Thursday, July 4, 2019

Apple : Apple may finally resolve MacBook butterfly keyboard issues by abandoning the design altogether

Apple : Apple may finally resolve MacBook butterfly keyboard issues by abandoning the design altogether

Apple may finally resolve MacBook butterfly keyboard issues by abandoning the design altogether

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 01:54 PM PDT

The MacBook butterfly keyboard issues feel like part of a never ending story, even after multiple attempts to improve the MacBook keyboards. Now, it appears the company may be close to putting the problems behind it entirely, as a report from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo obtained by MacRumors suggests the company will use a new keyboard design in 2020.

The new keyboard design will use a more traditional scissor switch mechanism, according to Kuo. He says, "there have been successful developments in the new scissor keyboard. The new keyboard could improve the typing experience by offering longer key travel and durability by adopting glass fiber to reinforce the keys' structure."

The longer key travel would likely means a higher-profile design than the existing butterfly keyboards, but Kuo believes "most users can't tell the difference." Kuo expects the newly designed keyboards to appear in MacBook Pro models in 2020, which means any new MacBooks in the works that come out before then could still be stuck with the butterfly keyboard.

Butterfly history becoming history

Apple's butterfly keyboard key switches have been plagued with problems since their introduction in 2016, more or less forcing Apple to apologize for the issue and even go so far as to offer a worldwide repair program. Over multiple generations of MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro laptops, the keyboards have been an issue. Even as the company has revised the design, problems have persisted.

The result for some MacBook owners has been unreliable typing experiences, as some keys would stop working while others could repeat keystrokes. That's not the kind of experience anyone would want to get from an expensive laptop.

For both Apple's and consumers' sake, a switch to a new keyboard design on MacBook models could be a very good thing.

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Getting up to speed with AI and Cybersecurity

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 01:52 PM PDT

The first computer virus

Many people are unaware that the first computer virus predates the public internet.

In 1971 Bob Thomas, an American IT academic wrote Creeper, the first computer program that could migrate across networks. It would travel between terminals on the ARPANET printing the message “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can”. Creeper was made self-replicating by fellow academic and email inventor, Ray Thomlinson, creating the first documented computer virus.

In order to contain Creeper, Thomlinson wrote Reaper, a program that would chase Creeper across the network and erase it – creating the world’s first antivirus cybersecurity solution.

 

How cybersecurity has developed

Back then it would have been hard to imagine how a virus as simple and harmless as Creeper could be the precursor to the development of destructive malware and ransomware such as ILOVEYOU and WannaCry.

Thankfully, modern cybersecurity has come a long way since Reaper. These days, any mention of cybersecurity will inevitably lead to discussion about artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) driven security solutions.

This is because the next generation of cybersecurity threats require agile and intelligent programs that can rapidly adapt to new and unforeseen attacks. AI and ML’s potential to meet this challenge certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by cybersecurity decision makers, the vast majority of which believe that AI is fundamental to the future of cybersecurity.

Yet despite the hype, many decision makers are still unsure about exactly how AI and ML powered security products work.


AI and cybersecurity

Recently “neural network” AI techniques have become extremely popular, fostering the perception that they’re shiny and new. Yet many are often surprised to learn that AI is not a new phenomenon.

AI is by no means the new kid on the block, neural networks have been around for more than half a century, and some of the first commercial neural networks for malware detection and destruction were developed over 20 years ago – protecting against floppy disk boot sectors viruses in the age of Windows 98.

 

Machine Learning techniques

Another thing that seems to come as a surprise is just how many different places ML is found helping protect systems. This might be due to people reacting to the “machine” part of ML. In reality, ML is just another form of learning from examples—a concept everyone can understand. So, whether it’s a human or machine that’s learning to perform a task, all that matters is the level of sophistication and expertise that results.

A good example is the predictive keyboard on your smartphone. It has a little machine learning engine in it that reads what you type and learns from your typing style to predict what you might say next—or at least what you intend to say next. As you feed it more and more text, it can more confidently and accurately learn what you personally say and how you say it.

The value is that you have your own non-human helper that can predict your speech. Instead of a predictive keyboard, if we feed the ML your typing, mousing and other activities, it can learn even more about your unique behavior, becoming an expert at recognizing you and your little idiosyncrasies.

Instead of text input, if you feed it malware - you have a malware detector. Feed it network attacks and you have an IDS. These and many variations are found in network and EPP products. It’s the first kind of application that many people think of for AI in cybersecurity, and it’s probably the most widespread and mature.

In practice, machine learning is far more complex than merely tasking a computer to solve a problem. As with Creeper and Reaper, the development of ML- and AI-based threat detection takes a high degree of understanding built upon experience as well as an innovative approach that is always a few steps ahead of the attackers.


Andrew Walenstein is the Director, Security Research and Development, BlackBerry Cylance.

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Smartphone displays could become more efficient with a new OLED technology

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 12:01 PM PDT

One of the biggest enemies of smartphone batteries are the phones' displays. They keep getting bigger, as demonstrated by the OnePlus 7 Pro's 6.67-inch display, and they need to be bright to be useful outdoors. That means even more energy use. But, a new OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology could increase brightness and energy efficiency, Phys Orgreports.

The new OLED technology is being developed by a team at the Departments of Physics and Chemistry at the Imperial College London. They're using a special development process that results in OLEDs that give off a polarized light.

So, what's that all mean? Displays often include filters to help reduce glare from outside light sources (like the sun). These make it easier to see the light coming from your device's display, but they also can keep a lot of the display's light from coming through. Any light that doesn't make it to your eyes is essentially wasted energy. 

By creating OLEDs that emit polarized light, the team at the Imperial College London can get the light from the OLEDs to pass through a polarized filter while external light sources will still get filtered by it.

What it means for you

For now, this won't mean much for the phones we have in our hands. Since it's still being researched, it's not likely to find its way into upcoming phones very soon. But, it could eventually reach consumer devices from phones and TVs to smartwatches and more.

When it does, it would result in brighter displays and improved energy efficiency. Displays would not need to use the same amount of energy to produce bright light since none of it would be filtered out. The new technology could almost double the efficiency of displays. And, that would mean much longer-lasting batteries for smartphones. 

Plenty of phones already get a full day of life, but that could go further. This technology has promise in more areas as well. Smartwatches don't have the freedom to pack large batteries, so any efficiency improvements would have a strong benefit. And, while OLED TV screens offer impressive contrast ratios, they don't always keep up with peak brightness of their LCD counterparts. The ability to have none of the light intensity lost to a polarized filter could give OLEDd displays a huge step forward in catching up. 

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Best content marketing tools of 2019

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 11:48 AM PDT

Marketing is at heart about communications, but communications requires a message, or content, that you can reach out to consumers with.

In the old days this could be as simple as a slogan on a poster, but these days with the profusion of digital media there are so many different ways to connect with a buying audience.

There are social media messages, video, blog posts and article features, as well as podcasts, image platforms, and even chat messages.

There is no longer a best way to reach an audience, simply many different ones, all with varying degrees of targeting, action, and success.

For example, while social media is often considered essential by businesses, they often don't realize that social media audiences are not in a transactive state of mind and so direct sales don't often work unless time-limited. However, as communication platforms for brand development social media can be very effective.

Alternatively, strong articles and other features can pre-sell your audience to buy into your brand, product range, or a particular product, especially if targeted at an already receptive audience.

Either way, the result is that modern marketing needs a good content marketing strategy, and that means being able to play to different audiences with different media, with different messages properly targeted toward them.

Here therefore are the best in content marketing tools, for helping get your message out there.

  • 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: Ion Interactive

Ion Interactive gives marketers a digital toolkit for getting their content online in a variety of formats. Think you need a team of developers every time you want to produce a new web page? Think again, as using Ion takes the back end out the equation.

Functioning as a kind of souped-up, user-friendly CMS (content management system), Ion offers up a host of customizable web page templates if you don’t want to start from scratch, plus data-based content formats like calculators, assessments, report cards, quizzes, interactive infographics, look-books, white papers and more.

Linking up with Ion also brings customized training and ongoing guidance from a dedicated customer services team, as well as best-practise webinars and access to support videos and articles to help build the expertise within your team. The package you adopt is scalable too, so if the content marketing remit expands and your organization takes to Ion well, you can easily expand your service. 

For such a feature-rich platform, the reporting and analytics tools are perhaps lacking a little depth, but it’s otherwise difficult to find pitfalls. You can get a quote on pricing via the link below. 

Image Credit: Uberflip

Producing content to attract business is one thing, doing it in an orderly manner to reach customers at every stage of the buying journey is another altogether – and that’s what Uberflip aims to do.  

Describing itself as ‘a content experience platform’, Uberflip aggregates all your content – from blogs and eBooks to videos, whitepapers and more – so you can manage and optimize a tailored content journey for clients.  

A key component is the ability to create content hubs, relevant to specific topics and audiences, which subsequently helps you distribute content faster and accelerate lead generation. 

To monitor and adapt your content marketing process, an analytics engine is built into the platform, but if you’re struggling to draw insights, Uberflip offers a wide range of useful tips and tricks to support your campaign. What’s more, the service’s customer support team is widely praised, should you run into any problems along the way.   

Image Credit: Inboundli

Aimed at B2B companies, Inboundli enables you to produce both in-house and third-party material to give your content marketing strategy a boost. The software promises to help organizations grow their reach, engagement, targeted audience and traffic, while saving time and budget in the process.  

Inboundli focuses on niche content needs and uses machine learning and predictive analytics to source the most relevant material from your industry. For those accustomed to the tricky, not to mention tedious trawl through news sites to uncover timely, insightful articles related to their niche, this tool will be a real blessing.  

On top of this is an optimized workflow feature for social media and blog publishing, competitor monitoring, and content research – helping to organize and centralise the various strands of an effective content marketing operation.  

Inboundli is effective and thorough, especially for those focusing on social media as a key channel for their content. Pricing starts at $199 per month.   

Image Credit: Populr

With speed and efficiency at its core, Populr challenges you to ‘create a page for anything in 5 minutes’. The service aims to empower marketing and sales teams with a toolkit that assembles web pages with the same ease as PowerPoint slides, removing the obligation of using developers.

Populr supplies a host of web template options to give a professional feel without the need to use a designer, while the automatic layout engine enables users to easily drag and drop items onto their own customized web pages. 

The platform then enables you distribute your assets via its share options – covering social media, email and more – while engagement trackers and analytics tools help you measure and refine your content.  

Other handy features include collaboration options so multiple users can edit a web page, customized branding allowing the easy upload of logos and fonts, plus password protection and encryption for added security.  

Price packages start from a reasonable $20 per month. 

Image Credit: Hubspot

Hubspot is a platform that provides a range of tools for content management, sales and marketing, and social media advertising. Hubspot goes way beyond simply setting up a website and editing its content, as much as delivering a wide-ranging toolkit to help improve conversions.

It does this by offering options for split testing, content hosting, communications within a sales team and with customers, along with goals and targets that can be tracked using Hubspot's analytics software.

There are also a number of additional integrations available, not least Salesforce, G Suite, and Microsoft Office. 

All in all, Hubspot probably isn't the best at any individual feature that it offers, but the comprehensive set that it does offer makes it a clear market leader, and the best at what it does.

Even better, there's a free tier for trying out Hubspot, with paid-for plans starting from $50 per month, though this does rise steeply for additional features to $800 per month for the Professional package.

Best of the rest 

Widen’s digital asset management (DAM) allows you to consolidate digital articles, images, videos and creative files into a central content hub, helping organizations analyse and adjust their digital content from anywhere around the world. 

Focusing on B2B, Influitive helps you leverage the power of influencers and supporters. It’s AdvocateHub is a marketing platform that helps you build relationships with advocates and create content through them to connect with customers. 

With Instapage, marketers are armed with a landing page builder, publishing tools, plus an optimization & analytics system to deliver personalized content to their customers. The landing pages, according to the platform, have scored an average conversion rate of over 22%.

With Marketing Cloud, software behemoth Adobe also has a content marketing platform to throw into the mix. It’s data-centric service helps you track your online marketing and website performance, as well as delivering search engine results from third-party sources. 

With a lean on sales, Lucidpress enables your team to centralize, create, and share content. From proposals and presentations to flyers and brochures, Lucidress helps sales and marketing staff to stay unified and on brand with their communications.   

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Many SMBs are running outdated operating systems

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 11:44 AM PDT

Cybercriminals are stepping up their efforts when it comes to targeting SMBs according to new research from Alert Logic.

In its new Critical Watch Report: SMB Threatscape 2019, the firm revealed that there has been a steady increase in attacks as well as changes in attack methods which target SMBs weaknesses in encryption, workload configuration, limited visibility into vulnerabilities and outdated operating systems.

To compile its report, Alert Logic's Threat Intelligence team analyzed over 1.3 petabytes of data, 10.2tn log messages, 2.8bn intrusion detection events and 8.2m verified security incidents across its customer base of more than 4,000 organizations. The teams also investigated emerging and evolving vulnerabilities and attack methods across the open internet to uncover several patterns that specifically affect SMBs.

One of the biggest takeaways from the report though, is the fact that 66 percent of SMB devices are running versions of Microsoft Widows that have either expired or will expire by January 2020. Of the devices scanned by Alert Logic, the majority of devices were running Windows versions that were more than 10 years old.

The firm also found that over 30 percent of SMB email servers operate on unsupported software. Email is the lifeblood of many organizations which is why Alert Logic found it so surprising that a third of the top email servers detected were running Exchange 2000 which has been unsupported for almost 10 years.

Encryption issues and vulnerabilities

The implementation of automatic patching has helped reduce the frequency of vulnerabilities but configurations still remain a major issue. According to Alert Logic's research, just 13 encryption-related configuration issues accounted for 42 percent of all security issues found.

The report also revealed that 75 per cent of unpatched vulnerabilities in the SMB space are more than one year old. While automated updates have improved software patching, organizations are still having difficulty keeping pace.

Senior vice president of product strategy and engineering at Alert Logic, Onkar Birk explained why the cybersecurity skills gap is putting SMBs at risk, saying:

"The continued lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals affects organizations of all sizes, and small and midsize businesses are at greater disadvantage because they can't scale like large organizations can. These organizations will greatly benefit from partnering with providers who can augment their limited teams with threat intelligence and experts to be more secure and compliant." 

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Best flowchart software of 2019

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 11:32 AM PDT

Flowchart software simplifies the process of creating flowcharts for developing ideas, workflows, or project designs, among other things.

While flowchart software may not sound like a priority investment, not only is it great for exploring business creativity and brainstorming, it's also likely to cost far less than a whiteboard.

Of course, not all flowchart software is the same, but the best will all share core features, such as basic templates and predefined objects.

Additionally, you'll probably also need it to allow for sharing and collaborative work, in order for teams to get the most of it.

We've therefore put together the ten best in flowchart software for you to look at.

  • 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: Cacoo

Business users often don’t work in isolation, and Cacoo by Nulab is a charting solution built to address that need, among others.

It’s an online tool that interfaces to a wide range of cloud services, including Google Drive/Docs, Confluence, Adobe Creative Cloud, Box and Dropbox. In addition to Cloud stored and distributed content, Cacoo also works with TypeTalk (another Nulab product) and Slack to enable an information flow that alerts other team members when a diagram is updated.

The number of templates might be less than other products, but it has all the critical ones like Network diagrams, organisational charts and floor plans.

The feature set makes it of the most use to systems designers, software engineers, project managers and business administrators.

Pricing is competitive, starting at $5 per month per user for a team of three people, when paid annually. Other pricing options are available for larger team groups if you contact Nulab directly. There are also educational plans for teachers and students.

There are also educational plans for teachers and students.

For those wishing to check out Cacoo, trials are available for 14 days, and there is a free plan that allows six diagrams to be created in it, with limited sharing options.

Image Credit: ConceptDraw

The ConceptDraw Office package combines three different products in a single suite of applications designed to enable business planning and enhance productivity. This includes dedicated software platforms to cover diagrams, mind-mapping, and project management. 

The ConceptDraw Diagram product is a highly versatile business graphics and diagramming product with thousands of stencils and hundreds of templates ready to use.

But for those that want greater flexibility, it is possible to design any stencil elements from scratch and incorporate them into a design. These custom elements can then use the tree and chain connecting modes available in the ConceptDraw Office software.

Fully compatible with Visio (stencils and drawings), ConceptDraw Diagram can be installed either to the Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac platforms, each costing $199 for a single license. 

However, if you want to buy into the while ConceptDraw Office package a license will cost you $499, which discounts all three main products (Diagram, Mind Mapping, and Project).

Five and ten user license packs are available with a user discount, and there are also discounts for teachers and students. A free trial is available for those wishing to try it out.

Image Credit: Creately

Where other tools rely on application installations, Creately is available online, as a desktop app and also on mobile platforms.

It’s not exclusively for Flowcharts either, as it can be used to produce a wide variety of diagrams including organisational charts and wireframes, Gantt charts, Infographics and even maps.

The available templates are extensive, and you can try it out online before you invest.

Online Creately costs just $5 per month or $49 per year for a single user, and cheaper-per-head team pricing is also available. The Creately Desktop is $75 with one year of updates included.

Image Credit: Draw.io

Let’s say it upfront: Draw.io is free. No, seriously. They develop and maintain it at no cost to the user. When you’ve recovered from that shock, you should know that it’s an online solution that can save your work to Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.

It can handle a wide range of schematics, including complex BPMN workflows, UML diagrams and general Flowcharts, along with mind maps and network infrastructures. The list of possibilities is so big that we chose not to list them all here.

So what is the catch? Well, if you use either Confluence or JIRA Cloud, then they’d like a subscription paid for that functionality. But it’s hardly expensive, being just 1$ per user per year.

Before you spend money on other solutions, it’s worth checking out Draw.io, if only to be amazed at what software tools you can get for free, and how good they can be.

Image Credit: Edge Diagrammer

Based in Arizona, Pacestar Software has four diagram design tools of which Edge Diagrammer is the most versatile.

Using Edge Diagrammer, you can easily generate block diagrams, flowcharts, org charts, family trees, data flow diagrams and many other standard diagrammatic forms.

In addition to the base functionality, Pacestar has some free extension packs that support an even wider range of different diagramming methodologies.

The limitations of this product are that it is exclusively Windows platform, although it has very minimal hardware requirements and will run on any full version of Windows from XP upwards. There is also a free to distribute Windows tool that allows anyone to view drawings created using Edge Diagrammer.

While this software is undoubtedly powerful and effective, it doesn’t take account of information flow or distribution within a large operation. Therefore if you intend to use this you’ll need to manage the files it creates with other tools.

A single user license is $149, and the more seats you purchase, the cheaper it gets per user.

For those wanting to try it out a thirty-day trial is available to download, and for that period you can experience full functionality.

Image Credit: Edraw

Another cross-platform option, Edraw Max, works on Windows, Mac and Linux natively.

Created by the Shenzen Edraw software company, Edraw Max was built to construct professional-looking flowcharts, organisational diagrams and has templates for 280 different diagram types.

If you have a specific need, you might not need all the power of Edraw Max, and the same company makes tailored tools for Mind Mapping, Infographics, Org Charts and nine other different specific diagram requirements.

In theory, Edraw Max can do any of these jobs, although users might find the scope and power of this tool a little daunting at first.

Those that get through an initially challenging learning curve report that once mastered this is a great application for creating professional looking schematics rapidly and efficiently. 

A single user license is $179 and includes free upgrades for three years on Windows and Mac. Pay a little more and you can get a lifetime license with indefinite upgrades, or you can pay $99 per year for a subscription.

Multi-user discounts are also available, as they are for educational users.

Image Credit: Gliffy

This product has many parallels with Draw.io, in that it also supports Confluence and JIRA Cloud, but Gliffy is also working on a proprietary Cloud solution to be launched soon, called Gliffy Project.

Gliffy Diagram is available now and provides a straightforward tool for creating a very wide variety of chart types online or within Confluence. It also stores created charts into Google Drive, should you use that those Cloud services.

Pricing is $7.99 per month for a single user, but this unit cost reduces to $4.99 per user for team members. Multi-user licenses also include additional groupware functionality.

For Enterprise customers pricing is less per-person structured, and Gliffy provides an integrated solution that can dovetail into existing business processes.

One nice twist on this online software tool is that you can install a Chrome version that can work offline, should an Internet connection not be available.

What this product lacks is much in the way of object customisation, although it scores highly on ease of use and a gentle learning curve.

Image Credit: Lucid Software

According to Lucid Software, they have over 11 million users. Strongly suggesting that this is not a niche solution, but a highly popular one.

Lucid is one of the few tools that covers Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OSX and various Linux distributions by default, admittedly by being an online app rather than natively.

For those who need workflow integration, Lucidchart supports Confluence, JIRA and JIVE, along with the Google Cloud and apps and Microsoft Visio compatibility.

There is a free trial that isn’t time limited. Instead, diagrams are restricted to a maximum of 60 objects, sufficient to explore its potential.

Licensing starts at $4.95 per month for a Home user, and ‘Pro’ Business users pay $9.95 per month, both paid on annual subscriptions. Pro users get the ability to import and export to Visio, and dynamically link data into their charts for the extra money.

There are also Team versions with groupware and Enterprise options, all at extra cost.

Lucid convinced Amazon, Adobe, DocuSign, Cisco, Red Hat and Wells Fargo to be customers. And, it might be right for your business, too.

Image Credit: Microsoft

When most people think about flow charts, they almost immediately think of Visio, although the product is capable of creating all manner of diagrams quickly and efficiently.

It was one of the first products with smart drawing tools, and today it retains the ability for the tool to intelligently restructure a drawing as the user moves objects around.

The obvious big selling point of Visio is that its part of the Office 365 suite, and therefore designed to integrate with the other Office tools seamlessly.

Microsoft offers four different options with Visio; two online, and another two that are standalone Windows applications.

Visio Standard 2016 and Professional 2016 are the installable apps, and they retail for $375 and $709 respectively. As you might guess, that high pricing is intended to encourage you to subscribe to the online versions, labelled Visio Plan 1 and Visio Plan 2.

Plan 1 is pitched at $5 per user/month and is purely an online version, where Plan 2 costs $15 per user/month. And with that you also get online and Visio 2016 Professional app, and access to better mobile tools, and a Visio Viewer for iOS.

These prices are if you subscribe annually, with month-by-month pricing being a little higher.

For those already using Office 365, many of the existing packages include the online version of Visio. And, you can try that for free on Microsoft’s Office online website.

Image Credit: SmartDraw

Like Lucid, SmartDraw can name an impressive list of blue-chip companies that are license holders since the company started in 1994. These include at least half of the Fortune 500 quoted businesses and more than 250,000 public and private enterprises across the globe.

The SmartDraw product can be used online or as a standalone Windows application. It supports the creation of no less than seventy chart types, including all the standard ones.

There more exotic templates include those for documenting a crime scene, landscape gardening, seating plan and even accident reconstruction. 

For those working as part of a team, it supports Confluence, JIRA, Trello and Google’s GSuite. And, it’s fully compatible with Visio, able to import and export diagrams and stencils with Microsoft’s application.

The Windows Desktop offers a single user license for $297 and multi-user 5+ licenses from $595.  The online version is just $9.95 per month for one user, and $5.95 per user/month for 5+, both billed annually.

The multi-user packages have extra functionality that allows licenses to be managed and can also control the sharing of SmartDraw data with other users.

Most of the sophistication of SmartDraw is in the templates and not the application. Therefore it might be more suitable for those who make many simple charts, and not those involved in the creation of very complex diagrams.

What to look for when choosing flowchart software

Although designers might use these tools, the majority of people creating flowcharts aren’t classically trained graphic designers. Therefore, they need a tool that assumes no artistic abilities but can generate professional looking results rapidly.

There is a fine balance between an application giving the operator the power to do whatever they want and funnelling their efforts in the direction of ultimate success.

The way that most software handles this delicate balance is to offer the user templates that avoid them using too many fonts, or trying to cram too many elements into a design.

If the operator has graphical skills, these restrictions might seem a hindrance, but to the less confident, they can be exactly the structural support these folks need.

These are the key aspects that you might want to consider before purchasing a flowchart solution:

  • Templates: How many does the application have, and are any of them tailored to your specific needs (coding, game logic, command structures, etc)?
  • Objects: Almost all software will have a selection of predefined objects, and the number and quality of these should be assessed. If the graphical elements that you specifically need aren’t in the library, the ability to define your own will be very important.
  • Groupware: As important as the creation of a diagram might be, getting it distributed and centrally updated is also critical. Some applications can enable multiple people to work on the same design, which might be useful when documenting an especially complicated process.
  • Trial: Some of these tools can be expensive or require ongoing licensing, so it is useful to test a trial version before investing company cash.

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Best cloud office suite of 2019

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 11:13 AM PDT

The world has become mobile. No longer are we expected to work only from clumsy desktops - now we can work from wherever we are, using cell phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

Software has developed with the hardware. Mobile apps have given rise to a profusion of services run from the cloud. These are simple and easy to download, install, and update. 

The user has become empowered with the ability to work wherever they are, wherever they like, and this is made all the more clear by the range of office software available that now runs from the cloud.

Whether it's for home or business use, you can now create, edit, even collaborate, on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, on the go if needed. Even better, not only are the documents you work on saved in the cloud, as a safe backup option, but older versions of the same documents are also commonly saved, making it easier to recover previous notes as required.

Here we list some of the biggest and best, and most powerful, cloud office suites that are currently available. There are familiar names listed, such as Microsoft and Apple, as you would expect, but also other feature-rich products that are also worth considering as you move to working in the cloud.

  • 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. 

Microsoft Office 365

Image Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft Office 365 is a line of subscription services offered by Microsoft. It was launched in 2011.

It is comprised of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and OneDrive amongst others.

Subscribers receive 1TB of storage through OneDrive. Users can share files with others. You can control who edits each file and how long they have access to it.  

OneDrive includes multi-party video sharing, content sharing, shared calendars and team chat.

Subscribers also have access to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Users do not need to download these applications. They are readily accessible online through a subscription.

Microsoft Office for Home is priced at $9.99 per month and includes up to five computers.

‘Office 365 Business’ is $10 per month per user. The ‘Premium’ tier is $15 per month and includes Exchange, SharePoint, Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams.

G Suite

Image Credit: Google

G Suite is a brand of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools developed by Google. It was first launched in 2006.

The software is made up of Docs, Sheets and Slides as part of Google’s cloud office suite. It also includes Gmail, calendar and hangouts.

Users can upload their own documents, spreadsheets and presentations for customizing their own office templates.  

Users can create documents in your browser with Google Docs. It allows multiple users to work at the same time. Users can view other users edits as they type. You can also communicate through built-in chat and insert comments. Users can export in most formats such as .docx, .pdf, .odt, .rtf, .html and .txt. All changes are saved. Previous versions of your documents are kept indefinitely at no extra cost.

Google Sheets enables users to view their spreadsheets through charts and pivot tables. Users can work on Sheets even when they are offline. Sheets is compatible with other formats such as Microsoft Excel.

Users can work and collaborate on presentations with multiple users using Slides. Admins get to control who can edit, view or add comments. There are multiple presentations to choose form or users can create their own presentations from scratch.

The ‘Basic’ package is $5 per user per month and includes 30GB of storage.  

The ‘Business’ package is $10 per month per user and comes with unlimited storage and archiving.

The ‘Enterprise’ plan is $25 per month per user and offers advanced controls and capabilities.  

Online users have complained that the functionality of Sheets and Docs is not as broad as online versions of Word and Excel.

Image Credit: Zoho

Zoho Workplace is an online suite of office tools, with a large variety of different applications for different and specific tasks. Like Microsoft Office, many of these can also run individually as standalone apps on a mobile device.

Workplace provides the core office suite you'd expect, with Writer, Sheet, and Show, respectively covering documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

There is also a set of specific collaboration tools, not least for documents, as well as training and conferencing options for text, voice, or video.

On top of that there are also tools for email, communications, and project management through Zoho Mail, Cliq, and Connect.

If that wasn't enough, there are also individual apps available for each of these tools through the Apple AppStore and Google Play store.

The best news of all is that Zoho Workplace is free to use for up to 5 users, with 5GB of storage space available for each user. 

