Apple : Gold Cup 2019 live stream: how to watch every soccer match online from anywhere |
- Gold Cup 2019 live stream: how to watch every soccer match online from anywhere
- Salesforce adds customer data platform to CRM
- Here’s what experts say mobile gaming will look like in 2020
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| Gold Cup 2019 live stream: how to watch every soccer match online from anywhere Posted: 18 Jun 2019 01:53 PM PDT Held every two years, the CONCACAF Gold Cup pits the best international soccer teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean against each other. But regardless of where you are on the planet, our guide below for getting a 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup live stream will ensure you don’t miss a kick - it's even free to watch in certain regions. This year's tournament has been expanded to involve 16 countries, up from the previous 14 with all participating teams this year coming from the three CONCACAF regions (previous editions have seen 'guest' countries from other continents help make up the numbers). As ever, Mexico and primary hosts the USA are viewed as favorites (the two teams have alternated as champions in the previous four Gold Cup tournaments), but recent times have seen an improvement in some of the smaller CONCACAF nations meaning the big guns are likely to find things a great deal more difficult this time out. They may be among the favorites with Betfair, but USA's form going in to the tournament is far from convincing. The USMT suffered morale-sapping defeats against Jamaica and Venezuela in their two pre-tournament friendlies, and have been dealt a blow with the news that an injury to RB Leipzig defender Tyler Adams will keep him out of the competition. Rivals Mexico have even bigger issues when it comes to missing personnel, with recognisable names such as Javier Hernández, Carlos Vela and Héctor Herrera all unavailable for the tournament. Luckily they still have talent in abundance, with in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers star Raúl Jiménez a likely contender for the tournament's golden boot. The team most likely to capitalise on the USA and Mexico's problems are Costa Rica. The Ticos have seen continued improvement in recent times and have been placed in a favorable group that should see their experienced squad led by Bryan Ruiz, Celso Borges and Kendall Waston sail through to the later stages. Jamaica also look to be a good outside bet, but they'll have to get over the psychological burden of having been beaten finalists in the last two tournaments. If you want to know where you'll be able to watch every single soccer match, we'll tell you exactly where you can catch them online with our CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019 live stream guide. This week's CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019 fixturesTuesday June 19 Wednesday June 20 Thursday June 21 Friday June 22 Saturday June 23 How to watch the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019 from outside your countryWe've put together a full rundown of your watching options in different countries - check out how to watch the action from the likes of the US (where FuboTV's worth a look if you want to watch in 4K), UK (where it's FREE thanks to the little-known FreeSports network) and Canada. The problems start when you try to watch your domestic coverage online while out of the country. Give it a go...you'll quickly find your stream is geo-blocked. That's super annoying, but not unavoidable. We've found that using a Virtual Private Network - or VPN - to be a handy solution. You select a server in your home country and then watch as if you were sat back at home on your couch. How to watch the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019: US live stream
Logging in to a US broadcast from overseas is also a great option using a VPN following the instructions above. So if you love the commentary and coverage in the UK, for example, you can catch up with that instead. - Discover our pick of all the US's best sports streaming sites How to watch CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019: Canada live streamHow to stream the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019 live in the UKCONCACAF Gold Cup 2019 fixturesJune 24 June 25 June 26 June 27 June 30 July 3 July 4 July 8 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Salesforce adds customer data platform to CRM Posted: 18 Jun 2019 01:40 PM PDT At its annual Salesforce Connections conference, Salesforce unveiled its new Customer Data Platform (CDP) alongside the next generation of Customer 360. The new platform services will allow companies to unify disparate customer data throughout their entire organization and then personalize every engagement based on a single view of the customer. Customer 360 will also go beyond traditional CDP capabilities and extend the power of CRM with consumer-scale data management and activation.
President and chief product officer at Salesforce, Bret Taylor explained how companies can boost loyalty by creating a single view of the customer, saying: "Customers today will not settle for fragmented experiences, and companies recognize that creating a single view of the customer is imperative to earning their loyalty. With Customer 360, we continue to extend our platform in new ways, empowering brands to unify data and personalize customer engagement at scale." Customer 360Salesforce introduced Customer 360 at last year's Dreamforce conference to help companies connect Salesforce apps and create a unified customer ID to build a single view of the customer. Now the company is expanding the service with new advancements that will make it easier to bridge fragmented customer data cross the entire organization. The next generation of Customer 365 will also include new data unification and consent management features that will enable brands to unify all of their customer data to create rich customer profiles. Additionally, with Salesforce's consent management framework companies will have the ability to easily gain customer consent wherever they engage users from email marketing to digital advertising. New segmentation capabilities will allow companies to identify specific groups of people to engage with in real-time based on demographics, engagement history and all other customer data available. Brands will also be able to activate customer data across marketing, commerce, service and beyond to deliver personalized engagement everywhere. Finally, Customer 365 will allow brands to leverage Einstein's AI capabilities to analyze and understand how and when to engage with customers to drive customer loyalty and improve business performance.
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| Here’s what experts say mobile gaming will look like in 2020 Posted: 18 Jun 2019 01:16 PM PDT Even though mobile gaming has a ways to go before it's just like playing on a desktop or console, it's inching closer every year - and it might grow in leaps and bounds in 2020. Why? AAA publishers are getting good at translating their AAA franchises to mobile, but the onset of 5G and cloud gaming could elevate mobile gaming across the board. At E3 2019, we talked to publishers, game developers and phonemakers about their products and projects to get a hint at what's coming for mobile gaming in 2020. The top-level observations aren’t too surprising: the dependable recipe for success is to make new titles from old but well-known IPs or craft mobile versions of already-popular desktop/console franchises. With so many games out there, new titles have to be platform-savvy and a bit tailored to their audience's regional tastes. Overall, mobile gaming in the next year will slowly iterate on lessons learned - but the industry is also looking ahead to a sea change from 5G and cloud streaming, both technologies that could change how, and what, we play. Read on for the five trends we see coming in the next year. Trend 1: big franchises, small screensBy far the biggest new title for mobile gaming shown off at E3 2019 was Call of Duty: Mobile, a version of the hit franchise shrunken down to be playable on smartphones. We found the game to be a remarkably similar experience to its fully-fledged siblings, featuring levels ripped straight from the older games, including a bunch stitched together to form the game’s huge battle royale map (which should give seasoned Call of Duty fans an advantage). Otherwise, the game plays a lot like other more serious mobile shooters: move with your thumb on the left side of the screen, perform actions like shooting, crouching or switching loadouts by hitting the appropriate button on the right side of the screen. It works...once you’ve gotten the hang of it. But attempting to replicate a console experience on smartphones makes for a cluttered interface, something that plagues every game that uses on-screen controls rather than a dedicated external gamepad (which aren’t common). To its credit, Call of Duty: Mobile introduces a few control innovations - like auto-shooting once a player hovers their crosshair over an opponent - but these are intended for newer players to get the hang of the game until they transition to the precision of manually moving/aiming/shooting. In essence, mobile titles inheriting IP from consoles and desktop gaming have good reason to try to import that experience as wholly as possible, but - at least right now - compromise is essential. But there can be elegance in that adjustment. The other big example on the show floor was The Elder Scrolls: Blades, a game that’s been out in the US in early access for some months before a general release (everywhere but China) in time for E3 2019. The control scheme is a simplified version of traditional Elder Scrolls combat: once engaged with an enemy, players swipe the screen to attack. It’s missing the free movement that’s defined fighting in the main games, but it enables one-handed play. Or two-handed, if players prefer: the game’s big innovation is supporting both portrait and landscape modes, with seamless transitions between either, even in the middle of a fight.
“It took a lot of dev time” to pull off, Veronique (Vero) Bruneau, Producer at Bethesda Game Studios for TES: Blades told TechRadar in an interview at E3. That was surely an understatement: he and Craig Lafferty, Senior Producer and Project Lead at Bethesda Game Studios explained they had to program that swapping mechanism for many phone types and tablets. The result is “a classic dungeon crawler designed for the modern day,” Lafferty said. Of course, the game has a lot of accoutrements from the Elder Scrolls franchise, though Blades is deliberately set in a different time period than the other ongoing TES game, Elder Scrolls Online, to avoid content overlap. The wild success of the 2016 game Fallout Shelter convinced Bethesda that its IP could be suitable for mobile titles, provided they found satisfying gameplay mechanics appropriate for the franchise. Which, in its own way, explains Commander Keen. Trend 2: novelty stands apart in a crowded marketDuring Bethesda’s E3 2019 showcase, Kira Schlitt, Creative Director at ZeniMax Online Studios, came on stage to introduce a new mobile title she’s helming: Commander Keen. Based on the beloved PC platformer pioneer that was first released in 1990, the game looks to revive the classic side-scrolling gameplay on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. The announcement was a surprise: while Commander Keen certainly has cultural cachet with older gamers, and a place in the history books as the title that enabled the foundation of id Software, it’s not a franchise players have clamored to revive. But the Bethesda keynote didn’t fully explain the game. Commander Keen will be a platformer with a similar goofy, light-hearted cartoony style as the original...and a card game, too. Each of the title character’s signature gadgets (like pogo sticks and sci-fi traps) is activated via a card, which is shuffled back into their mini-deck once used. The resulting game sounds like a novel combination of tried-and-true genres: a real-time platformer that requires less twitchy reactivity and more thoughtfulness to proceed. Players can bring eight cards with them into a level, which they can cleverly combine: create a hazard with your vortex gun and then bounce enemies into it with a trampoline. Voila! It’s hard to imagine how a real-time card-platformer will work out - Bethesda rescinded their offer of a hands-on demo just before E3 2019 - but it sounds different, and more delightful than the usual AAA mobile game (outside of Nintendo’s chipper games, anyway). The Commander Keen team began developing it in early 2018 and were inspired by Hearthstone, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, and Clash Royale, but unlike those, the game ended up being more physics-based (and real-time), Schlitt told TechRadar. Whether the game is a hit, the bigger lesson is that it will (unsurprisingly) be free-to-play with in-game purchases. Schlitt assured that those won't be pay-to-win - they’ll just be cosmetics and time-savers, which should preserve the balance of the 1v1 PVP battle mode coming alongside the single-player story mode. New gadgets will only be unlocked via randomized packs awarded from playing battle mode, which hopefully won’t lock out unlucky players from drawing a complete arsenal. If established franchises (or ‘intellectual properties’ as the lingo goes) draw more interest than new ones, Commander Keen is a sort of test balloon for dormant franchise palatability: as a F2P title on mobile, there’s conceivably less risk with reviving an old and unlooked-for series than re-introducing a full AAA title on console and desktop. And companies could certainly do worse than Commander Keen’s whimsical pop sci-fi action. Image credit: Netmarble Trend 3: Established franchises could be the key to popularizing new genresSouth Korea’s biggest mobile game company, Netmarble, didn’t debut new titles to the public at E3 2019, aside from one showed off behind closed doors that’s set to launch in the US before year’s end. But the company’s biggest titles have been ongoing for awhile: Marvel Future Fight, and until last December, Star Wars Heroes and Disney Magical Dice. The company even has an officially-licensed game about the globally popular K-pop boy band BTS. In other words, Netmarble has plenty of experience securing globally popular IP - but to stand out in a saturated game landscape, the company can’t just dash out a quick title to cash in on very recognizable names. Instead, Netmarble’s current strategy is to build themes and gameplay mechanics that match the IP, Netmarble US CEO Simon Sim explained to TechRadar. He came to E3 2019 with Netmarble to promote a mobile game coming to the US later in 2019: King of Fighters All-Stars. Just like previous games in the main King of Fighters series, the free-to-play title will feature characters from many SNK games - but the mobile game is a side-scrolling beat-em-up instead of a traditional fighting game. Image credit: King of Fighters The genre switch seems like a shrewd move to preserve the fun of hand-to-hand combat without forcing players to use clumsy mobile game controls for fighting games, which require precise inputs to compete. Indeed, KoF: All Stars abbreviates those inputs with a small cluster of buttons on the right side: a big one for basic strikes surrounded by three for signature moves, while buttons at the top of the screen switch out teammates. The game proved popular in Japan, where Netmarble first released KoF: All Stars back in 2017, and has been a success in South Korea after launching there in May 2019. When asked whether KoF: All Stars will catch on in the US - a market where side-scrolling beat-em-up mobile games aren’t super popular - Sim explained that the genre didn’t need to be a top-seller for Netmarble’s title to be successful.
