Saturday, June 29, 2019

Apple : Pokémon Go updates: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Apple : Pokémon Go updates: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Pokémon Go updates: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 12:35 PM PDT

Pokémon Go: the world's first augmented reality app to become a household name. Niantic's mobile AR game is still going strong two years after it first released, with a constant drip of events and updates keeping budding trainers glued to their phones and pounding the streets.

And while it hasn't managed to top the peak of its popularity in 2016, it's still going strong and finding plenty of new ways to improve its player experience.

So what's the latest news for Pokémon Go? As you'd expect, brand new features are being added all the time and community events are still going strong. Plus we have another summer of Pokémon Go Fest events to look forward to.

But without further ado, here's our guide to all the latest Pokémon Go news and updates.

Pokémon Go news and Pokémon Go updates

  • What's new? Pokémon Go is celebrating its third anniversary

Third Anniversary Celebrations

Three is the magic number in the Pokémon universe and Niantic is celebration Pokémon Go's third anniversary with some new features and events.

New Features

From June 28 shiny Alolan Pokémon will appear in the game. Players will have the chance to encounter and catch Rattata, Sandshrew, Vulpix, Diglett, Meowth, Geodude, Grimer, Exeggutor in their Alolan forms. There will also be items featuring the styles of the three team leaders available in the in-game Style Shop with which players can customize their own avatars. 

Limited Time Events

From June 28 until July 6, players could encounter a Pikachu wearing a party hat while taking an in-game snapshot. Pichu wearing party hats will be available to hatch from 7km eggs, too. 

For a slightly longer term, from June 28 until September 2, players will be able to take advantage of the fact that trading Pokémon will cost 1/4 less Stardust and faster take downs when it comes to Raid Bosses. Finally, for this period players of level 10 and above will see "Jump-Start Research" tasks, the rewards for which will allow lapsed, or friends of lapsed, players get back into the game and continue playing on a more level field.

When's the next Pokémon Go event?

Pokémon Go Fest

There are more Pokémon Go Fest gatherings taking place around the world this summer. While these gatherings take place in specific cities, even if you can't make it it's worth keeping an eye out for the ways you can participate from a distance. 

  • July 4 - 7: Dortmund, Westfalen Park
  • August 5 - 12: Yokohama

Global Challenge

Alongside Pokémon Go Fest Professor Willow has set some challenges on a global scale this summer for each of the team leaders - Spark, Blanche and Candela - and their followers so that everyone can take part no matter where they are. When a team successfully completes their task, they'll get special rewards.

Spark's challenge period in tadem with Chicago's event has already taken place.

Next up is Candela's XP challenge during the Dortmund Fest from July 4 to July 7. The challenge for each team is still to complete 15 million research tasks globally but this time Team Instinct will unlock 1-hour Lucky Eggs, Team Valor will get triple Hatch XP and Team Mystic will be treated to double Raid XP on completion. Any unlocked bonus will then run until July 16. If all bonuses are unlocked then Entei will be available in raids on July 14.

The final challenge is for Blanche, revolving around Stardust. This challenge ties in with the Fest in Yokohama and runs from August 5 to August 12. This time around players must complete 25 million research tasks globally (there's a little more time, after all). On successful completion, Team Instinct will 3000 Stardust per Raid, Team Valor will get triple Hatch Stardust and Team Mystic will unlock 1-hour Star Pieces. Any unlocked bonus will then run from August 13 until August 20. Unlock all of the bonuses? Then you can look forward to Suicune Raids on August 13.

When's the next Pokémon Go Community Day?

  • What date is the next Community Day? July 21
  • Who's the starring Pokémon? Mudkip

Now that Slakoth has had its day, the next Pokémon Go Community Day takes place on July 21. The featured Pokémon for the event has been confirmed as Mudkip. While the exclusive move for the event is still to be confirmed, bonuses for the day will be 3x catch XP and 3 hour lures. 

Pokémon Go update: what's next?

Niantic hasn't revealed any more plans for what's coming next in Pokémon Go in terms of the big picture but there are always new creatures and new events happening in the game. Big reveals can happen at any time, though, and we'll report them right here if and when any announcement happens.

Pokémon Go Plus deals

Want to buy yourself a Pokémon Go Plus wearable? Check some of today's best deals down below.

(Image credits: Niantic/Pokémon Company)

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Pokémon Sword and Shield release date, trailers, news and features

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 12:09 PM PDT

After releasing some of the best games in franchise history on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo and Game Freak are finally ready to bring the main Pokémon games to the Nintendo Switch – the first of which are called Pokémon Sword and Shield.

The games will release globally on Nintendo Switch this November and will bring with them a brand-new region, features and Pokémon for trainers to swoon over.

The key points Nintendo has announced so far are that the games are set in the Galar Region (basically, a Pokémon-ified version of the UK) and will include a number of new creatures including three new starting Pokémon, Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey. We'll also see a new mechanic called Dynamaxing that will replace Z-Moves and Mega-Evolutions, and more intense gym battles.

How does Sword and Shield stack up to Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee? Those games acted as a sort of reboot of the original Red and Blue titles for the Nintendo Gameboy, and for many didn't count as a 'core' Pokémon experience. Since Pokémon Sword and Shield are the first mainline Pokémon games to come to Nintendo Switch, and expectations are much, much higher.

So what do we know, and what are we hoping to see when Pokémon Sword and Shield launch this year? Read on to find out.

[Update: Junichi Masuda has reiterated that not all Pokémon will appear in Sword and Shield in an address to fans. Read on to find out more.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The eighth-generation of Pokémon games
  • When can I play it? November 15, 2019
  • What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Pokémon Sword and Shield: release date

During a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5, Nintendo revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will release globally on November 15, 2019. 

In addition, Nintendo announced pre-orders for a double-pack edition of the games will be available soon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield: trailers

The most recent (and best) glimpse we've had of Pokémon Sword and Shield was during a special Nintendo Direct in June. The Nintendo Direct shed a lot of light on what new features we can expect alongside some new Pokémon pals. 

Check out the video below:

The first Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer didn't give too much away, but you can see the first glimpse of the environments and art style.

You also get a first look at three new starter Pokémon: the fire-rabbit Scorbunny, twig-monkey Grookey, and a sad-looking tadpole (sadpole?) called Sobble.

Check the trailer out below:

The last video, released right around the time of E3 2019, highlighted some of the geographical features of the Galar Region and introduced us to raid battles – a mechanic taken from the Pokémon Go mobile game.

Pokémon Sword and Shield screenshots

Pokémon Sword and Shield news and features

Doubling Down

Pokémon producer Junichi Masuda has reiterated the news that not all Pokémon would be available to catch in Sword and Shield in a statement to fans on the official Pokémon site. In the statement, Masuda thanked fans for their love of the Pokémon series but reaffirmed the decision to limit Pokémon in the game to those within the Galar region. 

He did, however, add that "even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games."

Fan backlash against the news has been severe but it seems that Game Freak is sticking to its guns. Masuda added in his statement that the Galar region will see “the world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.“

Can't catch 'em all 

It's been confirmed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will not feature every Pokémon from the franchise so far, making them the first mainline games to do so. Given there are now more than 800 species of Pokémon this is, perhaps, not all that surprising.