Paid-for plans are available for larger teams. The Standard plan costs $3 per user per month, when prepaid for a year, which offers 30GB of space. 

The Professional plans adds more space and more advanced tools from $6 per month when paid for annually. 

Image Credit: OnlyOffice

OnlyOffice is an open source office suite developed by Ascensio Systems SIA who are based in Riga, Latvia. It is available in over 22 languages and boasts Oracle as one of their leading clients.

The free tier, known as the 'Community Edition' is most suited for small business and allows up to 20 connections at once. This suite does not just offer the usual features such as word processing or spreadsheets but is very useful for order fulfilment and for documenting sales.

The handy calendar feature allows users to keep up to date with personal and work-related tasks as well as keeping an eye on deadlines. Third party integration is also supported. You can create your own Mailboxes with the 'Mail' tool.

As with other office suites you can create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Users can collaborate on projects and make comments in files where necessary.

Users have reported that support can be hard to find and that the online chat forum community that is used to provide help can be tricky to navigate.

Image Credit: Apple

iWork is Apple's own office suite. It consists of Pages, Keynote and Numbers. The suite is eclusive to macOS but there are versions on the cloud that can be enjoyed by users of other platforms.

There are three separate apps, each for word processing, preparing presentations and for creating spreadsheets. Numbers, Apple's spreadsheet software, shows a blank canvas on launch, rather than a daunting grid view. It’s very easy to add images, tables and charts as you go. 

The word processor, Pages, is very simple and is perfect for straight forward documents. It is not inundated with layers of options that exist within MS Word. Pages also allows users to collaborate on their work and has now added a feature that supports EPUB which can be created and shared to iBooks. 

The presentation app, Keynote, has been referred to as the better alternative to PowerPoint by online users as it is straight forward and easy to use. It creates beautiful presentations without the hassle that can be associated with PowerPoint.

MS Office may not be able to open iWork created documents but all iWork applications can export formats that are compatible with other suites.

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AMD's Ryzen 9 3900X seen overclocked to 4.5GHz in benchmark

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 11:05 AM PDT

AMD's new lineup of Ryzen 3000 processors are already making waves with their impressive core counts, affordable price points, and benchmark performance. And, that's all from the processors as they come out of the box, but a Tweet from the dependable hardware leaker @Tum_Apisak shows the Ryzen 9 3900X processor pushed to an incredibly 4.5GHz base clock.

For reference, the base specs of the Ryzen 9 3900X has it sitting at a 3.8GHz base clock and 4.6GHz max boost clock. While there's already plenty of power available at those frequencies, an overclock to 4.5GHz on all cores would make the Ryzen 9 3900X a performance beast.

When considering that leaked Geekbench benchmarks have already shown the Ryzen 7 3700X beating the Intel Core i9-9900K in multi-core results 34,059 to 33,173, the Ryzen 9 3900X with more cores boosted to an even higher clock speed would stand to trounce Intel's Core i9-9900K while costing only a hair more.

Not your typical overclock

Given the Ryzen 7 3700X was seen beating the near-priced competition from Intel in multi-core benchmarks, it stands to reason that AMD's higher-end CPUs will take it even further. Single-core workloads may still lag behind though, as they did in the case of the previously mentioned match-up. But, overclocking can help there. 

However, there are no details on how the 4.5GHz overclock was accomplished on the Ryzen 9 3900X. And, it's highly unlikely it was done simply with the stock Wraith Prism cooler that AMD includes in the package. Responding to another Twitter user's question about whether water or some other cooling method was used to achieve the overclock, Tum_Apisak was uncertain.

The Ryzen 9 3950X was recently overclocked to 5GHz across all 16 cores, breaking records in the process. But, that was achieved using liquid nitrogen to cool it, and that's not a realistic option for PC builders.

When the Ryzen 9 3900X launches on July 7, we'll likely get to see more practical builds that include overclocking to see what the CPU is capable of in realistic settings.

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Superhuman says it will disable read receipts after complaints

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 10:37 AM PDT

Following controversy over its use of tracking pixels that enabled users to see when and where recipients opened their emails, email startup Superhuman is making changes to its service to better protect user privacy and safety.

According to the company's CEO Rahul Vohra, the service will stop tracking the location of its users and will turn off read receipts by default. It will also delete any existing location information still in its possession.

In a blog post, Vohra explained that he had a change of heart in regard to location tracking, saying:

“I have come to understand that there are indeed nightmare scenarios involving location tracking. I should note that we deliberately do not show cities — we only show states or countries — but a determined attacker could still misuse this information.”

Tracking pixels

Superhuman's use of tracking pixels was first exposed in a blog post by former Twitter vice president of design Mike Davidson. He explained how the startup's read receipt feature is less of a feature and more of an invasion of privacy, saying:

“It is disappointing then that one of the most hyped new email clients, Superhuman, has decided to embed hidden tracking pixels inside of the emails its customers send out. Superhuman calls this feature “Read Receipts” and turns it on by default for its customers, without the consent of its recipients. You’ve heard the term “Read Receipts” before, so you have most likely been conditioned to believe it’s a simple “Read/Unread” status that people can opt out of. With Superhuman, it is not.”

Tracking pixels are tiny images that are embedded in emails or websites. When loaded, they ping the image server they're hosted on and send all of the information required to download them such as a device's IP address and time of download back to the server.

Superhuman is not the only company using tracking pixels as they are actually widespread in the email industry. While Vohra is making changes to the way his service uses them, they aren't going away as they have become a must have in the prosumer email market. Instead he is calling on the industry as a whole to reach a consensus on how much user information will be tracked:

“I therefore think that we, as an industry, should agree to the level of information that we track and show in our products. If one of us creates something new, and that innovation becomes popular, then market dynamics will pull us all in that direction. This is how we ended up with location tracking inside of Superhuman, MixMax, Yesware, Streak, and many others — not to mention nearly every CRM and marketing automation platform.”

Via The Verge

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PlayStation VR 2: all the latest PSVR 2 rumors

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 10:14 AM PDT

With the PS4 and PS4 Pro life-cycles officially reaching their ends, and Sony confirming PS5 details, we can't help but wonder what Sony has in store as a successor to PlayStation VR. Could it be PSVR 2? 

Sony did technically release a second PSVR headset back in 2017: the CUH-ZVR2 added HDR compatibility, integrated headphones and a smaller connective cord. But, the true PSVR 2.0 will feature a much greater jump in specs that will take advantage of next-gen hardware to up its resolution, pixel quality and refresh rate.

The main question is, will the PlayStation VR 2 simply improve on its predecessor’s visuals, or will it add features like 6DoF tracking or even go wireless to compete with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive?

We’ve got the latest rumors and industry insider info on what the PlayStation VR 2 could look like, its likely release date, potential backwards compatibility and much more.

PSVR 2

Moss on PSVR. (Image credit: Sony)

Cut to the chase

  • What is is? The next version of PlayStation VR
  • When is it out? Potentially 2020 or 2021 to coincide with the PS5 release
  • How much will it cost? TBC - probably around the PSVR's $499 launch price 

PSVR 2 release date

It’s almost certain that PSVR 2 will work exclusively with the PlayStation 5, but we probably won't be seeing the next-generation PlayStation until at least mid-2020. 

With no official word yet on a PlayStation 5 release date it's difficult to pin down exactly when we might get to see a PS5 console or the PSVR 2 - although Sony has confirmed we won't see the PS5 in 2019.

If Sony mostly allocates its manpower to PS5 production, then the PSVR 2 could launch much later than the console’s release date - perhaps a year or more. PlayStation VR launched three years after the PS4, after all.

PSVR 2

PSVR (Image credit: Sony)

However, Siliconera spotted two new filings relating to Sony's virtual reality headset which could point to the sort of experiences the company is planning for the future. The pair were filed in 2017 and 2018 respectively, suggesting that (if they've been pursued by Sony) they could soon bear fruit.

The first relates to live events. Sony's patent describes a scenario where a user is in attendance at a real world location, such as a sports stadium, with the headset "anchoring" them "to a physical location in the venue". 

They'd be surrounded by real-world attendees, letting them watch the event as if they were actually there. It sounds similar to other live VR applications, like Next VR, Melody VR or Oculus Venues.

More interesting, then, is the second application. This one speaks of turning buddies from your PSN games list into spectators of your games as you play. So, rather than generic NPC crowds in the stands of a FIFA match or along the track of a Gran Turismo race, your friends could chose to have an avatar representation of themselves turn up in your game.

These avatars could be true to life, or any sort of stylized representation they choose to submit. They could either choose to spectate in real-time in virtual reality, or show their support through a "pre-programmed" clip.

The fact Sony has already applied for these patents suggests PSVR 2 could be closer than we thought...

PSVR 2

Astro Bot Rescue Mission on PSVR. (Image credit: Sony)

PSVR 2 news and rumors

PlayStation VR 2 could fuel the future of Gran Turismo
In a roundable interview with GT Planet, Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi revealed that, when it comes to harnessing the power of next-gen consoles, Polyphony Digital's focus is primarily on VR. 

“The first thing that’s going to be affected by more power is VR,” Yamauchi told GT Planet. “I don’t think that there’s anything else that requires that much processing power. I really like VR; I’m one to believe in the possibilities of it, and it’s very suited for a driving game.”

As Gran Turismo is a PlayStation exclusive series, it's likely that the future of the racing franchise will be fuelled by PlayStation VR and its likely successor: PlayStation VR 2. 

While Sony hasn't officially confirmed that PSVR 2 is in development, Yamauchi's comments suggest that the company will be leaning into VR in a big way when it comes to the upcoming PS5.

“VR is something that really depends on the evolution of GPU power, and the hardware for it, like display devices even," Yamauchi continued. "It’s something where you can never have enough computing power; there’s always going to be that hardware limit, and that limit is never going to be high enough for us! Obviously that’s going to gradually improve over time and we’ll make sure to follow that.”

PSVR 2

Gran Turismo Sport (Image credit: Polyphony Digital)

Current PSVR headsets will work with the PS5
The first details about the PS5 landed in early 2019, bringing with them confirmation that your current PlayStation VR headset will work with the next-gen console.

Speaking to Wired, Mark Cerny (lead system architect at Sony working on the upcoming console) confirmed that all existing versions of the PlayStation VR will be compatible with the next-gen console.

Whether there will be a new PlayStation VR 2 at launch is currently unclear. Cerny said, “I won't go into the details of our VR strategy today." 

While he didn't say that Sony won't be updating its virtual reality headset at the launch of the next-gen console, he was swift to clarify that it's worth buying an existing PSVR if you haven't already got one.

He also said, "VR is very important to us and the current PSVR headset is compatible with the new console.”

Backwards compatible
Games for the PlayStation 4 are set to be backwards compatible with the PlayStation 5 too, so we can expect that you'll be able to switch your existing PSVR catalogue over to the next console.

Good news for glasses wearers?
According to published patent (spotted by Upload VR), Sony is working on "prescription glasses with eye gaze tracking and electro optical signaling to a HMD". 

These Sony developed prescription glasses would be custom-designed for the wearer and gaze would be able to be detected by the VR headset via an encoded sensor. In other words, glasses-wearers could use VR much easier. We don't expect these glasses to come cheap, but the implementation of eye gaze software does mean we can probably expect it to arrive in the PSVR 2...

PSVR 2 price

The current PlayStation VR starter bundle retails for $200 / £259 / AU$420, but this affordable cost came after several price drops.

The original price for a full bundle, $499 (£399, about AU$650), could give us a good idea of what Sony will charge for the PSVR 2 headset. 

Of course, this new headset will have some potentially expensive tech to go with the PS5’s increased potential. 

Japan Display (JDI), a LCD manufacturer co-run by Sony, recently unveiled its 3.2-inch, 1,001 pixels-per-inch (ppi) displays with 2160 x 2432 resolution. PSVR currently uses 386 ppi and 1920 x 1080 resolution for its one 5.7-inch screen. 

PSVR 2

How pixel density can improve the VR experience. (Image credit: JDI)

Adding better display quality, as well as doubling the screen count, could jump up the price.

Currently, the only somewhat “next-gen” VR headset on the market is the HTC Vive Pro, which retails for $800, £800 or around AU$1,045. Depending on the PSVR 2’s hardware, Sony could choose to list it as a premium device. 

But, that would likely go against its brand of offering an affordable entry into VR. We’re hopeful Sony will avoid pricing all but the wealthiest among us out of VR.

We also spotted a patent for upgraded motion-control wands with finger tracking and haptic feedback. 

Higher-cost bundles of PSVR 2 may very well include these controllers for VR experiences that a DualShock controller can’t provide. 

PSVR 2

The PS4 Pro will be over four years old by early 2021. (Image credit: Sony)

Why be a PlayStation 5 exclusive?

PlayStation 4 owners (especially Pro owners) might be a bit peeved when they discover they can’t make PSVR 2 work on their consoles. 

But, it could be Sony’s only option to make its second headset feel truly next-gen. 

We tested out PSVR on the PS4 and compared the graphical quality to the Pro. In “Pro Mode”, we spotted minor improvements in textures, graininess and lag reduction. Ultimately, though, the difference didn’t feel that momentous. 

While the PS4 Pro certainly packs a punch, it may not have the capacity to support VR with the higher resolution and pixel density that Sony’s new JDI displays enable. 

The PSVR 2 could demand processing power that last-gen consoles simply can’t match. 

The PlayStation 5 will use the newest AMD Ryzen CPU and updated Radeon graphics, an upgrade from the AMD Jaguar CPU of the PS4 and Pro. Sony could have trouble making its new headset compatible with two separate graphics systems. 

All the updated hardware, design and accessories

The most concrete info we have on what PSVR 2 could be capable of comes from JDI’s announcement of its 3.2-inch display with 1,001ppi and 2160 x 2432 resolution. 

JDI claims that this display will reduce latency to 2.2msec (compared to >18msec today), allow for 120Hz (same as the PSVR 1), and demand less processing power to achieve better image quality—potentially unlocking a lighter, smaller design for the headset. 

The upgraded AMD Ryzen chip that Sony is implementing in the PS5 could certainly achieve the processing power necessary to support these displays. 

PSVR 2

Credit: AMD

Sony, which uses JDI’s screens for its smartphones, will very likely rely on these upgraded displays for its new headset. Considering we already found the PSVR 1’s design comfortable for long playing periods, this could make its heir apparent even more enjoyable to use. 

Of course, if the PlayStation VR 2 does go with dual displays, this will make the graphical demand for the headset much more difficult to achieve. For example, if Sony wanted 4K VR, then the PS5 would need to be capable of 8K streaming - which it will be. 

We do suspect that the PSVR 2 could go wireless, considering Sony prioritized cutting down the size and weight of the cord that connects the headset to the console in its PSVR 1 upgrade, it’s clear the company sees it as disruptive, even annoying. Removing it entirely is the logical next step. 

By doing so, Sony will also make it easier to support room tracking for PSVR 2. Oculus and HTC have supported 6DoF tracking for experiences for a couple of years now, and it’s one of the primary areas in which PSVR falls short of its competition. 

The PlayStation Camera does track your head and controller movements as you play while seated, but can’t keep track if you move around, and our reviewers found that it frequently lost track of the controller even while motionless. 

Adding support for room tracking will only help Sony in increasing the size of its game library, as it will support more experiences that rely on wandering around a room. 

Of course, this could mean that the new PSVR 2 bundle will include a couple of room sensors to augment the Camera’s tracking. 

PSVR 2

Most first-gen VR bundles came with the camera included, but none included 6DoF tracking sensors. (Image credit: Sony)

However, Sony could instead take the route that Lenovo did with the Mirage Solo headset, which adds WorldSense tracking tech inside of the headset itself. Reducing the number of peripherals could make the experience less onerous to set up. 

We also suspect that Sony has plans to double down on Move controllers. A patent shows that it wants to compete with the Oculus Touch and Vive controller by adding improved tracking functionality to its Move wands. 

PSVR 2

(Image credit: Sony)

Sony’s most promising idea is its “reaction force generator”, which would have portions of the Move wand expand or contract based on whatever the user is currently “holding” in-game. 

This tech could make experiences feel more immersive than before, without having to give up on controllers entirely (see: Oculus’ haptic gloves). 

In addition, according to another published patent (spotted by Upload VR), Sony is working on "prescription glasses with eye gaze tracking and electro optical signaling to a HMD". 

These Sony developed prescription glasses would be custom-designed for the wearer and gaze would be able to be detected by the VR headset via an encoded sensor. In other words, glasses-wearers could use VR much easier. We don't expect these glasses to come cheap, but the implementation of eye gaze software does mean we can probably expect it to arrive in the PSVR 2. 

PSVR 2: just what the VR industry needs?

As we've mentioned, PlayStation VR hasn't met Sony's sales expectations, but its sales are nothing to sneeze at compared to the high-end VR headset competition, but Sony had expected the entire VR market to grow. 

Instead, Sony likely worries that VR will stay too niche to make the profits the company once hoped for. Kodera said Sony would have a more “realistic outlook” on what kind of future sales it can expect. 

Kodera’s statement implies that Sony remains committed to producing more VR devices. Unfortunately, the tepid VR market could mean Sony invests less time and money into future VR experiences. 

But, ideally, the PlayStation VR 2 and other next-gen headsets with better specs and fewer cords could revitalize the market and keep Sony fully on board with VR.

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PS5: all the games, specs, news, and rumors for Sony’s Playstation 5

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 09:39 AM PDT

The next PlayStation console is on its way, and it's set to a bigger, better and more powerful gaming machine than any PlayStation before it. Whether it ends up being called the PS5, PlayStation 5, or otherwise is anyone's guess – but now we know for sure that the console is coming.

We heard from Mark Cerny, the chief architect on Sony's next-generation console, that Sony was working on the successor to the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro, with a few choice details about what we could expect from its hardware. 

The PS5 will still play discs, for one – but as to the exact hardware specifications, and how it will link up with Sony and Microsoft's plans for game streaming, we're still largely in the dark.

Sony made the tactical decision to skip out on E3 2019 this year, and while Microsoft is busy showing off more of the Xbox Scarlett – which we know is landing at the end of 2020 – Sony has been a bit more quiet about its upcoming gaming console.

But with the release date getting closer, Sony can only keep the finer details of the next-generation PlayStation so secret – and between the rumored specs, likely next-gen titles, and official features we are aware of, there's plenty for us to occupy for now. 

Here's everything we know about the PS5 so far, and what we hope will be revealed the closer we get to launch.

[Update: The PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games, according to Sony's CEO.]

  • PS5 games: all the games confirmed and expected 

PS5: FAQ

  • What is it? The Sony PS5 will be the next-gen PlayStation console, replacing the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro.
  • When will it release? Not before mid-2020, but that's all we know for now.
  • What can I play on it? Nothing's confirmed yet, but expect all of Sony's big franchises – as well as in-development exclusives like Death Stranding and Ghosts of Tsushima.
  • Will PS5 have VR? Oh yes. The next-gen console will be compatible with current PSVR hardware.
  • What will the PS5 cost? The PS4 and PS4 Pro were both $399 / £349 at launch, but we expect the PS5 will cost somewhat more.

PS5 confirmed specs: things we know for sure

PS5

Death Stranding (Image Credit: Kojima Productions)

A bespoke 8-core AMD chipset based on third generation Ryzen architecture, with a GPU taking the best bits of the Radeon Navi GPU family; a built-for-purpose SSD storage system; 3D audio; backwards compatibility with PS4 games and PSVR hardware; 8K TV support. It's all been revealed by PlayStation top-dog Mark Cerny, the man behind the construction of the PS4, and now in charge of the next-gen console's development.

While the look of the console remains a mystery, its internals are coming into focus, and they're very promising. That AMD one-two-punch of CPU and GPU unlocks the powers of ray tracing, an advanced lighting technique that can bring next-level immersion to gaming visuals. It's a Hollywood technique that's used in big-budget CGI spectacles, putting into context the level of visual fidelity you can expect.

With 8K TV support comes far more detailed textures, and much larger ones at that. The news of a bespoke SSD drive will be heartening then – just because the games will be becoming more complex, that doesn't mean they'll be slower to load too. It's estimated that the new SSD is 19 times faster than traditional SSD storage methods.

Audio will reach a new "gold standard" on PS5 too, according to Cerny, thanks to a new audio engine that will deliver immersive sound – particularly if you're using headphones. While the details remain unclear, expect something resembling the experience seen with a Dolby Atmos set-up.

PS5

Ghost of Tsushima (Image Credit: SuckerPunch)

Sony's PS5 next-generation console will also offer improved cloud gaming performance and "dramatically improved graphics rendering" power.

That's the word straight from the company itself, as it showed off a sneak peak during a corporate strategy presentation.

In a statement sent out following the presentation, Sony said the "two keywords for the future direction of PlayStation are 'immersive' and 'seamless'", with the 'immersive' experience "created by dramatically increased graphics rendering speeds, achieved through the employment of further improved computational power and a customized ultra-fast, broadband SSD".

The company also reinforced the importance of its cloud-gaming plans with Playstation Now, and somewhat surprisingly doubled down on its underused Remote Play feature, saying the "evolution" of this would in the future "provide a seamless game experience anytime, anywhere".

Remote Play is already available as part of the PS4 package, enabling you to stream a game direct from the console to a computer, smartphone, tablet or PS Vita handheld console. But Sony says that going forward it will be "leveraging the latest computing, streaming, cloud, and 5G technologies" to allow it, and the performance of PlayStation Now, to improve.

Sony also showed off a demo of the custom SSD storage system that will be employed in its next-gen machine, again hammering home how it expects super-fast load times to improve the player experience:

It appears to be the same demo that PlayStation hardware architect Mark Cerny revealed back in April, with Sony suggesting then that the SSD in use is 19 times faster than a standard issue one. In fact, a patent from Sony describes a type of loading software designed to essentially do away with loading screens altogether.

The meeting comes off the back of two key pieces of the puzzle for the PS5 being revealed – firstly, that the next-gen machine will make use of a third-generation, 8-core AMD Ryzen CPU built with 7-nanometer Zen 2 microarchitecture, alongside a customized Radeon Navi GPU capable of ray tracing, and a surprising partnership with Microsoft to bolster the PlayStation Now cloud infrastructure.

Sony has also confirmed the PS5's 'incredibly powerful' backwards compatibility will let you play online with PS4 players.

There have also been rumors that the PS5 could be backwards compatible with the PS4, PS3, PS2, and original PlayStation, meaning its games library could stretch right back to the glory days of the mid 90s. The PS4 element of that rumor is now confirmed, as well as PSVR support. Sony has also confirmed that PS5 players will be able to play online with PS4 players thanks to this powerful backwards compatibility. 

When it comes to the rest of Sony's vintage catalog? That remains to be seen.

PS5

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Image Credit: Naughty Dog)

Despite releasing some details on specs and features, Sony remains tight-lipped about some specific plans for the PS5: the PlayStation 5 release date remains a mystery, for instance. 2019 has been ruled out, but it will definitely be revealed in the coming months, thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment's President and CEO Shawn Layden confirming as much in an interview with Golem.de. In addition, Sony president Kenichiro Yoshida had also previously confirmed the company is working on a next-generation console in an interview with the Financial Times. It's been four years in the making already.

Back in May, Sony Interactive CEO John Kodera revealed to the Wall Street Journal that the PlayStation 5 would not be releasing until at least 2021. That now seems a reasonable guess, debuking a report from Ace Securities that claimed the PS5 could release as soon as Christmas 2019 - earlier than the Xbox Two.

PS5 release date

PS5

Sony PlayStation 4 (Image credit: Sony)

With no official word yet on a PlayStation 5 release date it's difficult to pin down exactly when we might get to see a PS5 console.

Some analysts are predicting the PlayStation 5 release date could be around 2020 or 2021, for example, while others say 2019 – so just the three-year window, then. With 2019 now ruled out by the Wired interview, 2020 seemed the most realistic launch window.

However Tech reporter Takahishi Mochizuki revealed details of a transcribed conversation during Sony's latest earnings call, which specified that "no next-gen PlayStation [would] launch over next 12 months." 

That means we won't be seeing the console before mid-2020. That rules out the rest of 2019 and the first half of 2020, with the usual holiday-schedule release for Sony's console systems (October / November) making late 2020 the most likely bet.

PS5 competition

PS5

PS4 dashboard (Image credit: Sony)

Although we're hideously impatient for news of a PlayStation 5 release date, we can't fault Sony for taking another few years to really milk the last of the PS4, given its huge and loyal player base. After all, the PS4 Pro is still relatively new to the market and its direct competitor, the Microsoft's Xbox One X, is an even more recent release. 

It looks like Microsoft will release its next-generation console before Sony, which will give the next Xbox the edge on its competition. However, Sony taking longer to develop the PS5 may result in it being more successful long-term.

In addition to the next Xbox, the PS5 will also have to contend with the Google Stadia – a streaming-focused gaming service from the kings of the internet. With streaming undoubtedly set to be a key component of any console going forward (and Sony's cloud streaming patent already being leaked), Google's expertise in internet infrastructure could make them a dark horse entrant into the gaming race.

But Sony and Microsoft may end up eating their own offerings if appetite for streaming renders powerful home consoles somewhat redundant.

PS5 news and rumors

PS5

God of War (Image credit: Sony)

Solid news on the PlayStation 5 is starting to come into shape, but as always, we do have rumors about what could be coming down the line – and we've collected and assessed them right here.

PS5 could mark the end of loading screens after Sony patent
A patent from Sony describes a type of loading software designed to essentially put an end to loading screens.

Sony's patent, 'System and method for dynamically loading game software for smooth game play' outlines a technology that tracks the player's movement through their environment, loading relevant assets as you move into certain areas. 

The patent describes the process as follows: 

“A system and method are disclosed for dynamically loading game software for smooth game play. A load boundary associated with a game environment is identified. A position of a character in the game environment is then monitored. Instructions corresponding to a next game environment are loaded into a memory when the character crosses the load boundary, such that game play is not interrupted."

Technically this patent is a continuation of a previous patent filed in 2012, but with added functions for when a player / character passes the aforesaid "load boundary". Those might be additional events triggered when passing certain points, certain sections of game environments being visible despite not being adjacent areas, or previous areas being loaded again when back-tracking through the boundary.

This seems like a version of the technology used in games like God of War, which famously achieved a continuous camera shot throughout the whole game, without loading screens. 

Using dynamic ways to load or remove sections of levels, including the kinds of character, creature or enemy assets found there, is going to be increasingly crucial for ensuring an immersive experience that isn't regularly interrupted – ensuring that loading is something that happens dynamically in the background of your games rather than at set points that render the game unable to do anything else.

PS5

Image credit: Insomniac Games

PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games
Indie games may take a bit of a backseat on the PlayStation 5 at launch as Sony has  stated that the company will invest in marketing for bigger AAA games, new features like 8K and focus on ‘serious gamers’.

The comments were reportedly made by Sony Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida at a strategy meeting according to The Wall Street Journal. 

According to Yoshida, instead of prioritizing indie developers, Sony will instead prioritize marketing for AAA content which will likely be key for the company to maintain its momentum after outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One two-to-one over the last five years.

Sony's cloud streaming patent
According to a recently accepted United States Patent and Trademark Office patent (spotted Digital Trends) filed by Sony back in 2014, the company is working on a "system for combining recorded application state with application streaming interactive video output". 

In other words, a cloud gaming service which could rival the Google Stadia (or a cloud streaming new Xbox) and could potentially launch with the PS5.

Players would be able to stream a game through a hosting server. So if you have a device that connects to the internet, be that a mobile device, console, or PC, you can connect to that server and the game you're wanting to play will be streamed to your monitor or screen, allowing can play using your preferred input device. Imagine Netflix for gaming. 

Rather than downloading a game, it is instead streamed directly to your device and you would play real-time, cutting the need to delete games to make storage room on your device and reducing the hardware requirements - although you wouldn't technically own the title.

PS5

A diagram illustrating how the streaming service would work, included in Sony's patent (Image credit: Sony/ United States Patent and Trademark Office) 

Sony also points out that this cloud gaming service would benefit game developers as the service would prevent piracy (as the games exist only on the server) and developers would be able to design games to specifically utilize the service's capabilities. 