The company has experience pioneering mobile game genres, Sim continued. Netmarble beta launched Lineage 2 Revolution in South Korea in late 2016 at a time when mobile MMORPGs weren’t popular. Back in January, the game crossed $1.5 billion in player spend, according to Sensor Tower. It’s possible that KoF: All Stars could kick off its own trend in the US. “That’s what we believe: if you change the game you will change the trend,” Sim said. That doesn’t mean every game will work everywhere - the company tweaks its games slightly for each market for legal compliance and for playerbase taste. Asian markets don’t mind the randomness of true ‘gacha’ systems, while Western and US players prefer a more expected reward system that grants, say, a guaranteed five-star character or one from a certain game. As a result, KoF: All Stars has three distinct versions for Japan, South Korea, and the upcoming US/Western release. But Netmarble isn’t just trying to hit big with already-popular IPs - the company aims to release a popular game featuring its own intellectual property, for obvious financial reasons (licensing fees, etc). Sim used Stone Age as an example (Stone Age Begins first came out in 2016), but when asked if they had new games to announce from its IPs, he only had one thing to say: stay tuned. Image credit: TechRadar Trend 4: Phonemakers are still committed to local gaming, not streamingIn the last few years, phonemakers have released handsets aimed at gamers that pack high specs and special modes that optimize phone gaming. One of these, the Chinese OEM Black Shark, just released its second phone (the Black Shark 2) in April - but it’s already looking toward the future. The company didn’t show off its anticipated Black Shark 5G, which some reports say could come out before 2020, but Black Shark VP of Yang Sun, VP Marketing of Black Shark Global, had serious thoughts about how the next year of gaming might change - specifically, with hardware. Currently, the best phones for gaming are high-specced flagships, but specialized handsets that pack in more features specifically for playing games. The Black Shark 2 is one of these, and its additions range from the obvious (a liquid cooling system to lower internal temperatures during intense gaming sessions) to the subtle (large antennas so players can won’t impede signal wrapping their fingers around the phone). Others, like the Red Magic 3, have ‘shoulder’ touch buttons. If you’re playing locally, these handsets provide the best gaming experience. But 5G and cloud gaming could alter how we think of mobile gaming devices. 5G will have obvious benefits, like faster internet speeds and lower latency, which will likely help across the board. It could take awhile for these changes to affect consumers, with all the network and server infrastructure that still needs to be built. And 5G-compatible devices will probably be expensive for the next three years until the tech trickles down to more affordable handsets. Even the Black Shark 3 coming in 2020, which will pack Qualcomm’s next 5G-capable chipset, will almost surely be as pricey as the last. Image credit: TechRadar Instead of relying on your local hardware, cloud gaming shifts the processing to massive server farms; upcoming services like Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud promise to deliver console/PC-level performance to any device that can stream media. We simply won’t need local hardware anymore - not to the extreme degree it’s at right now, anyway. Mobile devices would need failproof connectivity, of course, but the other major priority to reach parity with PC and console gaming lies in improving displays. Smartphones and tablets lag behind in screen clarity and quality; eventually, cloud gaming would reduce the choice between mobile, tablet and PC to which size screen you’d like to game on. There are other obstacles limiting mobile gaming, like inferior screen controls vs. gamepads - and even hardware limitations. There are tricks Black Shark is ready to build into its phones that they claim will bring mobile gaming closer to parity with PC and console, like interpolating game framerates of 30 frames per second to imitate 60fps - but it’s the hardware that restricts them. If Qualcomm opened up their chip tech to Black Shark, the company claims it could improve the mobile gaming experience. Which would help the chicken-and-egg situation that has kept mobile gaming stagnant for years: why build a better experience if there aren’t games that need it? And why would developers raise the production level of their games if they’re only playable on less-accessible higher-spec phones? Something needs to come along to break this quagmire. Perhaps it is 5G, or cloud gaming, or even next year’s Black Shark 3, which the representative told me is “just completely other stuff.” Sea changes are most likely coming...but slowly. Image credit: TechRadar Trend 5: 5G is coming - and how will it change mobile gaming?Tucked between IndieCade, Sega/Atlus and Nintendo’s massive floorspace at E3 2019, Verizon had a simple presence: one screen on each side of a square booth, each showing off a different mobile game developed during a game jam the carrier held in December 2018. All were made to show off the potential of 5G. Like many games made during a jam, these had easily-grasped concepts: Knights on a Rocket, for instance, featured two knights battering each other while trying to steer themselves through an asteroid field. The point, one of the game’s developers Kevin Harper told TechRadar, was to showcase 5G technology. If you could stream in far more data - at the game jam, Harper and his team saw 1Gbps download from Verizon’s temporary 5G setup - then you could make a game that relied on assets downloaded very very quickly. You could see the result as asteroids came hurtling quickly but seamlessly at his game’s knights, without any visible network slowdown.
Another game in the Verizon booth featured a simple dagger shooting up the side of a pillar and veering from side to side dodging obstacles - simple enough gameplay, but the mesmerizing, shimmering lighting effects were console-level quality. Current mobile games can’t pull this off, even those adapted from console/desktop titles. Fortnite, for example, is “very much a mobile build,” Harper said. 5G could enable much more dynamic gameplay...eventually. “Techwise it’s there, but the infrastructure needed is huge,” Harper said. By his estimation, we won’t see that 5G-enabled next-generation of mobile gaming arrive in 2020. Next year will be about validating the technology first, then seeing if and where it can be useful to consumers. When it arrives, Harper sees a mobile gaming future much like Black Shark’s representative: devices will require much less hardware, essentially narrowing their development priorities down to handsets that process video streamed in over the air and send inputs back to servers. That’s a potentially scary proposition for OEMs that have justified ever-higher flagship phone prices by including higher and higher-specced hardware. “But there’s definitely an opportunity for someone to take advantage of,” Harper noted. Even with less complex devices that just stream video, one roadblock to 5G mobile gaming looms large: carrier data caps, which seem prohibitively limiting compared to the massive data speeds 5G is capable of. These, Harper noted, are ‘artificially imposed’ and hopefully ripe for change before a single night of gaming wipes out your data allocation for the month - but we’ll have to wait and see how carriers meet customer needs when the next-gen networks expand beyond the handful of coverage pockets that exist today.
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| GandCrab ransomware shuts down after netting authors billions Posted: 18 Jun 2019 12:05 PM PDT The operators behind the GandCrab ransomware have announced that they are closing up shop after almost a year and a half in which they claimed to have earned $2bn from ransom payments. GandCrab rose in popularity among cybercriminals after the operators began to market their services on underground criminal sites in January of 2018. Since then, its creators have become some of the most dominant actors in the ransomware space. News that GandCrab is shutting down came from security researchers Damian and David Montenegro who have closely followed the exploits of the ransomware on the underground hacking and malware forum Exploit.in. It was there that they discovered a post from the GandCrab operators in which they said they are shutting down their operation.
In the post, the operators said that the ransomware has earned over $2bn with average weekly payments of $2.5m while they personally earned over 150m. The GandCrab operators went on to explain their future plans, saying: “We are leaving for a well-deserved retirement. We have proven that by doing evil deeds, retribution does not come. We proved in a year you can earn money for a lifetime. We have proved that it is possible to become number one not in our own words, but in recognition of other people.” GandCrabIn the announcement, the operators also said that they have stopped promoting the ransomware while requesting that affiliates stop distributing it within 20 days. Additionally, their forum post is scheduled to be deleted at the end of the month. The operators even encouraged victims to pay for decryption now as their keys will be deleted at the end of the month. Hopefully though, they release the keys once they shut down as other large ransomware operations have done in the past. GandCrab's operators have always operated a bit differently than their counterparts though, using taunts, jokes and references to organizations and researchers in their code. Another such example is the fact that the operators decided to use domain names for their Command & Control servers which were based on organizations and websites known for ransomware research. While it is good news that GandCrab is finally shutting down, cybercriminals are likely working right now to fill the gap it will leave in the ransomware space.
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| Fraudulent domains are remaining active for longer Posted: 18 Jun 2019 11:04 AM PDT Domain fraud is a growing risk for businesses and consumers as cybercriminals register millions of domains to impersonate brands and major global events each year. As registering a domain requires little more than an internet connection, domain fraud is fairly simple to execute and researchers have even discovered fraudulent domain services available for purchase on the dark web. These services make it simple for cybercriminals with no web design skills to quickly replicate a brand's website on their domains, buy security certificates and even fake company documentation. In its 2019 Domain Fraud Report, Proofpoint sheds light on the latest trends shaping the domain landscape and the tactics used by cybercriminals to trick users into visiting their fraudulent domains.
One of these tactics is hiding in plain sight as fraudulent domains often use many of the same top-level domains (TLDs), registrars and web servers used by legitimate domains. For example, 52 percent of all new domain registrations last year used the .com TLD while nearly 40 percent of new fraudulent domain registrations also used .com. Threat to businessesProofpoint's research also showed that domain fraud is a widespread threat to businesses. Proofpoint Digital Risk Protection customers from a wide variety of industries all faced threats from fraudulent domains with 76 percent finding “lookalike” domains posing as their brand, 96 percent found exact matches of their domains with a different TLD and 85 percent of retail brands found domains selling counterfeit goods. The company's researchers also observed email activity for fraudulent domains to discover that 94 percent of it customers found that at least one of their fraudulent domain detections was sending email. However, for the most part Proofpoint observed low volumes of email from these accounts which points to highly targeted and socially engineered attacks such as business email compromise (BEC). Finally the company's researchers observed how market factors such as pricing and availability appear to influence the behavior of domain fraudsters. Proofpoint highlighted how the launch of the .dev TLD in February was immediately followed by 30 percent of its customers finding potentially fraudulent domains using the new TLD with their brand name just two weeks after its launch. Domain fraud can be just as damaging as a cyberattack and businesses and individuals need to carefully check the sites they visit to ensure they're not falling victim to any potential scams.