The reason, according to Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda (via Famitsu), is that on reaching generation eight there will be more than a thousand Pokémon in the Pokédex. Such a large number means "it has become extremely difficult to make Pokémon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility" as well as to make sure they'll all be balanced in battle.

Not only that, it would be too difficult to have so many in-game models with a high enough graphical quality. 

Though the choice saddens Masuda, he says that it's a decision he "had to make some day" and that he's opting to "choose the quality". 

Pokémon Ball Plus

We didn't hear much about Pokémon Sword and Shield during Nintendo Direct at E3 2019, but it was teased that the Pokémon Ball Plus can be used to take your in-game Pokémon for "a stroll". However, the ball cannot be used as a controller.

In addition, it was teased that "good things" will happen if you build up a strong connection to one Pokémon in particular.

Release date revealed

Nintendo held a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5 that revealed both games will release globally on November 15, 2019.

Max Raid Battles

Much like Pokémon Go, Sword and Shield has a feature which allows trainers to team up with up to three others online to take on more powerful Pokémon.

Legendaries

Pokémon Sword and Shield's wolf-like Legendary Pokémon are Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (shield).

Dynamax Mode

This new mode allows trainers to make their Pokémon giant and super-powered. This mode can only be activated once during a battle and lasts three turns before a Pokémon reverts to normal size.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

More new Pokémon

Alongside the starter Pokémon, Nintendo has also revealed a few more new Pokémon joining Sword and Shield: Wooloo (sheep Pokémon), Gossifleur (a fancy lady Pokémon that evolves into Eldegoss), Drednaw (who resembles a snapping turtle) and Corviknight (a raven and glorified taxi service for the Galar region).

Wild Area

Galar features a Wild Area where trainers can explore, battle and capture Pokémon. Which Pokémon appear depends on the environment and weather.

Stadiums

Trainers will battle Pokémon leaders in Stadiums rather than the usual gyms. These stadiums are huge and packed with a cheering audience. 

New characters

Nintendo revealed your new rival is Hop, whose older brother is the Pokémon champion of Galar. Meanwhile Professor Magnolia and her assistant Sonia will act as your guides.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Trainer outfit customization will be a feature

While it's not a brand new feature, trainer outfit customization has been popular with Pokémon players since it was introduced in X and Y. And it's a feature which a recent Uniqlo competition has confirmed will be in Pokémon Sword and Shield. 

In a collaboration with The Pokémon Company, the clothing brand asked fans to design a top which would then be sold in stores. Now that the winning entry has been chosen (a design featuring Magikarp and Gyrados) it's been revealed that the top will also be wearable in Pokémon Sword and Shield as a trainer outfit.

Just how many more outfit options there'll be in the games isn't known yet, but we're hoping to catch a glimpse of some more if Nintendo shows us some new Sword and Shield footage during its E3 conference this year. 

Made for handheld

While the Pokémon Let's Go games were developed with TV mode in mind, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that Pokémon Sword and Shield will "emphasize the fun of playing Nintendo Switch in handheld mode." Furukawa made the comments during Nintendo's March 2019 Financial Results Briefing (via Nintendo Life).

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

A whole new world

We know the game is set in a brand new region of Galar, rather than a rehash of Kanto or a previously visited territory. Galar seems to be loosely inspired by England's cities and countryside, with rolling hills and brickwork cities to explore.

The trailer also showed glimpses of jewel-encrusted mines and what might even be a football stadium (see the kit below), though we're waiting to see whether competing in a Pokémon-themed Football World Cup will be possible for players.

Brand new Pokémon

Yup, this is a new generation of Pokémon, meaning you'll be seeing a lot of new faces – as well as a lot of old ones. The trailer gave us a mix of familiar Pokémon like Pikachu and Hoothoot along the new starters, and we're hoping Game Freak manage to keep the new designs interesting (no ice cream or candelabra Pokémon, please.)

Modern to the core

Sword and Shield look to retain the look and 3D animation style of the Pokeémon Let's Go games that launched on Nintendo Switch last year.

Pokémon games haven't been flat 2D games in years, and has increasingly been moving towards full-size avatars and 3D environments. Some may miss the old-school pixel charm of the earlier games – and find the 3D creature models a bit bland – but for better or worse this is what we're getting.

Pokémon Stars what?

What still confuses us is that we've been waiting for the long-rumored Pokémon Stars game for over two years now, Eurogamer. published a report in late 2016 that said multiple sources had confirmed a new version of Pokémon Sun and Moon was being developed for the Switch under the code named Pokémon Stars. 

While it never materialized, 'Stars' could well have been a code-name for what eventually became the Let's Go games, or could still prove a Switch port for the Sun and Moon games.

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Early Prime Day deal: get 4 months of Amazon Music Unlimited for $0.99 / 99p

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 09:00 AM PDT

While Prime Day 2019 is still weeks away, Amazon is offering a rare promotion right now exclusively for Prime members. Starting today, you can get four months of Amazon Music Unlimited for just $0.99 in the US or 99p in the UK. The music streaming service normally costs $7.99/£7.99 per month, so with this offer you're saving $31/£31 and receiving four months of unlimited tunes. This promotion ends on July 16 and is for new subscribers only.

Amazon Music is a subscription streaming service that's comparable to Spotify and Apple Music. The unlimited service gives you access to tens of millions of songs and thousands of playlists and stations. Amazon Music lets you listen to your favorite tunes ad-free and will even personalize your recommendations based on your listening habits. You'll also be able to enjoy hands-free listening with any Alexa-enabled device. You can ask Alexa to find a playlist, skip a song, turn up the volume and more.

Like we mentioned above this offer ends on July 16 and only applies to Prime members who are first-time customers of Amazon Music. Not a Prime member? You can sign up for a free 30-day trial here so you can not only enjoy Amazon Music Unlimited but also partake in the biggest July shopping event.

Amazon is also offering the same deal for UK Prime Members. First time Amazon Music customers will get four months of Amazon Music Unlimited for just £0.99. If you're not an Amazon Prime member you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here.

Shop more deals with our guide on Amazon Prime Day: everything you need to know about the 48-hour sale.

You can shop for a compatible Alexa-enabled device with best cheap Amazon Echo prices, deals and sales that are going on.

You can also see more UK offers with our UK guide to Amazon Prime Day 2019.

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Yankees vs Red Sox live stream: how to watch 2019 MLB London Series baseball from anywhere

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 07:56 AM PDT

For the first time ever, Major League Baseball is coming to the UK (and, indeed, Europe) where the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will face off in the two-game London Series. Whether you're a UK-based baseball fan that wants to check out the action or are stateside and don't want to miss your favorite franchise, you've come to the right place to discover what you need to do to watch a Yankees vs Red Sox live stream - it's absolutely FREE in the UK (more information below).

They're two of the sport's very biggest names, so the ideal way to introduce baseball to a wider world audience. The New York Yankees currently lead the AL East while the Boston Red Sox are the reigning AL East champions.

However, it is the rivalry between the two teams, which began in 1919 with the trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees, which will likely fill the 66,000 seats at London Stadium this weekend and have baseball fans worldwide glued to their TVs.