But how would player's pay for this service? Sony details two particular models in its patent. The first would see Sony itself collecting a subscription fee from users, then paying royalties to the developers. The second sees the developers themselves collecting a subscription fee from players, then paying Sony a fee for using the hosting service. However, neither model specified a price range. 

We expect Sony would implement this cloud gaming service alongside the PlayStation 5, although the company hasn't specified if this is the case.

The next Xbox will be more powerful than the PS5 – say industry insiders
According to a tweet by reporter Ainsley Bowden (via T3),  "very reliable" sources for Xbox and Microsoft information have confirmed Microsoft's flagship next generation console (codenamed the 'Xbox Anaconda') will be more powerful than the PS5.

Check out the tweet below:

Bowden's claim hasn't been confirmed, so it's worth taking it with a pinch of salt. However when asked by a speculative Twitter user about the sources of this information, Bowden replied that the informants "have been accurate for years on leaks". 

PS5

The Last of Us: Part 2 (Image credit: Naughty Dog)

Patent suggests backwards compatibility – now confirmed
According to a newly-uncovered patent, the PlayStation 5 may be capable of emulating the PlayStation 4, PS3, PS2 and original PlayStation, aka the PSX as well as souped up next-gen titles. Mark Cerny's interview has now confirmed that, at the very least, PS4 and existing PSVR titles will work across generations and backwards compatibility will allow PS4 and PS5 players to play online together.

Kenichiro Yoshida confirms next-gen
In an interview with the Financial Times, Sony president and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said: “At this point, what I can say is it’s necessary to have a next-generation hardware."

PS5 game development is in full swing
Daniel Ahmad, analyst with Niko Partners, has been in discussions with sources at first party Sony development houses, and believes that PS5 games are now the sole focus for the majority of in-house Sony teams. With dev kits in the wild, this makes a lot of sense – but Ahmad states also that the PS4 line-up has been secured for the time being too. Looking at the PS4 back catalogue, don't be surprised then if there ends up being plenty of cross-generational PS4-to-PS5 titles, too.

John Kodera talks life cycles
PlayStation's John Kodera has been discussing the future of the PS4 at a Sony Corporate Strategy Meeting and, by extension, inadvertently creating space for prospective PS5 release year rumors.

During the meeting, Kodera made it clear that Sony is still very much behind the console but warned that sales are expected to slow, in line with expectations as market saturation approaches. As a console gets to this point in its lifecycle, it's natural to start looking forward to the next iteration. 

Kodera stated that the time passing from now until 2021 would be a period where Sony would hunker down – which suggests that a new big idea could be around the corner. Perhaps 2021 will be the time to expect the PS5?

No E3 2018 appearance – and no E3 2019 showcase either
E3 2018 has come and gone with no mention of the PS5 during the event. Instead, Sony offered up deep dives into four big games: Death Stranding, Spider-Man, The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima. Only Spider-Man has since released, opening the possibility for the others to jump to PS5. As for E3 2019, Sony has confirmed it won't be attending, so if the PS5 is to appear before 2020, it'll be at a Sony-exclusive event.

PS5

Cyberpunk 2077 (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Eurogamer tech analysis
A recent report from Eurogamer has attempted to narrow down a possible release date based on when technologies advanced enough to justify a generational leap will be available to Sony. The most important things that will need to advance will be the console's processor and its memory and in both cases, Eurogamer has determined that we're unlikely to see a new console released before the very end of 2019. Given the potentially-transformational technogies Mark Cerny has outlined, a release date beyond 2019 seems most sensible.

Even if Sony did manage to push its console out more quickly, the cost of production would make the PS5 far too expensive, making it more likely that we won't see the console released until the end of 2020, if Sony has any intention of making it an appealing proposition. 

Andrew House talks the next generation
Former Sony chief, Andrew House, has been speaking about what the next generation of consoles could look like at the GamesBeat conference recently. Though House refused to comment specifically on the PlayStation 5 itself, he did say that he believes physical discs will stick around for a while yet, as a result of the need to continue tapping into developing markets where downloadable titles may not be quite as compatible with limited internet infrastructure. Mark Cerny has since confirmed that physical media will indeed continue to be supported by the new PlayStation. 

In other markets, however, he thinks that streaming games will be a big part of the next generation of consoles - something which looks to be true considering Sony's leaked cloud gaming patent and the Google Stadia.

House also stated that he thinks the PS4 and the PS4 Pro still have a long life in them yet. With the PS5 confirmed to be backwards-compatible with PS4 then the PS4 generation will remain relevant long into the lifecycle of the PS5. 

The SemiAcccurate report
SemiAccurate (via ResetEra) is claiming that it's received some leaked information on the yet-to-be-announced console and says that the number of dev kits which have been distributed suggests the console could be released sooner than expected. 

In addition to this, SemiAccurate also reports that Sony will use this console to push its VR efforts even further, with VR-tech baked in at the Silicon level, and will sport a GPU based on AMD's Navi architecture with a CPU that's potentially a custom item from AMD's Zen line. The Navi rumors have since been confirmed by Cerny, with the Sony guru also confirming that PSVR will work with the new machine.

PS5

PS4 on stage (Image credit: TechRadar)

The PlayStation Plus news
An announcement in relation to the PlayStation Plus service ignited some speculation. It was announced that from March 2019, PS Plus will no longer offer free PS3 or PS Vita games and will instead focus on PS4 titles. This has led to some wondering over whether or not Sony is attempting to phase out these older generation titles in preparation for a new generation. 

This is, of course, pure speculation but it's interesting that Sony would be willing to reduce its game offering to only two games (as it informed Polygon) without any other excuse than wishing to focus on titles for an already highly successful console. Whether Sony is truly making way for the PS5 or whether it's going to offer a higher quality of PS4 game is unclear and it seems we'll have to wait a while to find out what the final plan for PS Plus is.

What the analyst says...

PS5

DualShock 4 controller (Image credit: Sony)

We spoke to Matias Rodriguez, VP of technology for the Gaming Studio at Globant, about what it will take for Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles to get the lead on the competition and, at this point, whether the next Xbox or PS5 looks to be more powerful.

He told us: “While hardware advantages such as CPU and GPU are often criteria people look at when it comes to the business and sales performance of a console, more telling signs of the performance of a console include software SDKs, bindings to game engines (such as Unity and Unreal), and, most importantly, the toolchain that allows gaming studios and publishers to build content for the console’s platform.

“Given this, and how statistically speaking, Xbox and PlayStation have taken turns being the reigning-supreme console, I predict Microsoft will take the lead this time.”

But what are the key factors in the next-gen console war? Rodriguez gave us a rundown of the attributes he believes will sway players’ preferences when it comes to picking up one of the consoles.

God of War (Image Credit: SIE)

Exclusives
“The first key evaluation criteria consumers consider when they are in the market for a new console is exclusives,” says Rodriguez. “Currently, Sony is the clear leader in this area with exclusives such as God of War and Uncharted. Microsoft fell short with Forza, Sea of Thieves and Halo Wars 2, but has acknowledged the shortcoming; and Phil Spencer, executive vice-president of gaming at Microsoft, went on a crusade to bring top first-party studios into the Xbox ecosystem. 

“His crusade proved successful with the addition of Obsidian and Ninja Theory studio – preparing Microsoft for next-gen consoles. It was also revealed that Microsoft will be delivering the new Halo game, Halo Infinite, which is expected to outperform and replace the current Halo that is on the esports ecosystem.” 

Currently Halo Infinite is one of the only first-party titles from Microsoft that we're expecting on the next Xbox (apart from perhaps Gears 5), and, while the series is definitely a huge draw to fans, it may not be enough to sway PlayStation players towards the next Xbox. 

Meanwhile the PS5 is offering the possibility of The Last of Us: Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding as exclusives on its next-generation console. When it comes to exclusives, Sony seems to have the edge.

PS5

Death Stranding (Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Backwards compatibility
“This is where Microsoft has the advantage over PlayStation in the current generation, due to its native support and not having streaming as a requirement,” says Rodriguez. “PlayStation acknowledged Microsoft’s advantage and Mark Cerny, lead architect at Sony, has already teased that the next-gen PlayStation will be able to support more than next-gen games, though specifics haven’t been disclosed. 

“Microsoft already has the current functionality for back compatibility, and seems to be partnering with Nintendo to deliver Xbox content to the Switch platform, which is assumed to be streamed.”

Microsoft definitely has the upper hand when it comes to backwards compatibility. As Rodriguez points out, Microsoft already has backwards compatibility integrated, allowing Xbox players to play select Xbox 360 titles, and will no doubt implement the same strategy in making the next Xbox compatible with Xbox One titles. 

While Sony has said the PS5 will be backwards-compatible with the PS4, it still lacks the ability (as far as we know) to let us play PlayStation or PlayStation 2 titles – something which would go down a treat with players. Whether this is something Sony plans on allowing in the future is unclear, but it doesn’t seem likely right now.

Cross-platform / progression
“Microsoft has been more publicly open when it comes to allowing cross-platform and cross-progression on their titles between Xbox and PC,” Rodriguez explains. “Additionally, there have been announcements around streaming into the Nintendo Switch which could give Microsoft a leg up over PlayStation.”

It’s no secret that Sony isn’t a fan of cross-platform – the only titles which actually allow for full cross-platform play between PlayStation and other consoles are Rocket League and Fortnite. Despite Sony claiming it’s “open for business”, some developers have accused Sony of “playing favorites” (via Kotaku). Whether or not Sony is going to ease up on its cross-play restrictions isn’t clear, but mounting pressure from fans and developers may sway the company in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is pretty open to cross-platform play, allowing play between Xbox One and PC, Switch and even mobile in some cases. For players who love playing online with friends (without the restrictions of which platform that friend may be playing on) then cross-platform could be an important factor in choosing a next-generation console. Get with the times, Sony.

PS5

Th evolution of Tomb Raider (Image credit: Sony)

Cloud game streaming
“Both Sony and Microsoft have platforms and services in place to support cloud game streaming, so the advantage will come in the form of exclusive content and accessibility,” Rodriguez tells us. “In regard to exclusives and in terms of delivery mechanisms, both Microsoft and Sony have solid distribution channels, but it seems that Microsoft may have an advantage over Sony by delivering to Nintendo Switch consumers – representing potential access to millions of players that most likely have a PC or Xbox at home.”

While Microsoft does seem to be going digital with its disc-less Xbox One S All-Digital (and rumors of a disc-less next-gen console), Sony has just had a patent approved for a cloud gaming service that could rival both the Google Stadia and next Xbox. We don’t know much more about this streaming service from Sony (or whether it’ll launch alongside the PS5) but if it does then it will be a game-changer, and will potentially prevent the Stadia having the edge over its competition.

Developer relationship / dev environment
“This has been a key element for success for Microsoft as they work to make sure that Xbox development is aligned with game PC Development,” Rodriguex explains. “This area was a huge learning curve for Sony with its PS3, and as a result the PS4 has improved significantly in its dev environment. It’s expected that Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo will continue providing a solid development environment, as well as an indie-friendly publishing ecosystem.”

Arguably, Microsoft is the most friendly of the gaming giants when it comes to indie titles. The ID@Xbox program allows indie developers to self-publish titles for Windows and the Xbox One, and it’s likely the program will continue into the next-generation (or some form of it at least). In addition, Microsoft titles tend to run across both PC and Xbox One, making life easier for devs. 

If Sony can kick it up a notch and get the PS5 onto a PC level (which seems to be the case), then the platform may become more hospitable to devs and players alike.

PS5: Can we have proper 4K gaming?

PS5

PS4 games (Image credit: Sony)

The PS4 Pro offers a tantalising hint of what 4K gaming could be like. But the stark fact remains: it still doesn’t have the grunt to do native 4K consistently. 

Its “checkerboard” technique of taking single pixels and using each to render four pixels in 4K resolution is clever, and it can do native 4K output, but it often has to sacrifice resolution to keep performance consistent. 

Chris Kingsley, CTO and co-founder of developer Rebellion, dangles an even more ambitious technological carrot in front of a putative PS5: “Obviously new hardware should be able to support 4K TVs and possibly even 8K TVs at a push!” 

Native 4K support will be a basic requirement of the PlayStation 5. And, thanks to the Mark Cerny's confirmation, 8K will be supported in some form too.

But 4K base-line visuals won't be all – it's been confirmed that the new console will support ray-tracing graphical capabilities. The past two GDC events gave us a glimpse of what the next generation of games might look like using the technology, and it's left us extremely excited for the PS5.

Real-time ray tracing was revealed to be the next big thing in rendering while Epic Games gave us a taste of how it might be used to create the most lifelike characters ever. Using its capture technology, the Unreal Engine creator displayed a future with character models so realistic they bring us close to crossing the uncanny valley. Watch a performance from Andy Serkis below to see just how capable these new development technologies are:

“Honestly, between five and ten years from now, I don't think you're going to be able to tell the difference between the real and the virtual world,” Epic CTO Kim Libreri told GamesIndustry.biz, “You'll see hardware that can support these kinds of capabilities pretty shortly, and then, finally, the greatest blockbuster with the most complicated effects, within ten years, you'll be able to do that in real-time.”

PS5: The VR effect

Sony became the first console manufacturer to embrace virtual reality, thanks to the PlayStation VR, but if you examine PlayStation VR closely – and observe how it operates on the PS4 Pro – it invites speculation about how a PlayStation 5 console might take VR to a new level. Sony's Mark Cerny has confirmed that existing PSVR headsets will work with the next-generation PlayStation console, but wouldn't be drawn into confirming a PSVR 2 release just yet.

Currently, PlayStation VR operates at lower resolution than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive – but, as it stands, even its current incarnation almost pushes the base PlayStation 4 beyond its limits. Running a PlayStation VR on a PS4 Pro brings improved frame-rates, which are very handy indeed in terms of the overall VR experience, but even the PS4 Pro can’t overcome the resolution constraints set by the PlayStation VR headset.

Sony will want to return to the market with a second, markedly higher-tech iteration of PlayStation VR

So it’s a good bet that, seeing as PlayStation VR has proved incredibly successful, Sony will want to return to the market with a second, markedly higher-tech iteration: which would provide an obvious selling point for the PlayStation 5. 

And if a PlayStation VR 2 headset could be sold without an external black box, it should be markedly cheaper, further accelerating VR’s march into the mainstream. A recent report from SemiAcccurate, which claims that the PS5 will have virtual reality capabilities built-in at silicon level, suggests this will indeed be the case – a feature that was hinted at by Cerny, too.

PS5

PlayStation VR (Image credit: Sony)

Rebellion’s Kingsley makes another good point about second-generation VR. “Anything that reduces the leads has to be a good thing,” he says. 

The umbilical cord which currently attaches VR headset-wearers to their consoles or PCs obviously goes against VR’s entire immersive nature, and we’re already beginning to see, for example, a third-party implementation for the HTC Vive that renders it wireless. Oculus is pushing the wire-free space forward to with its Oculus Go and Oculus Quest hardware. It’s a safe bet that the capacity for running a wireless PlayStation VR 2 will be built into the PS5. 

But Kingsley’s PlayStation VR 2 wish-list goes further: “Wide vertical and horizontal field-of-view would be top of my list, and of course, that would require 4K resolution per eye, and high dynamic range would be great too.” 

HDR and wider fields of view should be achievable but sadly, we don’t reckon full 4K VR is likely to be a possibility even for the PS5. As Kingsley points out, that would require 4K rendering per eye, which equates to 8K rendering overall, which we expect to be beyond the PS5’s capabilities. 

That said, perhaps Sony will find some clever technological bodge to get around that before it releases its fifth PlayStation console. Foveated rendering techniques, using eye tracking to render only the items you're focussing on in high definition while other elements are reduced in quality, could be one potential technique used.

In addition, according to published patent (spotted by Upload VR), Sony is working on "prescription glasses with eye gaze tracking and electro optical signaling to a HMD". 

These Sony developed prescription glasses would be custom-designed for the wearer and gaze would be able to be detected by the VR headset via an encoded sensor. In other words, glasses-wearers could use VR much easier. We don't expect these glasses to come cheap, but the implementation of eye gaze software does mean we can probably expect it to arrive in the PSVR 2...

PS5

Gran Turismo Sport (Image credit: Polyphony Digital)

While most of what we 'know' about Sony's next-generation VR is speculation and rumor, we do know that one developer is already thinking about what it would do with the power of PS5 VR. 

In a roundable interview with GT Planet, Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi revealed that, when it comes to harnessing the power of next-gen consoles, developer Polyphony Digital's focus is primarily on VR. 

“The first thing that’s going to be affected by more power is VR,” Yamauchi told GT Planet. “I don’t think that there’s anything else that requires that much processing power. I really like VR; I’m one to believe in the possibilities of it, and it’s very suited for a driving game.”

As Gran Turismo is a PlayStation exclusive series, it's likely that the future of the racing franchise will be fuelled by PlayStation VR and its likely successor: PlayStation VR 2. 

While Sony hasn't officially confirmed that PSVR 2 is in development, Yamauchi's comments suggest that the company will be leaning into VR in a big way when it comes to the upcoming PS5.

“VR is something that really depends on the evolution of GPU power, and the hardware for it, like display devices even," Yamauchi continued. "It’s something where you can never have enough computing power; there’s always going to be that hardware limit, and that limit is never going to be high enough for us! Obviously that’s going to gradually improve over time and we’ll make sure to follow that.”

Ratchet and Clank

Ratchet and Clank (Image credit: Sony)

What form will the PS5 take?

It has been suggested that future consoles like the PlayStation 5 could take radically different forms to current ones, thanks to advances in cloud computing and game streaming, doing away with the components that make today's devices so bulky. However, we reckon it's unlikely that Sony will take a more Nintendo-like approach and put the PS5 in a tiny box.

One reason for that is that with the PS4, Sony has only just committed to using what are basically the innards of a PC – the first three PlayStation variants used proprietary components (and which in the PS3 impacted sales). Developers, certainly, were massively relieved that the PS4 took the PC route. 

"We always want fast CPUs and GPUs, but lots of fast RAM is also very important – it's no use having fast processors if they are starved of data."

Chris Kingsley

“Developers want the ability to make the best games using the minimum amount of effort. We want to focus on being creative and getting things to just work,” Kingsley says. “So the hardware should be based around current console hardware, which is in turn based on PC hardware. We always want fast CPUs and GPUs, but lots of fast RAM is also very important – it’s no use having fast processors if they are starved of data.” 

All the above are achievable, but will the PS5 still have a hard disk? It certainly will – but not the sort that you know currently. Sony has confirmed it will be employing a bespoke solid state drive in each PS5, allowing it to decrease loading times by an estimated 19 times compared to existing SSD technology.

PS5

PlayStation Now (Image credit: Sony)

PS5 and streaming games

Of course, if games were just streamed to the PS5 that high-res texture storage problem would disappear entirely, and Sony already has a game-streaming service in the form of PlayStation Now. However, we do know that Sony has a patent for a "system for combining recorded application state with application streaming interactive video output" (aka a cloud gaming service).

There would be nothing to stop Sony launching a small form-factor cloud-based version of the console for those with mega-fast broadband

One of the biggest issues here remains around broadband speeds. Even 4K TV requires a minimum of 25Mbps broadband in order to provide satisfactory streaming, and it’s doubtful whether 4K game streaming – with extra information on top of the visual side – would even work reliably at such speeds. There would be nothing to stop Sony launching a small form-factor cloud-based version of the PS5 console for those with mega-fast broadband, perhaps with a mobile phone-style subscription model that has an upfront hardware costs (something Microsoft is thinking about). 

But for the PS5 to sell anything like its predecessors, there would have to be a conventional version with similar innards to the PS4, which going from the Cerny interview appears to be the case.

PS5

Uncharted (Image credit: Naughty Dog)

PS5: optical discs or not?

The rise of downloadable games, which continue to eat into the physical disc market, means that pundits have been predicting that consoles will go discless for about a decade now. However, PS5 won’t be the first system to risk venturing down that road, with physical media still confirmed to be supported.

Sony has taken a lot of (justifiable) flak for not putting a 4K Blu-ray drive in the PS4 Pro – making it a less attractive purchase for film and TV buffs than the Xbox One S or the Xbox One X.

Surveys continue to show that gamers are still attached to the possibility of buying games on physical discs – not least because they can then sell them (a practice that the games industry hates), and keep hard disk space usage at a manageable level.

If Sony were to axe the Blu-ray drive from the PS5, gamers would expect several terabytes of storage in compensation. 

Kingsley gives a developer’s view on the topic: “I think the days of delivering films and games via disc are on the decline, as most people are going digital; however, some people like physical discs, so who knows  whether that decline will level out and remain present but at a lower level than now?”

Download figures have been on the rise over the last year but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen has said that he thinks consoles and disc drives will continue to stick around.

“Consoles and disc drives probably stay around for a long period of time [...] I think it's the consumer deciding what's the easiest way for them to buy a game.

“And it may mean they no longer have a store down the street from them so they decide to buy it [digitally] maybe it's easier for them to do.”

PS5

PlayStation 4 hardware (Image credit: TechRadar)

What games can we expect to see on PS5?

The entire PS4 library, including PSVR games, will be supported by the PS5. That much is known. But there are now games being developed specifically for this new PlayStation 5 console generation and the extra power it's likely to offer.

Already we've seen CD Projekt Red mention that it's developing for this generation as well as the next, and alongside the rumors that there are already developers kits out in the open, we think there's a good chance that Cyberpunk 2077 will be one of the early PS5 titles. Likewise, a knowing glance from Cerny during his Wired interview pointed towards Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding being a cross-generation title, too.

At this point, any first-party PS4 game in the pipeline – from Ghost of Tsushima to The Last of Us 2, would be prime candidates for PS5 cross-gen upgrades. We've also heard enough chatter around a Horizon Zero Dawn sequel and new God of War game to assume we'll be seeing both land on the PS5 console.

Sony has also confirmed the PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games in an effort to focus on "serious gamers".

  • PS5 games: all the games confirmed and expected on the PlayStation 5

Check out our PS4 vs PS4:PSVR compared and explained video below.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Sony appears to register three new cameras

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 09:31 AM PDT

Is the Sony A7S III finally on its way? News of three cameras being registered for wireless certification has once again fueled speculation that Sony's long-awaited full-frame mirrorless camera is on the way.

Of the raft of ways in which information on new cameras can leak out, details on bodies being registered for wireless functionality is as common as it is tricky to decipher. 

With typically only product codes that bear no resemblance to a camera's ultimate name to go on, together with Wi-Fi and occasionally battery details, quite what's coming is, to a large degree, anyone's guess.

Yet, if trusty camera-leaking website Nokishita is to be believed, we'll shortly be seeing a number of fresh interchangeable-lens cameras from the Japanese giant, in addition to a Cyber-shot compact and possibly even a lens. 

On its Twitter account, Nokishita claims "up to" four interchangeable-lens cameras and one compact will be released, the product codes for three of these being WW594724, WW716189 and WW246025. 

These have been registered for 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and and Bluetooth, although this doesn't give us any further clues as to what we should expect, as most cameras across all classes now have both on board.

Will we finally get a 35mm f/1.8 too?

Nokishita has also recently stated that Sony would be adding a new 35mm f/1.8 lens to its lens stable, with the product name SEL35F18F. While it doesn't back this up with further information, the lens's absence from Sony's current lineup has been frequently noted, so its release would make a lot of sense.

Sony does currently offer a 35mm f/1.8 lens for its APS-C-based mirrorless cameras, although it doesn't carry one that satisfies the dimensions of a full-frame sensor. This is in contrast with Canon and Nikon, who each announced such an optic for their respective EOS R and Z lines at the launch of those lines.

Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM

Canon's RF lens line, for its EOS R and EOS RP bodies, already counts a 35mm f/1.8 lens, the RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM, as a member

The Sony A7S II was announced almost four years ago, and its replacement has been anticipated for some time – Sony has updated both its A7 and A7R lines with third-generation models, namely the A7 III and A7R III.

Rumors of a second-generation A9 model, possibly called the Sony A9 II, have also been circulating, particularly with the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo just a year away, although Sony did recently give its existing A9 model a boost with new firmware.

While speculation of a new Cyber-shot model will make many think of a new addition to the popular RX10 and RX100 lines, it's entirely possible that a new model would belong to one of the company's other Cyber-shot ranges, such as the WX and HX superzoom lines.

The company's most recent releases were in the shape of two lenses, the Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS and Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The 35 best indie games on PC and consoles

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 09:31 AM PDT

Update: Added Outward and A Plague Tale: Innocence

The best PC games with cash to splash are quickly evolving, but so are the best indie games you may have never heard of. 

One of the best things about our best indie games list is that most of these more obscure titles, unlike AAA game publishers, don’t try to squeeze you out of every penny any chance they get. Free from corporate influence and constant badgering for your money, the best indie games represent the pure artistic vision of the developers – most ideally experienced on one of the best gaming PCs.

However, just because the best indie games don’t make a lot of money, doesn’t mean they can’t keep up with the latest AAA hits in scope and ambition. In fact, the opposite is true: the best indie games can easily contend with or even exceed mainstream games in both quality and scope – becoming artistic masterpieces in the process. And, they don’t have to rely on tired tropes just to sell millions of copies, like their AAA counterparts.

This is all exciting stuff, and if you want to dive into the best indie games, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list all the best indie games on the PC market today. We’ve included both in vogue indies like Return of the Obra Dinn and Outward, alongside classic titles like Braid and Dwarf Fortress. And, don’t worry, we’re going to keep this list updated with all the latest and greatest indie hits. 

If you’re looking for the next great indie title, keep reading.

Linux, Windows or Mac - which one is best for you? Watch our guide video below:

Michelle Rae Uy, Bill Thomas, Joe Osborne, Kane Fulton and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article

Though it’s not out yet, with Double Fine promising it’ll be out ‘soonish’. Still, Ooblets is staying on our radar. Ooblets is being developed by first-time studio Glumberland, and is backed by Double Fine. The game is described as some kind of combo between Pokemon, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, which has certainly captured our attention – and it should probably capture yours, too. The game combines an art style oddly reminiscent of post-apocalyptic sensation, Adventure Time, with gameplay that revolves around gathering creatures called ooblets in the town of, uh, Oob. 

In the game, you’ll be able to train and battle your ooblets against other ooblet trainers. At the same time, you’ll have to balance your ooblet training with the real-world responsibilities of being a farmer. That’s right, drawing influence from the likes of Stardew Valley, you can cultivate produce and decorate your house with various trimmings as well. You’ll also be able to join an Ooblet Club comprised of friends (NPCs) you’ll meet along the way. 

If you don’t know what to do in Ooblets, you can just walk around and discover new shops and buildings that suit your interest. Better yet, you can open up your own shop and sell produce that you’ve grown yourself on the farm, as well as items that you’ve scavenged throughout the world. Otherwise, you can feed the leftover crops to your ooblets to watch them level up and learn new techniques to be used in the turn-based, RPG-style battles.

Expected: ‘Soonish’

Jonathan Blow's masterpiece first appears to be a simple pastiche of Super Mario Bros, with a middle-aged curmudgeon replacing the titular plumber but still seeking to rescue a princess.

The longer you spend in the game, however, the more that’s revealed to you, progressing from a series of time-bending puzzles to quiet reflective texts. But that doesn’t stop it from being the smartest puzzle game since SpaceChem. Blow himself has subtly hinted that the ultimate story may revolve around the atomic bomb.

First released as PC freeware by Japanese designer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya back in 2004 after five years of 100% solo development, Cave Story predates the recent indie renaissance by a few years. Because of when and how it was first released, it's often omitted in indie gaming discussions.

However, this classic more than deserves to be on every best-of list, and not only for its loving homage to the classic action platforming games of the Super Nintendo era. It also boasts incredible music and a breathlessly vibrant world, not to mention, the hugely intuitive controls as well as gobs of secrets and weapons that are simply too fun to use. If you've yet to enjoy this one, you need to put it at the top of your list already.

From family-owned and operated Studio MDHR, Cuphead has resonated with millions of people around the world, many of whom normally wouldn’t touch a run-and-gun platformer with a ten-foot pole.

Although its gameplay was inspired by classic games such as Mega Man and Contra, most gamers will likely compare it to a Fleischer Studios cartoon like Betty Boop. Because Cuphead employs a hand-drawn art style likened to a 1930s animation, it’s been universally praised for its gorgeous visuals.