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| Best TV 2019: here are the big-screen TVs worth buying this year Posted: 18 Jun 2019 10:57 AM PDT Best TV 2019: These are the must-see, must-own TV sets of 2019. Shopping for a new TV can be tough, especially if it's been a few years since you last bought a big screen. TVs can have complicated names, complicated feature sets and price tags that seem to shoot up without reason. It's so easy to give up searching that most folks just plunk down money on whatever's cheapest - even if that means getting the worst TV on the shelf. We don't want that happen. In fact, we're going to do everything in our power to help you find the best TV in your price range. That's what this list is all about.
The TVs listed below are based on scores assigned by our sterling team of reviewers and compiled by TechRadar editors based on price and performance. At the top of our list you'll find the brand-new Samsung Q90, available now, which is an early contender for TV of the year. Behind it is LG's new 2019 C9 OLED and a stellar Vizio screen that can reach up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. We've got models from Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL and Vizio below, so if you've got a particular brand affiliation - or an ecosystem you want to stay within - there's something for you. After you've found a TV on page one, the second page will teach you more about what makes a TV tick and why those specs matter so much. "Should I buy a TV now or wait it out?"This is a question we get a lot. Like most technology (cough, iPhones) TVs are getting incrementally better all the time – which means, yes, if you wait a year - or even a few months - there will probably be a bigger, flashier TV out there for less money. But while doing so will certainly net you a larger screen at a better price, some of the best panels are already being manufactured today. While tomorrow's screens might be a bit larger, a bit brighter and a bit cheaper, today's screens are just as competent in their own right. We can say that with confidence knowing that most manufacturers have finally embraced the three most important standards in TVs: Ultra HD, Wide Color Gamut and HDR (HDR10 and Dolby Vision). If a TV you're looking at doesn't support at least one of these, you should probably look somewhere else. Not sure where to start? Here are the best TVs we tested this year. Image credit: Samsung Last year, the Samsung Q9FN was the TV to beat. It won plaudits galore for its features and image quality, not to mention its excellent, improved smart platform that came with Bixby support and Samsung SmartThings. However it wasn’t perfect and there were legitimate complaints about viewing angles and an over-aggressive local dimming system that crushed detail just above black. Samsung has clearly taken these criticisms to heart, and directly addressed them in the Q90. The new model has a visibly superior viewing angle that holds its own against an OLED TV, and the local dimming delivers deep blacks without losing shadow detail. To that end, the new Ultra Black Elite filter is nothing short of a revelation, rejecting ambient light in a way that just staggers belief. The Q90 is able to deliver images that can directly compete with an OLED, with natural colors, bright highlights, deep blacks, and well defined shadows. It can also surpass any OLED when it comes to HDR, with images that are often breathtaking in their detail and dynamic range. In fact our only real criticism would be that, unlike some of the competition, the Q90 doesn’t support Dolby Vision. However in all other respects the Samsung Q90 is an absolutely stellar TV that takes QLED to another level. Read the full review: Samsung Q90R QLED TV LG C9 OLED Series (2019) The LG C9 is a truly exceptional 4K OLED TV that takes what was so impressive about last year’s C8 OLED and builds on it. The major difference is the inclusion of the 2nd generation Alpha9 processor, which uses AI enhancements to deliver stellar SDR and HDR images, and helps make the upscaling and processing second-to-none with incredible levels of detail and image fidelity. As is the case with all OLEDs the panel brightness pales when compared to an LCD TV, but brightness isn’t everything. The absolute blacks and pixel level of precision afforded by the self-emissive technology ensures that HDR looks stunning. There’s support for Dolby Vision as well, and only the absence of HDR10+ disappoints. There are other OLEDs worth considering this year (see: LG's own E9 Series) but we think the OLED C9 offers the best price-to-performance ratio of any TV under the sun in the year 2019. Read the full review: LG C9 OLED (OLED55C9, OLED65C9, OLED77C9) The Vizio P-Series Quantum X is a home run for Vizio. Sure, the SmartCast interface isn’t all the great, and the speakers are worth bypassing, but the TV is packed with awesome features and backed up by an excellent image quality. We’re looking forward to AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support, but even without those features the TV is still one of the best options in its price range. If you truly have deep pockets and want the best image quality out there, then it’s still worth going for LG's OLED or Samsung's QLED TVs - but in the absence of a six-figure salary, the $2,199 Vizio P-Series Quantum X PX-65G1 is clearly an excellent option for those that want quantum dot tech in a smart TV at Vizio-level prices. Read the full review: Vizio P-Series Quantum (PQ65-F1) Samsung Q9FN QLED (2018) After an underwhelming debut, Samsung’s QLED technology really needed to bounce back in style in 2018. It didn't surprise us in the least, then, to discover Samsung threw the kitchen sink in with its new Q9FN QLED Series of TVs. As well as being even brighter and more colorful than last year’s equivalent model, Samsung's 2018 flagship screens use a completely different lighting system to combat its predecessor’s contrast problems: Full Array Local Dimming rather than edge-lit LED lighting. The FALD panel works in tandem with Samsung QLED Quantum Dots to produce a picture that's brighter and more colorful than near any we've seen come from the South Korean manufacturer. Do those features alone make Samsung Q9FN the best TV on the market? No, but throw in technology like HDR10+ and Q HDR EliteMax – what Samsung bills as its maximum High Dynamic Range experience that’s exclusive to the Q9FN – and there's very little doubt in our mind that this was Samsung's best TV ever until the Q90 came along. Read the full review: Samsung Q9FN QLED TV (65Q9FN) Samsung Q900R QLED TV With most people - *cough* content providers - only just getting to grips with 4K resolution, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Samsung had gone nuts by introducing the world’s first true 8K TV. And yet, while it's easy to be critical about the Samsung Q900R, it truly does usher in a new era of TV picture quality. Its native 8K pictures are incredible, looking just like the real world - only better. But even more crucially given the dearth of true 8K content for the foreseeable future, the 85Q900R makes all today’s lower resolution sources look better than they do anywhere else, too. Whether 8K delivers the same impact on smaller screens remains to be seen, but if you have a big enough room and budget, the 85Q900R is a vision of the future that’s actually spectacularly worth buying today. Sony Bravia A9F OLED (2018) Sony’s second-generation OLED flagship, the A9F, is coming at a good time – just as Samsung and LG have stepped up their games with the Samsung Q9FN QLEDand LG E8 OLED, Sony has fired back with a phenomenal OLED of its own. Even better than the A1E before it, the A9F is unquestionably Sony’s best OLED offering to date, and arguably a strong contender for high-end screen of the year. While we experienced some minor issues (notably Black level crushing on Dolby Vision, and that Netflix Calibrated mode), niggles are to be expected on a set as ambitious as this. If you can live with the slightly idiosyncratic design, and afford the asking price, it’s a glorious UHD display. LG E9 OLED Series (2019) Overall, the LG E9 OLED offers a dazzling picture, with crisp detail and truly cinematic visuals. LG’s organic LED displays lack the brightness of competing models, but those after a proper movie night in won’t be disappointed. The E9 differs mostly from other LG OLEDs in its shape and its size options – both the more premium W9 and cheaper C9 offer a larger 77-inch model – but we’d be surprised if the E9’s all-glass panel design didn’t impress you. With a unique look, and the multi-channel audio to elevate it above other OLED sets in the range, the E9 is a fantastic addition to any living room if you can afford one. Samsung Q70R QLED TV (2019) Samsung’s flagship Q90R QLED TV blew us away recently with its wider viewing angles, deeper blacks, and superior HDR images - sadly, however, not everyone can afford the flagship model. So what can Samsung offer for those wanting to experience QLED picture quality on a budget? Despite sitting lower down in the QLED line-up, the Q70R includes the same comprehensive smart platform, extensive connections, and cutting-edge features found further up the range. This isn’t the flashiest-looking TV that Samsung has ever made, but if your funds are limited the Q70 is a cracking QLED all-rounder that’s worth checking out. Read the full review: Samsung Q70R QLED TV Sony Bravia X900F Series (2018) OK, so you don't want (or can't afford) Sony's new A9F OLED or the fantastic-but-pricey Z9F. So what should you buy? Check out the X900F series. With superb 4K image clarity, powerful SDR-to-HDR remastering, and a smooth direct LED backlight, Sony is offering something very different with the X900F. We loved the consistency of its images, the eye-popping vibrancy of its wide color gamut panel and its easy-to-watch HDR – you get spectral highlights without accompanying eye fatigue. Given this set’s high-but-fair price point, any niggles we have are negligible. The X900F is highly recommended and deserved our Recommended award. Read the full review: Sony Bravia X900F (XBR-65X900F) review TCL 6-Series (R615, R617) (2018) If you had deep pockets and checkbook filled with blank checks, we’d tell you to reach deep and shell out for only the best TVs on the market - LG’s crazy-thin OLED W8 or Samsung’s ultra-bright Q9FN QLED (both featured on this list). But that’s not realistic. For the vast, vast majority of us, our budget to spend on a TV is limited to somewhere under $1,000 - and often less than that. To that end, it’s absolutely fair to say that the TCL 6-Series is the best TV you can possibly get in this price range. Its performance per dollar is unmatched and its picture quality - despite a few minor flaws - will truly impress you. Read the full review: TCL 6-Series (R615, R617) Continue on to page two to read about what to look for when buying a TV!