Whether you’re a fan of the Yankees, the Red Sox or just want to see the biggest rivals in the MLB go head-to-head in the UK, we’ll show you how to watch the MLB London Series from anywhere in the world. Keep reading and we’ll breakdown all of your viewing options for this weekend’s games so you can live stream the Yankees vs Red Sox with ease.

How to watch the MLB London Series in the UK for FREE

MLB fans in the UK will be able to watch this weekend’s London Series for free on BBC as the network has secured exclusive rights to live stream the event. This means that you can stream both Yankees vs Red Sox games on either BBC iPlayer or on the BBC Sport website.

Alternatively, if you’re already a BT Sport subscriber and would prefer to watch the London Series on TV, you can do that as well as the network will also be showing Saturday and Sunday’s games.

Not in the UK this weekend? Then here's how to watch as if you were sat back on your sofa...

Live stream the MLB London Series from outside your country

If you've been looking forward to watching these MLB match-ups but now find yourself abroad, you'll find that your coverage will be geo-blocked. Annoying for sure, but not the end of the road...as you can try using a VPN to change your IP address to a server in your country and watch as if you were back at home.

How to live stream Yankees vs Red Sox back in the US

The London Series will be shown on Fox (game one) and ESPN (game two) in the US, so you’ll either need cable or a subscription to a streaming service to watch this weekend’s games. 

Game 1 on Saturday will air on Fox at 1.10pm ET / 10.10am PT while Game 2 on Sunday will be on ESPN at 10.10am ET / 7.10am PT).

If signing up for cable is too much of a hassle just to watch the MLB in London, don’t worry as many streaming services give you access to both Fox and ESPN and most have free trials to give you a taste. To make things easier for you, these are a few of our favorites for watching baseball:

Logging in to a US broadcast from overseas is also a great option using a VPN following the instructions above.

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Australia vs New Zealand live stream: how to watch today's Cricket World Cup 2019 from anywhere

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 07:55 AM PDT

With 12 points from 7 matches, Australia appear to be peaking at the right time and go into today's match as strong favourites. However, if the Kiwis rekindle the sparkling form they showed at the start of the tournament, we could see the Aussies' unbeaten record come under threat. You'll be able to watch all the action from their clash no matter where you are in the world by using our Australia vs New Zealand live stream guide below.

Both teams may be comfortably placed with Australia already in the semis and New Zealand just a point away from joining them there, but don't expect either side to kick back today in what should be an intriguing battle of the two neighbouring rivals.

History isn't on New Zealand's side - they've only won one out of seven World Cup matches between the two nations. 

You’ll be able to watch all the action with ease from anywhere in the world if you follow our Australia vs New Zealand live stream guide below.  

Watch a Cricket World Cup 2019 live stream from outside your country

If you're in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, US or India and looking to find out how to watch the match, we've got all the details about the broadcaster in your region below. 

If you're away from home country and looking to tune in you'll likely to find you won't be able to thanks to geo-blocking. Thankfully there's a way to alleviate that frustration. By using a VPN you'll be able to watch the game safely without having to take a chance on an illegal feed from a website that's likely infested with malware.

How to watch a live stream of the Baggy Greens' big game in Australia

How to live stream the Kiwis' crunch match in New Zealand

How to stream Australia vs New Zealand live in the UK 

How to stream 2019 Cricket World Cup online in India

How to watch the cricket in Pakistan for FREE

How to watch Australia vs New Zealand: US live stream 

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Best data visualization tools of 2019

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 07:30 AM PDT

Data visualization can make IT operations and tasks so much easier to understand. Rather than being faced with walls of data, simple charts can provide key information quickly.

This is especially the case during real-time processes for monitoring purposes, where information needs to be provided in a quick and easy to understand manner. 

However, data visualization has also become the norm for a whole range of other processes, from presentations to workflows, to project management and business intelligence. 

Ultimately visualization will provide clear indicators of trends from large sets of data, or present otherwise important information such as core tasks or assignments in management processes.

The key to visualization is simplicity in the presentation, no matter how it is applied, and while there are industry specific applications of visualization, we'll present the best in general software platforms that can work in the widest range of situations.

  • Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.

Image Credit: Quire

If you need to manage and visualize projects but don’t require advanced functionality that is unnecessary and clutters your project management, Quire might be your tool of choice.

Quire works by letting you map out tasks and thoughts in a simple to-do list format that can easily be rearranged and assigned to team members. Once tasks have been defined in the app, you can visually organize and assign these tasks using a Kanban board built into the system. The software makes it easy to flip between task lists and the Kanban board as needed.

The beauty of Quire is that it also offers a number of visual representations of your task list that you can choose from, including pie charts, project summaries and graphs. All the basic visual representations are there except for Gantt charts, the one strike against this platform. Overall, though, Quire delivers a streamlined project management interface that nicely strikes a balance between simplicity and power.

Image Credit: Casual

There are many ways in which you can visually organize your project. If your preferred style is flowchart-based organization, you’re going to love Casual.

Instead of Kanban boards or Gantt charts, Casual is built exclusively around a single flowchart interface where you organize projects by drawing lines between tasks, and assign team members to each step in the flowchart. Each team member gets a task list based on the flowchart, but essentially project managers that use Casual track progress through the single-pane flowchart.

Casual is easily the best solution if you prefer the flowchart format and have a project that can be represented in that format. If you want a range of charts and other ways to organize or manage a large team, however, Casual is not for you.

Image Credit: Asana

Asana is one of the web-based project management leaders, and with good reason. You get most of the project management tools you expect with the platform, including task lists, Kanban boards, calendar format, conversations and Gantt charts.

You manage projects by entering tasks on a task list, with manual or auto assignment to team members. A Kanban board makes organization of these tasks easy, and a timeline (read: Gantt chart) visually shows the progress of the project.

While task management is quite visual, and most project managers will feel at home on the platform, Asana lacks a chart dashboard for tracking progress metrics in other visual representations. So this is visual management, but it isn’t strong on visual data representation.

Image Credit: Wrike

If Gantt charts and dashboards are your thing, Wrike should be on your project management shortlist.

Wrike makes it easy to create tasks and workflows, and then manage these tasks visually in a Gantt chart or calendar format. One feature that’s great about Wrike is that you can visually create custom workflows for your project.

Data visualization is also a strong point for Wrike, which lets you set up custom dashboard items that visually show the progress of key project metrics. In one quick view, you can see the status of each area of the project.

Furthermore, Wrike is highly scalable, with many integrations to other platforms and support for large teams.

Image Credit: Targetprocess

If you want everything in your project management software, including a host of data representation options, Targetprocess is for you.

Taking a dashboard approach but also working in Kanban and Gantt chart formats, Targetprocess basically gives your project the full suite of features. Complex task lists can be configured and rearranged, and it comes with a multitude of data representation views that can be added to the dashboard for quick progress assessment.

Targetprocess is geared towards agile software development projects, and it can be overwhelming in its feature set and clunky in its interface, but this solution visually represents data in more ways than rivals, and does everything a software project manager could want.