Cuphead is more than just its stunning visuals, however. It’s a series of 19 challenging and engaging bosses, with platforming bits interspersed between them. It already made our list of the best indie games, but then Studio MDHR has announced that the Cuphead: the Delicious Last Course DLC, slated for 2019, will include a new isle to explore, new bosses to conquer and, most importantly, a new character to master.

This dark and moody action-adventure stealth game by Asobo Studio is beautifully haunting, already making our best indie games list even though it’s only been released in May 2019. 

Set in the 1340s during the Black Death pandemic in the French countryside, you’re Amicia, a young noble girl whose parents were killed by the Inquisition and who now must travel through battlefields and villages with her brother Hugo to find a cure for his mysterious ailment. Along the way, you must scare away ravenous rats as well as stun (or kill) guards and hostile villagers with your sling and special ammunition supplies.

Despite the ghastliness and rawness of the Middle Ages and the Plague, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a complete stunner and a game who almost never want to end.

Among the hardcore gamers we know, Spelunky is the go-to drug. Even today, several years after its release, some of them still play it every day, despite having completed it many times over. That's because this ostensibly rogue-like platformer with a definite end is tough, varied and highly randomized.

It also has more dark secrets than a presidential candidate, meaning there are a number of ways to finish it, and its daily challenges are a sure-fire way to public humiliation.

Does humor belong in video games? Well, according to the Stanley Parable, that’s a resounding ‘yes’. This game is hilarious without being dumbed down. Players follow (or don’t) a very British narrator who changes the world around you, based on your choices.

No choice is punished, and every playthrough will be fresh with new humor and weird goings-on. Being trapped in the closet in The Stanley Parable is more moving and funny than the majority of other games, indie and otherwise.

If you missed out on this ironic gem back when it first launched, you’ll be happy to know that the developer announced the Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe edition for 2019, touting fresh content, more endings and a console release. This Ultra Deluxe edition actually sounds pretty tempting, even for us – and we played it a whole lot when it first came out.

It took more than nine years to make, but Owlboy is definitely worth the wait. Originally designed for PCs and released in late 2016, this clever indie game masterpiece is now available to experience on Mac and Linux as well – and there’s even a Nintendo Switch version! Owlboy revolves around a race of owl-human hybrid characters called, aptly enough, Owls. Of them, you control Otis, an Owl who is censured by his mentor for his inept flying skills.

The story sees Otis’ village destroyed by pirates who clearly have conflict with the Owls. As a result, Otis has to work with an assortment of villagers in-game to take out enemies. Of course, before the boss battles arise, you’ll need to manage allies accordingly, as each character comes with their own set of unique skill sets to use in conjunction with one another. If you’ve ever played and enjoyed a Kid Icarus game, this is one for the books. Otherwise, play it anyway.

Similar to The Stanley Parable, Gone Home falls into the unofficially labeled ‘walking simulator’ genre. Where it diverts from the clever and philosophical Stanley Parable, however, is its focus on life’s difficult realities, as opposed to light humor.

After coming home to your childhood house following an overseas visit, you play as 21-year-old Kaitlin Greenbriar who is greeted by an empty house. While gameplay is basically limited to scavenging through notes to find out where your family is, the gripping story is extremely emotional and compelling, as long as you keep an open mind. After all this time, Gone Home still stands out as one of the best indie games out there.

Only SpaceChem has mixed learning with entertainment as successfully as The Kerbal Space Program. The game is simple - design and build a spacecraft to take the cutesy Kerbals to the Mun and beyond.

Yet its intelligent use of real physics means that you'll find yourself following NASA as you’re building multi-stage rockets and space stations as well as exploring the Kerbal's strange universe on EVAs, before bringing your discoveries back for research on the Kerbal planet - that's if you can get off the ground at all. It's a huge, complex, challenging and fun game that manages to be super smart without being preachy.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is the exact opposite of something like Kerbal Space Program – it’s an action roguelike par excellence. You play as a young boy forced to kill his damned siblings, mother and possibly the Devil, using only your tears, which he shoots from his eyes, naturally. This indie games is matched only by the equally visceral Nuclear Throne.

With dozens of weird items to collect, endless procedurally-generated levels and many secrets, the Binding of Isaac is a very dark take on the exploratory model established by Spelunky.

Don’t let its pixel art graphics put you off – Undertale isn’t a game that would have fit on the Super Nintendo. That’s because, in Undertale, the decisions you make have a huge impact on how the game ends and, more importantly, how it continues in New Game Plus.

While playing Undertale, you’ll realize just how much freedom the game gives you. Despite its highly inspired, not to mention intense, boss matches, you’ll be able to make it through the entire nine or so hours of Undertale as a total pacifist, if you choose to. Plus, when you go through the game a second time, you’ll bear the weight of the consequences from your previous run. What’s even better is, now Undertale is out on the Nintendo Switch, so you can take this masterpiece of game design wherever you go.

From developer Playdead, Inside is comparable to its predecessor, Limbo, in some ways, only with an added layer of depth that often inspires wonder. This is mostly a result of the unspoken narrative, which revolves around yet another nameless boy. In Inside, however, the boy in the story is running away from a group of men who – if you fail to stay out of their sights – will try to mercilessly kill you.

Though it isn't quite clear why the boy is running from these men or why you should even care since you don't know who he is, Inside will still leave you begging for answers. The bleak, lifeless setting of Inside is more than worth the price of admission. Its minimalist art style alone is avant-garde enough to feel right at home in a museum. Factor in the fact that this game is both fun to play and dripping with curiosity, and you won’t doubt that Inside is one of the best indie games money can buy.

Developed single-handedly by Eric Barone, Stardew Valley is undoubtedly a technical feat for that little fact alone. If you’ve ever played a Harvest Moon game, you’re already familiar with the premise – you may just not know it yet. Stardew Valley is an addictive farming simulator, which lets you interact with townees to the point where you can literally marry them.

Stardew Valley isn’t just farming, though – it’s a whole bunch of other things at the same time. You can go fishing, you can cook, you can craft stuff. You can even go explore procedurally-generated caves to mine for items and even fight slime-monster-things. You should keep in mind that your health and energy are finite however, so you'll want to keep your character rested and fed to avoid suffering from exhaustion. Pass out, and you’ll lose a considerable amount of money and items you’ve worked hard to attain. Stardew Valley will have you playing for hours on end, for better or worse. (Definitely better.)

From Canadian game developer Alec Holowka, creator of the award-winning Aquaria (also featured on this list), and independent artist/animator Scott Benson, Night in the Woods is an unconventional side-scrolling adventure game that revolves around a 20-year-old protagonist named Mae who drops out of college and moves back in with her parents.

Featuring a story largely based around dialog choices and mini games that put a spin on mundane tasks, like carrying boxes up the stairs and eating perogies, Night in the Woods is a timeless coming-of-age tale. Not only will you experience middle class America through the eyes of a personified cat, but virtually every interaction in-game will have you laughing aloud. And now that it’s available on the Nintendo Switch, you’ll can also to take it wherever you go, if you wish to.

If you’re a fan of the recent wave of games inspired by Dark Souls, you’ll absolutely love Hollow Knight. You take control of the Hollow Knight, and lead them through the deceptively adorable landscape to take on bosses and other difficult challenges. Much like Dark Souls, it’s not immediately clear what you’re actually supposed to be doing as the narrative is intentionally obtuse. 

The Dark Souls inspirations don’t end there, either. It also embraces Dark Souls’s ‘tough but fair’ philosophy, and the game is only as hard as you make it. In fact, you can overcome anything as long as you have patience and learn from your mistakes. Hollow Knight takes these lessons from Dark Souls and injects them into a MetroidVania, with all the side-scrolling and upgrades you could possibly want. You can even play it on the Nintendo Switch now.

If you’re looking for a game that’s as unforgiving as it is fun, look no further than Dead Cells. It takes gameplay inspiration from so many places – from roguelikes to MetroidVania. There’s even a hint of Dark Souls in there, to create a unique action game that will test your limits and skills. 

Each time you play this game, it will feel new. And, while you’ll lose some progress each time you die – and you’ll die a lot – the game will become more and more rewarding as the complex and fluid combat becomes second nature. In the final release of the game, you get access to over 90 weapons, skills and abilities that will let you tailor your gameplay however you want. 

Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged if you fail. Get up and try again, as Dead Cells will only reward you in the end, which is why it has our vote for one of the best indie games in 2019.

Introversions was one of the earliest 'indie' companies, releasing games like Uplink, Defcon and Darwinia while Vlambeer was still in short pants. After years of struggling, they've finally hit a huge success with Prison Architect, a game where you build, staff, outfit and manage a maximum security prison, of all places.

With smart prisoners who are willing to do anything to escape, you'll struggle to keep them all locked up or from rioting - and turn a profit. It's eminently playable, even more so in the near future as Paradox has acquired it and plans to make it available on all platforms.

These days, it’s not easy finding an RPG that will really push you to your limits. Luckily, Outward, with its focus on survival and tough combat, is one of these RPGs. There isn’t much in the way of story, but you’re placed in the middle of the world of Aurai, where you’ll struggle to survive. You’re not a hero, however, just the everyman trying to survive in a harsh world.

In many ways, Outward is like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. There’s a heavy emphasis on exploration, but you aren’t given quest arrows or any kind of waypoint. You have to rely on your own ability to use a map, along with any directions that are given to you by quest NPCs. If you’re looking for a challenging RPG, this is one of the best indie games for you.

Dwarf Fortress is its own genre and its own industry. This is a game that has to generate the entire geography, mythology and history of its massive world before you've even set foot in it. It then tracks every single one of the dwarfs you're managing down to the hairs on their legs, and the particular horrible elephant murder that they’ve witnessed and are now carving on an ornamental chair.

Your task is to keep the dwarves alive as they carve out their subterranean kingdom, and given that insanity, monsters and starvation plague them at every stage, it isn’t easy. Plus, dwarves, always, always mine too deep.

Run. Jump. Die. Repeat. That’s essentially the gameplay loop of Super Meat Boy, a fiendishly addictive 2D platformer that’s also bloody hard, with an emphasis on bloody. Gallons of blood is spilled as the game’s eponymous meaty hero leaps over deadly drops, spinning saws and walking chainsaws in a bid to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr Foetus. Obviously. 

With solid controls, lots of humor and vibrant graphics, Super Meat Boy leapt onto the PS4, Vita, and Nintendo Switch in style.

It might not be Playdead’s most recent game, but Limbo is eternal. Even five years after its release, the game’s haunting storyline still has an effect on us. You play the Boy, a child with glowing eyes who is cast into Limbo to find his sister. Making your way through a bleak and dangerous world full of hostile silhouettes, giant spiders and deadly gravitational fields, you’ll need to think quickly and perfectly time your movements, if you were to survive.

Limbo is much more than a simple platformer: it's an experience, and one that will have you pondering the very essence of life by the time you finish. Deep, profound and absorbing, it's among the best indie games that everybody should take time out to play.

If you're looking for a retro-inspired multiplayer archery combat game (aren't we all?), TowerFall: Ascension is the pick of the lot. Fast, frenetic and teeth-gnashingly hard in hardcore mode, the game's mechanics are simple: fire arrows at your enemies or jump on their heads to stay alive until the round ends.

Arrows that don't hit are embedded in walls, making for tense scenarios when you have to traverse the map while dodging enemies to retrieve them. As such, practicing until you achieve Robin Hood-esque levels of accuracy is key. Ascension is best experienced with friends in local multiplayer mode, which recalls Super Smash Bros' most manic moments.

It’s not often that a platformer is able to balance challenging and engaging gameplay with an emotional and thought-provoking narrative, but Celeste pulls it off, which is why it makes our best indie games list. From the developers of Towerfall, Celeste follows the story of Madeline, a young girl who decides to face her mental health issues by climbing to the top of the mysterious Celeste Mountain. In doing so, she learns more not only about the mountain, but about herself as well throughout the process. 

An inevitable classic, Celeste integrates the obvious jump, air-dash and climb controls into a brutal series of platforming challenges in upwards of 700 unique screens. If that’s too easy, you’ll unlock B-side chapters along the way, designed for only the most intrepid of hardcore players. Better yet, you don’t have to worry about waiting an eternity between each respawn. Instead, Celeste brings you back from the grave in an instant, a welcome departure from the typically extensive load screens.

Have you ever wanted to land on an alien planet, and build a factory? We admit that it’s an unusual premise, but we promise that it works in Satisfactory. You’ll land on one of three planets of varying difficulty, where you’ll be tasked with building and automating a factory to exploit the world around you. 

The premise sounds bland, but being able to roam these beautiful worlds in first person as you’re scavenging materials and fighting off hostile wildlife makes it all that more exciting. Plus, is there anything better than sitting back and admiring something you worked hard on?

Satisfactory is in early access right now, and exclusive to the Epic Games Store, but if you can get past all that, you’re sure to get hours of wholesome simulation out of it.

After the raging success that was the original Nidhogg, it’s a shame to see the superior sequel get thrown under the bus. Nevertheless, in spite of its controversial art style, Nidhogg 2 packs a refined, stunning look that the first version, a cult-classic, wouldn’t dare compete with, making our best indie games list.

In still frames, we can see how this could get misconstrued, but fortunately, it’s the fun and addictive local multiplayer gameplay that makes Nidhogg, well, Nidhogg. And it’s all there in Nidhogg 2. Additionally, every time you respawn, you get one of four unique weapons that only bolster the challenge.

Esteemed indie designer Jon Blow's follow up to Braid may look like a wholly different adventure, being 3D and all. However, the two are more thematically alike than you might think. The Witness, at its core, is another puzzle game that tells an absorbing story through said puzzles.

This puzzler takes place in an almost equally impressionist – albeit heavily Myst-inspired – world, but it's story is far more nuanced and mysterious than Blow's earlier work. At almost every corner of this island that you've simply woken up on (or beneath), there is a clue as to how you got onto this island and why you're here.

Don’t get us wrong, we liked Bastion, but we can’t deny that Transistor was SuperGiant Games’ best work to date, and one of the best indie games to hit the streets today. Much of that has to do with the combining of action-based and turn-based RPG elements contained within its cyberpunk futurescape. Likewise, in classic SuperGiant fashion, those mechanics are complemented with a stunning art style and a music score so stunning it’ll make you want to buy the soundtrack.

Leaving key gameplay beats up to the player, the story isn’t so variable. Transistor’s main character, Red, is a renowned singer in the city of Cloudbank. However, she’s been attacked by a group of vicious robots who call themselves the Process, operated by another group called the Camerata. In her journey, she finds the Transistor, a mysterious sword with the voice of a man. Soon enough, she’ll learn more about him and how he will shake up her world.

It’s weird to think that Oxenfree came out before the first season of Stranger Things, and yet, the two coincidentally have a lot in common. The 80s-inspired heavy synth music composed by scntfc, for one, highlights some truly gripping sci-fi horror centered around – you guessed it – a group of teenagers stuck on an island.

The story involves a handful of uniquely written characters, namely the main character Alex, along with her stoner friend Ren, her newfound stepbrother Jonas, her dead brother Michael’s ex-girlfriend Clarissa and her best friend Nona (who Ren happens to be in love with).

The plot is explained through branching speech dialogues, kind of like Life is Strange or modern-day Telltale games, and it offers five different endings depending on your choices.

Exploring a surreal wilderness seems like quite the trend these days – and not just in real life, and developer Campo Santo's debut only serves to keep it going in gaming. Set in the wilderness of 1989 Wyoming, you're playing Henry, a fire lookout that's all alone in the woods after exploring something strange in the distance.

That is, except for your partner on the other line of a walkie-talkie: Delilah. She's your only point of contact as you explore the wilderness. Will you make it back alive? Will the decisions you make help or harm the relationship with your only lifeline to the outside world, your boss? Don't worry about those questions just yet – as with any adventure in the Great Outdoors, take some time to appreciate those forestscapes first!

Rust is one of the more successful indie titles – not to mention, one of the best indie games – of recent times. By the end of 2015, it had sold more than 3 million copies. That’s not too shabby considering it wasn’t even finished — the game has been on Steam's Early Access scheme since being released in December 2013.

It seems people can't get enough of the Day Z-inspired survival sim. It sees you use your wits and bearings to survive its harsh open world, with nothing but a rock in the beginning . After gathering resources needed to build a house and weapons to fend off attackers (other online players, in other words), Rust progressively becomes more intense as you defend your growing base — or attempt to breach others'.

Fans of the original Overcooked will not be disappointed by its second installment in the chaotic couch co-op series from British indie game developer Team17.

This time, your mission is to defeat the 'Un-Bread' (zombie baked goods) that have taken over the Onion Kingdom, by battling through brand new recipes including sushi, pizza and burgers in increasingly chaotic kitchens with up to three other people.

To add to the frantic fun, you must contend with obstacles including random fires, collapsing floors and interfering passers by, all while getting your orders out to the pass in time. 

Things get complicated incredibly quickly. Relationships, friendships and family bonds will be tested as you work together to complete your recipes on time. Overcooked 2 is a fun and challenging couch co-op game that will make you truly understand the meaning of "too many cooks spoil the broth,” well-deserving of its spot in our best indie games list.

The natural progression of survival games, SCUM takes what predecessors like Rust and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds both succeeded at and then iterate in impressive ways. It offers a unique twist – combining the frenetic gameplay of battle royale games with the slow, thoughtful gameplay of a survival sim. 

SCUM, unlike other similar games, is very heavy on the simulation side of things, however. You shouldn’t expect to run in guns blazing, as you’re going to get tired quickly (just as you would if you tried running outside in person with a ton of stuff in your backpack). But, if heavy statistic systems is something your into, this might be one of the best indie games for you. It’s like spreadsheets with a physics engine.

Just don’t go in expecting a polished experience, not for now. However, developer Croteam promises to add more features over time, and as they’re backed by Devolver, you can trust that the game is going to shape up into something great.

Every so often, there’s a game that perfectly balances aesthetic, gameplay and narrative – where everything feels like it just, well, fits. The best indie games always excel at this, and Return of the Obra Dinn is proof. A mystery taking place on a derelict ship, your mission is to figuring out how the crew of this lost ship died, disappeared or worse. 

The entire game has this old-school visual styling that, combining it with the simple controls and gameplay technique that make it feel like a nostalgic sort of adventure. Right from the settings menu, you’ll get to choose what kind of monitor you’d like to emulate – we picked an old school Macintosh option – that should give you an idea of the type of retro revivalism on offer here. 

Critical thinking, exploration and a ton of reading is essential in Return of the Obra Dinn. If that all sounds appealing to you, and you’re happy with retro aesthetics, you will love this game. In fact, it’s one of the best indie games in a season marked with AAA decadence.

If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably spent hundreds of hours playing Roller Coaster Tycoon during your childhood. These days, while there have been plenty of amusement park simulators over the last few years, they’ve never quite hit that spot. That is, until Parkitect.

Parkitect is the closest we’ve ever gotten to those early aughts park simulators, and we’re absolutely in love. From the cartoonish art style to the realistic simulation and Steam Workshop integration, Parkitect is one of the best indie games 2019 has to offer.

For years, thatgamecompany has been behind some of the best indie games on the market, but most of them had been exclusive to PlayStation. One such game was Flower. Serving as a kind of a precursor to the beloved Journey, Flower puts you in command of a flower petal, surfing through the wind. 

You’ll activate different colors of flower beds to affect the environment, which will also get you different colored petals, until you have an entire trail of color surfing the wind. It’s an incredibly relaxing and artful experience, that gives you an insight on the industrial world we all find ourselves living in. Trust us, give it a shot as it’s one of the best – not to mention, most legendary – indie games ever.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC: will we see a PC release?

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 09:15 AM PDT

Will we ever see Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC? Rockstar's open-world Western game Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on console to huge acclaim last October, with Red Dead Online now in beta alongside the epic-sized single-player campaign. So far, however, the game is only available on Xbox One and PS4. 

While that's not exactly a restrictive release, committed PC players have been left twiddling their thumbs in the vague hope of a Red Dead Redemption 2 PC port coming down the line. 

Players hungry for a high-spec or 4K experience can opt to play the game on the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, but there's nothing quite like a souped-up PC rig to bring out the finer details and see what Rockstar's game engine can really do.

So if you don't have a console from Sony or Microsoft, what are your prospects for getting Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC any time soon? We've run through all the latest rumors pointing to a PC release, and made our best guess as to when we'd expect it to land.

Red Dead Redemption 2 PC

Image credit: Rockstar Games

Will we see Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC?

Rumors kicked off in mid-October last year about a possible Red Dead Redemption 2 PC release, after the online retailer MediaMarkt listed a PC version of the game on its website, with a placeholder date of December 31, 2019. The listing was promptly pulled and that date came and went without any news of a PC release.

Things heated up again after a LinkedIn profile for a Rockstar employee appeared to list credits as a programmer on the PC version of the game – though this, again, was amended after the media attention that it attracted.

The firmest clues we have appeared when Rockstar released a mobile / tablet companion app alongside the new Red Dead game, mainly as a hub for viewing in-game stats, journal entries, and map locations (see image below).

Red Dead Redemption 2 PC

Red Dead Redemption 2 companion app (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Some savvy data-mining, though, contained references to PC-quality graphics settings – shadow quality, grass rendering, and the like – as well as lines explicitly naming PC, such as 'PARAM_companionAutoConnectIpPC' or 'CommandIsPcVersion(void)'. You can see the full list on Rockstar Intel.

There was also a reference to 'Oculus', which can only really refer to VR capability for the game. Given the option to play the entire game in an immersive first-person perspective, virtual reality would be a natural fit – and Red Dead 2 VR would be most at home on a dedicated Oculus or PC-bound headset.

However, things quietened down after that and there's been little news on Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC - until recently. Spotted by Twitter user JakoMako51 (via PCGamer),  there is a line in the Rockstar Social Club's source code that mentions "RDR2_PC_Accomplishments". 

Check out the tweet below:

It may be a single line of code but, paired with previous PC rumors, it ignites hope that Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC could still be on the way.

Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC: release date

Red Dead Redemption 2 PC

Red Dead Redemption 2: ripe for VR? (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

So when could we see Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC? At this point Rockstar could make an announcement at any time, but it's worth noting that the studio seems to be focusing on Red Dead Online so news on Red Dead 2 on PC could be a while off.

While 2010's Red Dead Redemption never came to PC, previous Rockstar games like GTA IV or GTA V both took around six months to make the jump to PC after their initial console launch. So that means we could have been looking at an April/May 2019 launch date this time around, but we've now missed that window.

Given the scale of the the open-world game, it's not wholly surprising for a PC port to follow a few months after – it takes a lot of work to get the game running on different systems. But the longer PC gamers have to wait, the less likely they are to maintain their anticipation. 

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Best PC games 2019: the must-play titles you don’t want to miss

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 09:12 AM PDT

Now that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is here alongside Intel’s Coffee Lake Refresh processors, 2019 might just be the best time to get into the best PC games. If you’re ready to get in on this action, games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Shadow of the Tomb Raider can transport you to another world. 

So, we here at TechRadar have put together the definitive list of the best PC games on the market today, from oldies like the Orange Box to newer fan-favorites like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Believe us when we say you’ll want to get all of these PC games installed so you can experience them yourself. 

If you’re a PC gaming newcomer, you picked the perfect time to jump in on the platform, and we’d love to extend you a warm welcome. Let’s dive into the best PC games you can play today, and find out which of our picks for the best PC games appealing most to you.

Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article

The CRPG game suffered a few setbacks, so much so that many thought it would never come out, which is why it came as a pleasant surprise to fans to find out that it’s all systems go for the title. Larian Studios’ Swen Vincke and Wizards of the Coast’ Mike Mearls were more than happy to share a few more juicy details about this year’s biggest and most anticipated PC release, Baldur’s Gate 3, including the fact that its set 100 years after the events of the second installment and that it will be based on the Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. It’s also expected to feature many fan favorites, as far as creatures and characters.

Unfortunately, there’s no set release date yet. However, since Baldur’s Gate 3 has been long overdue, it had better be this year.

Expected: Hopefully sometime in 2019

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is aging like fine wine, so that even four years after its release, it’s still one of the most ambitious open world games that’s ever existed – combining Skyrim’s unapologetic scale with Grand Theft Auto V’s insane depth. It’s such a jam-packed game, which is why it still tops our list of the best PC games in 2019. Huge, beautiful and an absolute time sink – in a good way – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt isn’t just the best PC game of 2019. It may be one of the best video games of all time.

While not perfect, Dragon Age: Inquisition does put you in the midst of a huge, vibrant world on a much larger scale than past Dragon Age titles. Packed with hours of engrossing story and a wealth of side content, Dragon Age: Inquisition brings the series to an open world setting in an intelligent and compelling way. It might not be a new game, but for this excellent blend of Elder Scrolls and Baldur’s Gate, it still deserves a spot in our best PC games of 2019 list.

Assassin’s Creed is basically a household name among the best PC games in 2019. And, starting with 2017’s Origins, Ubisoft has been making huge efforts to revitalize the aging franchise. And, so successfully at that, despite the drama about microtransactions. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey feels like an improvement in every sense of the word over the 2017 entry, feeling like a completely different game than older games in Ubisoft’s flagship series. 

This time around, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey places you in the shoes of Kassandra or Alexios, in the middle of the Peloponnesian War, as you look for your lost mother and father. And, while the main story – which will have you switching alliances between the Spartans and the Athenians – will likely get lost in the mix along the way, the world that Ubisoft has created is as rich and beautiful as ever before. 

Just make sure you have one of the best graphics cards before you even try to run Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at a higher resolution. If you’re looking for one of the best open world games on PC, you can’t go wrong here. It’s time you start exploring ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey.

While it's arguably not as difficult as previous entries in the series, From Software's Dark Souls 3 takes everything you like about the Souls series and combines it with elements found in Bloodborne, the developer's more recent game for PS4.

We won’t sugar coat it: you’re going to die in Dark Souls 3, probably more than once. It takes patience to master its complex combat system, but it plays fair as well, making it more accessible for casual players to take part in its bleak, fantastical world. And, on the bright side, it’s much more optimized for PC than the first two games. Now that you can pick up Dark Souls: Remastered, and see where the apocalyptic series began, there’s never been a better time to link the first flame.

Pillars of Eternity made a huge splash in the PC gaming scene when it launched a few years back – Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire follows faithfully in its footsteps. Not only is this one of the best RPGs you can play today, but it’s also one of the best PC games 2019 has on offer. 

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire puts players in the middle of the Deadfire Archipelago in pursuit of an ancient god. Along the way, you’ll find yourself immersed in a vibrant, dense and long story crafted by Obsidian Entertainment – arguably the masters of RPGs.

If you enjoy old school RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, and long for a return to the storied form – do yourself a favor and install Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. It’s one of the best RPGs we’ve ever played. It’s also a good idea to check out Pillars of Eternity first, as it still holds up as one of the best PC games, and your story will carry over to the sequel.

Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most anticipated console ports to ever hit the PC. You probably didn't need telling twice to head back into Los Santos's hugely detailed and highly interactive world. Only, this time, it’s 10 times more fun with the PC's richer graphics and smooth 60 fps gameplay. After you’ve finished its 30-hour campaign, there’s an overflow of post-game content to enjoy. Most recently, that includes The Doomsday Heist in GTA Online and even a radio station hosted by Frank Ocean.

BioShock is a first-person shooter that takes concepts from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and tosses them underseas. To be exact, BioShock takes place in an underwater city called Rapture, free from government regulation, designed for artists and entrepreneurs to thrive. Of course, not all goes well in a city where the residents have all the power and, well, the rest is gaming history. So stop what you're doing and play it right now, if you haven't already.

You're in for one of the best PC games if you play BioShock, as it balances story elements with horror beautifully. There's also a remastered version out there now, and it is free of charge, if you own the original.

Set 15 years after the events of the first Alien film from 1979, Alien: Isolation is the suspense-filled game that fans of the franchise have long awaited out for. Playing the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Alien protagonist Ellen Ripley, your mission is to track down and recover the flight recorder of the Nostromo spacecraft from the first Alien film, which has been located aboard the Sevastopol space station.

