far as what this GPU is capable of, it's not looking super promising quite yet. In the GFXbench Manhattan test, the Navi 731F:C1 GPU scored under the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 by more than 10%. However, this could just come down to early and unoptimized pre-release drivers.  What does it all mean? At this point, we know that AMD Navi is coming in Q3 2019, but we still don't know what it's going to be capable of. Because the GPUs leaked here are likely engineering samples running on pre-release drivers, the fact that it comes close to toppling the RTX 2070 is impressive enough on its own.  Keep in mind that the specs listed here are likely not final, and it's entirely possible that clock speeds – both on the core and the VRAM – will see a boost before release. It will be interesting to see AMD Navi pricing, too, as that will paint a clearer picture of where the AMD Navi 731F:C1 and 7310:00 line up in the market. It's entirely possible that these GPUs are aimed at taking the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 on, as we've previously heard that the AMD Navi cards released this year will occupy the mid-range.  Either way, Computex 2019 will be here soon enough, so hopefully we'll get a clearer picture of what AMD Navi has to offer at the show. Be sure to check out the best gaming PCs Images credit: TechRadar This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best free PDF editor 2019: change text and images without paying a penny Posted: 20 May 2019 08:15 AM PDT Truly great free PDF editors are hard to come by, but there are some excellent tools around if you know where to look. PDF documents are designed to look and behave exactly the same way on any device. That makes it a brilliant format for sharing, but editing them is another matter. Most office software and photo editors let you export documents in PDF format, but editing requires a dedicated tool. That's because PDF was initially a proprietary format owned by Adobe, and it still owns some of the technologies associated with it. Other companies can license those technologies, but only for a fee that's usually passed on to you – the user. There aren’t many free PDF editors, and even fewer that won’t leave your documents with unsightly watermarks. That's why we've rounded up the very best free PDF editing software that's free to use and won't add any unwanted extras to your work. You won't find a more flexible free PDF editor than ApowerPDF (Image credit: Apowersoft) There are two options on the ApowerPDF homepage: ‘Launch Online’ and ‘Download Desktop’. Despite appearances, these aren’t the same tools. The desktop software is only a trial of a premium product, and will watermark your edited PDFs. The tool we’re using here is the online editor, which has no such limitations. Click ‘Launch Online’ and you’ll be prompted to download and run a small launcher app, after which the online editor will launch. You can edit text (including formatting), add text and images, encrypt documents with a password, convert your PDF to an image file and add comments. You can even create your own PDFs from scratch – a feature you’ll usually only find in premium PDF editing software.  Unlike the desktop application, there’s no tool for removing watermarks from PDFs, but that’s a minor quibble. ApowerPDF is a remarkable PDF editor; just make sure you’re using the online edition. Try ApowerPDF online Unlike many free PDF editors, PDF-XChange editor lets you delve in and make changes to the text (Image credit: Tracker Software) If you need to edit the text in a PDF, PDF-XChange Editor is ideal. It lets you retype, delete, and reformat text, and adapts well if the document uses a font that isn’t installed on your PC. You can also attach comments, split PDFs, and extract pages. One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s best features is the ability to use OCR to recognize text in scanned documents – ideal if you only have a printout rather than the original file (a handout from a lecture, for example). Some of the features visible in the menus and toolbars are only available in the premium version of the software, PDF-XChange Editor Plus, but you can easily hover your mouse pointer over an icon to find out if it’s included. If you go ahead and use a premium tool anyway (adding polygonal shapes or new text boxes, for example), your document will be watermarked. Look out for a warning message underneath the main toolbar before saving your work, just in case. PDF-XChanger Editor review Download PDF-XChange Editor If you have a reliable internet connection, give Sedja a try and edit PDFs in your web browser (Image credit: Sedja BV) Free online PDF editor Sedja offers an excellent range of tools, with just one caveat: if you're still working after three hours and haven't saved your document, it will be deleted automatically. It's quite a generous time limit, but worth bearing in mind if your PDF needs a lot of work. You can add text, images and links, sign documents, add annotations, and insert ellipses and rectangles. There’s also a ‘whiteout’ option, though this simply draws a white rectangle – it doesn’t remove any data. There’s no OCR either, so you won’t