What TV technology is best? Which is the best LCD TV? Which screen size is best for your living room? What's the difference between LCD and LED TVs? The answers aren't always obvious. In fact, buying a new TV can be stressful even for the tech-savvy - there are so many brands, so many features, so many screen sizes, colors, technologies and flavors to choose from. So which one is right for you, your family and your living space? In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about buying a new TV. What types of TV are there out there?There are a lot of different screen types out there, all working in different ways to produce the same results. Each technology has its own unique strengths and weaknesses so here are some basics to consider: LCD TV: CCFL LED TV: Direct LED LED TV: Edge LED OLED TV Quantum Dot Plasma TV Curved TV What resolution tech should I go for?HD Ultra HD and 4K HDR What else should I consider?Buying a flatscreen television is a major investment and one that you can't afford to take lightly. Just popping into the closest store and grabbing the first plasma or LCD you see won't get you the best deal, the screen that suits your needs, or the gear you require to make the most of your new purchase. Size matters People tend to pick the size of their flat TV based on the amount of space they have for it, this isn't necessarily wise. Flat TVs take up much less space than you might think, so your new TV may end up a foot or two further away from your viewing position, making the picture appear smaller. Also, with hi-def, you can have a bigger screen and the same viewing distance without worrying about seeing blemishes inherent to the source. A 4K TV's lack of noise means that the ideal distance to sit from the screen is three to four times the height of the TV. How to calculate the right size HD TV:The trick here is to ensure that your TV is big enough to fill your line of vision, but small enough to be sharp and clear. Remember, if you intend to only watch standard-definition sources, the bigger the screen gets, the worse the image will look. The ideal screen size can be calculated by multiplying the distance that you intend to sit away from it by 0.535 and then rounding this up to the nearest size. So, if you sit 80in away from your TV, the ideal size is 42-inch (80 x 0.535= 42.8). What features should I look out for?Features are too numerous to go into here, but here are some things you should consider. Photo viewing: If you have a digital camera, a TV that has a slot for memory cards or a USB socket for a card reader will let you view your photos onscreen. Here are some of the things we look for when we review a screen, so you should, too... Contrast: Bright whites shouldn't have any signs of green, pink or blue in them, while blacks should look solid and not washed out, grey, green or blue. Colours: Look at how bright and solid they are; how noiseless their edges are; how 'dotty' richly saturated areas are and how natural skin looks, especially in dim scenes. Fine detail: How much texture does the screen give? Does a tree look like a green lump, or can you see the individual leaves Edges: Check for ghosting, bright halos and jaggedness, especially around curves. Motion: Check moving objects and quick camera pans for smearing or blurring, trailing, jerkiness and fizzing dotty noise. Image artefacts: Look for blockiness, colour bands, grain, smearing, dot crawl: anything that looks like it's added by the TV picture processing or a weak TV tuner. Tinker with a TV's picture settings before making a final decision. Factory settings are rarely good for everyday viewing. What about sound?To provide the best audio to complement the pictures, your TV should be hooked up to a surround sound system, but this isn't always an option. So, here's what we listen for when testing a TV's speakers: Bass: Deep, rounded rumbles that don't cause the set to rattle or speakers to distort, cramp or overwhelm the rest of the sound; but that expand when needed. Vocals: Voices should sound open, rich and clear, not boxed in, nasal or thin. Trebles: Treble effects should sound clean, rounded and smooth in loud scenes and shouldn't dominate the soundstage. Soundstage width/depth: A good TV should throw the sound away from the TV, to the sides, forward and back, to give an extra dimension to what's on screen, without losing any coherence. How many HDMI sockets do I need?For a living room TV you should be looking for a minimum of 3 HDMI inputs. If you want to attach a set-top box as well as games consoles etc, those HDMI ports will fill up fast. Do I want to hang my TV on the wall?First off, you'll need to consult a construction expert to check that the wall in question is strong enough to support a flatscreen. Then find out if the set you want is designed to be wall-mounted and, if so, ask if the relevant bracket is included in the basic package or as an optional extra. Will I be connecting it to a home cinema?If the answer is no, you might want to think more carefully about your set's audio performance. Look for a screen that can go as loud as you'll need without distortion or cabinet rattle. Consider how dialogue sounds and how much low-end rumble the bass is capable of. Conversely, it's pointless paying out more cash for exceptional built-in speakers if you already have a decent home cinema system. Happy shopping! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Heads up, Mac gamers: big-time PC game port studio to drop support for 32-bit Posted: 18 Jun 2019 10:49 AM PDT With Apple macOS Catalina's discontinuation of all support for 32-bit coded apps, one game publisher is pulling a lot of titles from its Mac game store, reports Apple Insider. The publisher in question is Aspyr – a studio that redistributes, or 'ports', popular games on PC and consoles for macOS – which has posted a list of 24 games that it has removed from sale. The list includes some classic Call of Duty titles, Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Civilization IV, several older Star Wars games and more. The recent history of gaming on Mac has not been a pretty story. Mac computers aren't given as much love from game developers, and it shows in the lack of modern, popular titles among the best Mac games. Some hits managed to land on Mac, but now their days of wide availability are numbered.
Currently, macOS 10.14 Mojave still supports these 32-bit games. While Aspyr is pulling the games from the store, owners will still be able to play them as long as they don't upgrade to Catalina when it launches later this year. They'll also be able to play them on a different machine running Steam using the SteamPlay feature, which Aspyr notes all of its Mac ports support. And that's just one game storeJust 24 titles from one game store might not seem like much, but Aspyr is just being proactive about it. The company knows that any 32-bit games it sells to gamers now won't be playable if they upgrade to macOS Catalina later. Aspyr has some 32-bit games that will receive 64-bit support by September, and it will continue to sell those, but there are other game sellers and programs that won't be making the cut. Steam has plenty of other games available for macOS, and Aspyr is certainly not the exclusive seller of 32-bit titles. And, it's not just games at stake. Anyone running some legacy software, perhaps old versions of the Adobe programs, will lose support for them if they upgrade their operating system to Catalina. Apple has been giving warnings to users for some time about 32-bit apps, letting users know that they wouldn't be supported forever, and now we see just when that support is ending. It makes sense to see Apple shifting the focus to more modern 64-bit programs, but leaving behind legacy software entirely is sure to displease some users. This is also an interesting difference between macOS 10.15 and Windows 10, as the latter continues to support 32-bit programs, and the OS even has a 32-bit version available.
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| Cyberpunk 2077: release date, trailer and news Posted: 18 Jun 2019 10:26 AM PDT The new Cyberpunk 2077 trailer at E3 2019 starred Keanu Reeves, believe it or not, and he announced the official release date: April 16, 2020. That's a bit later than we were hoping for this hyped-up Xbox One game (that's also coming to the PC and PS4), but its vast open-world setting, dizzying neon colors, and branching storylines all make it sound extremely promising. At E3, we saw a bit more of the metropolis of the future in this extended trailer and in our hands-off demo, where body modification has become an obsession, and you're an outlaw in the sleazy underbelly of the city. Want the full scoop on Cyberpunk 2077? Here's what we know so far. [Update: Night City may look expansive and impressive but it won't be the only place in the game you can explore. It's been confirmed there's an area outside of the city walls. 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 – and all signs point to another big showing at the expo this June. 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 trailersAfter 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.) Check it out below: We were treated to a brand new Cyberpunk 2077 trailer during E3 2018 which you can watch 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:
Cyberpunk 2077 release date: April 16, 2020In the game’s first official teaser trailer, it’s stated that the game will be coming “when it’s ready,” but now we have an official release date: April 16, 2020, care of the E3 2019 trailer. This is despite an investor call in early 2016 that suggested that Cyberpunk 2077 would be released before June 2019. It was also said in this call that CD Projekt Red is planning to release two new triple A RPGs before 2021. It was later clarified in forums that Cyberpunk 2077 would be the first of these games to arrive and work on the second would not start before Cyberpunk 2077 was finished. Considering The Witcher 3 took around three and a half years to develop, a 2019 release didn't seem unmanageable for the studio. But the scale of the development, as well as rumors of the game being a cross-gen Xbox Two and PS5 title, it makes sense that the game has taken longer than initially anticipated. While CD Projekt Red has revealed new gameplay at E3 2019, it also confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will not actually be playable at E3. Cyberpunk 2077 news and featuresThere's more than Night City From what we've seen so far, the setting of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 looks like a mighty impressive, expansive and very neon place to explore. But it won't be the only location in the game to explore. 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 In an interview with CD Projekt, YouTuber Yong Yea got confirmation that Cyberpunk 2077 will have multiple endings. It's not been confirmed just how many there will be but this ties in with the expansive image of the game that's being presented and the idea that players are crafting a highly personal story. New Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay shown at E3 2019, but not playable At E3 2019 we got the chance to see Cyberpunk 2077 at a behind-closed doors demo centered around Pacifica – the southern-most region of Night City – and Keanu Reeves' character, Johnny Silverhand. The weirdest part? Keanu may in fact be the key to immortality. Yes, you read that correctly. 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. Vampire Bloodlines and Deus Ex were inspirations for the game Given it’s based on a tabletop roleplaying game and Cyberpunk is already a massive sub-genre in science fiction, we knew Cyberpunk 2077 hadn’t been totally pulled from the ether without any kind of influence. But we’re always interested to find out about some of the more subtle influences on the game and the way it plays, some of which Quest Director Mateusz Tomaskiewicz has revealed in a recent interview with gaming publication AreaJugones. 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 CD Projekt Red has confirmed it still plans to release two AAA titles by 2021. While we know one of these titles will definitely be Cyberpunk 2077, we're still in the dark about what the second title could be. 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? According to french site ActuGaming, Lady Gaga and CD Projekt Red are collaborating for Cyberpunk 2077 and the artist has already visited the Polish studio to take part in motion-capture – suggesting she will have a character role in the game itself. In addition ActuGaming claims the collaboration will be officially announced at E3 2019, with Gaga rumored to be making an appearance at the gaming convention. Last year 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 We got to spend some time watching a demo of Cyberpunk 2077 during E3 and we learned some interesting things about the game. 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. E3 2018 secret message CD Projekt RED used the Xbox Showcase to show its latest trailer for Cyberpunk 2077. But it's more than just a trailer. Spotted by Polygon, there's a moment in the trailer with hidden text with more information on the game which is revealed when you enhance the image. In the message CD Projekt first apologises for "staying silent longer than we planned" but following the release of The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine the developer wanted to wait until it had "something meaningful and substantial" to show. It goes on to say that the vision for Cyberpunk is "an alternative version of the future where America is in pieces, megacorporations control all aspects of civilized life, and gangs rule the rest." This game will, CD Projekt says, be a "true single player, story-driven RPG" where you'll be able to create your own character. At the moment the developer isn't ready to confirm any kind of release date and asks for more patience. It also says it has "no bloody clue" about how big the game is but does say it's "seriously big." It could be on the next generation of consoles CD Projekt Red has hinted that Cyberpunk 2077 could be developed for both current and next gen titles. GamingBolt has reported that during a presentation at the Pareto Securities Gaming Seminar 2018 event, the studio's CFO Piotr Nielubowicz and CEO Adam Kiciński mentioned Cyberpunk 2077 hinted that it may be being developed for future hardware. The slide in question stated the team was developing the title for “current and next-generation technology”. Given the game's current timeline, it's possible it could be a dual launch title on current and next-gen systems: PS4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Two alike. It will be on Steam Good news Steam fans: Cyberpunk 2077 will definitely be coming to the platform. At the Pareto Securities Gaming Seminar (via PCGamesN) the studio’s CEO Adam Kiciński gave a presentation in which he confirmed that the game would not be exclusive to GOG. There's been a lot of furore over the Metro Exodus being 'removed' from Steam and onto the Epic Games Store, but it looks like CD Projekt Red is steering clear of that minefield. It’s going to be bigger than The Witcher 3 It would have been a pretty safe guess to say that Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be a big game, but in an interview with MCV in 2015 visual effects artist Jose Teixeira said it’s going to be “far, far bigger” than anything the studio has ever done. 