First and foremost a stealth game, Isolation heightens the tension by providing you with minimal weaponry. Its excellent graphics shine on high-end PCs and clever AI helps ramp up the dread, leaving you quivering at every corner. This and more make Alien: Isolation well-deserving of a spot in our list of the best PC games.

Overwatch, if nothing else, has completely changed the landscape, moving it away from the norm of gray-ish cover shooters to the realm of competitive gaming. Its bright, vibrant colors are only made better with approchable characters, each decorated with their own interesting backstories, which, while not present in game, make for a collection of awesome webcomics and cinematics.

Overwatch is also one of the best PC games, because of how well it runs on all kinds of different hardware. Sure, it’s a bit old now, but even in 2019, it’s the best PC game for anyone with a competitive streak. If somehow you’ve missed out on this game, do yourself a favor – sign in to your Battle.net account and take Overwatch – not to mention, its colorful cast of characters – for a spin today.

Though it came out almost 7 years ago, Counter-Strike Global Offensive is still a brilliant update to a timeless classic that continues to thrive thanks to its vast online communities – it’s truly one of the most popular on our best PC games list. 

Global Offensive is a well-rounded tactical shooter that builds on the simple Terrorists versus Counter-Terrorists gameplay of Counter-Strike 1.6, updating classic maps such as Italy and Dust while also adding new modes in Arms Race and Demolition. Easier than Battlefield, but more complex than Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a shooter for those who like to think – if only just a little bit.

In a lot of ways, Far Cry 5 is the ultimate Far Cry game – it combines all of the elements that has made the series so successful in the first place, while cutting a lot of the fat (including the towers, thank god). On its own, it doesn't exactly do anything entirely new, but it does perfect the Far Cry formula to a point where Far Cry 5 is one of the best open world First Person Shooters you can play in 2019, not to mention one of the best PC games.

After a very heavy and intense intro, you’re dumped in the middle of rural Montana and given the task of dismantling a local cult. But, that quickly fades into the background as a myriad of activities – from hunting down aliens to taking out outposts – ultimately become your focus. And, it’s precisely this focus on playing your own way that makes Far Cry 5 so incredible.

Monster Hunter has been one of the biggest gaming franchises you’ve never heard of for years now. With Monster Hunter: World, the series broke into the mainstream and come to the PC (finally), making it one of the best PC games you can play today. 

Monster Hunter: World places you in the shoes of a monster hunter, obviously, and you’ll hunt progressively bigger and nastier monsters, strip them for parts, and craft bigger and badder armor. It’s a deceptively simple gameplay loop, that ends up being one of the most captivating and rewarding PC games you can play today. 

There’s a never-ending onslaught of content in this game, and Capcom, the developers of this monster hunting hit, are dedicated to bringing a wealth of free DLC to the game – not to mention a new frosty expansion in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. If you’re looking for an addictive, immersive and most importantly, fun game to play on your own or with all your best friends cooperatively, check out Monster Hunter: World. There’s no doubt it’s one of the best PC games you can buy today.

A 90s classic brought back to life (unlike its main protagonist), Grim Fandango Remastered is a successful attempt at reviving one of the PC's best adventure games of all time. Combining writing that matches the funniest dark comedies with clever puzzles and a still-impressive art style, Grim Fandango was the most entertaining work of art to take place in a Mexican setting for years before Breaking Bad came along. 

Now remastered, it boasts updated graphics, improved sound and better controls. Manna Calavera's adventure has never looked so good.

Seven years after its first release, Skyrim is as solid a game as ever thanks to its vast selection of mods and high-resolution texture packs. Even if you're only interested in playing the vanilla version of the RPG, it offers more than 100 hours of gameplay.

Throw in three action packs DLC expansion packs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn), and it lasts even longer. That Skyrim has been compared to graphically superior but similar RPG blockbuster The Witcher 3 is proof of its enduring popularity. Step into Skyrim, one of the best PC games in 2019, and you too can be an adventurer - just try not to take an arrow in the knee.

And, if you’re looking for a more special version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda has you covered – it can’t seem to stop releasing and re-releasing Skyrim for every platform. You can even play it in VR.

From Software is essentially a household name when it comes to creating the best PC games these days. The minds behind the critically acclaimed Dark Souls series have brought PC gamers to some of the most desolate landscapes and through some of the most challenging and rewarding gameplay. From Software is back at it again, with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Sekiro places you in the shoes of the Young Wolf, a shinobi tasked with rescuing his young master. The game will take you through 16th-century Japan, but things will get weird and supernatural: this is From Software we’re talking about. 

Don’t expect an easy time of it though. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an extremely difficult game to master, and you’ll require quick reflexes to deflect enemy attacks, as well as to master stealth. You won’t be able to hide behind a shield all day, like you were able to in Dark Souls III.

The phrase "build it, and they will come" rings true when it comes to Minecraft, the survival-based sandbox RPG that has now been purchased more than 100 million times since its conception in 2009. In it, you can weave your own worlds using resources you find in the wild, or explore existing ones created by other players online. 

In Minecraft, you can either limit yourself to the numerous tools and blocks provided by the developer, Mojang, or you can install mods to truly capitalize on your investment. What’s more, sometime in 2019, you’ll be able to take part in the Super Duper Graphics Pack, an optional piece of DLC that adds more realistic lighting effects and textures to an already amazing game.

The Orange Box may be showing its age, but it remains a must-play collection of games – particularly for FPS fans – thus earning its spot in our best PC games list. Half-Life 2, technically still the most recent game in Valve's franchise (excluding its Episode 1 and 2 add-ons), remains a modern masterpiece and is famed for being the first game to intelligently apply physics to its puzzles and combat set-pieces.

The other titles in this collection aren't too shabby either: Portal takes gravity-based puzzles to the extreme by equipping the player with the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (also known as the Portal Gun), which places two portals for objects to pass through. On the other hand, Team Fortress 2 continues to go from strength-to-strength, thanks to the introduction of custom gear and well-balanced team combat.

Sometimes, a game that’s been out for 10 years becomes temporarily free on Origin, and you just have to play it. Dead Space is one such game, a survival horror game by definition that’s an acclaimed piece of science fiction. 

It stars a fittingly named Isaac Clarke, named after famous sci-fi authors Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Told from an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, Dead Space is a rescue mission story, wherein you (as Isaac) are tasked with investigating a mining ship that is mysteriously full of alien virus-infected dead bodies. All the while, you’ll have to stay on top of upgrading your futuristic ‘RIG’ suit.

Id Software's Doom was a phenomena for PC gamers in the ‘90s. The crudely rendered first-person shooter series was as controversial as it was beloved, largely thanks to its cutting-edge depictions of gore and violence that only a computer could deliver. 

Parents be damned, the franchise has made a comeback in 2016 with a fresh reset, appropriately titled Doom. Although the multiplayer might not appeal to shooter fans regardless of age, the single player campaign will pit you against demons in Hell for a lengthy mission that is bloody satisfying, pun intended.

If Forza Horizon 3 is the perfect racing game for newcomers to racing games, Asetto Corsa is the game for the grizzled veterans. Its obtuse handling and extreme difficulty straight from the get go makes it a toss up for one of the most realistic racing simulators of all time. Naturally, it also takes a spot on our best PC games list.

Even if you can get it on consoles, unlike Project Cars, this is a game that was developed for PC first. Everything about this game, from its demanding career mode to its deep seated driving mechanics – which basically require a racing wheel accessory – make it a joy for die-hard petrolheads, even if its difficulty curve is often just backbreaking.

Capcom has been on a roll these last couple years. After coming out of seemingly nowhere with the incredible Resident Evil 7, Capcom has been reinventing some of the most beloved franchises for the modern age. With Devil May Cry 5, Capcom has done it again. 

Devil May Cry has always been over the top, with high-octane character-driven action and cheesy one liners. Devil May Cry 5 takes all this up a notch or three, combining its over-the-topness with non-stop action as you fight your way through two characters’ stories in style. 

As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock many different weapons and combat moves, and combine them to write symphonies of bloodshed, which you’re encouraged to do so. It’s not really a question of surviving to the end of the level; it’s more of how cool you look while playing through it. And, that’s why Devil May Cry 5 is one of the best PC games.

Among the best PC games, there’s this tendency to romanticize the apocalypse. Whether it’s zombies, as in Dead Rising, or a nuclear wasteland like in Fallout 4, the apocalypse is oddly a place you want to visit. But, with Metro Exodus, that isn’t the case. 

Metro Exodus takes an even darker and grittier approach to the apocalypse. The air is poison, wildlife is all mutated, and the survivors are all at each other's throats. And, while past Metro titles have explored this darker post-apocalypse from underground, through the titular ‘Metro’, Metro Exodus takes things to the Surface.

You’ll set out on an Exodus across the nuclear wasteland in order to find a home, but along the way you’ll experience the horror and supernatural weirdness that the Metro series has become known for. 

As a bonus, it’s one of the most beautiful PC games on the market today, provided you have the graphical horsepower to back it up.

Described as "achingly beautiful" by Unity Engine boss John Riccitiello, Ori and the Blind Forest embraces the game mechanics of old-school 2D games such as Metroid and Castlevania, then giving it a modern twist. If any word can describe Ori's atmospheric world, it would be ‘alive.’

You'll have to think fast and use new abilities gained along the way to bash, stop and manoeuvre your way through its gorgeous locations. With no automatic saving system or easy difficulty level, it's no walk in the park. But it’s as satisfying to master as it is to look at. Ori and the Blind Forest will re-open your eyes to what 2D games still have to offer.

There aren’t many franchises that are as iconic as Resident Evil. Since the first game launched way back in 1996, it has served as a watermark of where Survival Horror is – even in its worst days (looking at you, Resident Evil 6). So, when Capcom finally announced the Resident Evil 2 remake, we paid attention. And, we must say – its hard work has paid off. 

Resident Evil 2 isn’t just a remake of the best horror game ever made – it might actually take the mantle altogether. Gone are the ancient tank controls that divided fans, giving way to the same over-the shoulder perspective introduced in Resident Evil 4. This time around though, through the use of Resident Evil 7’s RE Engine, Capcom has transformed the ancient horror game into a title that’s terrifying by today’s post-Amnesia standards.

And, thanks to just how much you can customize how the game performs and looks, Resident Evil 2 will serve as a benchmark for the best PC games throughout 2019 – even if it doesn’t use as much VRAM as the settings menu says it does.

Beyond Final Fantasy, there isn’t another Japanese RPG (JRPG) franchise that carries as much weight as Dragon Quest. For decades, these have been the penultimate JRPGs for many – even inspiring – modern classics like Pokemon. For the first time in 14 years, Dragon Quest has made its way to home consoles and, more importantly, to PC for the first time ever. 

Dragon Quest XI is a beautiful, vibrant JRPG that’ll put you in the shoes of a young prince who sets out to save the world, obviously. You’ll get about 80-100 hours out of the game, and every moment will be as memorable as it is magical. It even features art from Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on Dragon Ball – it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best PC games of 2019.

Already known to millions before they've even played a second of it, Rocket League turns the age old game of football (or soccer, depending on where you live) on its head. Played with rocket-propelled cars in futuristic low-gravity environments, the premise is simple: knock the ball into the opposing team's goal. 

However, doing so is harder said than done because there could be up to three cars on the opposing team trying to steal the ball off you - or ram you into submission - at any one time. Gorgeous to look at and simple to learn, if difficult to master, Rocket League is the surprise smash hit of 2015 - and a wonderfully addictive addition to our best PC games list.

Ubisoft’s Anno series has always been among the best PC games: rich, in-depth city builders with a historic flair. This entry in the venerated series will see players managing cities starting at the beginning of the Industrial Age. You’ll have to decide the fate of your city, regardless of whether you’re in a rich European setting or in the rainforests. 

Anno 1800 is one of the most extensive city builders on the market right now, and for the right kind of gamer – you know who you are – it’s going to be one of the best PC games you can immerse in this 2019. Dive in and lead your city to prosperity or destitution, and try to navigate the perilous world of industrial-age politics.

Metal Gear Solid V, the last Metal Game to be helmed by Hideo Kojima after his forceful ejection from Konami, is a hugely ambitious title. Its massive open world setting allows you to do missions in stealth, but still let you go in guns blazing, if you prefer – though you won’t get as good a score.

Taking place nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain’s story unravels through its main missions and more than 100 Side Ops tasks. The action is interspersed with beautiful cutscenes. And, while you sometimes have to decode annoying pseudo-military babble to figure out what’s happening, TPP’s often fast-paced. Plus, the stunning Afghanistan and African settings make sure the game never feels like a chore.

Ask basically any veteran PC gamer, and they’ll tell you that Battlefield games have always been among the best PC games. And, with Battlefield V, the tradition continues – it’s one of the best PC games 2019 has to offer, period. 

The core mechanics remain the same, drive, fly or run to capture points on a map and defend them against the enemy team. However, 2018’s offering refines the Operations mode from 2016’s Battlefield 1, and transforms it into, well, Grand Operations. This epic game mode takes place across up to 4 maps, and is meant to portray crucial battles during the World War II. It’s an absolute blast, just make sure you have an hour to spare. 

Battlefield V is also one of the best PC games when it comes to visuals. Never before has war looked so terrifyingly real in a virtual space. The environments are more realistic than ever before. If you’re rocking an Nvidia Turing card, like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, you can even turn on ray tracing and experience out-of-this-world reflections. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s the best PC game in 2018 for FPS fans.

The 2016 revival of Hitman was a revelation, a rebirth of a classic series that showed what Hitman could be. So, we went into Hitman 2 with high expectations, and it did not disappoint. Hitman 2 puts players in even bigger environments, with more complex missions that will test your creativity in deadly ways. 

What’s especially notable here though, are the new game modes on offer. You’ll have access to a new Sniper Assassin mode, and most importantly, a co-op game mode – a first for the Hitman series.

If you’re looking for an engaging stealth experience, you cannot go wrong with Hitman 2 – it’s easily one of the best PC games of 2019.

Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide was one of the best PC games for those who prefer playing the best PC games with friends. We’re happy to report that Warhammer: Vermintide 2 takes the deep co-operative gameplay of the original and improves on it in every conceivable way.

Although it technically allows you to form complex strategies with your teammates, the action often turns into chaos, and the only way you can survive is mindlessly bashing at enemies until you, alongisde your teammates (preferably), are the only ones left standing. And, because Vermintide 2 adds a wide range of Orc enemies on top of the familiar Skaven enemies, you’ll never run out of things to hack to pieces.

It's official: Fallout 4 has lived up to the hype. Despite feeling a little bit like Fallout 3, but with nicer graphics at times, its tighter shooting, in-depth crafting system and better thought out story make it a more enticing affair.

As the Sole Survivor (the first fully-voiced protagonist in the Fallout series) in Boston's post-apocalypse wasteland, you'll take on Feral Ghouls, Raiders, Syths, Bloodbugs and more with high-powered weaponry that includes the Fat Man mini nuke cannon and the fusion cell-powered Laser Musket.

If the Call of Duty series is the poison that dumbed down the FPS genre with its run-and-gun gameplay, then Rainbow Six: Siege is the antidote. Working as a team to outwit the enemy, Siege plays out like a thinking man’s (or woman's) Counter-Strike that doesn't simply encourage cooperation if you want to win - it requires it.

When you're not peering down your gun's iron sights, you'll be laying down traps, scouting ahead using drones, strategising with your teammates and building walls that could keep a herd of demented bulls at bay. Siege's heavy reliance on tactical team-based gameplay can prove its biggest weakness, if you're hoisted into a server with a particularly uncooperative bunch. But when it does work, it provides a level of satisfaction rarely found in online multiplayer games.

After the rebooted Tomb Raider and its sublime sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, the seminal series has won its place among the best PC games with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Instead of simply porting over a console version and calling it good, Crystal Dynamics has created a technical masterpiece with Lara Croft’s latest jungle adventure. 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider finds Lara heading down to South America to thwart a Mayan apocalypse. While the scenery isn’t as diverse as in previous titles, it’s still just as arrestingly stunning throughout. And, with Nvidia’s RTX technology hitting the shelves, it’s going to be a great way to put the best graphics cards – as well as Nvidia’s ray tracing technology – to the test while still having fun.

Imagine a survival-based shooter where every match starts with your avatar being ejected from a cargo plane alongside 99 other players with no weapons or items. That’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or at least the solo, free for all mode. After spending the early minutes of the game scrambling for resources, you’ll soon be forced to reckon with your own mortality as the body count ticker at the top of the screen descends into desolation.

Abbreviated PUBG, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is based on another “last man standing” game released back in 2013: PlayerUnknown’s Battle Royale. It doesn’t require a copy of Arma III or H1Z1 to run, but you’ll need to keep your wits about you. There’s no respawning in PUBG, so it’s less about the precision of your aim as it is about your ability to scavenge quickly for weapons, first aid kits and clothing, making this one of the most exciting titles on our best PC games list of 2019.

Picking up immediately after the events of Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will inevitably be heralded as a classic. For some, it’s the punishing old-school gunplay that’s to thank for this. Even on the default difficulty, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will have you fighting for your life. 

Yet, for others, story reigns supreme. And, if The New Colossus serves as an interactive showcase for anything, it’s its story, the most interesting parts of which are told through flashbacks. We won’t go as far as to spoil the plot, but what we will say is that B.J. Blazkowicz’s motives become a lot clearer in this iteration of Wolfenstein – not that he needs to justify killing Nazis.

When The Division first came out in March 2016, it was, well, divisive. Not satisfied, Ubisoft put in a ton of work improving the game over the years, culminating in the Division 2, which is orders of magnitude better than the original. 

You’ll be released in a collapsed Washington DC, fighting with other players to stabilize the city. While doing this, you’ll level up, get new loot and unlock more areas. It’s an addictive gameplay loop designed to keep you engaged for hours on end. Plus, since it’s a live service game, you can be confident that Ubisoft will keep it updated with fresh content for a while to come.

X-Com 2 is one addictive game, so addictive that we still can't put it down. Following up from 2012's XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which reimagined the 1994 cult classic UFO: Enemy Unknown, this turn-based tactics game has everything we wanted in a sequel. It’s bigger, deeper, faster and even easier on the eyes, taking place 20 years after its predecessor.

It puts you in control of the Avenger, a converted alien ship that serves as your mobile base of operations used to devise strategy and execute fight plans against otherworldly enemies. With a greater focus on stealth, more intelligent alien AI and deeper customization options, XCOM 2 was fated to end up on our best PC games of 2019.

Anyone familiar with World of Warcraft knows that it's among the most successful and influential massively multiplayer online role-playing games (or MMORPGs) of all-time. Comprising of nearly 14 years of content, with over thousands of hours of gameplay just waiting to be tackled, there are few better games to spend your money on than World of Warcraft.

In the new expansion, Battle For Azeroth, players explore two new continents – Kul Tiras for Alliance players and Zandalar for the Horde – though there’s something much more sinister waiting beneath the surface. Blizzard has kept the leveling system from Legion, too, meaning you can go through the new zones in whatever order you want. This will, of course, come with the all-new raids and dungeons we’ve grown accustomed to over the years and a storyline that will see the two playable factions at each other’s throats in a massive way. 

You’ll get hours upon hours of content to play through here, as is tradition with World of Warcraft throughout its 14-year history. And, you can count on updates throughout the expansion, like the recently released Tides of Vengeance patch that adds even more stuff to do.

From PlatinumGames and Square Enix, Nier: Automata is a sequel to the 2010 cult classic Nier, which itself is a spin-off of the Drakengard series. Technically an action role-playing game, Nier: Automata’s most defining quality is that it never truly adheres to one particular genre. At times, it’s a 2.5D platformer and, at others, it’s a twin-stick shooter. It’s unpredictablity is a breath of fresh air, especially when compared to other PC games out on the market.

The story centers around a femme android by the name of 2B who is aided by a survey android called 9S, or Nines. With many questions being asked along the way, both of these characters are tasked with extricating Earth from alien machines that have taken over the planet. Just be conscious of how you play because not only does Nier: Automata feature different endings, but with each new path comes vastly different gameplay.

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4th of July sales 2019: the best tech, TV and home appliance deals to celebrate in the USA

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 09:03 AM PDT

The 4th of July sales are officially here, and that means not only a mid-week holiday filled with red, white and blue but also fantastic offers from your favorite retailers. Take a look below and you'll find our hand-picked selection of top deals from the likes of Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy with price cuts on TVs, smart home devices, laptops, and more.

If you'd like to browse complete sales at your leisure, we've included a handy list of retailers who are really going for it this 4th of July. Before you head off though, be sure to take a quick look at our highlights below too and get a taste of what's happening. You might miss them by casually browsing otherwise as some retailers aren't particularly great at showing off their best items.

We've got tempting offers from a variety of categories such as appliances, electronics and home items. Some standout deals include the Echo Dot on sale for $24.99 (that's a Prime Day-matching over right there), the Vizio 50-inch 4K Smart TV on sale for $279.99, and the super popular Instant Pot DUO Plus on sale for $89.99.

There are some fantastic discounts for you today and we're expecting to see many more in our roundup of the best Amazon Prime Day deals. But hey, when some are this good, there's not much reason to wait.

The best 4th of July sales:

Our best 4th of July sale picks:

Shop more deals with our Amazon Prime Day roundup: everything you need to know for the July deals event.

You can also save on laptops, TVs, desktops and more during the Dell Black Friday in July sale.

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The best Motorola phones of 2019: find the best Moto smartphone for you

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 08:29 AM PDT

If you're on the market for an affordable smartphone you're likely looking at a Nokia phone or a Motorola phone, as both hold the budget handset market by storm. Motorola devices cover a variety of low price points, which means if you need a phone that won't put you out of pocket, you're likely considering one, but the fact the company has so many phones can make choosing a new one rather confusing.

Just to be clear: none of Motorola's phones will compete with flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10 or iPhone XS, but they also won't have the huge price tag either. Instead, you're getting phones that are reliable and fairly well specc'd for their cost.

Motorola has various ranges, like the Moto Z moddable phones, or the Moto G main series, and others like the Motorola One Vision which runs on Android One. If you're not in the know, it can be hard to work out which of these you should pick up, or even if the device would be well suited to your life.

To help you pick which device is the best you can get, we've made a handy guide of all the best Motorola phones you can buy.

New Motorola phones are always being released, though, so this list could change monthly as we review the handsets and revise the list accordingly. Keep checking back to TechRadar when new phones release to see how they fit in this ranking.

best Motorola phones

Image credit: TechRadar

The Moto Z3 is the prince of the Moto line – not just for having the highest specs in the series, but because it had a bona-fide strategy to keep the phone relevant into 2019: the 5G Moto Mod. When this Moto add-on first came out, it made the Moto Z3 the first 5G-capable phone to hit the market in the whole world. 

Of course, there are a lot of caveats to that fact – namely, that the mod is only coming to Verizo in the US, and will only work in that carrier's very limited 5G coverage areas – but it's still an impressive claim for a sub-flagship phone. 

Yes, the phone doesn't have the beastly specs of top-tier flagships – but at half the price, the Moto Z3 boasts impressive value. It sports a Snapdragon 835, which is respectable if dated, and comes in two average if unimpressive versions: 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, or 6GB of RAM and 128GB of space (expandable via microSD to up to 512GB).

That's enough for streaming multimedia and moderate gaming, which look good on the phone's 6-inch (2160 x 1080) AMOLED display. Combine that with basic dual 12MP rear cameras and an 8MP front-facing selfie shooter and you have a good phone sitting somewhere below the OnePlus 6T and lesser-performing mid-range phones. The phone's glass back and side-mounted fingerprint scanner are similarly middle-luxe – a good compromise if you want performance at a lower price.

Read our hands-on review: Motorola Moto Z3

best Motorola phones

Image credit: TechRadar

The Motorola Moto G7 Plus is the top performer of the brand's G7 family, which counts four phones this time around. The G7 Plus is the standout model, though it may not reach your region: Motorola confirmed the device isn't coming to the US.

But if you can pick the phone up, you won't be sorry. For sub-midrange price, you'll get a Snapdragon 636-powered phone with a decent 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage (expandable up to 512GB). The phone even has one up on the more powerful Moto Z3 with its 3.5mm headphone jack.

So why the G7 Plus and not, say, an older (but still hefty) Moto Z2 Play? Simple: Android 9 Pie out of the box. That leads us to recommend the phone even over other more powerful Moto phones (like the Moto Z2 Force, which is nearly identical to the Z3), and the G7 Plus has other benefits of a later release date, like speedier Fast Charging and a higher screen-to-body ratio.

Read our in-depth review: Motorola Moto G7 Plus

best Motorola phones

Image credit: TechRadar

No, Motorola One Vision is not inspired by the Queen song, but it is one of the royalty of Moto handsets – its clean and clear Android One operating system (OS) cuts away the bloat and excess of normal Android, and the phone itself has an attractive and clean design.

The Motorola One Vision's 21:9 aspect ratio may be questionable to some, however, as the jury's still out on whether this is the future of smartphones or just an annoying gimmick.

If you're on-board with the phone's unwieldy length, and don't mind its weak specs in a certain few areas, the Motorola One Vision sits at a happily affordable price point and does impress in a few major ways.

Read our in-depth review: Motorola One Vision

best Motorola phones

Image Credit: TechRadar

Why list the Moto G7 here? Sure, it's slightly less powerful than the G7 Plus, but it's also available in more regions (including the US), so we're covering our bases in case you don't want to pay international shipping on your budget-plus phone.

You don't miss much going for the G7, either: its Snapdragon 632 chip is a bit less powerful, sure, and its frame is plastic instead of aluminum. But the rest of its specs are essentially the same, which means you're getting a phone that's nearly as nice at a discount.

That means 4GB of RAM and 64GB of space, a 6.2-inch LCD display and dual 12MP + 5MP rear shooters/an 8MP front-facing camera for a great price. Plus it comes with Android 9 Pie right out of the box.

Read our in-depth review: Moto G7

best Motorola phones

Image credit: TechRadar

If you're looking for the ultimate Moto value, think about digging back into the reserves. The Moto Z2 Force came out in mid-2017, but it's still a relative powerhouse – and you can find it for a bit cheaper than the newer Moto Z3.

Despite over a year between releases, the Z2 Force packs the same Snapdragon 835 processor as its successor. Its screen is even higher resolution at 2560 x 1440, though its 5.5 inches are smaller than the Z3's display. 

Unfortunately, the Z2 Force shows its age in its chin and top bezels, which are significantly larger than those on phones released today. But if you don't mind not sporting the sleekest phone on the block, the Z2 Force has most of the newest top-tier Moto phone at a lower price.

And it works with Moto Mods -- including, eventually, the Moto Mod 5G, which will expand functionality to the earlier Z2 phones at some point after it's released on April 11.

Read our in-depth review: Moto Z2 Force

best Motorola phones

Image credit: TechRadar

The third phone in the budget Moto G7 line is the G7 Power, which doesn't vary much from the standard G7 – aside from its enormous battery. Yes, for those of you who tire of recharging your phone everyday, here's one with a 5,000mAh battery.

Other phones have reached such heights, but they're either expensive flagships (like the gaming-focused Huawei Mate 20 X) or battery-focused brick-thick novelty items (like the Energizer Power Max P18K). The G7 Power is a much more affordable, sensible and normal-looking phone than others that offer its level of battery capabilities.

Otherwise, the phone is basic but not bottom-tier, with a Snapdragon 632 and either 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (in the US) or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage (elsewhere). Its 6.2-inch LCD screen is large but not terribly impressive (1570 x 720px). But in combination with the giant battery and an accessible price of $249 / £179 (around AU$330), the Moto G7 Power is a great bargain.

Read our in-depth review: Moto G7 Power review

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You can now grab a fibre broadband deal for just £18.99p/m - the UK's cheapest price

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 08:26 AM PDT

If you find yourself caught between lagging Netflix streams and Google crawling through a simple search but don't want to fork out on fibre, a new broadband deal is here to give you the best of both worlds.

Offering the UK's cheapest fibre broadband deal, Onestream has undercut the market to get you fibre speeds for just £18.99 a month. But, when prices are this cheap, there tends to be some sort of catch.