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Germany vs Sweden live stream: how to watch today's Women's World Cup 2019 match from anywhere

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 07:12 AM PDT

Of all the 2019 Women's World Cup quarter-finals, Geremany vs Sweden might be the hardest to call. With a heatwave taking hold across France, two of the World Cup's coolest customers will be looking to keep their heads in what looks likely to be a close encounter.Today's 2019 Women's World Cup quarter-final match between the two European giants looks likely to be a tense encounter, and it's one you'll be able to watch from anywhere around the world with our Germany vs Sweden live stream guide below. 

It's been four years since the Germans were beaten by Sweden - a 2015 Algarve Cup group stage match which saw the Swedes triumph 4-2. Having not won a World Cup title since their consecutive double in 2003 and 2007, Germany will be out to make sure that that record remains intact.

Germany made it through their group as convincing winners with maximum points and maintained their good form by seeing off Nigeria in clinical fashion to reach the last 8.

While Sweden slipped up against the USA in the group phase (a defeat some pundits say they were happy to take as it ensured they would avoid hosts France in the last 16), they look capable of acting revenge against the Germans for their 2003 final defeat - the Swede's best ever showing in the tournament

Don't miss any of today's action by following the instructions below and grabbing a live stream of Germany vs Sweden wherever you are in the world.

Watch a FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 live stream from outside your country

If 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 stream Germany vs Sweden live in the UK 

Live stream Germany vs Sweden 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 FIFA Women's World Cup live stream in Canada

How to watch Germany vs Sweden live stream in Australia

How to watch a Italy vs Netherlands live stream in New Zealand

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I took an electric scooter to work for a week and now I'm done with walking

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 07:01 AM PDT

Park your cars, lock up your bikes and burn your shoes, because there’s a new form of transport in cities, and it could be the future of travel – electric scooters.

Electric scooters are faster than bicycles, cheaper than cars (by a long shot) and take a lot less effort to go long distances than walking – and you look incredibly cool on them. But there’s more than that – they’re quiet, small-ish, and more environmentally friendly than driving, so they’re a far more sustainable mode of transport.

If electric scooters are such a great way of travelling then, why doesn’t everybody use them? To find out, I took a Xiaomi M365 Pro to work for a week – for research purposes only, of course.

Bear in mind that you might not be lucky enough to live in a place that’s lenient when it comes to the new form of travel, so check our guide on electric scooter laws where you live before you scoot your way straight to jail.

The first ride

Electric scooters require you to actually be moving before you press down the power button, so it felt a little terrifying pushing off into the busy traffic on my first commute – my tiny scooter paled in comparison to the massive buses and trucks surrounding me, like I was a pug caught up in a stampede of wildebeest, until the motor kicked in and I sailed away.

It was an exhilarating feeling, coasting alongside these big vehicles without having to put any effort in at all – it also didn’t once feel unsafe, despite the fact I was balanced on a tiny board, because just like cycling you find a way to control your movements to stay upright.

It was a little challenging turning, however. Usually cyclists put out an arm to indicate, so this is what I did when I wanted to turn right – which meant I took my hand off the power button, and stopped dead in the street. Oops.

Fortunately the road was pretty quiet, so I didn’t end up under a bus, but it was still a bit of a shock, and subsequently I made sure to be going fast enough that, when I indicated, I didn’t stop. This was still a little scary given that I was only scooting with one hand, but it did the job.

Image credit: TechRadar

Talking of pressing the button – try holding down one button with your thumb for ten minutes at a time while going high-speed (well, 20kmph) down the road! It got a little painful after a while, but thankfully traffic lights in my city only spend a few seconds each hour green, so I spent more time waiting than I did moving.

When I could get to high speeds, I found the electric scooter found the perfect balance – it wasn’t so fast it posed a danger to other people on the street, with a max speed of 25kmph (although some scooters go up to 50kmph, which seems a bit much), but I wasn’t so slow that it was a bore.

Soon enough, though, I was zipping among the traffic and barely stopping at lights like any good motorist.

When I got to work that first morning, I was a little shaken, and a little late too (I’d given myself an optimistic half-hour to get to work, but I had to keep stopping to look at a map to find the best routes to travel, which added a lot of time).

Between trips

Image credit: TechRadar

I didn’t need a parking space for the electric scooter, nor did I need to lock it up at a station – instead, I took it to work, parked it near my desk, plugged it in, and let the mains power do the hard work.

It’s good that I didn’t need to park it, because finding parking spaces in the middle of a busy city is like trying to find a good Amazon Prime Day deal on Black Friday, and the convenience of being able to take my transport into work saved a lot of time.

Charging the scooter did take a while, but that was never a problem because I was at work so long, and it was a lot cheaper than filling up with petrol so I appreciated the superior fuel.

Getting a handle(bar) on it

After a few trips, I felt like my scooter and I became at one with the road, and I was no longer worried about my place. In fact, my worries shifted from the scooter, which was now just a part of me, to the road, and all the hazards that usually plague my city – pedestrians who’ll cross the road without looking, drivers who don’t know what a red light means, taxis that can only stop in the middle of busy junctions, buses the size of tanks.

When I had my route down, I cut my commute down to 25 minutes door-to-door – that’s less than half the time it normally takes me to walk it, and also shorter (and cheaper) than getting public transport, which takes 45 minutes on a good day.

The only problem I found was that my Fitbit was seriously unhappy about my lack of steps – the roughly 7,000 I’d get each way to work turned into about 5, which wasn’t exactly great for my health.

Image credit: TechRadar

It also feels a little unsafe to zip along busy streets gulping in all the polluted air, but that’s less the responsibility of scooter riders and more on the noisy cars that clog up our roads. In fact, the silent grace of the electric scooter, putting out no fumes or air pollution, felt like the ideal way we should travel in the future.

Scoot into the future

Steve Jobs once said he thought future cities would be designed around electric scooters. In our diesel-vehicle-loving culture that seems a little far-fetched, but perhaps the world would be a better place if we all scooted everywhere.

The scooter is an environmentally-friendly, unobtrusive and clean way of travelling – if you want any more proof than just looking at them, check out Lime’s environmental stats from 2018.

Electric scooters are super convenient too – it radically slashed my commute time, and was so much more pleasant than cramming myself into a small metal shell with thousands of other people, or slogging for an hour to get to work.


I’d go so far as to say the electric scooter revolutionized my commute, and it could for a lot more people if we embrace it. It’ll take a few more years, for all countries to legalize the form of transport, but we could get there.

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Another patent teases some kind of foldable device coming from Microsoft

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 06:30 AM PDT

It's been quite the year for foldable devices, though actually getting them on sale has proved a struggle for companies dealing with the cutting-edge tech. Now a newly published patent teases another folding gadget on the way from Microsoft.

On the back of rumors earlier this week predicting the arrival a foldable Surface device, we've got a filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office that gives us some idea about what such a device might look like.

And it looks very much like a Surface Book but with the entire laptop made up of a display screen – we're assuming that the lower half of it could turn into a touchscreen keyboard or whatever you wanted, but the patent focuses mainly on the folding mechanism.

Microsoft proposes what's intriguingly called an "exoskeletal hinge" to allow users to fold and unfold their new notebook. Besides that, the patent doesn't go into too much detail about potential uses, but does mention laptop components like processors and storage.

Microsoft patent

Part of the new patent filing

As with any patent, this won't necessarily end up turning into an actual product, but it gives us some idea of what Microsoft is planning – and it seems like foldable devices of some description are on the agenda.