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. You’ll be travelling on more advanced tech than boats and horses So, we know the game map is going to be intimidatingly big. How will we get around it, then? Well fortunately, moving out of the high fantasy realm gives CD Projekt Red a little more freedom when it comes to creating vehicles. Don’t expect horses and basic boats here – a job listing for a Senior Vehicle Artist for the studio said they’d be expected to work on “incredibly complex vehicles, planes, bikes, robots and mechanics.“ There may be multiplayer It was confirmed years ago that the game would have multiplayer elements but what exactly they’ll be is unclear. It was said, though, that the game would mainly focus on single player. 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 As well as multiplayer, CD Projekt's CEO has confirmed that there will also be online elements to the game. In an interview with Polish tech site Strefa Inwestorow Kiciński stated that “Online is necessary, or very recommended if you wish to achieve a long-term success. At some point, we have mentioned that there will be a certain online element related to Cyberpunk.” Whether or not the online elements will feed into the multiplayer is unclear. But there won't be microtransactions The studio also tweeted to quell fears over microtransactions in online components, stating that Cyberpunk 2077 will be "nothing less than" the Witcher 3, adding that players will "get what [they] pay for" with "no hidden catch." 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. Things we'd like to seeCombat inspired by the original tabletop RPG We know that the designer of the tabletop RPG Cybperunk on which Cyberpunk 2077 is based is heavily involved in the creation of the game. We hope his involvement extends to the game's combat because the combat system he created in his own game was fairly revolutionary for the tabletop genre. Rather than involving drawn out and long turns, it was fast, brutal, gritty and overall perfectly suited to the spirit of Cyberpunk. A big part of Cyberpunk combat involves upgrading your body with new abilities and robotics which would be perfectly in line with a video game character development system like those created by CD Projekt Red. In Pondsmith's game bodily enhancement has to be carefully considered – Keep checking back here for all the latest Cyberpunk 2077 news (Image credits: CD Projekt Red) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch: release date, news and features Posted: 18 Jun 2019 10:06 AM PDT Nintendo has finally given Animal Crossing fans what they want. During a Nintendo Direct in September 2018, the company announced (via a short teaser trailer) that Animal Crossing is coming to the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2019. Unfortunately, however, that news was overturned when Nintendo's Yoshiaki Koizumi announced that the game would be delayed until March 20, 2020 during the company's E3 2019 Nintendo Direct presentation. While the Nintendo Direct and Koizumi brought us some disappointing news at the show, they also brought us our first look at actual gameplay, plus some needed story details of what we're doing on the island and why. Bringing Animal Crossing to the Switch will entice fans old and new, plus we think the game is a perfect match for Nintendo’s hybrid console. Animal Crossing’s sandbox nature makes it ideally suited to long play sessions on your TV, as well as shorter on-the-go bursts on the Switch’s handheld mode. Here's what we know so far about Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch. [Update: We know a little more about some of the new features in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including the ability to set your region. Read on to find out more.] Animal Crossing: New Horizons trailersWhile it doesn't hold a lot of information, the game's first trailer was shown off back in September of 2018 – promising a late 2019 release date that we now know won't happen. Still, it serves as a nice introduction to the game and one of its most illustrious characters, Tom Nook. The arguably much more important trailer came to us during E3 2019, when Nintendo dropped a slew of new details about the game. Based on the trailer we know that crafting will now play a major role in the game, and subtle tweaks like being able to place furniture anywhere on the island will really help make everyone's home base look different from one another – a huge step in the right direction for a franchise that can come off as a bit too vanilla. Check out the E3 2019 trailer below: Animal Crossing Switch release dateBoth a huge disappointment for fans and a huge relief for those working on the game, Nintendo recently announced that New Horizons will be available on March 20, 2020. We'll likely hear more about the game later this year, probably around September and October when Nintendo drops its next Nintendo Direct. Animal Crossing: New Horizons screenshotsAnimal Crossing Switch news and rumorsMultiplayer In an interview with IGN, the Animal Crossing development team confirmed that there will be both local and online multiplayer elements in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In local multiplayer, up to four players will be able to play together on an island, each using a single Joy-Con. Players will all appear on one screen rather than a split-screen set up. On online multiplayer, things get bigger as up to eight players will be able to play on the one island. As far as talking to one another goes, Animal Crossing will be compatible with the Nintendo Switch Online app. Saves Animal Crossing will support an autosave feature, meaning there's no longer any need to fear Mr. Resetti coming after you when you accidentally reset the game without saving. Region Setting A neat feature for Animal Crossing fans living in the southern hemisphere was revealed during the Nintendo E3 Treehouse livestream: region setting! Yes, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players will be able to set the region they're living in, meaning that the seasons in-game will actually reflect those you're experiencing in real life. Crafting Farming Expanding the home Officially announced Nintendo’s trademark As well as this, the trademark also covers stuffed animals, game machine controllers, board games, playing cards, protective carrying cases, and trading card games, so it’s clear that Nintendo still has big plans for the series. It’s been a long time since the last mainline release What’s also interesting is that the Wii U never received a mainline title (no, Amiibo Festival absolutely does not count) despite the fact that many fans expected to see one. It’s possible that Nintendo started work on an Animal Crossing Wii U or settled on waiting to launch one for the Switch. The success of previous releases Given one of Nintendo’s most staunchly handheld titles, Pokemon, is now confirmed to be coming to the Switch, we don’t think it’s likely the company will keep Animal Crossing languishing on the 3DS for much longer. What we want to see from Animal Crossing on SwitchWider, more dynamic, cast More furniture Bigger spaces or more areas More chances to craft your own story Of course, for those interested in continuing along the mayor route that would still be there, but it’d also be exciting to see shopkeeper or cafe owner paths open up. Creating your own designs or crafting furniture to sell to the locals, or collecting ingredients from your town and others to add some interesting flavors to your cafe menu – all of these sound like enjoyable pursuits in an Animal Crossing world. Mobile tie-in It’d actually be nice if Nintendo managed to tie the mobile and console releases together in some way so that players can get more depth out of the mobile game, and give us another way to enjoy the console release. Whether that’s unlocking and transferring items, earning money or improving relationships, we’d just like a way to keep playing even on days where we can’t carry our Switch. Now that we've seen it's possible with Pokemon Let's Go, our hopes are even higher. (Image credits: Nintendo) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| These Huawei P30 Pro deals are now incredibly cheap (we wonder why) Posted: 18 Jun 2019 09:58 AM PDT It's safe to say that Huawei phone deals aren't the shimmering beacon of the world's best phones they were just a month ago. Making headlines after Google had to cut ties with the company, there is no doubt Huawei is slightly stigmatised right now. But in an odd turn of events, that now makes the best camera phone on the market a suddenly affordable option. A host of deals from Mobiles.co.uk mean you can now get a Huawei P30 Pro at a discount of up to £120. While there is a risk of Huawei losing its access to Android updates and other important features of the phone, there are also other possible outcomes. With a number of American companies rallying against the ban and a proposed trade deal that could drop it all together, Huawei could go back to normal before we even know it. Or, if the ban stays in place, Huawei has proposed its own operating system that it plans to launch instead of Android. Either way, you'll have the world's second best smartphone at a majorly reduced price. We've listed all of the best Huawei P30 Pro deals from this Mobiles.co.uk price drop below. With prices as low as this, depending on how you see it, there has never been a better (or, possibly, worse) time to get this device.
These cheap Huawei P30 Pro deals in full:How good is the Huawei P30 Pro?Before the ban took place, the Huawei P30 Pro was receiving praise as one of the most innovative devices out there, with a lot of that praise aimed at its camera. Sporting an incredible 50x zoom camera, smart AI camera features and an overall impeccable quality, nothing can quite match it. Backing up the camera is a high quality inifinity display screen, tonnes of power and a massive battery. In other words the Huawei P30 Pro is here battling for the spot of the world's best phone - just with more than a few reservations. Read TechRadar's Huawei P30 Pro review here This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Australia vs Jamaica live stream: how to watch today's Women's World Cup 2019 match from anywhere Posted: 18 Jun 2019 09:41 AM PDT After a stunning comeback win over Brazil, Australia can today book their place in the next round of the Women's World Cup 2019 with a win over Jamaica today. While the Reggae Girlz are trying to pick up their very first points of the campaign. You can watch the crucial group game with our Australia vs Jamaica live stream guide. Australia showed plenty of fight to come back from being two goals down to beat Brazil 3-2. Having lost their opening match against Italy, Friday's result saved the Matildas from likely elimination from the World Cup and another win today will see them through to the next round. Group C is delicately poised ahead of the final round of matches, with Italy sitting top with six points, Brazil and Australia both on three and Jamaica cut adrift following two defeats. Only a big win today will do for the Reggae Girlz, but having conceded eight goals and not having scored themselves, things don't bode well for their clash against Sam Kerr & Co. Don't miss any of the action by following the instructions below and grabbing a live stream of Australia vs Jamaica wherever you are in the world. Watch a FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 live stream from outside your countryIf you're in UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, we've got your viewing options listed below. If you're out of the country for today's match, you may find that geo-blocking will prevent you from watching your regular domestic coverage from abroad. You don't have to risk watching the match on a dodgy stream, however. With the option of using a VPN service, you can tune into the match no matter where you are in the world, and its super easy to set up. How to watch the Matildas: live stream in AustraliaHow to stream Australia vs Jamaica live in the UKLive stream Jamaica vs Australia in the US
- Discover our pick of all the US's best sports streaming sites As well as opening up your viewing options for the Women's World Cup, using a VPN allows you to watch all your domestic sports coverage from abroad. How to watch a Canada live stream in the FIFA Women's World CupHow to watch a live stream in New ZealandThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Facebook WordPress plug-ins found to have zero-day flaw Posted: 18 Jun 2019 09:27 AM PDT Zero-day flaws which impact two of Facebook's official WordPress plugins have been disclosed by a US-based cybersecurity firm including proof-of-concept (PoC) code that could be used by hackers to exploit the flaws and launch attacks against WordPress sites. The affected plugins include Messenger Customer Chat which shows a custom Messenger chat window on WordPress sites and Facebook for WooCommerce that allows WordPress site owners to upload their WooCommerce-based stores on their Facebook pages. The Messenger Customer Chat plugin is installed on over 20,000 sites while the Facebook for WooCommerce plugin has 200,000 users after the WordPress team began shipping the plugin as part of the official WooCommerce online store plugin back in April.
Since that time, the plugin has received a rating of 1.5 stars with reviewers complaining about errors and a lack of updates. Plugin Vulnerabilities vs WordPressThe flaws in these two plugins became much more dangerous when the cybersecurity firm Plugin Vulnerabilities decided to publicly expose them on the WordPress.org forums. The firm and WordPress have been feuding for years after a policy change banned users from disclosing security flaws through its forums and instead required security researchers to email the WordPress team who would then contact the owners of any affected plugins. However, Plugin Vulnerabilities has continued to disclose security flaws on the WordPress forums despite the new rule which resulted in it having its forum accounts banned. The firm took things a step further this spring when it also began to publish blog posts on its site with in-depth details and PoC code about the vulnerabilities it had discovered. The two zero-day flaws Plugin Vulnerabilities discovered in Facebook's WordPress plugins aren't as dangerous as those it has revealed in the past as they require social engineering to get a user to click on a malicious link. Although the flaws are harder to exploit, they could allow attackers to take over WordPress sites. Security researchers are generally doing a company a favor when they discover vulnerabilities but by not going through the proper channels to report the vulnerabilities it discovered, the US cybersecurity firm put everyone who has those plugins installed at risk.
Via ZDNet This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Expensive spectrum puts European 5G at risk Posted: 18 Jun 2019 08:58 AM PDT The UK’s infamous auction of 3G spectrum in 2000 had lasting ramifications for the mobile industry. Intense competition between BT Cellnet, One2One, Orange, Three, and Vodafone resulted in an astonishing £22 billion spent on licences for airwaves that would power new mobile services. But as difficult as it is to believe in 2019, the mobile phone was not entrenched in everyday life as it is today. An absence of “killer” applications exacerbated limited consumer demand and the huge amounts of money spent on the licences meant operators were constrained in their ability to invest in infrastructure. By the time smartphones arrived in their modern guise with the iPhone in 2007, it became apparent that 3G networks lacked the capacity and speeds required for emerging use cases.