be able to edit text in scanned PDFs. When you’ve finished editing, click ‘Apply changes’ and you’ll be able to download the document, send it to Dropbox or Google Drive, delete it, or access a shareable link. The link will expire after seven days. Sedja It looks a little old-school, but PDFescape offers an impressive selection of editing tools (Image credit: Red Software) There are two versions of PDFescape: a free web app and a premium desktop program. Here we're using the online editor; if you download the desktop software, you'll only receive a trial of the premium edition. PDFescape's online editor lets you create new text boxes on the page, but unfortunately there's no way to edit existing text. You can create simple geometric shapes and– as with Sedja, above – add white rectangles to obscure parts of the document when it's printed. PDFescape lets you select a picture from your PC, then drag a rectangle to insert it. You can insert text fields too, enabling you to create simple forms – a rare and welcome feature for a free PDF editor. PDFescape review Try PDFescape For simply splitting and merging PDFs, PSFsam is all you need (Image credit: Sober Lemur) The latter half of PDFsam’s name is short for ‘split and merge’, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Basic edition. You’ll be offered a free trial of the premium version (including full editing, object insertion, secure signing, and OCR), but once that expires you’ll be left with a simple but well designed tool for chopping large documents into manageable chunks, performing a PDF cut-and-shut, or extracting selected pages. You can also use PDFsam Basic to rotate pages, which is very handy if you’ve accidentally scanned a document upside down. There are no tools for tweaking the actual content of the document, but all of PDFsam Basic’s page-management options are very clearly laid out, and it’s very clear which of the options shown in the main menu are only available in the premium edition. PDFsam Basic review Download PDFsam Basic Find out how to convert PDFs to Word documents the easy way This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best online YouTube downloader 2019: save videos straight from your browser Posted: 20 May 2019 08:01 AM PDT With a free online YouTube downloader, you can save videos directly from your web browser, without any additional software. If you download videos regularly then desktop software is the best option, offering better speeds and the ability to save several videos at once, but if you just want to download a single clip then an online YouTube downloader is ideal. In this roundup we've chosen five YouTube downloaders which can be used to save offline copies of content. Some of them give you the option of download videos at various quality settings, they may give you the option of downloading just the audio, and some support other video sites such as Vimeo. What all give tools have in common, though, is that they are all wonderfully simple to use and will quickly furnish you with the videos you desire.  You should only download videos when you have the copyright owner's permission to do so. YouTube's terms of service explicitly prohibit unauthorized downloading. If you only want to save the audio from a video, check out our roundup of the best YouTube to MP3 software too. See also: how to unblock YouTube at school or the office Apowersoft Online Video Downloader is the quickest way to save videos from YouTube to your desktop (Image credit: Apowersoft) Apowersoft Online Video Downloader is refreshingly uncluttered and easy to use – just paste the video's URL into the box provided, open the Apowersoft Online Launcher and take your pick from the available options. You can download videos in MP4, WEBM or 3GP format, in a choice of resolutions, or save just the audio as a WEBM or M4A file. Helpfully, Apowersoft Online Video Downloader makes all these options available at once, so you can  download the video in several formats without having to re-enter its URL. Unlike some online YouTube downloaders, Apowersoft Online Video Downloader lets you download at the highest quality settings, and there are no time restrictions to worry about. When you need to download a video quickly, Apowersoft should be your top choice. Apowersoft Online Video Downloader If you need to save a video in a format other than MP4, ClipConverter is a great choice (Image credit: ClipConverter) Despite the name, Clip Converter isn't just a tool for saving videos in different formats. Its main purpose is downloading videos from YouTube – a task it makes incredibly simple. Unlike some browser-based YouTube downloaders, Clip Converter doesn't ask you to hunt around for a specific version of a video's URL. Just copy the main address from your browser's address bar, choose the video quality and file format, or opt to grab just the audio, and hit Start. As an added bonus, there are also plugins available for Chrome, Safari and Firefox so you can easily download YouTube videos without the need to keep visiting the Clip Converter site. One slight downside is that Clip Converter can be picky about downloading videos that contain music – the error message that appears doesn’t