While we've seen folding phones from Samsung and Huawei announced this year, neither has actually made it to the market yet. It seems there are a few issues to fix before we're all carrying folding phones and laptops around.

We know that Microsoft has been thinking about folding devices for ten years at least, so from that perspective this patent isn't too much of a surprise. It would seem this is separate from the Centaurus project that involves two displays with a more conventional hinge, but time will tell.

However, the display tech is now available to make these sorts of next-gen gadgets possible. Most of the big names in the business – including Google – are believed to be working on hardware with foldable screens attached.

Via PocketNow

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Game Freak addresses fan response to Pokémon Sword and Shield Pokédex

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 06:27 AM PDT

Pokémon Sword and Shield producer, Junichi Masuda, has issued a message to fans of the series, addressing the negative reaction to the recent news that the latest games won’t feature every single Pokémon.

During E3 2019, it emerged that Sword and Shield, the eighth generation of Pokémon games, would not allow players to catch ‘em all or import catches made outside the new Galar region through Pokémon Home. This makes Sword and Shield the first mainline games in the series not to support every single Pokémon species, the number of which has now climbed beyond 800. A far cry from the 151 that appeared in the first games. 

The backlash from fans was swift and Masuda addressed it in an interview with Famitsuearlier this month. In this interview, the producer explained the difficulties of rendering so many Pokémon models on the Nintendo Switch to the right graphical quality and pointed out the challenge of balancing each and every monster in battles. While, he said, it was a very difficult decision, he knew it was one he would have to make eventually and decided to “choose the quality”.

Catch as many as you can

In this latest statement posted on the official Pokémon site, Masuda stands by the decision despite ongoing discontent (on which he puts an admirably positive spin).

“Thank you to all of our fans for caring so deeply about Pokémon. Recently, I shared the news that some Pokémon cannot be transferred to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. I've read all your comments and appreciate your love and passion for Pokémon.

Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokémon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokémon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me. I'd like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.”

Masuda then points out that “the world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.“

Pokémon Sword and Shield will release on November 15 for Nintendo Switch.

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The 2019 Chevy Silverado hints at future autonomous trucks in one specific way

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 05:00 AM PDT

Someday, a truck will be more like a rolling, portable workshop than something you actually drive. In many ways, trucks are already heading in that direction, and one early sign of progress is the new power outlet in the truck bed of the 2019 Chevy Silverado.

Granted, it’s a fairly minor addition. However, I decided to try quite a few tests with the outlet to see how it all worked, and what life with a truck in the future might be like.

If you don’t know, truck beds have evolved quite a bit since the days when trucks only provided a flat area to store your stuff and move a pile of rocks. Lockable storage compartments were just the beginning. The Honda Ridgeline has a large tub you can use for holding water and ice. Electronic tailgates are common, as are steps that fold out so you can climb aboard easier.

Truck owners – at least the serious ones who do construction work or other jobs – spend as much time in the back of a truck organizing and using their gear as actually driving.

In the future, once a truck drives on its own and we can even summon one to a work site, the storage and organizational features in the truck bed will become even more important.

Power up and roll out

That’s why I decided to load up the Silverado with a few corded power tools, including a drill and a circular saw, plus a few items I figured would likely not work, including a hair dryer and a Dyson Hot fan (because of the high power draw). I also tested a phone and a tablet.

The good news: The Silverado worked great for powering those tools, and made it easy to do some simple projects on a dirt road by my house. There’s one outlet in the truck bed, but you can also use the outlet by the driver or in the cab. I never had any voltage issues.

The Silverado actually has two modes of operation for this work. You can leave the engine running and use the outlets – there’s a switch by the driver to activate them. You can also hold down the truck’s start button for a few seconds to use the accessory mode. This means the outlets and everything else in the truck works, but the engine stays off.

With the engine running, the hairdryer worked fine. In accessory mode, the hairdryer tripped a circuit and shut off – likely due to the high power draw. With the Dyson fan, the outlet didn’t work at normal speed with the engine on or off. That’s not too surprising – I’ve tested the same fan with portable battery generators from companies like Goal Zero and they haven’t worked, either – and the hairdryer also caused a break in a circuit. The Samsung phone charged up normally, and just about everything else I tried worked. I doubt anyone would actually want to power a hairdryer or a fan anyway, so it was mostly to test the power draw.

That said, I loved using the power tools. I had no trouble sawing through a piece of wood and drilling a hole, so the power draw must be sufficient for those tools.

All work and little play?

What could come next? I envision something similar to a utility van but designed even more like a portable workshop.

So, more outlets, gadgets customized to the job of the worker, and sensors that keep track of what is back there (similar to what Ford tried a few years ago with professional trucks). Also, more storage, more options for charging tools (possibly with wireless charge pads instead of outlets), and more ways to customize the truck bed.

At that point, the 'utility' of a truck might be more about the job you do than actually, you know, driving the truck. Although, that will still be an option.

On The Road is TechRadar's regular look at the futuristic tech in today's hottest cars. John Brandon, a journalist who's been writing about cars for 12 years, puts a new car and its cutting-edge tech through the paces every week. One goal: To find out which new technologies will lead us to fully self-driving cars.

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Italy vs Netherlands live stream: how to watch today's Women's World Cup 2019 match from anywhere

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 04:04 AM PDT

With the Italy and Holland looking fairly well-matched, its looking like we're in store for another tightly-contested 2019 Women's World Cup quarter-final. And it's one you'll be able to watch from anywhere around the world with our Italy vs Netherlands live stream guide below. 

Both teams playing in today's quarter-final will already feel some sense achievement having got this far. For Sweden it marks the first time they've reached the last 8 in their history, for Italy it ends a twenty-year absence from the tournament.

With a draw that has managed to keep them away from big guns like the USA, Germany and England in the early knockout stages, both teams may feel they could go on and make an even more meaningful piece of footballing history.

It's somewhat surprising to find that this is only the Netherlands second ever appearance in the Women's World Cup. Despite this, they went into this year's tournament in France as one of the more fancied teams, largely thanks to them being the current UEFA European Champions. They've largely lived up to their billing, however they were less than assured at the back in their last match against Japan. 

Italy have also been conspicuous by their absence at the Women's World Cup, with this their first appearance in the tournament in 20 years. With the likes of clinical striker Cristiana Girelli within their ranks, Italy will likely be less wasteful in front of goal than Japan and will fancy their chances after watching their opponents last match.

Don't miss any of today's action by following the instructions below and grabbing a live stream of Italy vs Netherlands wherever you are in the world.

Watch a FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 live stream from outside your country

If 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 stream Italy vs Netherlands live in the UK 

Live stream Italy vs Netherlands 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 FIFA Women's World Cup live stream in Canada

How to watch Italy vs Netherlands live stream in Australia

How to watch a Italy vs Netherlands live stream in New Zealand

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Google isn't planning a beta test for its Stadia gaming service

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 02:30 AM PDT

The November launch for Google Stadia is approaching fast, and you can already pre-order access to the cloud gaming service – but you won't be able to sign up for a beta test, because there isn't going to be one.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Google's vice president and head of Stadia Phil Harrison ruled out the possibility of launching a beta version of the service, beyond the Project Stream tests that have already happened.