Learning lessonsIt was a lesson that regulator Ofcom recognised when it (finally) auctioned 4G airwaves back in 2013. Some observers lamented the sale only generated £2.31 billion rather than the £4 billion windfall anticipated by the treasury, but the regulator was keen to stress that its role is to maximise the efficiency of the spectrum and its value to society. This role was reprised at the first 5G auction when £1.4 billion was raised at the first 5G spectrum auction in early 2018. Ofcom will be pleased that all four mobile operators will launch next generation services this year rather than next. Although Ofcom will sell more bandwidth in the years to come, the amount raised pales in comparison to the recent German 5G auction, raising fears that the cost of spectrum in some countries could hinder network rollout. German 5G auctionThe marathon process finally concluded last week after 497 rounds of bidding for 41 blocks of 2GHz and 2.GHz spectrum, raising €6.5 billion – beating estimates of between €3 billion and €5 billion. Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and O2 all won licences, as did Mobile Virtual Network Operator 1&1 Drillisch. However, all were critical of the process, claiming the high cost of the spectrum would hinder their ability to invest. Although far less than the gargantuan €50 billion raised in the 3G sale, the proceeds from the sale exceeded the €5.1 billion raised for 4G licences in 2015. “The network rollout in Germany has suffered a significant setback,” declared Dirk Wössner, a member of Deutsche Telekom’s management board. “The price could have been much lower. Once again, the spectrum in Germany is much more expensive than in other countries. Network operators now lack the money to expand their networks. With the auction proceeds one could have built approximately 50,000 new mobile sites and close many white spots.” “We believe it is important to have a balance between the price paid for spectrum and our strong desire to create an inclusive society through investment in mobile network coverage,” added Nick Read, Vodafone Group CEO. (Image credit: EE) Rising costsAt least in Germany, operators will indirectly benefit from the proceeds as the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) will use the money to upgrade Germany’s fixed line network – boosting backhaul services. But the fear within the industry is that regulators and governments will see spectrum auctions as a way to line their pockets and will overlook the wider economic benefit of 5G that could be forefeited if spectrum costs are too high. Late last year, the Italian 5G auction raised €6.5 billion, for example. “Every Euro spent acquiring spectrum is one less that is available to deploy the networks,” Kester Mann, an analyst with CCS Insight told TechRadar Pro. “While squeezing every last cent is good news for government coffers, it puts operators on the back-foot as they begin the roll-out of expensive infrastructure vital to supporting Germany’s huge manufacturing sector. “The terms of the auction have already been contentious and the high amounts pledged so far will only serve to further strain the fragile relationship between the network operators and the government. “Europe is already on the back-foot in 5G network roll-out compared to other regions and expensive spectrum auctions will do nothing to narrow the gap. Europe’s fragmented market structure and belligerent regulation compared to the US and developed Asian markets mean that it will be playing catch-up once again.” It’s not all doom and gloom. Although the US and South Korea have beaten Europe to the punch when it comes to 5G, Switzerland and the UK already have next generation network services in place. And the continent continues to have the best 4G networks in the world. With the truly revolutionary features of 5G, such as ultra-low latency, and new entertainment and business applications not expected until the mid-2020s, Europe can still play a vital role in 5G. But Europe is a fragmented marketplace with so many operators in each country. Regulators needed to decide whether the direct or indirect economic advantages of 5G are more important. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best tablet 2019: the top tablets you can buy for the money Posted: 18 Jun 2019 08:54 AM PDT The best tablet in 2019 is able to act as a powerful part-time laptop replacement to support your workflow, yet remain portable enough to be easy to carry around. Our best tablets list tests, reviews and lists the top 10 tablets you can buy based on a number of geeked-out factors: Which has the best display? Does it support keyboard that are reliable? And how's the tablet battery list? These are good questions to ask when researching the best tablet for the money. Good news, we have the answers for you, and we'll keep this ranked list updated when iOS 12 transitions into iPadOS to make Apple's tablets even more useful. You'll notice that while the top-ranked tablets are all iPads, Samsung and Windows tablets are here too. And just because there's a new tablet doesn't mean we rank it better than the old one. Here's a list of the best tablets you can buy today, according to our year-long testing of everything we review. The iPad Pro 11 is the best tablet you can buy today. It's expensive for sure, but it's Apple's most powerful tablet and furthers the 2-in-1 design ethos if you spring for the keyboard cover folio. It has a laptop-like experience in design and performance, and the new Apple Pencil magnetically clips onto the frame of the new iPad Pro. With superb speakers and a great new screen-to-body ratio, it's hard not to fall in love with the finely crafted hardware design. However, there are setbacks for the iPad Pro 11 that you should be aware of. The iOS 12 software feels limiting when trying to multitask and perform laptop-like tasks. Another strictly mobile challenge: it doesn't have a headphone jack. If you want the standard 3.5mm jack in a computer-like device, you'll spring for an actual computer. Everything about the Pro 11 makes it the best tablet experience if you're looking for an iOS-based slate - you'll just need to swallow the high price and keep in mind that it's not a true MacBook replacement. Read the full review: iPad Pro 11 The iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) isn't just the best tablet toy can buy thanks to its 12.9-inch screen. It's also the most expensive, which is why it isn't at the top of this list. Its like a giant digital canvas that fills your needs whether you need a personal workstation, easel, portable cinema, book-shaped loudspeaker, music mixing desk, or a range of other functions. However, it's also extremely expensive, and doesn't feel like such a step up from the iPad Pro 11 (2018) as its higher price would suggest. With it's unrivaled processing power, massive display, snappy operating system, and the fact you can use it with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, it's definitely a tablet you should consider if you've got money to burn – but you can do better if you're on a budget. Read our full review: iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) Image credit: TechRadar This is the best tablet for the average consumer and for education, even if it isn't the most powerful one on sale. It's simply a great value. The new iPad (2018) replaces the very similar 2017 model and, before that, the iPad Air 2 in Apple's lineup, slotting in below the Pro range. It works with the Apple Pencil, offering you the cheapest way to doodle on the 9.7-inch glass, though you can't get the Smart Keyboard with this non-Pro model. It also has the same luxurious metal unibody as the rest of Apple's iPad range, though notably it's ever-so-slightly thicker than the iPad Air 2 or iPad Pro at 7.5mm. With the Touch ID fingerprint sensor included, iOS 12 under the hood and up to 10 hours of battery life when web browsing or watching videos, it's a great media player and a strong tablet choice if you're not planning to use it heavily for productivity. Read the full review: iPad (2018) Image credit: TechRadar If you're looking for a good compromise between Apple's new Pro tablets and the base iPad 9.7, this is it. It's compatible with Apple's excellent Smart Keyboard Cover and priced right for students looking to take notes on a powerful laptop. It does have Apple Pencil compatibility like all of Apple's new tablets, but it's not the best tablet for artists. The Pro versions support Apple Pencil Gen 2 with extra gesture features and magnetic charging. This iPad Pro 10.5 sticks with the older Gen 1 Pencil and has just two speakers instead of four. But everyone should be fine with the fast A12 chipset. Read the full review: iPad Air (2019) Image credit: TechRadar Apple doesn't have a foldable phone, but if it did, but might look something like the new iPad mini 2019 when unfolded. It hasn't really changed since the last version almost four years ago, but it doesn't need to: we love the small size. You can flip open the smart cover, scribble some notes, and toss it in a bag without too much worry. Yes, the design is dated and there are thick bezels outlining this screen, but the price is right for a portable tablet with a lot of power. You really shouldn't consider buying any other small tablet on the market (notice: it's the only one on our best tablet list). Read the full review: iPad mini (2019) We really like the iPad Pro 12.9 for its large size and it's the closest thing we have to a 2-in-1 touchscreen MacBook. It just happens to run iOS 12 instead of macOS. It's the best productivity and entertainment tablet around thanks to its 12.9-inch screen, four speakers and the iOS 12 dock and multitasking interface. Apple has redesigned its Control Center interface to make app switching even easier, and this tablet is compatible with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. It's biggest weakness? The iPad Pro 12.9-inch price, and the size isn't a good fit for everyone. But If you can afford it and want the largest-sized iPad available, you're going to love this – it's a laptop-replacement for a lot people out there. Read the full review: iPad Pro 12.9 (2017) Image credit: TechRadar The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is an upgrade over the Galaxy Tab S3 with an expanded 10.5-inch screen size and longer battery life, but it comes at a higher price and with a lofty promise to do so much more. We really like the idea behind Samsung Dex for its desktop interface, but it's non-touch-friendly UI, performance issues, and questionable optional keyboard case prevent it from being a true desktop replacement. If you're looking for a premium Android tablet the Galaxy Tab S4 tops the billing, but it promises more than that and just doesn't deliver on everything. Don't get us wrong, the Tab S4 is indeed better than the Tab S3 and it's dropped in price since launch. Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 Image credit: TechRadar The best 7-inch tablet at the moment is definitely the iPad mini 4. If you like the look of Apple's new iPad 9.7 (2018) and the iPad Pro range, but find them a) too big, b) too expensive or c) both, then you're in luck as the diminutive iPad mini 4 gives you the best of Apple's tablet world in a form factor that's not only beautiful, but highly portable. It lacks the Pro features of a keyboard or Pencil support (the latter would be really nice to have on this smaller display), but overall it's got a decent screen upgrade and more than enough power to enjoy every day. Read the full review: iPad mini 4 Image credit: TechRadar The iPad Pro 10.5-inch is one of the best tablets for anyone who wants a serious upgrade, even though the cheaper iPad 9.7 remains good enough for most people. Apple's iPad Pro 10.5 has standout features that give it a productivity boost, including Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard compatibility. With iOS 11 on board this tablet is even a suitable laptop replacement for certain consumers. The new ProMotion screen adds an impressive layer of fluidity to daily use and the smaller bezels means you're getting far more display in a footprint not much bigger than the iPad Pro 9.7. It's an iPad for the professionals - but also one that media munchers will adore using. Read the full review: iPad Pro 10.5 Microsoft Surface Pro Can a tablet really replace your laptop or home PC? That's still up for debate, but the best tablet trying to make that happen is the Microsoft Surface Pro. We’re surprised Microsoft has refrained from calling this the Surface Pro 5, as it's a big upgrade on the 4 - although it is rather expensive, like many tablets in this list. It does a fine job with the full blown version of Windows 10, an integrated kickstand and optional keyboard attachment. Great for for creative professionals, students and everyday folks alike, this is a top choice and one of the best Windows laptops we've reviewed. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet appsAs with today's best smartphones, applications play a big role on tablets – once you've decided which of these tablets is right for you, check out our top app lists so you can get your fill of Temple Run, update your friends on Facebook and read the latest news, all on a bigger screen.
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| EE now lets you watch BBC iPlayer and YouTube without using up your data Posted: 18 Jun 2019 08:36 AM PDT Getting more free data when on the move is always welcome and that's especially true when it comes to streaming video. Well, BBC iPlayer and YouTube are both now completely data-allowance free for EE users with the Video Data Pass. EE's Video Data Pass now includes BBC iPlayer and YouTube on top of the current Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BT Sport, TV Player and MTV Play. The Video Data Pass means users can enjoy unlimited video over a data connection without it affecting their data allowance for the month. Getting more free data when on the move is always welcome and that's especially true when it comes to streaming video. Well BBC iPlayer and YouTube are both now completely data-allowance free for Other Swappable Benefits include Music Data Pass, for free music streaming over data; BT Sport App, for on demand sport; Roam Further Pass, for UK plan allowance while in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand; and Upgrade Anytime, which does as it sounds and applies to higher or lower plan changes on a monthly basis. All these benefits can be swapped out by using the My EE app or online. You can find out more by heading to the EE website and by using TechRadar's tailor-made guide to the best EE phone deals. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The 10 best cheap fitness trackers: the top affordable sport bands to keep you fit Posted: 18 Jun 2019 08:21 AM PDT Over the space of a few years, activity trackers, which started out as humble pedometers for step counting, have now evolved into powerful wrist-worn training partners. The good news is that even some of the more advanced trackers that offer sleep analysis and heart rate monitoring can be bought for under $100/£100, and we’ve curated a list of the best among them. Track steps, calories burned, heart rate, distance travelled and sleep with this latest generation of activity trackers. What they all have in common is they can help anyone go from unhealthy to fit and have an affordable price tag too. The products below are an impartial list drawn from our in-depth reviews. So be sure to click through to the full reviews to find out more. Expect the list below to change quite a bit in the near future with the likes of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 and Samsung Galaxy Fit E landing in the UK.