say as much, but this will be because of licensing issues. That aside, this is a great online YouTube video downloader. Clip Converter Saving YouTube clips using Video Downloader Online is as simple as pasting an URL and clicking a button (Image credit: AceThinker) To make downloading YouTube videos as simple as possible, Video Downloader Online requires you to do nothing more than paste a link and hit 'Download'. Once the video has been identified, all you need to do is click the button next to the version of the file you want to download. Video Downloader Online detects video quality options automatically and lets you choose which you want to save. You can also choose to rip the audio from a video if you prefer – a feature you won't find in all online video downlaoders. Bear in mind that clicking the 'Try pro version' link will download a different program called Video Keeper. This lets you save whole playlists at once, but costs US$29.95 (about £20, AU$40). Video Downloader Online You're spoilt for choice when it comes to file formats with Online Video Converter (Image credit: OnlineVideoConverter.com) Another site that's incredibly easy to use, Online Video Converter can save YouTube videos in no fewer than seven audio and seven video formats. This means that no matter what device you have in mind as a target, and no matter what you intend to use the video for – within reason, of course – the site should have you covered. The number of download formats isn't Online Video Converter's only impressive feature. It can also grab videos from Facebook, Vimeo, Daily Motion and a plethora of other supported sites. This is an online video downloader that gets the job done, and does so quickly. You're offered a download link almost as soon as you've set your download options, and you can't ask for much better than that. It's a largely frill-free affair, but the developer has recently added a QR code that you can scan to download the video to your phone. Very handy. Online Video Converter As its name suggests, Convert2mp3net is specifically designed for ripping audio from videos (Image credit: Convert2mp3.net) Another site with a slightly deceptive name, Convert2mp3.net can be used to convert videos from YouTube, Daily Motion and others to a range of formats – not just MP3. There are a few restrictions to bear in mind. Some file formats – such as AVI – have time limits, so if you're looking to download lengthy clips it is possible that you'll have to opt for your second choice of format. Once the file is converted, you can download it to your hard drive or save it to Dropbox if you'd like to keep it online If you don't like skipping between browser tabs and copying links, Convert2mp3.net has a search tool that not only searches YouTube for you, but offers an instant download button to keep things as simple as possible. If the site initially appears in German, click the US flag icon at the top right to switch to English. Convert3mp3.net Want to edit a video? Check out our list of the best video editing software This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Warriors vs Trail Blazers live stream: how to watch 2019 NBA Western Conference Finals online Posted: 20 May 2019 08:00 AM PDT We probably should have seen this coming. The Golden State Warriors have absolutely dominated the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. They have one giant foot in the NBA Finals - surely they can't be stopped now, can they? You can find out by watching a Warriors vs Trail Blazers live stream of every game with this handy guide for how to watch from anywhere on Earth. So there's no doubt that the Warriors go into this seven-game NBA playoffs series as overwhelming favorites. Having won three of the last four NBA championships, they need very little introduction. One glance at their roster demonstrates the sheer talent on show: Curry, Furant, Iguodala, Livingston. And all helmed by future Hall-of Famer Steve Kerr. They'll take some beating in the Western Conference Finals. But perhaps the Portland Trail Blazers really is the franchise to do it, having reached this stage for the first time in nearly 20 years. They squeezed unexpectedly past the Denver Nuggets in the conference semi-finals after dismantling the Oklahoma City Thunder. They'll be looking towards shooting guard CJ McCollum and center Enes Kanter to deliver some more big games if they want to overcome those Warriors. Whether you’re rooting for Golden State or Portland, we'll show you how to tune into all the action either on your TV or online. Keep reading to see how you can stream Warriors vs Trail Blazers in the 2019 NBA Western Conference Finals live online. Want to see the Eastern Conference? Get a Raptors vs Bucks live stream How to watch the 2019 NBA Western Conference Finals online from outside your country If you're in the US, UK or Australia and are keen to get a live stream of the Warriors vs Trail Blazers games then scroll down this page a little as we take you through your options (whether or not you have cable). But if you're abroad and you try to watch your domestic NBA coverage then you'll be out of luck due to geo-blocking by broadcasters. That means you can't watch unless you're in your home country. But before you head off to find some dodgy Reddit stream, we'd recommend instead using a VPN - or Virtual Private Network - that will enable you to alter your IP address to one in your home country. The process is very straightforward…  Watch the NBA Western Conference Finals on TV in the US If you've already signed up for an NBA League Pass then we're afraid that won't help you get a live stream of Warriors vs Trail Blazers. It isn't showing any NBA Playoffs games live online. The best it can do is to show the games on replay three hours after they air on TV.  