"We are not going to do another test in the UK or Europe," says Harrison. "If we had time we probably would have done so, but we don't need to."

In other words, you won't be able to try before you buy – you'll just have to trust that Stadia is going to work on your internet connection and hardware when you stump up the cash. There is at least a free tier to take advantage of, after the initial purchase of the controller and Chromecast.

More Stadia tidbits

The GamesRadar+ reveal comes from the latest in a series of interviews that Harrison is doing with the gaming press. Yesterday we heard how games on Stadia are likely to cost the same as they do on a console.

For a $10/£9 monthly fee, you're going to be able to get access to a selection of games as part of your subscription, and in 4K as well – but certain top-tier titles are going to cost you extra. The free version, with lower resolutions, launches next year.

The only way to get into Google Stadia at the moment is to pre-order the Founder's Edition for $129/£119 direct from Google. As yet there don't appear to be any plans to launch the gaming service in Australia.

In a separate interview, Harrison says he expects broadband data caps in the US to increase or disappear altogether so that Stadia gamers can stream interrupted. He also confirmed if games were pulled from the Stadia library, they'd still be available to those who had purchased them.

Via 9to5Google

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Best DTP software 2019: top desktop publishing apps

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 02:00 AM PDT

Desktop Publishing (DTP) software allows you to create newsletters, magazines, and brochures simply and easily, by controlling the layout and design of documents.

The specific advantage DTP has over normal document programs is that it allows for the proper alignment of images and text according to guidelines and boxes that you set up.

This often involves setting up a grid in which you can place blocks of text, or images, as required. Because you have full control over size, spacing, and widths, this makes it much easier to ensure everything is in its proper place, which is especially important for printing purposes.

Even better is that DTP software tends to be easy to use, and options to format text will be familiar from most writing programs for documents. Changing background and font colors is easy, as is inserting images and resizing them to the dimensions you need them to follow.

The end result is the ability to create professional-looking documents without needing to be a skilled or experiencing graphic designer.

Here we'll look at the best in DTP software currently on the market.

  • Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.

Adobe InDesign

Image credit: Adobe

If you're serious about making professional publications and marketing material, then you'll want the software that most professionals use: Adobe InDesign. 

This software is our pick for the best DTP software for professionals, and there's a reason why so many businesses use it. It is practically unrivalled when it comes to features, giving you all the tools you need to create traditional print media, as well as interactive digital media as well. 

If you buy it as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud, you'll also get access to Adobe Stock, giving you professional stock photos to help make your publications really stand out.

Scribus

Image credit: TechRadar

If you're after real desktop publishing power, free of charge, then nothing can compete with Scribus, and it's our pick for the best free DTP software. 

It's an open source application, which means it's completely free for anyone to use, and you don't need a licence to use it as a business. 

The program is packed with professional features - CMYK and spot colours, ICC colour management, direct editing of vector drawings, extensive PDF support and more - and provides everything you need to produce flyers, brochures, newspapers, books and more.

All this power does take quite some time to master, though, and while the developers have tried to help (and there is plenty of documentation to point you in the right direction) you'll need to be patient: the sheer volume of features means there's still a significant learning curve.

Quark Xpress

Image credit: Quark

While Adobe InDesign is the undisputed champion when it comes to DTP software, it has stiff competition from one of its most popular alternatives: QuarkXPress. 

It comes with a huge amount of features to rival InDesign, and it's even compatible with InDesign files. Quark is serious about winning over Adobe's customers, and it's resulted in an excellent, fully-featured DTP application. 

It is especially impressive when it comes to typography, with OpenType controls, support for Colour Fonts in SVG, SBIX and COLR formats, and it will help you make some amazing looking publications. It's not quite as fully-featured as InDesign, but it comes very close.

Xara Page & Layout Designer

Image credit: Magix

If you're a beginner when it comes to desktop publishing, then the software above may seem a little overwhelming at first. That's why Xara Page & Layout Designer 11 is our pick for the best DTP software for beginners. 

It doesn't throw a bewildering amount of features at you, and it has a straightforward, yet attractive, interface that is easy to get to grips with. Best of all, it's very affordable compared to InDesign and QuarkXPress, but that doesn't mean it's light on features. 

In fact, you'll find a great selection of tools that will help you create professional looking publications.

Microsoft Publisher

Image credit: TechRadar

Microsoft Publisher has been around for a long time now, and for many people it offers an easy way to get into desktop publishing. 

It's often a part of Microsoft Office packages – including Microsoft's Office 365 subscription service – so if you already have a Microsoft Office package, you may find you have Publisher already installed. It can also be bought and installed separately as Publisher 2019. 

Its interface will be familiar to anyone who has used Microsoft's other Office apps like Word and Excel, and it's easy for beginners to get to grips with. There's a decent collection of templates that will help you get going, and the results are good, though not quite as professional as InDesign. 

Still, it's a great – and affordable – DTP software package for beginners.

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Afghanistan vs Pakistan live stream: how to watch Cricket World Cup 2019 from anywhere right now

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 02:00 AM PDT

It's another must-win game for Pakistan at the Cricket World Cup. They'll be pleased to see last-placed Afghanistan in front of them, but this is no done-and-dusted result in the waiting - struggling minnows Afghanistan will be desperate to avoid the Cricket World Cup 2019 wooden spoon. You'll be able to watch all the action from the game no matter where you are in the world by using our Afghanistan vs Pakistan live stream guide below.

Having come close to pulling off the tournament's biggest upset by nearly beating India, Afghanistan know that with players like Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib they're capable of pulling off a shock against inconsistent Pakistan.

With England's once seemingly assured semi-final spot within their grasp, its now a case of Pakistan not becoming complacent against a team they should beat. This, however,  is cricket's most unpredictable team we're talking about, so expect tension and drama in abundance in Leeds.

You’ll be able to watch all the Cricket World Cup action with ease from anywhere in the world if you follow our Afghanistan vs Pakistan live stream guide below.  

Watch a Cricket World Cup 2019 live stream from outside your country

If you're in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, US or India and looking to find out how to watch the match, we've got all the details about the broadcaster in your region below. 

If you're away from home country and looking to tune in you'll likely to find you won't be able to thanks to geo-blocking. Thankfully there's a way to alleviate that frustration. By using a VPN you'll be able to watch the game safely without having to take a chance on an illegal feed from a website that's likely infested with malware.

How to watch the cricket in Pakistan for FREE

How to stream 2019 Cricket World Cup online in India

How to stream Afghanistan vs Pakistan live in the UK 

How to watch a live stream of Afghanistan vs Pakistan in Australia

How to live stream Afghanistan vs Pakistan in New Zealand

How to watch Afghanistan vs Pakistan: US live stream 

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The 5 best macOS Catalina features

Posted: 29 Jun 2019 01:00 AM PDT

Apple’s next major update to its Mac and MacBook operating system – macOS Catalina – is coming later this year (the smart money is on a September launch), but now that Apple has released the public beta of the software, we’ve had a chance to play with some of the new features.

As with previous updates to macOS, macOS 10.15 Catalina (to give it its full title), brings some genuinely useful, fun and exciting new features that will help change the way you use your Mac or MacBook.