Our favorite affordable fitness tracker is the Huawei Band 3 Pro. Considering its low price, there's a lot to love about this health band. It comes with GPS onboard, an accurate heart rate tracker, a waterproof design and there's even a color screen to display all of your stats. That's not a combination of features you'll get from every tracker on this list. If you're after a fitness-first device, the Huawei Band 3 Pro should be good for you with its accurate GPS and heart rate monitor but there isn't much more here to get excited about. That said, at this price you can't really ask for much more. Read our Huawei Band 3 Pro review This is the first time a Fitbit device has made its way into the top five in our best cheap fitness tracker list for a long time. The new Fitbit Inspire HR is a great fitness tracker overall, but it isn't the most affordable device in this list. Although you'll pay extra than you would for a lot of the other devices surrounding it here, Fitbit has created a overall easy to use package with a very attractive design. It doesn't feature GPS, which a lot of the other trackers on this list do offer though. Instead you'll get access to Fitbit's app, an accurate heart rate monitor and a variety of workouts directly from your wrist. Read the full Fitbit Inspire HR review The Moov Now may be a few years old, but it's still one of the best movement trackers out there thanks to its 9-axis accelerometer - the same one used in missile navigation systems. As a result it can not only track your daily steps, calories and the like, but also other movements. That means guided, personalized training feedback. The Moov Now can measure running impact, gym repetitions and swimming strokes, so you can work out with a virtual personal trainer that knows exactly how well you’re doing and can tell you how to improve. It’s also waterproof and lasts a good six months before the watch battery needs swapping out. Buy this if you're looking for an affordable yet impressive fitness tracker that doesn't constantly try to distract you from your fitness. Read the Moov Now review Our fourth entry in the best cheap fitness tracker list comes from Chinese company Honor with its fourth attempt at making a budget device for your wrist. There's an impactful color OLED screen on this device, which isn't something you're going to find on all the of the other trackers here. There's no GPS though, so you'll need to take your phone running if you want to know how far you've traveled. The Honor Band 4 is one of the slimmest and smallest fitness bands you can buy on a budget, so consider this if you're looking for something slight that you won't notice sitting on your wrist. Read our full Honor Band 4 review The key addition over the entry-level Vivofit 3 is the always-on, color display that’s visible in sunlight. This is remarkably achieved without sacrificing the year-long battery life of the stellar third edition. Basic stats like steps, distance, calories and sleep are covered off, while there’s also automatic activity detection thanks to the Move IQ system. Thanks to the Garmin Connect app you can also customize the display, while setting timers and alarms directly from the wrist. Best of all the Vivofit 4 it also 20 per cent cheaper than the Vivofit 3’s 2015 launch price. Of course you’ll miss out on premium features like heart rate tracking and GPS, but that’s to be expected at this price. Read the Garmin Vivofit 4 review The Bip is a really capable but really simple fitness watch that we referred to in our full review as "the layman's Apple Watch" and we stand by the nickname. In terms of a super rich experience and high performance, it can't compete with Apple. Not at all. But for its extremely budget-friendly price tag, the Amazfit Bip is a competent fitness tracker that has a few awesome tricks up its sleeve - most notably the fact it can last more than 30 days on a single charge. If you’re after a simple wearable that can push notifications from your smartphone, wake you up with a dedicated alarm, and track your workouts with built-in GPS, and more, the Bip makes a strong case for itself. Gift-wise it's a great buy for anyone who is in the market for a cheap and cheerful fitness device. Its simple set-up also makes it a good choice for complete fitness tech beginners. Read the Amazfit Bip review Want the cheapest fitness tracker on this list? It's here and it's called the Xiaomi Mi Band 3, and it's not a completely useless device. In fact, the Mi Band 3 can do a lot considering how much it costs. It comes with a battery life that should last around a whole month depending on how much you'll be using it, and there is tons of fitness tech built-in. There's no GPS, but it comes with a heart rate monitor and tracking tech for your daily step and workouts too. It's not the most attractive fitness tracker you can buy, but it has a slimline design and it's light so you won't really notice you've got this on your wrist. The screen can show you stats for your workouts, and it's much bigger than the one on the Mi Band 2. If budget is your main concern in your search for a fitness tracker, it's hard to go wrong with the Mi Band 3 from Xiaomi. Read the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 review There’s a reason Fitbit was one of the first breakthrough activity tracker makers and is still going strong today - it works. And in the case of the Fitbit Flex 2 it works well with lots of features for a low price. The Flex 2 will do all the usual step, distance and calorie burn tracking using its motion sensor smarts, but it goes further. You can also track sleep and even do exercises that the band will automatically detect and track. Everything syncs wirelessly to the smartphone app and offers clear feedback to help you make health progress. The Flex 2 is also swim-proof, comes in different styles and uses LED lights and vibrations to notify you about calls and texts from a connected smartphone. All that and it should last five days before needing a charge. Read the Fitbit Flex 2 review Although it's a few years old now, the Misfit Ray is an affordable yet very attractive activity tracker that should appeal to anyone wanting to make sure their wearable enhances their look. There are plenty of muted color options to pick from and each features the same anodized aluminum central device with LED lights. There’s also a smart button that can be set to control aspects of your smart home, for example. The swim-proof wearable uses replaceable batteries for a charge-free six months of constant use. That includes step and sleep tracking plus vibration alerts for calls, messages, reminders and alarms. It's a top choice because it doesn't look bland, plasticky and built solely for fitness. It's genuinely nice-looking and it can be worn on a chain or bracelet, meaning it straddles the line between tech and jewellery quite nicely. Read the Misfit Ray review The Garmin Vivosmart 4 may have since been launched, but that just makes the Vivosmart 3 suitable for our best cheap fitness tracker list as the price has dropped down - and continues to. It's not the most affordable activity tracking band on this list, but it's one of the best looking and it'll show all of your stats on its small display including your rep count and other exercises too. There's no GPS on this tracker, so this is very much designed for the gym go-er rather than a runner plus the Garmin app is second to none offering you all of your stats in an easy to read format. Read the full Garmin Vivosmart 3 review
Photoillustration credit: TechRadar; Fitbit, Huawei, Honor, Garmin This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The best free stock video sites 2019 Posted: 18 Jun 2019 08:19 AM PDT A few well-placed snippets of high quality footage can really bring projects to life – whether they're presentations, websites or your own home-made videos. Finding the right video clips can be tricky, though. Many stock video sites charge a subscription fee for their best content. Thankfully, there are also places where you can download high quality video clips completely free of charge for both personal and commercial use, with no royalties or strings attached. We've put the best free stock photo sites under the microscope and picked those that offer the best combination of video quality, variety of clips, and flexible licensing. It's worth bearing in mind that even if a video clip is in the public domain, you shouldn't use it to create that shows identifiable people in a bad light.
There are some truly spectacular videos available on Pexels – all under a Creative Commons 0 (ie public domain) license, which means you’re free to use them for personal or commercial projects without attribution. The time-lapse videos are particularly lovely, and there are plenty of fun clips from GoPro-wearing divers and climbers. Pexels also include a handy ‘mockup’ category for footage of mobile devices with green screens that can be easily replaced via chroma keying. Search results include premium videos from Shutterstock, but unlike most stock video sites, Pexels displays these at the bottom so you’re unlikely to mistake them for free clips. Videos are provided in MP4 format in HD. The only drawback is the lack of clips in 4K, but if Full HD is enough for your project, Pexels should be your first stop. If you need stock photos, Pexels also offers a great selection of stylish premium-quality stills under the same license. Stock Footage for Free feels like the video equivalent of free stock photo site Unsplash, focusing on quality rather than quantity. The footage is extremely impressive; we particularly like the selection of landscapes and looping backgrounds. You’re given a detailed description of the video so you can be sure it’s the right one before downloading it. This is a sensible decision; downloads can take a while because of the large file sizes. The site’s HD videos are provided in MOV format, but there aren’t currently any 4K clips available. Video clips are free for personal and commercial use, unless it’s a seriously high-budget production. Stock Footage for Free provides a detailed license agreement that makes explicit all the intellectual property information you’re likely to need. Before you can download files you’ll need to sign up for a free account or log in using Facebook. At the time of writing, an error meant that we were unable to log in using an email address, though the Facebook option worked fine. We’ve reached out to the company to find out if this is an issue that can be resolved. Pixabay is best known as a resource for free stock photos, but is also has a great selection of video clips available to download and use, no strings attached. The videos are all submitted by Pixabay’s community of users, and are generally under a minute in length. The site is a good option for abstract images like clouds, as well as somewhat niche clips (the video of a man preparing pieces of beef is a particularly odd example). There’s a small selection of 4K video too, motion graphics, and some infinitely looping clips that are handy for websites. All clips are provided free for personal or commercial use, with no attribution necessary. The files are provided in MP4 format, in a choice of resolutions. Clipstill is dedicated to cinemagraphs – still photos containing a small repeated animation that plays on a loop. The effect is hypnotic, and a great way to grab viewers' attention. There's only a small selection of cinemagraphs available free (most of the videos on the site are premium content), but they're high quality and change each month, so it's well worth keeping Clipstill bookmarked. Clipstill's cinemagraphs are available to download as small video files, and are particularly well suited to web design. It's not essential to provide credit when using Clipstill's videos, but a link back is appreciated. You're free to use cinemagraphs in your own projects unless you're making a commercial product in which it's the main attraction, such as a greetings card or website template (see the licensing page for full details) Footage from Videezy is royalty free for personal and commercial use, but users are asked to credit ‘Videezy.com’ in their projects. Most videos are provided in HD resolution, but there’s also a good selection of 4K clips – mostly landscape scenes and abstract clips rendered using Adobe After Effects. The quality is mixed, but generally high. We particularly like the selection of aerial drone footage All videos are supplied in MP4 format, and you can see the resolution below the preview on the download page. Keep an eye out for search results marked with a green 'Pro' tag; these are premium clips only available using paid-for credits. The first two rows of search results are also sponsored videos from Shutterstock, which also require a paid membership to download. Videvo offers thousands of videos contributed by its community of users. Quality is variable (a few clips have clearly been shot without a tripod) but they’re generally good, and there’s a huge selection to choose from so it’s highly likely you’ll find something suitable – even if it takes a little while. If you'd like to contribute your own videos for others to download, you can do so after signing up for a free account. Videos on Videvo fall under one of three licenses, so be sure to check which one applies to your chosen clip before you start working: Videvo Standard License, which lets you use the clips in your own work without attribution, provided you don’t redistribute the footage. Videvo Attribution License, which is the same as the Standard License, but requires you to credit the clip’s creator. Creative Commons 3.0 Unported, which lets you share and adapt the clip, but requires you to credit the creator and indicate if you’ve made any changes. Clips marked ‘Editorial use only’ can’t be used commercially, but those labelled ‘All projects and media’ can. As with many free stock video sites, the top row of search results are actually premium samples from an advertiser (in this case Shutterstock). Scroll past these for Videovo’s own clips. Some clips are provided as MP4 files, while others are delivered in QuickTime format. There’s a small selection of 4K clips, but half of these are Christmas-themed motion graphics. If you’re specifically looking for 4K video, you’re better off looking at one of the sites listed above.