The broadcaster that has the exclusive rights to show it is ESPN. Or, if you're a cable cutter then you could opt for a sports streaming service instead, giving you access to ESPN without the long tie-in. What's more, every services below also come with some kind of free trial. Hulu with Live TV $44.99 per month Playstation Vue starting at $44.99 per month DirecTV Now $50 per month Sling TV starting at $15 per month YouTube TV $49.99 per month How to watch the Trail Blazers vs Warriors in the UK  Basketball fans in the UK will be able to tune into Western Conference Finals games on Sky Sports. The service will air the Warriors vs Trail Blazers series at 2am BST - good luck staying up for those! If you’re not already a Sky Sports subscriber and don’t feel like paying for the service just to watch the NBA Playoffs, don’t worry as you can buy a daily, weekly or even monthly Sky Sports Pass on Now TV. This will allow you to watch the NBA Playoffs, NBA Finals and all other sports shown on Sky. When it comes to streaming basketball online our first choice is NBA.com.  With the NBA League Pass you you can watch hundreds of Live and On-Demand games on all of your favorite streaming devices including Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, Playstation and even on mobile. It costs £39.99, and will give you access to all remaining NBA games live. And if you find yourself outside the UK at any stage during the playoffs then don't forget that you can always use a VPN to change your IP address back to the UK and watch any of these streaming services as if you were back at home. How to get an NBA live stream in Australia The Western Conference games are due to start at 11am AET in Australia, so ideal if you want to get an NBA live stream around your lunch break. If you have Fox Sports, then you'll want to turn to channel 508 for the ESPN channel where each game will be streaming (for both conferences). If it's a phone or laptop you'd sooner watch from, then there's the ESPN Player instead. Or you can live stream NBA action via the Kayo Sports streaming service, which features no lock-in contracts and also includes access to over 50 sports, both live and on demand. Kayo Sports Basic Package costs $25 per month and allows users to stream across two devices simultaneously. Alternatively, the service also offers a Kayo Sports Premium Package, which provides three concurrent streams for $35 per month. The Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports apps means you can access this from your chosen device wherever you are (although you'll need a VPN if you're taking that abroad). 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Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is a VR journey through the cosmos for fans and newbies alike Posted: 20 May 2019 08:00 AM PDT Doctor Who is a phenomenon. And is it any wonder? Running for nearly 60 years, with 13 different Doctors, and a whiplash-inducing amount of time travel, the show has gathered one heck of a following. Until now, fans have only been able to experience the Doctor Who universe on their screens, in print or through the occasional cosplay, but game developer Maze Theory is looking to change that by giving fans a fully immersive Doctor Who VR experience. We know what you’re thinking. Did a Doctor Who VR game not just come out? Well, yes it did. The BBC just released a free Doctor Who animated VR short – and it was a bit of a flop. But Doctor Who: The Edge of Time promises to be the quintessential virtual reality experience for Whovians and non-fans alike, and we got a first-look at the demo. Through time and space Exterminate (Image credit: Maze Theory) Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is a three-hour-long, feature length Doctor Who virtual reality game developed by London-based studio Maze Theory. What makes this game stand out from any other wannabes? Two big reasons. For one, current Time Lord Jodi Whittaker lends her voice to the game and secondly it has been created in collaboration with the BBC and Doctor Who showrunners – one of the show’s writers even penned the story for The Edge of Time. It doesn’t get more legit than that. And this authenticity is clear in the short demo we played at Maze Theory’s London headquarters, from the moment we strapped on the VR headset we were immersed in the bizarre world of Daleks and iconic telephone boxes. The story is pretty straightforward. The Doctor (number 13, played by Jodi Whitaker) has been hurled through time to the end of the universe and  a virus that threatens to rip apart reality itself has been unleashed. It’s your duty to journey across worlds – past, present and future – to recover a series of powerful time crystals that can repair the whole kerfuffle. The Edge of Time sees you stepping into the shoes of the Doctor’s new, unnamed pal. Armed with the iconic Sonic Screwdriver, we land in a London junkyard during what we can only describe as a cosmic hurricane. The Doctor’s voice blares from a nearby radio, tasking you with collecting items from the junkyard to build a contraption to summon the Tardis.  