In this instance, it's that you'll only be getting average speeds of 17Mb, making it slower than the average fibre package. In other words, this deal is positioned perfectly for those who find ADSL to be painfully slow but the £20+ bills going fibre demands are an investment not worth making.

Interested in the UK's cheapest fibre package? You can find out all of the details down below. Or for something a bit faster (but also more expensive) check our guide for the best fibre broadband deals. 

  • Rather go all out on your broadband? Check out our broadband and TV deals page for the biggest packages available.

This super cheap fibre broadband deal

How does this compare to other broadband deals?

While this package is faster than the ADSL packages out there, it is the slowest fibre offer around. For something a bit faster with fibre without breaking the bank, we would suggest Vodafone. At £22 a month for speeds of 35Mb, you can up your speeds without breaking the bank.

Or if you feel like going big on broadband deals, BT currently has a pretty tempting offer. Along with average speeds of 50Mb for £31.99 a month, you also get a £40 BT reward card (effectively a pre-paid Mastercard) and a £100 M&S voucher.

Not bothered about speeds and just want to get your package as cheap as you can, Onestream is the way to go again. At £13.99 a month for speeds of 11Mb, Onestream has the cheapest internet available.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Source code suggests Red Dead Redemption 2 PC port is on the way

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 08:25 AM PDT

Rockstar Games' open-world western Red Dead Redemption 2 released to critical acclaim last year, but so far the title has only been available on PS4 and Xbox One leading us to wonder: will we ever see Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC?

Since last year, rumors have been floating around that Red Dead Redemption 2 will come to PC, but there's been little in the way of solid information about whether a PC release will actually happen. However the evidence is starting to pile up, with the latest hint appearing in Rockstar Games' Social Club source code.

Spotted by Twitter user JakoMako51 (via PCGamer),  there is a line in the Social Club's source code that mentions "RDR2_PC_Accomplishments". 

Check out the tweet below:

Evidence is mounting

Image credit: Rockstar Games

It may be a single line of code but, paired with previous PC rumors, it suggests that Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC could be on the way. After all, it took Rockstar Games just under a year to port GTA 5 to PC after the game's release so to estimate that it'll take Red Dead 2 roughly the same amount of time (if not a tad longer) isn't out of the question.

But we've also seen previous mentions of PC in Red Dead's code as some savvy data-mining last year contained references to PC-quality graphics settings – shadow quality, grass rendering, and the like – as well as lines explicitly naming PC, such as 'PARAM_companionAutoConnectIpPC' or 'CommandIsPcVersion(void)'.

All signs point to Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to PC eventually, but whether its sooner rather than later remains to be seen.

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The best Android apps to download in 2019

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 07:56 AM PDT

There's never been a better time to get into Android apps, as the Google Play store has exploded in recent years, with a proliferation of titles that can cater to your every need.

The problem is: there are just too many of them, even with Editors' Choice, Featured and Best Selling, Top Paid and Top Free categories there to help.

You can filter, see Google's lists or read the reviews - but the easiest (and best) way to find top quality apps is to have someone else do the searching for you.

That's where we come in. Like you, we want the best apps for our Android phones. The apps that are going to revolutionize functionality or, at the very least, offer something so great that it becomes one of the must-have apps that has to be downloaded whenever you get a new handset.

The following apps will be constantly updated and are a mixture of paid and free ones that have been chosen by our Android experts. So, even if you do dip into actual cash for one of these apps, you can be safe in the knowledge it's a worthwhile purchase.

We’ve also sorted them into categories, so you can find what you’re looking for more easily. Click through to the following pages for those or check out the best Android apps of the week below.

Best Android apps of the week

These are the two apps that we've chosen to highlight each week. They're usually new apps or apps that have recently received a major update, but occasionally hidden gems and other essentials will also be highlighted.

Image credit: TechRadar

Luminary

Free + $7.99/£6.99 per month

Luminary is a podcast app that, as well as packing in access to most of the podcasts you know and love, also has its own exclusive content that you won’t find anywhere else.

Access to those exclusive shows – over 40 of which are either out or in the works at the time of writing – is the main reason to choose Luminary over other podcast players, but to get that access you will have to subscribe at a cost of $7.99/£6.99 per month (following one free month).

These exclusives are ad-free and in many cases come from big names like Lena Dunham and Trevor Noah, but even if you’re not up for paying, Luminary could still be worth considering.

Stick to the free content and this is basically like any other podcast app, but it’s a polished one, with an attractive interface and loads of features, including the ability to cast podcasts to speakers, download podcasts for offline listening, get new podcast suggestions based on what you like, change the play speed, activate a sleep timer, and more.

The only real downside to Luminary at the moment is that while it offers exclusive content, it also lacks a few big-name shows that you’ll find on other platforms, such as Reply All and The Daily, so if any of your favorites are missing, you’re best off podcasting elsewhere.

Image credit: TechRadar

Appy Weather

Free + $3.99/£3.99 yearly subscription

It’s not easy to get excited about weather apps, and we can’t claim that Appy Weather changes that, but most of us probably do use one or more of them regularly, and Appy Weather is well worth consideration.

Once a Windows Phone app, it’s finally made its way to Android, where it stands out through an attractive, minimalist and easy to navigate interface that has a look unlike most other weather apps.

Whether you like the style will be subjective, but feature-wise it has got everything most users need, including forecasts for the current day and the next seven days, complete with the temperature, what it ‘feels like’, precipitation, cloud cover, visibility and a whole lot of other details.

Information is largely presented on easy to read graphs and with large, clear text, and the forecasts come from Dark Sky, which is generally accurate in our experience.

A sticking point might be the cost – the free version only lets you search for a forecast 5 times per day. To remove that limit, get rid of adverts, and unlock widgets, you’ll need to subscribe for $3.99/£3.99 per year.

Subscribing to a weather app might seem unappealing, but most users probably won’t need to. After all, how many times a day do you really check the weather? Plus, the app’s author does a good job of justifying the price, as not only is it a great app, they explain that the service used to retrieve the weather isn’t free, so for the app to be sustainable a subscription model is currently necessary.

The best Android camera apps and photo editors

Our favorite Android apps for shooting, sorting and editing photos and videos.

Pixtica

Free + various subscriptions

Pixtica is one of many tools hoping to replace your phone’s default camera app. Camera apps vary a lot, and their success largely depends on your phone make and model, but Pixtica is a decent option if you’re looking for something new.

It’s packed full of features, including numerous filters, a GIF recorder, panorama, hyperlapse, manual controls, and oddities such as a ‘Planet’ mode, which warps images into a sphere-like shape using Pixtica’s “advanced stereographic projection algorithm”.

There are all sorts of other modes too, whether you’re taking photos or shooting video, and the app is laid out intuitively. However, while many of the functions are free, you have to pay to unlock higher resolutions and to remove watermarks when using filters.

The payment gets you other things too, but those are the main things that make the purchase close to essential if you plan to use Pixtica. And that would be fine, except the app opts for a subscription fee (of $1.25/£1.25 for one month with discounts for six months or a year) rather than being available as a one-off purchase. We’re not fans of paying a subscription for a camera app, but if any such app is worth it, it’s Pixtica.

Scribbl

Free + $5.49/£5.49

Scribbl is a photo editor that lets you add animations to your pictures. By ‘animations’ we mean basically light trails, but there are various different ways they can be animated, numerous colors you can choose, and you can pick exactly where they appear on images and how large they are.

Essentially, it’s an app that does one thing but does it quite well. Once you’ve added an animation you can save the result to your phone’s gallery, ready for sharing.

The basic app is free, but for either a one-off fee or a monthly subscription you can remove adverts and unlock additional customization options, as well as unlocking the ability to remove the Scribbl watermark from your creations. If you like the app this is worth paying for, but you can get a good taste of it without spending anything.

Photo Watermark

Free + $0.99/£0.89 monthly subscription

Photo Watermark does exactly what the name suggests – it lets you add watermarks to photos – but the types of watermarks you can add are quite varied.

Not only can you add custom text as a watermark (including changing the font, size and color), you can also use your signature (or any other hand-written text) as a watermark by writing on the screen.

You can also apply stickers, a timestamp, a location, a mosaic effect, or ‘graffiti’ (which basically just lets you go wild on your images with a digital paintbrush). Whether you want to protect your photo or just log when and where it was taken, there should be a tool here to suit.

Photo Watermark is free, but it’s quite heavy on adverts. For $0.99/£0.89 per month you can get rid of them, but unless you’re adding watermarks to a ton of images it’s probably not worth it.

StoryZ Photo Motion & Cinemagraph

Free + $1.99/£1.79 monthly subscription

StoryZ Photo Motion & Cinemagraph is a photo editing app in two parts. The first of these is ‘Ripple’, a mode which lets you add motion to a static image by drawing the area and direction that you want the motion to happen.

This can be an effective way to make it look like water or smoke is moving for example, or simply to add a slightly trippy effect to things that you might expect to be static.

The ‘Motion’ mode, which lets you blend a video with a photo, leaves you with an ‘image’ that’s partially static and partially in motion.

In both cases it can be hard to make the effect look convincing, but it’s doable, as evidenced by all the impressive public submissions shared on the app. StoryZ also holds contests with specific themes, such as ‘stairs’ or ‘sand’, which you can enter by submitting a relevant creation. The best ones will be featured on the home page and competition page of the app.

You can use StoryZ for free, but if you find that you have more of a talent for it than we do then there’s also StoryZ Premium, which for a monthly subscription removes adverts and watermarks, increases the allowable length of videos in Motion mode, improves the toolset in Ripple mode and lets you save and share in high resolution.

KineMaster

Free + £2.91 (roughly $3.70) monthly subscription

KineMaster is probably one of the most powerful video editors on Android, but it’s also intuitive enough that anyone could enjoy using it.

The app lets you add audio and visual filters to footage, add text, stickers and other overlays, alter and trim videos frame-by-frame, adjust the speed, add transition effects and a whole lot more. You can also record videos straight from the KineMaster app. It can feel a little cramped on a phone screen, but otherwise everything works well.

You can use KineMaster for free, but all your videos will have a KineMaster watermark and you can’t use them commercially. To remove the watermarks, allow commercial use and unlock additional assets (such as effects and overlays) you have to pay a subscription, but at £2.91 (roughly $3.70) per month it remains affordable.

Moment – Pro Camera

$1.99/£1.79

A truly great camera app arguably needs to both avoid clutter and be packed full of manual controls, so you can capture an image exactly as you want it, but that’s a tough balance to strike, and few manage. Moment – Pro Cameraarguably does though.

It gives you full manual control, including RAW shooting, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, exposure compensation and focus. There’s also tap to focus, a timer, a grid and several different lenses. It’s an impressive toolkit, with the app focusing more on powerful utilities than gimmicky filters, but it all has a very clean, minimalist look.

And it’s designed with ease of use in mind. You can double tap any setting to return it to auto or double tap the viewfinder to turn everything back to auto and all the controls are within easy reach.

The main downside of Moment is that it can’t currently shoot videos, but for photos there’s a good chance you’ll want to replace your current camera app with this, and video is apparently in the works.

PhotoDirector

Free + optional subscription

Your phone might have a powerful camera, but chances are it doesn’t come with much in the way of photo editing tools. Fortunately, PhotoDirector can fill in the gaps.

This app lets you adjust the tone, saturation, white balance and colors of photos you’ve previously taken, as well as adding filters and effects, which you can adjust the strength of and apply to all or just part of an image.

You can also add text, stickers, frames, change the perspective, mirror the image, cut sections and a whole lot more.

There are lots of tools, but PhotoDirector is easy to navigate and you can always undo your changes, so you’re safe to experiment.

And that’s just the editing part of the app. There’s also a built-in camera, which lets you shoot new photos with various effects and see live through the viewfinder how they will affect the image.

PhotoDirector is largely free, but if you want to direct to your best there’s a premium version that costs £2.59 (around US$3.70) per month, with discounts if you commit for three months or a year. This unlocks additional tools, boosts the output quality and removes adverts.

Lens Distortions

Free + $0.99/£0.99 monthly subscription

“The best effects are the ones no one knows you added.” So says the intro video to Lens Distortions, and it has a point.

Rather than flashy, gimmicky effects and photo filters, Lens Distortions has a selection of natural, true to life ones that look like they could have been captured by the camera itself.

These include sunlight, rain, snow and fog effects, so tend to be most suited to outdoor shots, but they look convincing and there’s a selection of different looks in each category.

Once you’ve applied a filter you can tweak it by adjusting the brightness, saturation, contrast and more, and add extra layers so you can apply more than one filter at a time.

The interface is slick and intuitive, and your edited photos can be saved to your phone or shared with various social media and cloud storage apps.

You get 40 filters for free at time of writing, but for a $0.99/£0.99 monthly subscription you can unlock additional filter packs and 215 premium filters. As a one-off purchase it would have been easy to recommend, but as a subscription it’s probably only worth it if you find yourself using Lens Distortions a lot. Either way though the free version is well worth a download.

LightX Photo Editor

Free + $3.69/£3.49 IAP

If you want an all-in-one photo editor for Android then LightX Photo Editor is a good choice, not least because most of the features are free.

You can merge photos, add effects and filters, selectively apply colors to regions of an image, adjust the color balance, smooth and sharpen images, crop them, rotate them, draw on them, add frames and stickers, add text, create collages and a whole lot more.

That’s all handled through an intuitive interface; bring up the main menu with a tap, select the category of edits you want to make (filters or frames, for example) and you’ll be taken to a menu with all the relevant options.

Most of it is fairly self-explanatory, but there are also tutorial videos for if you get stuck, and for a one-off $3.69/£3.49 IAP you can get rid of adverts, unlock additional stickers and frames, and add the ability to save images in PNG format.

TouchRetouch

$1.99/£1.99

No matter how good your smartphone camera is your images can still be ruined by unwanted additions, be it people in the background, a trash can in your landscape or blemishes on your own face.

TouchRetouch is here to help, by removing anything that you don’t want in your shot. You can get rid of unwanted objects by highlighting or circling them, and simply tap a blemish to remove it.

There are additional tools to clone or mirror parts of the image, and video tutorials to help you get more out of the app – though most of the features are fairly self-explanatory.

Results aren’t always perfect, with the app trying but not always entirely succeeding to hide the seams when you cut someone out, but you don’t have to save any changes you’re unhappy with and it generally does a surprisingly good job, all with only a few taps from you.

SKRWT

$1.49/£1.39

There are plenty of photo editing apps, but while most offer filters and effects few allow you to alter the perspective of a photo in the way SKRWT does.

There are no stickers here, no makeup modes and no real effects. Instead there are tools to shift the perspective, change the ratio and correct lens distortion.

You can also flip, rotate, mirror and crop images, but SKRWT isn't interested so much in modifying photos in unnatural ways, as in making them look exactly as you envisioned when you took them.

It's a professional tool, but it's easy to use and you can always undo your changes if you don't like them.

Our favorite Android apps for painting, drawing, sketching, design and animation.

Tattoodo

Free + $5.99/£4.59 per month

Tattoodo at its heart is a tattoo search engine, letting you search through millions of tattoo images, images that you can filter based on style, motifs or artist.

As well as searching and browsing you can also follow artists, so their latest work will pop up in your feed, and you can save images to boards, so you can build up a library of designs that you like.

If you have tattoos already and feel like sharing them with the world then images of them can be added to the app, and you can even book tattoo appointments and get free consultations through the app.

If you’re a tattoo artist then you can add your store and designs and potentially find new customers through the app too. It’s completely free if you’re looking for or at tattoos, but if you’re an artist and want to get bookings through the app you’ll need to pay for a $5.99/£4.59 monthly subscription.

Houzz

Free

Houzz is a one-stop app for decorating and furnishing your home. The app has numerous different sections, including a database of over 16 million photos to give you decor ideas, which can be filtered based on style, room and other things. These images can also be sketched on and shared.

Houzz lets you buy millions of products (such as furniture) and materials from within the app, and there’s a tool that lets you use augmented reality to see how a product would look in your home.

There are articles and videos related to remodelling and improving your home, too. You can find and hire interior decorators, architects and other professionals within the app, and there’s a community where users can ask and answer questions.

Houzz isn’t an app that everyone needs on their phone, but it is one that’s definitely worth looking at if you’re considering redecorating or making other home improvements.

Over

Free + $59.99/£54.99 per year

Over is designed primarily for adding text to images, which you might want to do if you’re making a poster or Instagram post, for example.

The app lets you select from a wide range of canvas sizes, including some created specifically for different social media purposes, such as Facebook cover photos. Then you can add images, text and graphics.

For images you can adjust the exposure, contrast and various other things; for text you can choose from a range of fonts, alignments and colors; and for graphics you can select from a range of pre-made designs, then adjust color, position and the like.

Projects can have multiple layers, and when you’re done you can save the result as a JPG or PNG, or share it.

It’s a handy app and everything that we’ve described so far is free, but for an admittedly hefty $59.99/£54.99 per year you get access to an ever-growing library of templates, hundreds of extra fonts, far more graphics and the promise of additional features in future.

For the average user this probably isn’t necessary, but if you’re using it for work or need to combine images and text regularly then it could be worth the outlay.

Draw.ai

Free + various IAP

Digital devices seem an ideal fit for drawing tutorials, yet few drawing apps seem to take advantage of them. Instead they often assume you already know what you’re doing or will learn outside the app, while many of the ones that do teach you rely on static images and text, but Draw.ai is more interactive.

While not a comprehensive guide to drawing, it offers a large assortment of images and guides you towards recreating each one step by step, one line at a time. By which we mean the app will draw a line or two from the image, then make it appear faint so you can draw the same thing over it.

This continues until the image is complete, after which you’re free to color it (without a guide). Once you’re finished, Draw.ai will show a short video of the entire process you went through.

The actual drawing tools are more limited than some apps, but there is at least a handy undo button that erases the last line you drew or change you made – something beginners will be making use of a lot.

Many of the images are free and more are added all the time, but to access everything you’ll have to pay a $5.99/£5.49 weekly subscription (with big discounts available if you pay monthly or yearly instead – you can get a full year for $59.99/£52.99).

Sketch - Draw & Paint

Free + various IAP

Sketch – Draw & Paint is a photo editor, sketching app and art community all in one, and while it’s not the deepest option for any of those things, it’s fun and easy to use.

On the sketching side you get a variety of different pen and brush types of different sizes and colors, along with the ability to add text and stickers and some basic tools, such as a ruler and layers.

You can either start with a blank canvas or take or import a photo, which brings us to the photo editing aspect of Sketch, an aspect which relies on the same set of tools.

As for the community, Sketch lets you upload your creations and share them with other Sketch users, as you can also browse through people’s artworks. There are categories for this, including ‘trending’ and ‘newcomers’, or you can just search for something specific.

You can comment on or like any of the shared artworks, and follow their creator so you can more easily keep track of any other work they produce. The actual quality of work in the community is varied, but that means it should be less intimidating to share your own.

Sketch – Draw & Paint is mostly free, but you can buy extra sticker packs or for £0.99 (around US$1.30) per month subscribe to Sketch Premium to unlock all the stickers, remove adverts, get a transparent background and be able to use a custom canvas size.

Desygner

Free + $7.49/£5.99 subscription

Desygner lets you unleash your inner graphic designer on your phone or tablet, but with an intuitive interface and thousands of templates it’s simple enough for beginners to use.

You can combine text, shapes, images, stickers, backgrounds and more to create logos, posters, adverts, PowerPoint-like presentations, postcards or any number of other things where images and typography are important.

Each component of your design can be moved, resized, rotated, flipped, duplicated or have its color changed, and you can work with multiple layers. Results can then be saved to your device to be used wherever you want.

We suspect it might be a bit limited for professional graphic designers, who may want more freedom to completely create designs from scratch, but for everyone else Desygner is a great way to make something that looks professional.

The basic app is free but certain features, as well as the majority of the templates, require a monthly subscription which costs $7.49/£5.99. That’s probably worth it if you’re going to use the app semi-regularly, but if you just want to design something as a one-off you might find the free version good enough.

Infinite Painter

$7.99/£6.99

There’s no shortage of apps for digital artists, but Infinite Painter is one of the most feature-packed, with dozens of brush presets and the ability to create your own, along with layers, blending, editing tools and more, plus the option to export your images as JPEG, PNG, PSD or ZIP.

But as well as being packed full of features, Infinite Painter also takes the time to show you how they all work, with detailed tutorials and guides, although the interface is so simple that you should be able to muddle your way through most things anyway.

A lot of the features are hidden behind a paywall, with it costing $7.99/£6.99 to unlock everything, but the app includes a free seven-day trial, letting you try everything out before you decide whether you want to put money down, which if you’re a fan of digital art you probably will, because you get a lot for your money.

Our favorite Android apps for learning new things, from history to music to coding and beyond.

SmartPlant

Free + $3.99/£3.99 per month

There’s more to looking after many plants than putting them in the sun and giving them the occasional sip of water. Some need watering more often than others, some have different temperature or lighting requirements, some even require pruning or other care and attention.

Knowing exactly what any given plant needs isn’t always easy though and we’re sure we’re not alone in wondering why plants we thought we’d looked after well had died. But with SmartPlant you don’t need to wonder any more, and you’re more likely to keep your plants alive in the first place.

The app lets you build a database of any and all plants you own and it will automatically create a calendar for each of them, advising you on what to do at specific points of the year – for example telling you where to place it, when to re-pot it and how much to water it. And if you’re not sure what a plant is called then you can snap a picture of it to have SmartPlant identify it.

The app also has general information on a wide range of plants, such as the type of soil they like and when they bloom.

If you need more, then an optional subscription lets you talk to experts in-app. They can give you advice on general plant care, solving problems or any other plant-related query.

Flowkey

Free + $19.99/£17.99 monthly subscription

Flowkey aims to teach you piano, and it can give you feedback on your playing just by listening through your phone’s microphone – no cables are required.

As well as real feedback, Flowkey also offers a large number of video tutorials covering things like ‘Note Value and Rhythm’ and ‘Mastering Key Jumps’, plus a selection of over 1,000 songs that you can learn.

These songs cover a range of genres, including classical, pop, jazz and more, and include famous pieces, such as Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, and Perfect by Ed Sheeran. The selection also includes songs suited for various different skill levels.

There’s a lot here, but most of it isn’t free. There are a handful of free songs and tutorials to get you started, but to get much out of Flowkey you’ll have to invest in a monthly subscription. That’s not cheap, coming in at $19.99/£17.99 per month (albeit with big discounts if you commit for six months or a year).

That could be a tough sell since you’ll probably still want proper lessons too, but you certainly get a lot of content for your money.

Learn Java Pro

$3/£3

Learn Java Pro is one of many apps focused on teaching you to code – in this case in Java, but where most take you through bite-sized exercises, this has both a coding area (where you can practice your Java skills) and an extensive library of tutorials taking you through basic and advanced aspects of Java.

These tutorials aren’t interactive as such; they’re more like a textbook, which is the part of learning that’s missing from many other coding apps. But there’s a shortcut to the coding area at the top right corner of each tutorial, so you’re never more than a tap away from practicing what you’ve learnt.

There’s also a library of practice programs, plus various questions and answers related to all things Java. Learn Java Pro works offline so you can read and practice anywhere, and all of the content is available for the one low price listed above, so while it’s not free it’s still rather generous and a great learning tool.

Learn Spanish with Lirica

Free + $9.99/£8.99 monthly subscription

Learn Spanish with Lirica takes a novel approach to language learning, as it attempts to teach you Spanish through songs.

The app lets you listen to a number of Spanish-language songs (many of which are famous) and has you learn the words that are used in them.

You can watch the music video with the words appearing underneath, with or without an English translation, and then you can go through a song verse by verse, answering questions about what you’ve heard.

There are a few different exercises, such as rearranging lyrics so that they’re in the right order or selecting the word that was used in the song, and as you go you can earn points and achievements.

Lirica is more than just a gimmick. Songs are often catchy and memorable, so they make sense as a way to learn a language. There are two downsides to the app though. The first is that it only teaches you Spanish, and the second is that much of the content is hidden behind a fairly pricey subscription.

But there’s enough free stuff to be getting started with it and if you like what you hear then a subscription could be worthwhile.

Mobile Observatory 3 Pro – Astronomy

$5.49/£4.99

Mobile Observatory 3 Pro – Astronomy is a comprehensive astronomy tool, letting you see details of the sky as it appears from your location. You can use it to check names and descriptions of celestial bodies that should be visible at the current time, or you can change to a different time or day.

You can also get notifications warning you of celestial events that you should be able to see, and there are all sorts of other tools, such as a 3D view of the solar system, and the ability to see the sky in augmented reality with the details of what you’re looking at overlaid.

There are tens of thousands of stars and planets included, along with information on moon phases, eclipses and plenty more besides. Although this isn’t a free app, given how much content there is it still feels very generous given that you get the whole app for one $5.49/£4.99 payment.

Shepard Fairey AR – DAMAGED

$4.99/£4.59

We’ve not always been entirely convinced by digital versions of real-world exhibits, but Shepard Fairey AR – DAMAGED does it right.

The app is a digital version of Shepard Fairey’s DAMAGED exhibit and it’s a great option for anyone who can’t make it to the real show in Los Angeles.

The app lets you walk around the exhibit with taps and swipes, or you can set it so that rotating your phone also changes your view in the exhibit. Or go even further and use an augmented reality mode that lets you physically walk around the exhibit, using your phone as a window into it.

It’s not just the exhibit, either – you also get over 100 minutes of narration from Fairey explaining the various artworks, which combined show that the world – and especially the US – is in a state of crisis, but that much of the damage can be repaired. 

MasterClass

From $89.99/£84.99

MasterClass gives you lessons in various skills, from cookery to acting to creative writing and a whole lot more, but how it really stands out is that these lessons are all taught by some of the best in the business.

You can learn cookery from Gordon Ramsay for example, filmmaking from Martin Scorsese, tennis from Serena Williams or photography from Annie Leibovitz.

Of course, this is an app, not a face to face lesson, so you’re not interacting with these people, but they’ve created video lessons and various other materials – such as workbooks – for MasterClass.

This content isn’t free; in fact it’s quite expensive, coming in at $89.99/£84.99 for a single course or $179.99/£169.99 for an ‘all access pass’, letting you access every course for a year. That’s steep, but it could be worth it if you’re serious about learning and want some top-class tuition. You can also explore the app and see video previews of any of the courses before paying.

Scripts

Free + $10.99/£10.49 per month

Learning to speak a language is only half the battle. To become fluent in a new language you also need to be able to read and write in it, and in the case of Japanese, Chinese and Korean that can be a daunting prospect, since they have their own unique alphabets.

Scripts can help though, as it gives you various bite-sized exercises designed to teach you their alphabets and get you practice at actually writing out the letters.

It starts by having you essentially trace or fill in a letter on the screen, then moves on to having you repeat the shape without a guide. These exercises and variations on them are repeated a number of times to drill the letter into you.

And if that sounds tedious, well, it’s not. The app is nicely designed and for free you only get to use it for five minutes each day, which isn’t long enough to get bored but is long enough to make progress.

If you want more you can pay $10.99/£10.49 per month to unlock unlimited time, get rid of adverts and even get full access to Drops, which is another language learning app by the same company. 

Drops

Free + $10/£8.99 monthly subscription

Apps have revolutionized language learning, but there’s more than one way to learn from an app, and while some focus on typing and speaking, Drops leans into the strengths of a smartphone by making all interactions swipe- and tap-based.

Drops gives you a series of exercises to carry out each time you use it, taking various forms. One asks you to swipe a word to its corresponding picture, another asks you to tap pairs of words and pictures, and one breaks up a word or phrase into several parts and has you tap them in the correct order.

There are others too, and Drops has a lot of content covering all sorts of categories from food to plants and even politics in a variety of languages. Impressively, it also feels as slick and polished as Duolingo, without imitating it.

Drops gives you five minutes of language learning each day for free, but the app is designed to be bite-sized and the makers claim this is enough to make progress.

If you do want more though you can pay for unlimited access at a price of $10/£8.99, with discounts available if you pay for a year upfront.

Blinkist

Free + various subscriptions

Few of us have time to read all the books we want to, but Blinkist can give you a fighting chance by distilling the key information in books down into something that only takes around 15 minutes to read.