So, read on to find out what we think are the five best new macOS Catalina features. If these make you eager to test out the operating system as soon as possible, then check out our guide on how to download and install the macOS Catalina public beta.

The new Twitter app for Mac is based off the iOS version and was made in only a few days (Image credit: Twitter/Apple)

1. iPad apps for Mac

This is our choice for the best new feature to come with macOS Catalina, mainly because of the sheer potential it offers. The App Store on iOS is home to thousands of brilliant apps, and developers are now able to port their apps over to macOS so that they can run on Macs.

This means you could soon see your favorite iPad and iPhone apps on macOS, which would bring a huge amount of new tools to your Mac.

These apps run natively on your Mac, which means they will look and behave just like other Mac apps – and not like an emulated iPad app awkwardly crowbarred onto a Mac.

Apple has made it so that iOS and macOS apps can run on the same code, so it will be easy for developers to bring their app to both platforms at once. Several iOS apps are already available in macOS, and we expect this number to grow rapidly.

Using Sidecar you can use an iPad as a second screen (Image credit: TechRadar)

2. Sidecar turns your iPad into a second screen

Another of our favorite new features in macOS Catalina is Sidecar. This allows you to use an iPad as a second display alongside your Mac – effectively turning your iPad into an external monitor.

So, you can use it to extend your desktop to create more workspace. You can drag your cursor between screens, and open multiple apps across both screens.

A nice extra feature is that when using your iPad to display your Mac’s apps, if the apps support Touch Bar, those controls will appear at the bottom of the iPad’s screen – even if your Mac doesn’t have a Touch Bar!

You can also mirror the desktop – so your iPad shows the same content as your Mac. This is great for sharing information or making impromptu presentations.

If you have an Apple Pencil stylus, you can also use your iPad as a drawing pad for your Mac. So, you can draw and sketch in apps, and your work will appear on your Mac. Drag a document from your Mac to your iPad and you can write on it and mark it up, and you can insert sketches from your iPad into documents on your Mac. All you need to do is click ‘Insert from iPad’ and select ‘Add Sketch’.

A window will appear on your iPad. Sketch or write in that, then click ‘Done’ and it will appear in your document on the Mac!

Perhaps best of all, Sidecar works with your iPad no matter if it’s connected via a cable or used wirelessly – you just need to be within 10 meters of your Mac.

Voice Control is one of the best new features of macOS Catalina (Image credit: Apple)

3. Voice Control

Apple has done a commendable job of boosting the accessibility tools in macOS Catalina, meaning that more people are able to comfortably use their Macs.

The most powerful new accessibility feature in macOS Catalina is Voice Control, which, as the name suggests, allows you to control every aspect of your Mac via your voice.

It’s built on the Siri speech recognition engine, so all the latest machine learning advances that Apple has built for its virtual assistant can be used for audio-to-text transcription on your Mac.

While using your voice to write notes, you can use voice commands to edit the text as you go along – such as adding uppercase letters, replacing works (or whole lines) and selecting text. You can add custom words, and unlike some voice-to-text software which uploads your recordings to the cloud, all the audio processing for Voice Control is done on your device – which ensures your private data remains private.

Voice Control is also clever enough to know when you're dictating something, and when you’re issuing commands. So, saying “See you at home. Click send” in the Messages app will only type out “See you at home” and will then send the message.

Apps, menus and a lot more can all be controlled with the new Voice Control tool as well. Apps can be split into grids, giving you complete control, and voice gestures can replicate common mouse and trackpad gestures.

While the other macOS Catalina features in this list add cool new elements to your Mac or MacBook, the new Voice Control tool could change lives.

The Apple Music app is a great addition (Image credit: Apple)

4. The new Music app

When news emerged that Apple was killing off iTunes and replacing it with four distinct apps, not many people mourned the loss of iTunes, but many of us wondered how successful the replacement apps would be. After all, would replacing one (admittedly bloated) app with four separate ones make life easier – or just complicate things?

The good news is that these new apps benefit from their renewed focus. While iTunes became too concerned with trying to do everything, the new Music app has a single vision for making it easy to import, buy or stream your music. Its interface is similar to iTunes, so you’ll feel at home, but there’s been some nice tweaks.

For example, the Now Playing section shows lyrics while the song you’re listening to is playing. If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, the service is now integrated better in the Music app.

The Apple TV app has a dedicated section for kids (Image credit: Apple)

5. The Apple TV app

Another new app that replaces iTunes is the Apple TV app. This is where you’ll find your movies and TV shows – and you’ll be able to buy and rent the latest movies and watch TV shows on demand with an Apple TV subscription.

Apple TV channels include HBO, Showtime and Starz, and thanks to Family Sharing you can share your subscription with up to six family members.

The new interface makes it easy to find content, and there’s a dedicated Kids section that’s carefully curated to provide the best movies and TV shows for children.

Oh, and the Apple TV app supports Dolby Atmos for immersive 3D-positional sound.

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Grubhub has bought thousands of domain names to compete against its own customers

Posted: 28 Jun 2019 04:09 PM PDT

Online food delivery company Grubhub has purchased thousands of domain names that resemble those of businesses that are either already on its platform or are trying to be according to a new report from New Food Economy.

The company owns over 23,000 of these look-alike domains that it has set up to resemble landing pages for restaurants on its platform. The sites even have an online ordering form to trick consumers into thinking they belong to the restaurants themselves.

Restaurant owners are up in arms over the discovery and they believe that Grubhub is tricking users that try to visit their sites into ordering on its platform instead.

The company is the largest online food delivery service in the US and is also the parent company to a number of other similar services including Eat24, MenuPages and Seamless. However, rivals DoorDash and Uber Eats have begun to threaten its dominance as they have become increasingly more popular.

Fake sites

All of the domains owned by Grubhub use a similar template and showcase items from the menus of actual restaurants. To make matters worse, some of the fake sites even use photos taken directly from the restaurant's official website or from other competing delivery services.

The company's scheme works as such, Grubhub buys domains that are similar to a restaurant's website and then uses their original logos along with stolen pictures of food to set up a very convincing fake site. These sites also include links where customers can place orders that actually direct them back to one of the delivery services owned by the company.

The fake sites are just another way to earn more commission from restaurants but Grubhub defended its deceptive practices in a statement emailed to New Food Economy, saying:

“Grubhub has never cybersquatted, which is identified by ICANN as ‘generally bad faith registration of another person’s trademark in a domain name.’ As a service to our restaurants, we have created microsites for them as another source of orders and to increase their online brand presence. Additionally, we have registered domains on their behalf, consistent with our restaurant contracts. We no longer provide that service and it has always been our practice to transfer the domain to the restaurant as soon as they request it.” 

Restaurant owners who are concerned that their site may have been copied can review the full list compiled by New Food Economy here.

Via The Verge

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Best waterproof speakers 2019: 10 outdoor adventure speakers for any budget

Posted: 28 Jun 2019 03:00 PM PDT

Take it from us, if you're planning on spending a lot of time at the pool or beach this summer, you're going to want a waterproof speaker.

While no one ever really intends to get their portable speakers wet, accidents and bad weather can happen, and when it does the last thing you're going to want to worry about is whether or not your speaker still works.