Tardis training When you can't solve the puzzles...(Image credit: Maze Theory) Movement is fairly simple, but takes some getting used to. While your directional movement is tank-like, you can easily move forwards and backwards and freely look around you at the unfolding chaos – which includes an incoming UFO hovering overhead.  The Edge of Time is not combat-based, instead requiring the player to solve various puzzles - such as finding the junkyard items – in order to progress, almost like a Doctor Who immersive escape room. But Maze Theory is focusing on creating a title that will appeal to the whole family, so don’t expect these puzzles to be so complicated that they hinder your experience – that’s not the intention.  Instead, this is a game which intends to bring in veterans and newbies alike. But there is definitely some extra canon content for Whovians, with a host of new creatures and worlds to explore. Being a newbie to the franchise, we were pleasantly surprised by how intrigued we were to see more... Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is due for release in September, 2019 on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and Vive Cosmos. Read more: Best VR games - the top VR games on mobile, consoles and PC This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best smartwatch 2019: the top wearables you can buy today Posted: 20 May 2019 07:41 AM PDT Update: It's not strictly a sequel to the Samsung Galaxy Watch, but we've just placed the Galaxy Watch Active in our list below. It's a sportier version of our best smartwatch without the rotatable bezel, plus the price is lower too. A smartwatch is the ultimate phone accessory. It can tell the time, of course, but it can also beam important notifications straight to your wrist, track your fitness stats and pay for your morning coffee. Today's best smartwatch models can perform a ton of tricks, such as enabling you to search the internet with your voice, track your location with GPS or even monitor your heart rate to protect your overall health – with our without pairing to one of the best smartphones on the market. Oh, and some of them look absolutely stunning too. If you're thinking that a smartwatch is a pointlessly geeky accessory... think again. The choices we've ranked below are well-made, powerful and can genuinely make you fitter through some smart nudges. We've tested the vast majority of the top-end wearables you can buy right now from the Apple Watch to Fitbits, Garmin trackers to Tizen-sporting Samsung smartwatches. There's also 1Wear OS (you may have known that in its previous incarnation called Android Wear) which is Google's own wearable operating system in the vein of Apple's watchOS. During our review process, we take into account the design, features, battery life, spec, price and more for each smartwatch, rank it against the competition and enter it into the list you'll find below. Smartwatches come and go from the ranking depending on the rest of the competition at the time, and bear in mind we may see products like the Honor Watch Magic appear in the list after we've tested them properly. It looks like 2019 is set to be a big year in the wearables space too, so expect lots of change in this list if we hear official announcements for products like the Google Pixel Watch and the Apple Watch 5. On a budget? Our guide to the best cheap smartwatch for you Looking for something active? Check out our list of the best fitness trackers Just want an Apple Watch? Try our full best Apple Watch guide  Have an iPhone? We have a guide for the best smartwatches for iPhone There's also our selection of the best Wear OS watches Want traditional looks? Our guide on the best hybrid smartwatch Our best smartwatch you can buy right now is from Samsung, and instead of opting for the expected Gear S4 name it's called the Galaxy Watch. Following on from the Gear S3 series and the Gear Sport in 2017, the latest Samsung Watch is much improved. We've tested out the larger 46mm version of the watch and it comes with a phenomenal four day battery life even when you're using it extensively. That's impressive considering a lot of other watches on this list last a day or so from a single charge. The rotating bezel remains a highlight of navigating around the Tizen OS on the watch, and the interface is one of the easiest to pick up that we've seen on a smartwatch. Apps available on the watch are more limited than Wear OS or watchOS - two rival smartwatch operating systems - but it still offers the core basics and Samsung had provided a watch that's good at fitness as well as sporting a great design and lots more functionality too. Read the full Samsung Galaxy Watch review Coming in a close second, the