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| Echo Show 5 vs Echo Spot: which Amazon smart display comes out on top? Posted: 18 Jun 2019 08:12 AM PDT Smart home enthusiasts are in thrall to Amazon. With the humble Amazon Echo having found its way into millions of homes worldwide, and expanded into a number of distinct models, it’s no surprise that the latest Echo to land from the retail giant – the Echo Show 5 – is already drumming up excitement. The launch of the Echo Show 5 later this month is set to be something of a refresh. The new screen-based Echo manages to undercut both the Echo Spot and previous Echo Show on price – Amazon’s other smart displays currently on sale – while still seemingly offering the latest and best of smart functionality to boot.
Amazon doesn’t always do itself favors with the complexity of its Echo range, however. With a variety of speakers and displays varying from the minimal Echo Dot to the woofer Echo Sub, there’s a host of shapes, sizes and functionalities on the market, with new iterations of each coming out all the time. That’s why we’ve put together this head-on comparison of the Echo Spot and Echo Show 5, with everything you need to know about their specs, pricing, and what the Show 5’s arrival means for the Echo range as a whole. We’ll be sure to update this guide when we get to a full review of the Show 5, but if you’re unsure whether to get the Spot or wait for the new display, this guide is for you. Echo Show 5 vs Echo Spot: overviewThe Amazon Echo Show 5 launches in late June, and comes in both black and white colorings (Image Credit: Amazon) The Echo Show 5 and Echo Spot have a lot in common at first glance. Amazon has a tendency to make slight alterations between its Echo products to see which features are most important to its audience, and its range of smart displays is no different. Both displays are screen-based smart home devices, able to play both video and audio on a compact screen. The Echo Spot has been commercially available since late 2017, when it launched as smaller bedside alternative to the then first-generation Echo Show. Meanwhile, the Echo Show 5 is a sibling to the 2nd gen Echo Show, which came out in 2018 with a 10-inch screen. (The ‘5’ branding refers to the new model’s 5.5-inch screen, much like the naming of Amazon Fire tablets). The Show 5 launches on June 26, and will be available in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia – with models shipping to India in July. DesignThe main difference between the two smart displays is their size. The Echo Spot has a rounded body and 2.5-inch circular screen, making it ideal as a clock face for a bedside table. The Echo Show 5, on the other hand, features a rectangular 5.5-inch screen with a curved back, offering a more traditionally-shaped display. Otherwise the inputs are largely the same, with both having a touchscreen display, as well as physical buttons for volume control along the upper side of the casing. The Echo Spot is envisaged as a bedside alarm clock, rather than a kitchen companion like the Show 5 (Image Credit: TechRadar) Both models are available in black or white, and require a cabled power connection. They both have a Microphone / Camera Off button, allowing you to switch off any video or audio recording features when you’re wary of being spied on. The Show 5, though, comes with a physical shutter to make sure there’s no way of being filmed by accident – or possibly just to put you at ease. The Show 5 is a clear winner for picture quality, packing in 960 x 480 pixels in its larger screen, compared to 480 x 480 for the Echo Spot. The quality of images and videos taken with the Show 5’s camera is also significantly better, with a 1MP lens compared to the Spot’s VGA camera (0.3MP). The Show 5 also has a larger audio output, with 4W speakers over the Spot’s 2W equivalent, though we’re reserving judgement on the sound quality until we test the Show 5 for ourselves – the 2nd-gen Echo Show was a bit bass-heavy, and we’re hoping the new model goes for clarity of voices instead, given we’re likely to use it mainly for YouTube videos and calls. Features and appsThe main draw of the Echo ecosystem has to be the Alexa voice assistant. Though not perfect, and prone to “trouble understanding right now”, Alexa is still a brilliantly convenient way to navigate music playlists and radio stations, hear weather information or news, learn trivia and definitions, and a whole host of other possible functions. Both models have the same fully-fledged Alexa assistant that runs across Amazon’s entire Echo range – with the ability to make video calls to other Echo devices, display personal photos, and watch online videos on either model (you can now make calls to phone numbers in the US and UK, too). It’s the larger size and resolution of the Show 5, though, that opens the way for expanded functionality, with a new integration with wikiHow that "allows you to access hundreds of how-to videos by voice" for day-to-day problems like cleaning specific spills and stains, cooking certain recipes, or any other number of non-domestic queries – though the Show 5 is being angled as more of a kitchen assistant than the Spot’s bedroom alarm clock. The Echo Show 5 was made with the kitchen in mind, with hands-free videos on a 5.5-inch screen. (Image Credit: Amazon) It's worth noting that neither the Echo Spot or Show 5 run the Zigbee smart home hub found on the Echo Plus or 2nd-gen Echo Show. Zigbee is essentially a smart home network standard that allows devices from different manufacturers to play nicely with each other – meaning you don’t need every smart gadget in your house to be made by the same manufacturer. This is less of an issue now: Alexa will work automatically with the likes of Philips Hue, Hive, or Kasa smart products – with numerous Alexa skills expanding this to Ring, among others. But if your device specifically works via Zigbee and isn’t one of these main brands, it might be worth checking their compatibility. PricePerhaps most importantly, what’s the difference in price? The Echo Spot was previously the cheapest way to get an Echo smart display, costing just $129 / £119 / AU$199. By comparison, the 2nd-gen Echo Show retails at $229 / £219.99 / AU$349. The Show 5, though, comes in at just $89.99 / £79.99 / AU$129 – making it by far the most affordable of the three, despite being twice the size of the Echo Spot. We would be very surprised if the Spot didn't get a price cut on the Show 5's release – especially with Amazon Prime Day coming soon after the launch – but for now the disparity makes it hard to recommend the Spot over its new sibling. If you preorder two Echo Show 5s from Amazon, you’ll also get a $30 / £25 discount in the US and the UK respectively. Unfortunately the same deal doesn't seem to be available in Australia. The Echo Show 5 offers more for the price, but the smaller form factor of the Spot may win you over (Image Credit: TechRadar) Which one should I buy?The Show 5 sits around the middle of the scale between the miniature Echo Spot and 2nd-gen Echo Show, but with a far more tempting price point than either. Unless you’re specifically hankering after the Echo Spot’s smaller (cuter?) form factor, or the Echo Show’s larger 10-inch (and high definition) screen, the Show 5 should probably be the first port of call for a new smart display – especially as a hands-free kitchen companion. The Show 5’s pre-order deal makes it a very tempting way to start your Echo family – though if you already have an Echo Spot or Show and want to upgrade, it’s well worth keeping the older models as well. Echo devices were made with multi-room functionality in mind, and being able to connect various Shows and Spots to a single network is a big draw of the Amazon ecosystem.
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| The best free text to speech software 2019 Posted: 18 Jun 2019 08:10 AM PDT In years gone by, text to speech software was rather expensive, but these days there are excellent text to speech tools available free of charge. We're here to help you find the very best tools that will make converting written documents to audio files as easy as possible. Text to speech software can be enormously helpful for anyone who's visually impaired, or has a condition like dyslexia that makes reading on screens tricky. It can also help overcome language barriers for people who read a language but don't speak it, or are in the process of learning. Text to speech software is also ideal if you want to listen to a document while doing something else, if you find it easier to retain information you've heard, or if you want to sense-check something you've written. Here's our pick of the best free text to speech software for reading either individual paragraphs or whole documents aloud. There are a couple of ways to use Balabolka's free text to speech software: you can either copy and paste text into the program, or you can open a number of supported file formats (including DOC, PDF, and HTML) in the program directly. In terms of output you can use SAPI 4 complete with eight different voices to choose from, SAPI 5 with two, or the Microsoft Speech Platform if you download and install the necessary files. Whichever route you choose, you can adjust the speech, pitch and volume of playback to create custom voice. In addition to reading words aloud, this free text to speech software can also save narrations as audio files in a range of formats including MP3 and WAV. For lengthy documents you can create bookmarks to make it easy to jump back to a specific location and there are excellent tools on hand to help you to customize the pronunciation of words to your liking. With all these features to make life easier when reading text on a screen isn't an option, Balabolka is best free text to speech software around. Natural Reader is a free text to speech tool that can be used in a couple of ways. The first option is to load documents into its library and have them read aloud from there. This is a neat way to manage multiple files, and the number of supported file types is impressive, including ebook formats. There's also OCR, which enables you to load up a photo or scan of text, and have it read to you. The second option takes the form of a floating toolbar. In this mode, you can highlight text in any application and use the toolbar controls to start and customize text to speech. This means you can very easily use the feature in your web browser, word processor and a range of other programs. There's also a built-in browser to convert web content to speech more easily. Panopretor Basic accepts a wide range of text document formats, and exports in both WAV and MP3 formats As the name suggests, Panopreter Basic delivers free text to speech conversion without frills. It accepts plain and rich text files, web pages and Microsoft Word documents as input, and exports the resulting sound in both WAV and MP3 format (the two files are saved in the same location, with the same name). The default settings work well for quick tasks, but spend a little time exploring Panopreter Basic's Settings menu and you'll find options to change the language, destination of saved audio files, and set custom interface colors. The software can even play a piece of music once it's finished reading – a nice touch you won't find in other free text-to-speech software. If you need something more advanced, a premium version of Panopreter is available for US$29.95 (about £20, AU$40). This edition offers several additional features including toolbars for Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer, the ability to highlight the section of text currently being read, and extra voices. Developed by the University of Edinburgh, WordTalk is a toolbar add-on for Word that brings customizable text to speech to Microsoft Word. It works with all editions of Word and is accessible via the toolbar or ribbon, depending on which version you're using. The toolbar itself is certainly not the most attractive you'll ever see, appearing to have been designed by a child. Nor are all of the buttons' functions very clear, but thankfully there's a help file on hand to help. There's no getting away from the fact that WordTalk is fairly basic, but it does support SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 voices, and these can be tweaked to your liking. The ability to just read aloud individual words, sentences or paragraphs is a particularly nice touch. You also have the option of saving narrations, and there are a number of keyboard shortcuts that allow for quick and easy access to frequently used options. Despite its basic looks, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader has more to offer than you might first think. You can open numerous file formats directly in the program, or just copy and paste text. Alternatively, as long as you have the program running and the relevant option enables, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader can read aloud any text you copy to the clipboard – great if you want to convert words from websites to speech – as well as dialog boxes that pop up. Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader can also convert text files to WAV format. Unfortunately the selection of voices is limited, and the only settings you can customize are volume and speed unless you burrow deep into settings to fiddle with pronunciations. Additional voices are available for a US$25 fee (about £20, AU$30), which seems rather steep, holding it back from a higher place in our list. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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