Obviously, this only works for nonfiction, and you will be missing a lot, but you can genuinely take away many of the core points and messages, so it’s great for books that you’re only semi-interested in and would never read otherwise.

There’s a lot of choice, with over 2,500 books included in the app, though to access most of them you have to pay a monthly subscription (which starts at $6.67/£5 per month if you pay for a year upfront but is $12.99/£13.49 if you pay monthly). This also lets you listen to the distilled versions, so you can consume them even when you can’t or don’t want to read.

If you stick with the free version of Blinkist you get one book per day and the app chooses which one. It’s still well worth having on your phone, but if you get into it then the subscription is probably worthwhile.

Rosetta Stone

Free + various IAP

Rosetta Stone has been teaching people languages since before smartphones were a thing, and its Android app is one of the best ways to learn.

You can select from 24 different languages, then go through a variety of lessons that combine words and images so you can learn visually. All the phrases are spoken, so you also get to hear the pronunciation.

There are a variety of different lesson types. Some show you several pictures and ask you to tap the one that matches a word or phrase, while some ask you to repeat the word or phrase, then use Rosetta Stone’s speech recognition technology to tell you how close you got.

There are stories that you can read or have read to you in the language you’re learning, and you can download lessons, so you can learn even when there’s no internet connection.

If you’ve ever used something like Duolingo then this app will feel somewhat familiar, but Rosetta Stone seems to put more of a focus on having you speak words aloud.

Unlike Duolingo, most of Rosetta Stone isn’t free, but you can get some basic lessons without paying to begin learning the foundations of a language. Then, if you want to take it further, you can subscribe for anywhere from three months to a year, or buy lifetime access to a language course.

Prices vary depending on what you choose, but this isn’t cheap, costing for example $79/£42.99 for three months of access. Still, it’s potentially more affordable than a real-world course.

Guitar Lessons by Fender Play

$9.99/£8.99 monthly subscription

While taking guitar lessons is probably advisable if you want to learn, it’s perfectly possible to teach yourself, and Guitar Lessons by Fender Play is probably one of the strongest tools for that.

Starting with the absolute basics, the app lets you choose the style of music you want to focus on and whether you’re playing electric or acoustic guitar, then it takes you through a series of video lessons, teaching you chords, riffs and songs.

Many of the videos are short, so you can learn in bite-sized chunks, and information is often also written out for you below the video.

You can also jump ahead to later lessons if you’re more advanced or just not interested in certain tutorials, and there are hundreds of different songs and lessons in total, so there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.

Guitar Lessons by Fender Play costs US$9.99/£8.99 every month, but that’s still a lot less than you’d spend on a weekly lesson, and you get the first month free.

Our favorite Android apps for having fun on your phone or tablet, through watching videos, reading, socializing and more.

Image credit: Goodreads / TechRadar

Goodreads

Free

Goodreads is all about finding, logging and reviewing books, and it’s pretty much essential for any avid reader.

If you see a book that you think looks interesting, you can search for it on Goodreads and see the average user rating, along with often hundreds of user reviews. Still interested in it? Then you can add it to your ‘want to read’ list, so you won’t lose track of the books you like the look of.

Goodreads will also show you other books by that author and other books that readers of the one you’re looking at enjoyed, making it easy to find similar content you might like. There are also lists of books across a range of categories, helping you explore further and dig up books you might never have found otherwise.

When you’ve read a book, you can give it a star rating and leave a review if you want, and you can also join groups, and add friends, making Goodreads a bit like a book-focused social network at times.

With all that, plus reading challenges, personalized recommendations and a whole lot more, it really is a book-lover’s dream.

Unrd

Free + various IAP

Smartphones have helped unlock new ways to experience stories and one great example of that is Unrd.

Falling somewhere between an app and a game, Unrd lets you “live someone else’s life” by overlaying a fake phone interface on your screen, belonging to a character in a story. You can access their messages – including photos, videos and audio – and piece together a story from them.

But you don’t get the whole story in one go – new messages arrive in real time over a number of days, making the experience feel more immersive and ‘real’.

There are numerous stories here, so you’re not limited to just one, and more are being added over time across a number of genres.

It’s worth noting that Unrd is different to something like A Normal Lost Phone, as while they’re conceptually similar, the latter allows for more interaction, having you do things like figure out passwords to access locked off parts of the phone. It’s more of a game then, where Unrd is more of a story.

The core app is free but there are various IAP to unlock additional content in stories or get to it faster. It looks like some future stories may be totally locked behind IAP too, but at the time of writing all the available ones seem to be free.

Depop

Free

Depop is a bit like eBay, but with a real focus on second-hand and vintage clothing, which is a refreshing change in a world where fashion is often seen as disposable despite the clothing industry’s massive negative impact on the environment.

There’s a large selection of items often at low prices and while clothing is the focus that’s not all you’ll find. There’s also tech, books, jewelry, music, art, films, magazines, sports equipment and a few other categories.

As with eBay, you can sell as well as buy, and the app allows you to set up and manage your own store, as well as browsing other people’s. If you’ve got some clothes to clear out or just want to shop a bargain – while doing your bit for the environment – then Depop is a good place to start.

VLC for Android

Free

You’ve probably come across VLC before, but if not you really, really should, because it’s one of the very best video player apps on Android. Even if you have tried it before, it could be worth revisiting, as it’s received several recent updates.

This completely free app has almost everything you might want from a video player, including extensive file support (such as MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, Ogg, FLAC, TS, M2TS, Wv and AAC), support for DVD ISOs, network streams and network shares, the ability to add and display subtitles, adjust the aspect ratio, and alter the look and sound with an equalizer and filters.

And those are just the headline features. There’s plenty more to dig into beyond this. We’re not the biggest fans of VLC’s distinctive orange color scheme, but that’s about the only thing we can find to complain about, and it can be partially hidden if you switch to the black theme.

Soon

Free

Soon is an app for keeping track of all the movies and shows you want to watch, the music you want to listen to, the bars and restaurants you want to visit, the books you want to read, and various other things.

Simply tap on the relevant category (‘books’ for example) then type the name of the thing you want to remember. Soon will populate the entry with relevant details if it can find any. These might include the address if it’s a place, or the cast and crew if it’s a film, for example.

In this way you can build up lists and have them all in one place, so you’ll never lose track of them. If you’re planning a trip you can also create a list of the things you want to do on it, and even collaborate on the list with other people.

Each of the list categories also has a second screen where anything that you’ve marked as ‘done’ appears, so it doesn’t clutter up the main list, but so you can still easily check if you have watched, read or visited the thing, in case you can’t remember for sure. You also get a chance to rate the thing when you mark it as done, so you’ll have a record of what you thought of everything too.

RAM and Game Booster

$0.99/£0.59

Some smartphone makers have put a big focus on gaming modes, such as Huawei with its GPU Turbo feature, but if you don’t have a handset with these sorts of features there are still things that can help, such as RAM and Game Booster.

It helps by freeing up RAM, which it can do on-demand or when specific games are launched.

You can also set RAM and Game Booster to free up RAM when RAM usage reaches a set percentage, after a set period, or when the app judges that the device requires it.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an app aimed at freeing up RAM, but the various settings for when it happens are more comprehensive here than on most rival apps. This still won’t turn a low-end phone into a gaming powerhouse, but it could make a small difference to performance.

Pocket

Free + $4.99/£4.49 monthly subscription

Pocket isn’t a new app, but it does have some new features and a new look.

For those who don’t already know, Pocket is an app that lets you save articles so that you can read them later. That both means you can read them offline and allows you to keep a list of content you plan to read so you won’t forget about it. And as Pocket works on a variety of devices, including Android and iOS phones and tablets as well as PCs, you can read what you’ve saved anywhere.

Thanks to a recent update you can also now listen to saved articles, with Pocket reading them out to you, so you can devour them even when you’re busy doing something else. The company is also planning to add Alexa integration, meaning you’ll be able to listen to articles through any device that has Alexa built in.

And the interface now has multiple themes, as well as a general overhaul designed to make reading for long periods more comfortable.

It’s good stuff, and it’s mostly free, but subscribing to Pocket Premium for $4.99/£4.49 per month gets rid of adverts, unlocks a powerful search tool, and ensures your saved articles won’t be lost even if they’re taken off the web.

Google Home

Free

One of the problems with smart homes today is that your devices are typically made by a variety of different companies and, as such, they’re all managed by different apps. It’s a messy and not particularly smart situation, but an update to Google Home aims to address that.

The app now lets you manage most smart devices from within it, whether they’re made by Google or not. Thousands of devices from hundreds of brands are supported; it’s just a case of finding yours and logging into them from the Google Home app, thereby giving it permission to manage them. You can then create groups of smart devices based on what room they’re in and manage everything from lights to thermostats to coffee makers all in one place.

Some devices still aren’t supported, and you don’t always have full control – for example, we can turn our LIFX lights on and off and adjust the brightness from Google Home, but can’t change the colors.

Still, for basic interactions with most of your smart devices, Google Home is a slick, streamlined option.

MTV Play UK

£3.99 per month

If you’re in the US you could have been enjoying MTV content on your Android phone or tablet for years, but the app has only just come to the UK.

For £3.99 per month (following a free seven-day trial) you get access to box sets of a variety of MTV shows, such as Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach, plus the ability to catch up on the latest episodes, and new content added all the time.

There are also extras, such as behind the scenes footage, and there’s a daily MTV news bulletin providing news focused on the entertainment industry.

As streaming apps go MTV Play UK is pretty basic – there’s no Chromecast support currently for example, or the option to download content, but if you like MTV and don’t like being a slave to TV schedules then it’s still a near essential app. 

Readly

$9.99/£7.99 per month

In the age of the web, magazines can feel like a dated concept, but Readly does a decent job of bringing them up to date by offering a Netflix-like subscription service.

We say Netflix-like, but while most of the content on there is far from brand new, you have access to the latest issues of thousands of magazines on Readly, all in digital form and with unlimited access for $9.99/£7.99 per month.

You can read content from not just your own country but various others too and the selection is strong, with plenty of big names on offer, along with more niche magazines.

Readly is accessible on phone, tablet and computer, so you can access your magazines almost anywhere with a screen, and even download them for offline reading.

You also have access to back issues, and navigation is a breeze, handled by intuitive swipes and taps. Readly even supports crosswords and other puzzle content, so you can do just about everything you could with a paper version.

Our favorite Android apps for working out, reducing stress and crafting meals.

Wisdo

Free

Many of us have struggles in our lives, but you don’t need to struggle alone. With Wisdo, you can join one or more groups focused on an issue you might be facing, such as anxiety, depression, or eating disorders. Though there are also groups for things like learning to meditate and becoming an activist, so it’s not all directly tied to health.

You can optionally share more details of what you’ve been through on your profile, while within groups you can post messages, and read and reply to other people’s posts, offering support and guidance.

You can also have private conversations with people in the app, with the idea being that people who have been through the things you’re struggling with can help guide you, or vice versa.

It’s an app that’s clearly connected with a lot of people – so much so that it’s a ‘2019 Google Play Award Winner’ for ‘Social Impact’, so if you think you could use a friendly ear – or offer one – then it’s definitely worth downloading.

Bedtime Creatures

Free + various IAP

Bedtime Creatures is an app that plays relaxing music and nature sounds to help you chill out, sleep, or to drown out background noise.

Lots of other apps have a similar goal, but Bedtime Creatures is unusually cute and colorful. Each sound has a related animated scene with a cartoon animal, including a raccoon by a campfire, a panda in a bamboo forest and several others.

Each scene has its own music and background audio, and you can unlock additional sounds to add to the mix using gems. You’ll also need gems to unlock additional scenes. These gems can be bought, but you start off with enough for a few scenes or a bunch of additional sounds and simply launching the app sometimes rewards you with gems.

You can also customize the appearance of the animals with clothes, which can be bought with a second currency earned over time through simply using the app. Though this currency can also be gained by watching adverts (which are never forced on you) or swapping gems for it.

Having two currencies in what’s ultimately quite a simple app seems excessive, but since everything ultimately can be obtained with gems and nothing is vastly expensive at the moment, you can just buy a pack of gems, unlock everything you’re interested in and ignore the rest.

FreeMind Meditations

Free + $10.99/£9.99 monthly subscription

FreeMind Meditations is one of many meditation apps on Google Play, but it aims to stand out through its use of music.

The meditations include bespoke ‘MetaMusic’ created by film composers and professional musicians, and beyond being enjoyable to listen to while meditating, this music includes trigger sounds that supposedly evoke specific states of mind and help you engage more deeply and easily with the meditations.

We can’t say with any certainty how well this worked for us, but it definitely doesn’t detract from the experience and if you struggle to get into meditations usually, FreeMind might be the solution.

That aside, this has most of what you’d expect from a mediation app, including a large library of meditations covering various topics. There are more than 250 in all, but only 14 are free – the rest require a subscription.

Breeze

Free + £4.79 (around $6.35) monthly subscription

Breeze is a relaxation app that packs in so many features, it can easily replace several others on your phone.

It offers various guided meditations and relaxation exercises, as well as soothing audio of numerous kinds, including ASMR and nature sounds, all of which can be set to play for a duration of your choice.

There are even bedtime stories here, which will probably mostly be of interest to younger listeners, given that the books chosen are things like The Little Prince and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

You can also have Breeze automatically wake you up to soothing sounds and set it to remind you to take a break during the day.

There’s a lot here and much of it is free, but for the full selection of sounds, meditations and stories, and to remove adverts, you’ll have to pay a monthly subscription. This usually costs £4.79 (around $6.35), but the first month is half price.

We’d say that if you’re mostly interested in just one particular part of Breeze – say the meditations or soothing sounds, then you can find better or cheaper options elsewhere, but if you like the bulk of what Breeze has to offer then the subscription should be worthwhile.

Shine – Self-Care & Meditation

Free or $9.99/£9.49 per month / $53.99/£50.99 per year

Shine is a self-care app that combines a number of things other apps specialize in.

You can start by ‘checking in’ every day, saying something that you’re grateful for and something that you’re doing to make yourself happy. This is a small thing, but by thinking about what’s good in our lives we really can feel better about them.

Shine will also send you a motivational text every week day, but the bulk of the app is a selection of articles and audio tracks covering a variety of topics. Some of these are meditations, but there’s also content on everything from improving sleep to avoiding burn out.

As with many self-help apps, much of this is hidden behind a paywall, with Shine costing $9.99/£9.49 per month or $53.99/£50.99 per year to unlock everything. That’s not cheap, but there’s quite a lot of content, including seven-day audio challenges that provide a deep dive on a specific topic.

QuitNow!

Free + $3.95/£3.95

Quitting smoking is always going to be hard, but there are tools to help, including QuitNow!. The app first asks you how many cigarettes you smoke a day, how long ago you had your last one, how long you’ve been smoking, and a few other things.

It then shows you a dashboard, complete with the amount of time since your last cigarette, which constantly counts up in seconds. You can also see how many cigarettes you’ve avoided and how much money you’ve saved based on that.

A second screen shows how close you are to achieving certain health milestones, such as a lowered risk of sudden death and improved physical condition (all of which is based on World Health Organization data).

There are also achievements to unlock, such as one for going without a cigarette for two days, and a community page, where you can post your progress and encourage others.

That’s all free, but for a one-off fee of $3.95/£3.95 you can access 55 more achievements, a better community chat screen, custom achievements and more, as well as getting rid of adverts. If you’re serious about quitting and the app is helping, then that’s probably a price worth paying.

Cocktail Flow

Free + $5/£4.49 per month

Most drinks you simply pour, but cocktails you craft, and if you want a little aid and inspiration then Cocktail Flow is a good place to start.

The app has a large library of cocktails, complete with ingredient lists, equipment lists and instructions, plus the ability to choose what measurement units you want to use and how many servings you want to make.

You can browse cocktails based on the type, base spirit or country of origin and you can favorite the ones you like so they’re easy to return to later.

There’s also a small library of tips to help you get better at making them. These include things like how to layer drinks and how to dry shake.

Much of the content is free, but for $5/£4.49 per month you can upgrade to premium, which unlocks hundreds of additional recipes with new ones added each week. It also lets you add your own cocktail recipes to the app and save notes, detailing tweaks that you like to make to cocktails.

These are genuinely useful features, but we’d be much happier with a one-off payment than a subscription to access them. Still, if you’re a mixologist in the making it should be worthwhile.

Endomondo

Free + £9.99 (roughly $13) monthly subscription

If you run, cycle or even like to track your walks then there’s a good chance you’ve come across Endomondo before. As one of the oldest, biggest and best apps in the business - it stays that way thanks to regular updates; at the time of writing the app was updated less than two weeks ago.

Even if you don’t run or cycle you might still want to check out Endomondo, as - despite its GPS-tracking specialities - it can also track more than 60 other sports, such as golf, climbing and ice skating.

Alongside route and distance tracking, Endomondo can also track your speed, pace, calories and more. Ff you’re doing a sport that can’t be tracked with GPS then you can manually enter your workout, so you’ve still got a log of your achievements.

Additionally, you can link Endomondo to heart rate monitors and cadence sensors to incorporate their data into your records. The app can also be connected to auxiliary fitness accounts such as Google Fit, Garmin Connect and Polar Flow, so all your health and fitness data will be in sync.

Endomondo also lets you create goals for individual workouts or for your week, so you have targets to hit - the app will even alert you when you achieve a personal best. Plus, you can create and participate in challenges against friends and other users of the app.

And if all that isn’t enough then you can also subscribe to Endomondo Premium, which adds heart rate zone analysis, interval training, personal training plans, access to advanced statistics (such as how far you’ve run in total each month), and more.

SnoreLab

Free + $6.99/£5.99 IAP

Ever wondered how much you really snore or want to get your snoring under control? SnoreLab can help.

Simply set the app to run while you sleep and it will record snippets of your snoring throughout the night, telling you how loud you snore and giving you a ‘snore score’.

You can also play back the recordings, compare your snoring over multiple nights and log any factors that might be making it worse (such as alcohol) or any remedies you’re trying (such as nasal spray) to see how much difference they really make.

Doing this you can both see first hand how bad your snoring really is and more effectively work out what makes it better or worse.

The core app is free, but there’s a one-off IAP to access your full history and additional features, such as soothing sounds to help you get to sleep.

Seven – 7 Minute Workout Training Challenge

Free + $9.99/£9.99 monthly subscription

Seven – 7 Minute Workout Training Challenge is an exercise app for busy people who only have a few minutes to work out, or those who just don’t fancy spending longer than that building up a sweat.

There are a lot of apps with a similar focus, but Seven stands out in a number of ways, from its polished interface to its various achievements, which reward you for sticking with it. There’s even a ‘7 Month Challenge’, which tasks you with working out every day for seven months and causes you to lose one of your three ‘hearts’ for every day that you skip.

The core app has a range of exercises, none of which require any equipment, and there are specific training plans that give you different workouts depending on your goal, be it losing weight, building strength, or a number of other things. You can also create and save your own workouts.

Much of the content is free, but for US$9.99/£9.99 per month you can get additional workouts and exercises (with over 200 available in total), and get personal workout plans that are adapted to your fitness level. The price might sound steep, but it’s still a lot cheaper than most gym memberships.

Fitbit Coach

Free + $7.99/£6.30 monthly subscription

Fitbit Coach is the new name for Fitstar, so it’s not a new app as such but it is worth highlighting.

Packed full of workouts and exercise plans, Fitbit Coach has a wide range of content with things suited for most abilities, most of which doesn’t require a gym membership.

There are dozens of bodyweight workouts, plus guided walks and runs and at the time of writing 24 different treadmill workouts, each of which has a duration and an estimated calorie burn that you can see before you start.

There are also various ‘programs’ which have you work through a selection of workouts each week.

Most workouts are videos, which you can cast to your TV if you prefer, but there are also audio ones for runs and walks.

The app aims to keep the workout variety up, which - along with built-in soundtracks from Fitbit Radio - should help keep you motivated, and despite the Fitbit branding there’s no requirement to have a Fitbit in order to use it.

The only problem is that most of this stuff is hidden behind a monthly subscription, but you can access a handful of workouts for free to get a taste of the app before putting any money down.

Simple Habit

Free + $9.99/£9.99 monthly subscription 

Meditation apps are meant, among other things, to relax and de-stress us, but if you’re anything like us they run the risk of doing the opposite, becoming chores that we feel guilty for neglecting.

Simple Habit doesn’t completely solve that problem, but it gets some way there, by offering short 5-minute meditations, that you can easily fit in at any point during your day.

Other meditation apps have short sessions too, but there are usually only a few of them, mixed in with longer meditations, while they’re all short in Simple Habit (though we do have to point out some stretch beyond 5 minutes to cater for those that do want a bit more relaxation).

Simple Habit also has a variety of different teachers to guide you, so if you don’t get on with one (or just get bored of their voice) there are plenty of others to choose from.

The rest of the app is as you’d expect, with meditations designed around specific life circumstances, goals or moods, and a simple interface that doesn’t get in the way.

Like Headspace, most of the meditations are locked behind a subscription, but you can listen to a handful for free to see if Simple Habit is for you.

Our favorite Android apps for making music, listening to music, finding podcasts and everything else to do with audio.

Image credit: TechRadar / Audm

Audm

$7.99/£6.49 per month

Audm essentially turns articles into podcasts, by having them read aloud. But unlike some apps this isn’t a robot doing the talking, it’s a real person, making it far more engaging to listen to.

In fact, it uses “celebrated audiobook narrators”, so it’s professionally done, and there’s a lot of content, with articles from dozens of popular sources such as Wired, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, and many more, with new stories added every week.

The Audm app lets you browse all the content, or filter based on source or narrator. You can also read the articles, or read along with the narration, having it scroll in time with the spoken words. And you can change the narration speed, and have articles downloaded for offline listening.

It’s a good app, good enough to justify a subscription, which Audm charges at $7.99/£6.49 per month after a three-day free trial.

Laughable

Free

Laughable is another podcast app, but it’s not just any other podcast app as it takes a quite different approach to most.

It’s mostly focused on comedy, as you’ve probably guessed from the name, but really what it’s focused on is people, as not only can you subscribe to specific podcasts but also the people behind them, ensuring you’ll be alerted whenever they turn up as a host or guest on any podcast.

And while most of these people are comedians, Laughable also has politicians, actors, musicians and all sorts of other public figures.

Its focus on people also goes beyond highlighting the podcasts that they’re in, as Laughable will also give you links to their websites and social media handles, and – where relevant – links to their tour dates, so you can truly keep up with them.

The app’s focus on people over podcasts might mean this doesn’t become your main podcast app, especially if you’re not into comedy, but as a secondary app to sit alongside your main one it comes highly recommended.

Pocket Casts

$3.99/£3.99

Pocket Casts has long been our podcast player of choice, but it’s a very different beast today to what it once was, thanks to a major update bringing it to version 7.

It’s an update that’s mostly for the better in our opinion, but not without its critics. Love it or hate it though, it’s a big enough overhaul to warrant highlighting Pocket Casts again. It also makes the app worth revisiting if you tried it before but didn’t get on with the old version.

The changes include a whole new look and a wealth of new features, such as up-next syncing, listening history, the ability to play podcasts without subscribing, improved recommendations, the ability to search for specific episodes, new swipe controls, a draggable player and a whole lot more.

If you’re used to the old version of the app then version 7 will take some getting used to, but we reckon most people will come to love it.

Serial Box

Free + various IAP

Serial Box sits somewhere between Audible and a podcast player, as it delivers fiction stories that you can either read or listen to (and in the latter case they’re read by someone – no dodgy computer readings here). But they’re delivered in weekly bite-sized chunks, like a podcast.

You have to pay for the stories, but you get to listen to the first episode of each of them for free, so you can get an idea of whether you want to pay, and you get both the written and spoken version for one payment. You can also choose to pay episode by episode or for the whole story upfront.

Most of the content is also currently exclusive to Serial Box, so you won’t find it anywhere else. And because you can choose to either read or listen – and can access stories on all of your devices – it’s a lot more versatile than most methods of engaging with fiction.

Poweramp Music Player

$3.99/£3.39

Poweramp is an old favorite in the world of music player apps, but a massive overhaul has brought it to version three, complete with a new audio engine which supports hi-res output and additional file formats, including opus, tak, mka, dsd, and dsf/dff.

The overhaul also added tempo controls and a reverb effect, updated the UI to make it a whole lot more modern (complete with light and dark themes) and made navigation more intuitive.

That’s all building on top of an already brilliant app that has a 10-band graphic equalizer, support for most audio file formats, and all sorts of tools and options, such as gapless playback and crossfade.

The app can display lyrics and download missing album artwork, and there are widgets, a tag editor, and numerous additional themes available to download.

Few apps match Poweramp for features, and as of V3 it’s one of the best-looking music players on Android too. It’s well worth the price tag if you play much local audio, but it comes with a 15-day free trial, so you can try it out before paying.

Stellio Player

Free + $2.99/£2.69 IAP

Stellio Player is a ridiculously full-featured music player which has everything you’d expect and more, such as widgets, support for multiple audio formats (including lossless ones such as FLAC), lock screen music controls, and the ability to sort by album, artist, genre or folder.

Additionally, Stellio Player lets you control music through your notification shade, has a sleep timer, and gives rich control over the sound, with a 12-band equalizer with complementary effect controls such as echo and reverb. Further features include gapless playback, crossfade, and the ability to change track with a long press of a volume button.

The player is stylish and can change color to match the album art of the track you’re listening to, or you can select from a number of other themes to further customize it.

Android Wear users will appreciate Stellio’s Wear OS support, so you can control your music from your wrist too.

All of this is free, but for a one-off payment of $2.99/£2.69 you can remove adverts (which are unobtrusive anyway) and access a new theme.

YouTube Music

Free + optional $9.99/£9.99 monthly subscription

YouTube Music is a YouTube app that puts the shows and shorts to one side and is all about the music. It’s all here, presented with personalized recommendations and a constantly updated ‘hotlist’ of trending tracks. There are also numerous playlists, and you can create your own.

That’s all free, but to get the most out of YouTube Music you need to pay for YouTube Music Premium, which costs US$9.99/£9.99 per month and lets you listen offline, with your screen off, or while using other apps. It also gets rid of the adverts.

However, if that sounds appealing you’re probably best off paying for YouTube Premium. This subscription costs slightly more at US$11.99/£11.99 per month, but also gives you access to the main YouTube site and apps ad-free, lets you watch YouTube originals, enables you to play videos in the background, and more besides.

TaoMix 2

Free + various IAP

TaoMix 2 is an ambient noise app designed to drown out the outside world and help you relax, sleep or focus.

There are lots of sounds to choose from, such as birds chirping, rain, waves, wind, a fireplace, a thunderstorm and many more. But you’re not limited to one sound – you can build a soundscape by selecting several at once.

Each of these sounds appears as a circle on your screen and there’s another circle which can be made to move around the screen, and which makes each sound more prominent when it overlaps with them, so the soundscapes vary over time based on the movements of this circle.

You can save any soundscape you make to easily return to it later and you can set a timer, so the soundscape will automatically turn off after a set period of time. You can even record your own sounds.

The core app is free, but to get the most out of TaoMix 2 you’ll want to invest in some of the sound packs to bulk up the available selection. These start at £0.69/US$0.99.

Ringtone Maker Pro

$3.99/£3.29

Got a song that you want to use as a ringtone but want to cut it down first? Ringtone Maker Pro will get the job done.

It supports MP3, FLAC, OGG, WAV, AAC, M4A, MP4 and 3GPP/AMR files, and should be able to find any audio file on your device when you hit the scan button. Select the one you want to edit, then choose a start and end point for the ringtone right down to the millisecond.

There’s scope for more complex editing too; you can cut parts of the song, copy and paste sections, or paste together parts of multiple audio files.

You’re not limited to the music that’s already on your phone either – you can also record your own ringtone using your voice or any other noise you can create.

The app is fairly straightforward to use and in this form it comes free of adverts, but if you’d rather have the adverts and not have to pay there’s also a free version available.

Our favorite Android apps for taking notes, writing and editing documents and generally working on the move.

Email TypeApp

Free + various IAP

With the death of Inbox by Gmail, there’s a good chance you’re looking for a new email app, and the clunkily-named Email TypeApp might fit the bill.