Apple Watch Series 4 is our second favorite smartwatch you can buy right now. This is the first time Apple has updated the design of its smartwatch line, and it looks all the better for it. You get a much bigger screen with the choice of 40mm or 44mm watch sizes, there's a wider display (which is still bright and clear) as well as all the rest of the tech we've come to expect from the Apple Watch. The speaker on this watch is louder than before, the design is still lightweight (yet it feels premium) and you can use all your existing Apple Watch straps with this latest generation too. The most exciting tech is the fact there's an ECG feature within the heart rate tracker. It can test your heart to see if you're at a high risk of atrial fibrillation, which will allow you to seek help earlier if your health is in danger. This tech isn't present at launch, and right now we only know it'll be available in the US. I's not an upgrade relevant to everyone, but for some people this could be some life changing tech. There are still tons of fitness features and the latest watchOS 5 apps onboard so you'll likely love this smartwatch. The Apple Watch 4 is our favorite watch you can use with an iPhone (this won't work with Android devices), but it's just been pipped to the title of best overall smartwatch. Read the full Apple Watch 4 review What's next? The Apple Watch 4 was announced and released in September 2018, and we don't expect to see the Apple Watch 5 until the same month this year. Fossil has developed a lot of expertise in the wearable tech space over the last few years, and this has all culminated in the best smartwatch the company has made so far. The Fossil Sport is a top-end watch with a lower price tag than the two devices above in this list. It features GPS, a lightweight - yet premium - design and at least two days of battery life from a single charge. Fossil has packed a Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset inside, which is the latest update from Qualcomm that offers a smoother experience than you'll get on a lot of older Wear OS watches. It doesn't sport any truly unique features, but the overall package of the Fossil Sport may be the best watch for you. That'll especially be the case if you're looking for a fitness watch that comes with Wear OS software and won't look odd on your wrist when you're going about your day. Read the full Fossil Sport review Fitbit is one of the biggest names in fitness tracking tech, but until late in 2017 the company hadn't gone anywhere near smartwatches.  The company has now released two smartwatches, and both feature on this list but first we're starting with our favorite that was announced in March 2018. That favorite from Fitbit is the Versa that is a touch smaller than the other one (that's the Ionic) but it comes with Fitbit Pay for contactless payments, 2.5GB of storage for music and battery life that'll last around three days. It doesn't have GPS for tracking your runs and the design doesn't feel as premium as some of the other watches on this list, but we really like the Fitbit Versa and it's one of the more affordable choices on this list. Read the full Fitbit Versa review What's next? Our Fitbit Versa Lite review is now in, and it may be worth a look if you're looking to buy the Fitbit Versa. It isn't as feature-packed, but it's cheaper than the original Versa. You've already heard all about the Samsung Galaxy Watch, but what if you just don't want a large version of its wearable? Samsung has shrunk down most of the tech available in the Galaxy Watch into this more sport appropriate package that's slimmer, lighter and, arguably, more comfortable. The Galaxy Watch Active features a 1.1-inch 360 x 360 display that while being bright and beautiful allows for a smaller watch to be strapped around your wrist than a lot of the other devices in this list. It still comes sporting all of the top-end fitness features you'd expect from Samsung's Tizen watch range, but it lacks the rotating bezel or an LTE option that you'd get from the top-end product. The best part is how the price has shrunk to match its size. It's certainly not a cheap smartwatch, but when compared to the original RRP of the Galaxy Watch you may prefer to opt for this version that's remarkably similar. Read the full Samsung Galaxy Watch Active review One of the cheapest devices on this list, the TicWatch E2 is from a relatively small brand called Mobvoi but it has made a big splash with its latest couple of smartwatches. The E2 is waterproof, comes with great battery life and it's all available for an affordable price. You probably won't fall in love with the design of this watch - it's not particularly premium - but we like the look considering how much it costs. For health, the watch comes with built-in GPS, an accurate heart rate sensor and sleep tracking. All of the fitness features you'd expect are here, but make sure you note that it won't be able to do contactless payments as there's no NFC onboard. Read the full TicWatch E2 review Don't like the design? There's also the TicWatch S2. That's a remarkably similar watch to the TicWatch E2, but it comes with a slightly more rugged look for adventurers who want a watch that can take a beating. Check this out if you're happy to spend a bit extra. The Apple Watch 3 (or Apple Watch Series 3, if you're picky) was the best smartwatch but has recently been bumped off the top spot and down a few places since the launch of the Apple Watch 4.  