Thankfully, that's why there are a number of IP67 speakers out there so even if you're not planning on taking a swim with a Bluetooth speaker strapped to your back, you're still going to love the peace of mind that a waterproof speaker can bring, which is why we've gathered up the best ones for you.

Our aim here is to help you get the most for your money. We've tested a not-so-insignificant amount of portable speakers in our time, and have found a handful that can resist the wonders (and terrors) of the great outdoors. Stick with us and we'll be sure to find a waterproof speaker that works for your budget and requirements.

What is a waterproof (or water-resistant) speaker?

While waterproof and water-resistant aren't synonymous, they roughly translate to "water won't ruin it". 

Waterproof is the better of the two, as it usually carries an IP67 rating that means it can withstand to float in around a meter of water for a half-hour before it bites the dust. 

Water-resistant, on the other hand, means it could survive a splash or two, but it's not the kind of thing you'd just want to casually throw in the pool.

Of course waterproofing isn't the only thing we looked for when picking out this list of top portable speakers. We also considered factors such as sound quality, price and feature set, all of which helped establish a set of criteria that we could measure all speakers against. What you see below is the result of that effort – our definitive list of the 10 best wireless portable waterproof speakers.

The best waterproof speakers of 2019

Image Credit: Ultimate Ears

The original UE Wonderboom has been at the top of our best waterproof speaker list since its debut and for good reason: It’s rugged, plays louder than its diminutive sound suggests, and could be paired to other UE Wonderboom speakers to amplify sound. And although the UE Wonderboom 2 looks nearly identical to the original, Ultimate Ears packed in a slew of upgrades that make the Wonderboom 2 even better, like the increased battery life (up 30% compared to the original), better bass response, and the new Outdoor Boost feature that helps the speaker get even louder than before.

Combined, these seemingly minor upgrades not only keep the UE Wonderboom 2 on our list of the best waterproof speakers for another year, but they help to make it one of the best portable speakers you can buy period.  

Read the full review: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

Image credit: Denon

If you want a waterproof speaker that doesn't look like a waterproof speaker, get the Denon Envaya DSB-250BT.

It'll fit into a classy living room but has IP67 water resistance, letting it withstand a full-on dunk. This is also the best-sounding speaker of its size, with meaty bass and audio balance you might expect from a hifi master like Denon. There's an Envaya Mini if you want something smaller, too.

Any complaints? To make the water resistance work, the speaker has rubbery panels instead of clicky buttons, and they aren't half hard to depress sometimes. But if that isn't a minor quibble, what is?

Read the full review: Denon Envaya

Image credit: JBL

The JBL Charge 4 may seem like a boring update on paper, but it’s still one of the best waterproof speakers around. For the money, you get a speaker that sound great, is tough as nails, acts as a charger for your phone, and lasts all day.

For the money, the JBL Charge 4 is a definite no-brainer. For just $150 (£160, AU$200), you get a speaker that lasts all day, sounds great, can put up with all kinds of abuse, and tops your phone up in a pinch. Yes, there are better sounding speakers but you’ll have to spend much more money. (One of our favorite speakers, the UE Megaboom 3, sounds worse and costs more money.) 

Read the full review: JBL Charge 4

Image credit: Anker

You might not have ever heard of Anker before, but it's sweeping Amazon as one of the highest-rated electronics manufacturers. 

Its flagship waterproof speaker, the Anker Soundcore Flare, combines the best features of its competitors into an affordable package that’s tough to beat. For the price, the Flare offers good sound, a tough waterproof build and excellent user experience. The LED light show is a bit of a gimmick, sure, but it's certainly fun and can be disabled entirely. While other speakers may sound better, you’re going to have to spent much more money.

Read the full review: Anker Soundcore Flare

Image credit: Ultimate Ears

The UE Boom 3 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers money can buy in 2019. This is a speaker that can get loud and not distort at higher volumes; be light enough to carry on the move but remain durable enough to tumble in a bag unprotected. 

It's water-proof as well as dust-proof, and  has a one-touch mix button that lets you pull up your favorite playlists without needing to pick up your smartphone. 

There are certainly more detailed speakers out there (see: Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin down below), but at a price that's relatively affordable to all, the UE Boom 3 hits all the right notes for the third year in a row. 

Read the full review: UE Boom 3

Best waterproof speaker: Fugoo Style

Image credit: TechRadar

If you still don’t know about Fugoo, you’re certainly missing out on some of the best waterproof speakers in the world. The Fugoo Style not only offers the longest battery life of any speaker on this list (40 hours!), but it also comes in at a tiny one pound.

Fugoo’s design philosophy is to offer different ‘jackets’ (Style, Tough or Sport) to fit around its ‘core’ speaker to fit different styles. The Fugoo Style waterproof speaker offers a great blend of size, sound fidelity and battery life for an affordable price.

Read the full review: Fugoo Style

  • This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the UE Wonderboom 

Image credit: Ultimate Ears

The UE Megablast is at the very peak of Ultimate Ears’ line of waterproof Bluetooth speakers. Its larger size means that the Megablast can get loud and can last up to 20 hours at a sensible volume.

Bass is stronger and richer than its smaller UE Boom 3 and Wonderboom 2 brothers, and this is the speaker for anybody who wants to really blare their music at a party. For people who want to save some cash, however, the other Ultimate Ears speakers cost much less and sound nearly as good. Still, it's not a bad option if you want a personal assistant with you at the beach.

Read the full review: Ultimate Ears Megablast

Image credit: JBL

In terms of sheer audio prowess, the JBL Boombox was a pleasant surprise - it's a monstrous portable speaker that not only gets loud, but stays pretty crisp when pumping the volume. It’s heavy, and not the easiest thing to carry around, but it’s rugged enough to handle any pool or tailgate party.

That said, we can’t recommend the Boombox as a speaker for the home. You can find comparable sound in form factors that take up less real estate, but if your plan is to hit whatever patio, pool, beach or tailgate party you can find, then this one should be in the running to play the tunes.

Read the full review: JBL Boombox

Image credit: Tribit

If you believe the old adage about getting what you pay for, you might not expect much from the Tribit XSound Go’s sound quality. Thankfully, that adage has never been less applicable: The speaker gets loud enough to fill up a medium-sized room, and at full volume, there’s only a little distortion on the highs.

Honestly, the Tribit XSound Go shouldn’t sound this good for the price, but it does. The speaker impressed with balanced sound, is near distortion-free at high volumes, and lasts and incredible 20+ hours of playtime at medium volume. Plus, the speaker is IPX7 water and dust resistant so it’ll put up with a day at the beach or pool without a problem. While it’s design may be forgettable, you won’t care once you hear how good the XSound Go sounds.  

Read the full review: Tribit XSound Go

Image credit: Braven

Last on our list is the Braven Stryde 360 that, in all fairness, is a solid Bluetooth speaker that is average in just about every way. Sound quality is good but the speaker struggles with bass response. Battery life is an average 12 hours and its design doesn’t particularly stand out. For the price, there are better options - see: any of the speakers above - but if you've gotten this far and still haven't found what you're looking for, the Braven could be it.

Read the full review: Braven Stryde 360

  • This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the UE Roll 2 

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1 comment:

  1. Ornaldo DeppOctober 9, 2021 at 4:46 AM

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