The Apple Watch 3 is essentially just the Apple Watch 2 frame with some new innards... but they make a big difference. Plus the price has recently dropped, making this a much more attractive proposition. The LTE connection is the headline event, although that's not really as useful as some might hope - plus it costs a lot more to use, and drains the battery. What we like is the non-LTE version, which is a lot cheaper, and offers all the smarts of the Watch 2 but with a longer battery life and faster speeds when flicking through apps. It's still water-resistant so you can swim with it and you won't have to worry about getting it wet in the rain when you're out for a jog. There's GPS onboard to make running that little bit easier plus it you can now upgrade to watchOS 5 too. Read the full Apple Watch 3 review One of our favorite Wear OS watches is the TicWatch Pro, which you can use with either an iPhone or with your Android phone. You may not have heard of TicWatch before, but the latest from the company it a top-end watch with a unique dual-screen feature. There are two displays on this watch - one layered on top of the other. On the top is a transparent LCD display that can display the time, your heart rate and more when the battery is low. Below that is a bright and bold full color OLED screen that will give you all of the benefits of Wear OS. That means you can have a normal smartwatch, which we found would last around two days, and then have the time and some other features still available when your battery is running low. Plus the low power mode also lasts for a whole 30 days too. In terms of smartwatch features there's GPS, NFC for Google Pay, Bluetooth for listening to music and the top Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset in here running the watch as well. Then there's the price, which undercuts a lot of the other watches on this list. Read the full TicWatch Pro review The Fitbit Ionic was always going to be a tough move for the brand, trying to enter the world of smartwatches from fitness bands. The effort succeeds in some places: namely fitness, as you might imagine, where you can track all manner of things, from running to weight lifting to swimming. There's also dedicated bodyweight coaching sessions in there, and you can pay for items on the go using Fitbit Pay. When it first launched, the price was super high and it was a bit too expensive to wholeheartedly recommend. The good news is the price seems to have dropped in recent months so you can get it for at least $70/£70 cheaper than the RRP. If you're a Fitbit fan looking to do more than you get on an average band, this is a nice option. Read the full Fitbit Ionic review What's next? Rumors about a new Ionic are few and far between, but we've put together a guide on what we want to be improved if it releases a Fitbit Ionic 2. The second attempt at a smartwatch from Misfit has gone down even better than the first. This watch is designed to sit somewhere in between a premium, fashionable smartwatch and a must-have for fitness lovers. It doesn't do either of those things perfectly, and instead does both quite well. It's a good looking watch that doesn't cost the same amount as some of the more expensive Wear OS watches you can buy. It is sporting the older Snapdragon 2100 chipset, but it features built-in GPS, NFC for Google Pay and a variety of other features that may make you want it. Read the full Misfit Vapor 2 review Looking for a watch to pair with your iPhone? Try our full list of the best Photo illustration: TechRadar; Misfit; Mobvoi; Apple; Fitbit; Samsung This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Memorial Day sales 2019: a guide to the best deals going on Posted: 20 May 2019 07:37 AM PDT Memorial Day is just around the corner, and that means not only a long holiday weekend but also killer deals from your favorite retailers like Walmart and Amazon. Memorial Day sales include huge discounts on appliances, laptops, mattresses, patio furniture and more. To help guide you through all the promotions and offers, we've put together a list of the best sales that are currently going on. We've also hand-picked the top standout deals from a variety of categories such as appliances, electronics, home items and more. We'll also tell you everything else you need to know about the Memorial Day sales event such as the date, retailers that are participating, and what deals you can expect and from what categories. When is Memorial Day 2019?  Memorial Day is an American federal holiday that always falls on the last Monday in May to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. This year Memorial Day is on Monday, May 27, with the long holiday weekend kicking off on Friday the 25. When do Memorial Day sales start? Most Memorial Day sales start the week before the actual holiday on Monday the 20, and some retailers don't start their promotions till the weekend before. All sales will last through the holiday weekend, and most will end on Memorial Day. We'll be updating this page daily with all of the current sales so make sure to check back each day for new discounts and deals. What are the best Memorial Day sales?  The biggest categories discounted during Memorial Day include appliances, patio, mattresses, and laptops. Because Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, you can find discounts on several outdoor items such as grills, patio furniture, planters, and camping equipment. Retailers like Home Depot and Target are offering up to 40% off patio items. Memorial Day is also a fantastic time to find deals on mattresses with retailers like Casper and Temper-Pedic participating in sitewide sales. Walmart and Best Buy are just a few retailers that will be discounting top-brand appliances all weekend long, and tech retailers like Dell have fantastic deals on laptops. The best Memorial Day sales: Amazon - deals on appliances, tech and home items Walmart - up to 40% off Memorial Day savings Nectar - $125 Off + 2 free pillows Overstock - Memorial Day blowout, up to 70% off + free shipping Mattress Firm - save up to $700 on king and queen mattresses Wayfair - up to 70% off all things outdoor Home Depot - up to 40% off patio furniture, appliances, grills and more Lenovo - save up to 50% off on laptops World Market - up to 30% off select outdoor Best Buy - save up to 30% on appliance top appliance Target - up to 30% off home and patio items Serta - save up to $600 on Serta iComfort mattress sets Purple - $100 off mattresses + free sheets Tempur-Pedic save up to $700 on select mattress sets  J Crew - 35% off wear now styles with code HISUMMER Lowe's - up to 30% off patio furniture and decor Dell - save up to 50% on PCs and electronics Our best Memorial Day sale picks: Shop more deals and learn about Prime Day with our guide on Amazon Prime Day 2019: everything you need to know for the July deals event. You can also shop more of the best cheap 4K TV deals and sale prices, the best cheap laptop deals, and the best Xbox One prices and PS4 deals. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Get a three-year CyberGhost VPN deal for just $2.75 a month - a 79% reduction Posted: 20 May 2019 07:10 AM PDT While VPNs may be a relatively new concept in the mainstream, they've been around for years and we've used that time to test a lot of them. From the best of the best, all the way to the downright unusable, we know the ones worth investing in. One that frequently makes that list is CyberGhost. Not only does this service make it into our best VPN top 10, but it also just so happens to be sitting at a 79% reduction right now. That means you only end up paying $99 (£75.60) for three whole years of the service or the equivalent of $2.75 a month. - Go straight to CyberGhost to grab this incredibly cheap VPN deal Not in the US? Don't worry. Although the listed price is in US dollars, this reduced plan is available to purchase wherever you are. So the $2.75 per month works out at around £2.10, €2.45 or AU$3.90. But what does that $2.75 get you each month? Well, on top of the ability to work around restrictions on TV, allowing you to watch Game of Thrones online or watch the NBA Playoffs from anywhere for example, there is the obvious benefit of covering your activity online. A VPN hides your IP and keeps your data and online activity safer. With CyberGhost, you're not only getting the ability to mask your IP address but also incredibly fast speeds, access to over 3,500 servers, simultaneous protection of up to seven devices, and integrated apps for your phone, laptop, TV and more. So if you like the idea of cheap yet extremely effective online protection for the next three years, scroll down to see all of the details of this deal and how to get it. Or if you want to see all your other best-in-class VPN options, check out our best VPN deals guide. CyberGhost's three-year VPN deal in full  Read our CyberGhost review to see what makes it stand out  If you would rather go for another option when it comes to VPNs, now is also a great time to grab what we rank as the the number 1 option. With ExpressVPN not only can you grab a massive 49% discount but you also get you get 3 months free, making it a bargain on the best VPN out there. And if you like the idea of try before you buy, Express offers a 30 day money-back guarantee. What can you do with a VPN The main reasons to get a VPN can be broken up into two categories: being safe online and circumventing blocks. In terms of cyber safety, a VPN uses encryption technology to hide or change your IP address so you can't be tracked. So using a VPN can make it far harder for your data to be used by somebody else in the future.  The second use is a little bit wider in its functionality. VPNs can allow you to work around restrictions online which means watching your favourite channels in other countries, getting cheaper deals on flights and trains and watch any country's Netflix no matter where you are.  See also: Our list of the best VPN services 2019's best antivirus software packages This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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