It’s absolutely packed full of features, such as a unified inbox for multiple email accounts, Android Wear support, a customizable look, account color-coding, configurable menus, read receipts, the ability to unsend emails, and more.

It also has customizable Do Not Disturb days and hours – a feature that’s sadly missing from some alternative apps.

Email TypeApp is also mostly free. A few extra features such as send later and VIP notifications are chargeable, but you can unlock everything for $6.99/£5.99 and chances are you’ll be happy with the free content anyway.

Spark

Free

Spark is an email app that’s been popular on iOS for a long time, and now, finally, it has arrived on Android.

It’s popular for good reason, as it has clever tools, including intelligent email prioritization, which can for example only alert you when mail that it believes is important has arrived, and place important messages at the top of your inbox.

You can link multiple email accounts to Spark, so all your missives arrive in one place, and there are other handy tools like the ability to snooze emails or send later, as well as reminders, follow-ups, and the option to pin messages so you never forget about important ones that you’re planning to deal with later.

Spark is also great for work, with tools that let teams collaborate on emails, and it’s all wrapped up in an intuitive interface that never shows you more than you need to see – so if you’re not interested in the extra features on offer, they don’t get in the way.

JotterPad

Free + various IAP

If you have an Android tablet with a keyboard you might be considering doing some serious writing, and if you’re considering that then you should definitely consider using JotterPad.

This isn’t a new app; rather, it’s an old favorite of many that’s regularly updated, ensuring it remains one of the best options for writing on Android.

The core of the app is a distraction-free text editor, but dig into the menus and there are all sorts of tools and options. There’s Markdown support for example, a word count, cloud storage, a phrase search, a built-in dictionary, a dark theme, a rhyming dictionary, numerous fonts, and more.

Some of this stuff is hidden behind IAP, the main one being ‘Pro’, which costs $14.99/£12.99. That might seem steep, but it’s a one-off payment and if you’re writing an essay or novel on JotterPad then you should easily get your money’s worth.

Writer Tools

Free + $4.99/£4.99 monthly subscription

Writer Tools is a set of tools for anyone who’s setting out to write a novel. The app makes this daunting task a bit more manageable by letting you create characters and locations.

These sections store these details so they’re always readily available, and help you flesh them out. For example, the character creator lets you fill out all sorts of optional details such as their greatest fear and best memory.

Writer Tools also has a built-in thesaurus, lets you jot down ideas and notes, create timelines, set quarterly writing goals, and more. You can also back-up your work to the cloud, so you’ll never lose it.

This is all free, but for a monthly subscription you can get rid of adverts, access all your historic backups, add images to your characters and locations, switch to a night mode, and more. There’s a lot there, which goes some way to justifying the price, but many users will be fine with the free version.

OfficeSuite

Free + £8.49 (around $11.10) IAP

If you’re looking for office software on Android there are really only a handful of options, and OfficeSuite is one of the best, thanks largely to how feature-packed it is.

You can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations or PDFs, and you can start from scratch or use one of numerous templates as a jumping off point.

You can share documents and message contributors, save work to the cloud, open two documents and work on them both at once in split-screen, cast presentations across multiple devices, and a whole lot more.

Most of the features in OfficeSuite are totally free, but if you’re using it a lot it’s probably worth upgrading to OfficeSuite Premium, which, among other things, lets you save files in more formats and unlocks more PDF tools, such as the ability to convert PDFs to Word or Excel format, and create and use digital signatures.

Microsoft Word

Free + $6.99/£5.99 monthly subscription

Microsoft Word probably needs no introduction, but if you do much word processing on your tablet (or even your phone) and haven’t tried the Android app then you really should.

You essentially get the full version, allowing you to view, create and edit documents of various styles, including newsletters, brochures and more.

You can change the font, text color, margins, add bullet points and most other things possible from the desktop version of Word, via a slick, polished interface that’s pleasingly minimal most of the time. You can also save your documents to OneDrive, so they’re accessible from other devices.

Many of the features are free, but you’ll need an Office 365 subscription (which starts at US$6.99/£5.99 per month) to unlock the likes of page and section breaks, columns, different page orientations, and the ability to track and review changes.

Otter Voice Notes

Free + optional subscription

Sometimes you don’t have time to take notes. Recording audio can come in handy, but often means spending time transcribing it later. Not so with Otter Voice Notes.

The app will automatically transcribe what’s spoken using AI, and you can teach it to recognize your voice so it can differentiate between speakers.

Once the audio is transcribed you can read it and correct any mistakes manually. The audio is also recorded, so you can listen back to the recording as well.

The really clever bit though is that Otter will detect keywords automatically, so you can search for a word and the app will find where it appears in any of your recordings. It’s a great feature that makes it easy to find specific information, even if you’ve recorded hours of audio.

You can also create groups, allowing you to share recordings with others, and all of your recordings are stored in the cloud so you can access them on any device and they won’t take up space on your phone.

The only two problems we’ve found so far is that longer recordings can take a while to be transcribed, and the transcription isn’t always perfect. It’s usually good enough that you can tell what it means though, and you can correct any errors so it’s not a big deal.

Chambers Thesaurus

$4.99/£2.99

There are a number of thesaurus apps on Google Play and some are free, but if you’re regularly writing – or looking words up – on your Android device, then Chambers Thesaurus is one of the best options, and worth the outlay.

It has entries for almost 40,000 words, along with around 400,000 synonyms and antonyms, and they’re browsable alphabetically so you can read through the thesaurus if you want, rather than simply searching for a word.

When you do search, you’ll get results as soon as you start typing, and not just for words that fit the spelling, but also similarly spelt words, those that sound similar, and those that are often confused for one another.

You can also bookmark entries and cross reference with the Chambers Dictionary or WordWeb apps (if you have them), or look the words up on Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Google, all with a tap from Chambers Thesaurus.

Data is stored locally, so you don’t need an internet connection to use the Chambers Thesaurus app itself, and there are all sorts of customization options, letting you change the color scheme, font size and more.

Our favorite Android apps for improving productivity, whether through to-do lists, focus timers or other tools.

AnyList

Free + $9.99/£8.99 yearly subscription    

There are lots of list apps available on Google Play, many of which aren’t particularly good, but AnyList looks to rank among the best.

The app lets you create as many lists as you want, and if you’re making a grocery list it will automatically sort entries into categories, for example ‘milk’ would be listed under ‘dairy’.

You can also create your own categories for if there aren’t any appropriate ones or if you’re making a different kind of list (such as a packing list or a to-do list).

You can save things to favorites so they’re easy to add back on to any list, and there are various settings you can apply, such as whether to sort a list manually or alphabetically.

Away from the lists there’s also the ability to store recipes and add the necessary ingredients to your shopping list with a tap. Lists can easily be shared with other people too if you want to make them communal.

This is all free, but for a $9.99/£8.99 yearly subscription you can unlock far more features and options, including a meal planning calendar, desktop support, item photos and prices, location-based reminders and a whole lot more. While we’d prefer a one-off purchase, there’s enough here to justify the price.

Opera Browser

Free

Opera Browser is nothing new, but it has had an update making it better than ever, with a free VPN built in.

This optional feature gives you greater privacy and security while browsing and is something you’d usually need a separate app and often a paid subscription for, so it’s a great addition.

Beyond that, this is mostly the same fast, slick browser it’s always been. It includes things like an ad blocker and a data saving mode, plus night and private modes and a personalized news feed, and it comes from a trusted name that’s been making browsers for years.

It can be tempting just to stick with Chrome, but if you’ve never tried Opera Browser there’s never been a better time to.

MyScript Calculator 2

$2.99 / £2.69

At times, MyScript Calculator 2 feels a bit like magic. It lets you write out a calculation by hand, so you’re not reliant on calculator buttons, then its turns it into neat text and solves it for you. In our tests – with our exceedingly messy handwriting – it knew what we were writing every time.

It goes way beyond the basics too, with support for brackets, logarithms, constants, roots, trigonometry, and more.

It also lets you write calculations over multiple lines, scribble out mistakes (or hit the undo button), and drag and drop elements of the calculation to move them around, updating the answer as you do so.It saves previous calculations so you can always return to them, and lets you share your sums with other apps.

The only problem our maths-muddled brain faced was remembering how to write complex sums in the first place, but if you know how to write them, MyScript Calculator 2 is sure to know how to solve them.

Newton Mail

$49.99/£47.99 per year

Newton Mail was for a long time one of the best email apps available, but then for some reason it was discontinued. Thankfully, that decision has now been reversed, and Newton Mail is now back and just as good as ever.

It works with most email accounts and is packed full of features, such as read receipts, the ability to schedule and snooze emails, undo sent emails, save attachments to common cloud storage services, get push notifications and a whole lot more.

Newton Mail also works across most devices, including phones, tablets, Wear OS, PCs and Macs, and it has got a slick, intuitive interface.

It’s one of the most powerful email apps around but it comes at a cost – after a 14-day free trial you’ll have to pay $49.99/£47.99 per year. That’s too steep for us to recommend it to everyone, but if you live in your email then it’s definitely worth the outlay.

ActionDash

Free + $6.99/£4.49 IAP

ActionDash is a way of visualizing which apps you use and how often. It’s not alone in doing this – Android itself even now has a similar feature baked in, but it’s not available on all phones and in any case, ActionDash does a very good job of it.

The app shows you a daily and weekly pie chart, highlighting which apps you’ve used the most, as well as telling you how many times you unlocked your device and how many notifications you received that day or week.

You can also see graphs for daily and hourly screen time, along with a list of apps and how much screen time they each individually got. There are similar charts and lists for app launches, notifications and device unlocks.

That’s all free and attractively presented, but if you upgrade to ActionDash Plus for a one-time IAP you’ll also be able access your full usage history (whereas it’s limited to seven days in the free version). This IAP also unlocks a dark mode, deeper usage insights and more, as well as removing adverts and adding the ability to back up and restore your data.

If the information in ActionDash interests you then it’s a price that’s probably worth paying, but even the free version is well worth a download.

Cube Call Recorder ACR

Free + $1.99/£1.79 for three months of premium

Cube Call Recorder ACR is – as you probably guessed – an app for recording calls. But not just phone calls; it also allows for the recording of calls on Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook and many other apps, assuming you have a phone that supports VoIP call recording.

There are a lot of features here. You can set Cube Call Recorder ACR to automatically record all calls, to automatically record calls from certain numbers, or to not record calls from certain numbers.

You can record part or all of a conversation by tapping a button that pops up whenever you make or receive a call, and you can choose to add a geotag to calls (saying where you were when you made or received them) and star important recordings so they’re easy to find in future.

That’s all free, but for $1.99/£1.79 every three months you can also unlock a whole bunch of premium features, such as the ability to back up recordings in the cloud, save recordings in different formats, add a PIN code to the app, save recordings to a microSD card, automatically delete old recordings, exclude short calls from being recorded and more.

We wish this was a one-off purchase rather than a subscription, as these features are genuinely useful but maybe not enough to justify the subscription price unless you plan to record a lot of calls.

Be aware that laws around call recording vary from country to country, so make sure you know what is and isn’t legal before you start.

InboxIt

Free + $0.99/£0.99 IAP

InboxIt is a simple but potentially very useful app, especially if you ever email things to yourself, as rather than having to manually attach content to an email and enter the address to send it to, you can just share the content with InboxIt.

Once shared, the content will automatically be sent to your Gmail inbox, and the app supports lots of different content types, including images, website links, text and just about anything else that works with the Android ‘Share’ function. You can also send yourself reminders from within the InboxIt app.

For example, perhaps you want to access an image or file that’s stored on your phone from another device. There are other ways to do that and depending on what other apps and services you use they might in some cases be even more seamless. Google Photos, for example, gives you constant access to all your images on all your internet-connected devices, but we certainly still find occasion to email ourselves, and if you do too then InboxIt is essential.

Everything we’ve detailed so far is completely free, but you can also upgrade to Premium with a one-off $0.99/£0.99 IAP, which lets you set a custom recipient (the free version only supports Gmail), set a custom email subject prefix (the default being ‘Inboxed’), and use Gmail labels.

FX File Explorer

Free + $2.99/£2.79 IAP

FX File Explorer isn’t new – in fact, at the time of writing it’s recently been updated to version 7 – but that just shows you how well-supported it is, and it’s worth being aware of if you’re not already, especially as the version 7 update improves it significantly.

It’s a powerful file explorer and manager, with all the tools you’d expect, such as the ability to browse your files and folders, move or copy them, rename them, create new ones, sort them by their name or date and see which things are taking up the most space on your phone.

It goes beyond many rivals, offering things like a split-screen mode, which lets you view multiple folders at once. There are also gesture controls, customizable themes and more.

Most of the features in FX File Explorer are free too, but for US$2.99/£2.79 you can connect your cloud storage accounts and networked computers, create and explore encrypted ZIP files, and manage playlists for audio files.

Our favorite Android apps for customizing your device and improving its security.

Image credit: The Tor Project

Tor Browser

Free

Tor is probably the most secure and privacy-focused web browser available on desktop, and now you can get Tor Browser for Android.

The app uses multi-layered encryption, with your web traffic relayed and encrypted three times. It also blocks trackers, prevents surveillance and resists fingerprinting.

It is, if anything, probably overkill for most people, but the interface – based on Firefox v60 – is fairly slick, so there aren’t too many downsides to using it. And as well as making your online activity more secure, Tor can also bypass many regional restrictions on websites, so it achieves many of the same things as a VPN. It’s also completely free to use.

Image credit: Tom Bayley / TechRadar

MIUI-ify Notification Shade

Free + $2.49/£1.99 IAP

Phones are getting bigger, but hands aren’t, which can sometimes pose a problem when it comes to accessing the notification shade, as this typically sits all the way at the top of the screen.

With MIUI-ify Notification Shade you can move it to the bottom, but this is more than just a simple switch of positions. The app also lets you customize the colors and overall look, the size and position of the area you have to swipe over to bring it up, and to pick exactly what shortcuts appear on the shade, among other things.

It works well too, and looks good doing it; the name might be clunky, but in practice MIUI-ify Notification Shade is anything but.

The core app is free but many of the customization options require a one-off $2.49/£1.99 IAP, which should be worth it if you plan to use this app.

Betta Fish Live Wallpaper

Free + $0.99/£0.69 IAP

While live wallpapers can be a little harsher on battery than their static siblings, there’s no denying that they often look great, and Betta Fish Live Wallpaper is one of the best examples.

It allows a betta fish (aka a Siamese fighting fish) to swim around your home screen, with beautiful animations and lots of detail. It’s even slightly interactive, as you can block the fish’s path with a tap or swipe on the screen.

That much you get for free, but for a $0.99/£0.69 IAP you unlock the ability to change the colors of both the fish and the background, change the fish’s movement path, turn the bubbles off, and more. We’d say it’s cheap enough that it’s worth the outlay if you like what you see, but either way you can turn your phone into an eye-catching digital fish tank.

Abstruct – Wallpapers in 4K

Free + $1.99/£1.99 IAP

Abstruct is the official wallpaper app of the man behind the wallpapers used by OnePlus phones, and it includes both those wallpapers and many others created by him.

At the time of writing there are over 300 in all and they’re all available in 4K resolution. They’re also absolutely gorgeous. As the name suggests, they’re mostly abstract, but they’re split into galleries that are each distinct from one another.

There’s one that shows real-world landscapes made to look alien for example, and another where all the designs are made up of polygons.

Many of these galleries are free but to access everything requires a one-off payment of $1.99/£1.99. Paying for wallpapers might seem odd when the internet is packed full of them, but these are good enough that if you like their style it’s worth the outlay – this is one of very few wallpaper apps that we’ve spent money on.

App Tiles

Free

If there are any apps that you pretty much live inside then App Tiles could be for you, as it makes accessing them even quicker and easier.

It does this by letting you add a shortcut to them on your notifications screen, just like you probably have shortcuts to various settings up there now.

App Tiles lets you assign up to six such shortcuts for any apps on your phone, so rather than returning to the home screen to launch one of them you can do so with a swipe and a tap.

This won’t always be faster, especially if you’re already on the relevant home screen, but it gives you one more way to get into them and is sure to save time on some occasions. We wouldn’t say this is essential for everyone, but it works perfectly in our tests and it’s totally free, so it’s well worth checking out if the idea appeals.

Resplash

Free

Resplash is a wallpaper app that uses content from Unsplash – a site full of stock photography that you can use for free, for anything.

As it’s using content from such a well-established site, Resplash has a massive library, with over 100,000 images, but it’s still easy to find specific styles of photo by searching or browsing by category.

As well as downloading images or setting them straight to your wallpaper, you can also favorite them, so you’ll always be able to find them again, even from a different device. Resplash offers a surprising amount of personalization too, letting you change the theme and the way images are displayed (as a list or a grid, for example).

You can also choose the quality of images when you download them or set them as a wallpaper, with options ranging from ‘thumb’ to ‘raw’. Best of all, it’s completely free, though if you do feel like supporting the makers of the app there is an option to donate.

SAFE

Free

SAFE is an app that’s designed to, well, help you ensure your phone is safe. It guards against intrusion - whether it’s from hackers, viruses or nosy eyes.

It does this by giving your device four scores. One for its configuration, one for connectivity, one for apps and one for the operating system. Each of these scores is out of five, with higher being better and suggesting a greater level of security.

But you get more than just a number. You also get a breakdown of everything that affected the score, with positives in green and negatives in red. If you tap on any of these you can get additional information, complete with help in solving the problem if it’s a red thing.

Bear in mind that you might disagree with SAFE as to what is and isn’t a problem. For example, it will flag having Bluetooth or NFC on as security issues, which technically they are, but they’re also useful (and essential in some circumstances). You probably won’t want to fix everything, but SAFE could end up highlighting some issues you didn’t know about and making your device safer in the process.

Widget Drawer

$0.99/£0.89

Widgets are a potentially great feature of Android phones, but they can take up a lot of space and leave your home screens feeling cluttered. So, what if you could hide them, but in a place where they’re never more than a swipe away? That’s the concept of Widget Drawer.

The app places a ‘handle’ on your screen, which is basically just a narrow colored line running part way down one edge, and if you swipe it you can see a screen full of widgets.

You can choose which widgets to put on that screen, resize them and move them around. The handle itself is accessible just about everywhere other than your lock screen, so you can even access your widgets when inside other apps.

You can customize the size and color of the handle, and when in the Widget Drawer you can return to the screen underneath either by hitting the cross at the bottom or just tapping any empty space.

It’s the sort of useful app that you might end up wondering how you ever lived without. Or at least it will be with a bit more polish. At the moment resizing widgets feels a bit more clunky than it needs to be and we can’t find a way to remove widgets from the drawer without reinstalling the app. There might be one, but it’s either not obvious or not working for us.

However, that’s not such a surprise, as Widget Drawer is still in early access, so we’d expect it will improve over time.

Blur

Free + $39.99 (around £24) per year

Blur is essentially a one stop app for privacy and security online. As you might expect then, it has a number of different features, but the most interesting is perhaps Masked Cards, which lets you shop online without ever entering or exposing your real credit card information.

This works through the creation of disposable virtual credit cards through Blur, so essentially you give retailers a temporary card number that will only work for that one transaction. You can mask your phone number and email in similar ways.

Blur also includes a password manager, so you can create and store passwords in the app and have them auto-filled when you go to a login page for other apps or sites.

Masked emails are free, but most of the other features require a subscription, costing $39.99 (around £24) per year, with discounts available if you commit for two or three years. Note also that the card masking element only works in the US, but Blur is working on making it more widely available.

Google Family Link

Free

Google Family Link is an app aimed at helping you keep an eye on your child’s smartphone or tablet use.

The service, which actually requires two apps – one (Google Family Link for Parents) installed on your device, and the other (Google Family Link for Children and Teenagers) installed on your child’s – gives you all sorts of tools.

For one thing, you can choose which apps your child can access and install, either blocking specific ones or just preventing them from installing anything that you haven’t authorized. You can also see what apps they’re using at any given time, set screen time limits and lock the device when you don’t want them using it.

There’s also a feature that’s more about safety than monitoring, as you can also use Family Link to locate your child’s device at any time, so as long as they’re with it you’ll also have located them. There are other apps and services with a similar set of tools but few if any that are free while also being as feature-packed and polished as this.

Malwarebytes Security

Free + $1.49/£1.19 monthly subscription

While there are various security features already built into Android, you can’t be too careful, so it’s well worth considering adding Malwarebytes Security to your app arsenal.

Malwarebytes can scan your device for viruses, adware and malware, but it also offers proactive protection, with real-time ransomware shields, protection from phishing URLs when using Chrome, alerts when there’s a malicious link in a text message, and the ability to block unwanted calls.

Malwarebytes can also conduct a privacy audit on your phone, showing you at a glance what privileges your apps have.

Most of these features are only available in the premium version, which costs $1.49/£1.19 per month or $11.99/£10.99 for a year, but you get a 30-day free trial and if you don’t want to pay you can still scan and clean your phone with the free version.

ProtonVPN

Free + various subscriptions

There are loads of VPN services available for Android, but ProtonVPN stands out in a few key ways, starting with the fact that you can use it for free, with no bandwidth limits.

It also puts more focus on security and privacy than some – it doesn’t track or record your activity, it offers hundreds of servers all over the world, and its ‘Secure Core’ maintains your privacy is even if a VPN endpoint server is compromised. It’s also easy to use, letting you connect to a server with just a few taps. It might sound too good to be true, but as far as we can tell it’s not.

There are also paid plans that offer even more. For $4/€4 (around £3.50) per month, a basic subscription increases the speed, unlocks servers in all countries and lets you use the app with two devices, while for $8/€8 (roughly £7) you can use ProtonVPN with up to five devices at maximum speeds.

Our favorite Android apps for planning a holiday, checking the weather and getting around without getting lost.

Culture Trip

Free

Whether you’re heading abroad or just want to get more out of the city you live in, Culture Trip could help.

Search for a place or just use your current location and the app will serve up a selection of articles, covering things to see and do, and tips and tricks relevant to the location.

Some of these articles also include videos, and Culture Trip doesn’t stick just with the obvious stuff (for example, a search for New York turned up articles such as The Enchanting Witches of New York City), but there’s plenty of more conventional content too, like lists of the top 20 sights you need to see.

You can bookmark things you’re interested in and download content so you can access it offline – ideal if you’re going to be roaming abroad. There are also links to book hotels and the like straight from the app, and with images everywhere and a nice layout, it’s a pleasure to use and get inspired by.

Atmosphere Weather

Free + $3.99/£3.69 annual subscription

Atmosphere Weather aims to stand out from the weather-watching crowd by presenting the forecast like a 24-hour clock. Each hour of weather is presented by a segment on the clock face, giving you a clear way to instantly see the hour-by-hour weather for the next day at a glance.

As well as seeing written temperatures on each hour, there’s also color-coding to represent the different temperatures and how clear the sky is.

You can even get calendar events displayed on the weather clock, and away from that screen there’s also a radar view, complete with wind speeds and directions.

The clock is the main feature though and it’s a genuinely useful and different twist on weather forecasts.

The only downside is that after a two-week free trial you have to either put up with ads or pay a subscription, which will cost you $3.99/£3.69 per year. We'd have preferred to see a one-off payment option, but if you use the app regularly it should be worth the outlay.

Fog of World

$4.99/£4.49

Fog of World is a new, fun take on mapping apps, as it’s inspired by the ‘fog of war’ that you get in some video games (that being fog that obscures areas of a map that you’ve not been to yet) but applies it to the real world.

The app gives you a detailed world map, but applies fog to it. Unlike most games the fog doesn’t actually hide the map, it just dulls it a bit. When you’ve been somewhere the fog is removed, so over time you can see all the places you’ve been on a single world map, based on which bits don’t have fog.

To make it more interesting you can level up as you make progress and unlock various achievements, such as for visiting a certain number of countries or crossing the equator. You can also sync your data so it’s available on other devices.

Fog of World isn’t going to replace Google Maps for your navigation needs, but it’s a fun, visual way to see where you’ve been, covering everything from a trip to the local store to your various holidays.

CARROT Weather

Free + optional $3.99/£3.39 yearly subscription

After a long stint on iOS, CARROT Weather has finally come to Android, and if you like a dose of snark with your forecast it’s worth getting excited about.

Because as well as providing accurate forecasts powered by Dark Sky, CARROT Weather is home to an ‘AI’ that insults you and revels in your weather-related misery. This takes the form of more than 6,000 lines of dialogue, each of which can optionally be spoken aloud by its synthetic voice.

With cute illustrations as well and even a game that sees you following clues to hunt down secret locations, CARROT Weather has more personality than any rival app.

It’s also good for the important matter of telling you the forecast, as you can see hourly and daily forecasts, complete with humidity, UV Index, wind speed and more.

The core app is free, but for US$3.99/£3.39 per year (or US$0.99/£0.89 per month) you can unlock a customizable widget, animated satellite maps, and get rid of adverts.

Moovit

Free

Moovit isn’t new, but if you ever use public transport it’s well worth knowing about. Simply type a destination and Moovit will give you a selection of ways to get there, using all the public transport routes available.

Tap on a route to get full directions or even a map with live navigation (complete with alerts telling you when to get off the transport you’re on), or further filter your results to minimize walking, use the least number of transfers or cut out certain transport types entirely.

There are also handy features like the ability to save regular destinations and favorite the bus and train lines you use a lot, so you can quickly see their timetables.

Transport timings are real-time where available, so you’ll know if the train or bus is running late, and you can download various maps for offline use. You can also use Moovit all over the world, with transport details for new cities regularly added.

All in all, it’s one of the slickest, most feature-packed public transport navigation apps you can get.

Zomato

Free

Ever need some inspiration for where to eat? If so, Zomato has you covered.

The app can show you nearby restaurants in a list or on a map, and you can filter results in numerous ways. Only want to see Chinese restaurants? No problem. Need somewhere that accepts bookings? You can do that. After outdoor seating? That’s fine too. And those are just a few examples of the many filters on offer.

There are also ‘collections’, which highlight restaurants that fit a specific theme, such as ‘great breakfasts’ or ‘celebrity chefs’, and when you’ve found somewhere of interest you can get loads more information by tapping on it.

You can see the opening times, pictures, reviews and ratings from other users of Zomato, menus, average costs, recommended dishes, contact details and a list of pros and cons.

From here you can also add your own review, rating or photos, call the restaurant or bookmark it so you don’t forget about it.

There’s also a social side to Zomato; you can follow other users, allowing you to see when they review a restaurant or say that they’ve visited it. Zomato has a lot to offer, and it could help you get out of your culinary comfort zone.

Day One Journal

Free + $24.99/£22.49 yearly subscription

Digital journaling is clearly popular considering the number of apps that let you do just that, and Day One Journal is one of the best.

It’s a recent Android arrival, but benefits from a long stint on iOS, where it’s had time to develop a high level of polish.

Its developers have recognized that there should be as few obstacles to journaling as possible. With a paper journal you just open it and start writing, and with Day One Journal you simply tap the big plus symbol on the main screen and start typing – or if you want to start with an image you can tap the camera instead.

All your entries are automatically tagged with the time, date, location and current weather, and you can later find them either on a calendar view, letting you search by date, or on a world map, with pins in locations where you’ve previously written an entry.

There’s also a gallery view, so you can browse the images in your journals, and you can star your favorites or add keywords for easy filtering.

Struggling to remember to write in your journal? Daily reminders can prod you. Want to look back on past entries but not sure where to start? Day One Journal can highlight entries you’ve made in nearby locations or on this day in previous years.

You can also keep your journals secure with a fingerprint or passcode, and if you pay the subscription for the premium version they’ll also be uploaded to the cloud so they’ll never be lost and are accessible from any device.

That optional $24.99/£22.49 yearly subscription also gets you the ability to keep multiple journals and store an unlimited number of photos. Worth it if you’re a daily journaler.

Climendo

$3.99/£3.49 

The problem with weather apps is that, for the most part, they only use one source for their data, but Climendo uses lots, and then works out what the most likely weather at any given time is.

The complete selection of weather providers that it uses includes AccuWeather, Weather Underground, NOAA, Met Office, Foreca, Dark Sky, SMHI, YR and World Weather Online – though only the most accurate ones for your location will be used.

You can see hourly or ten day forecasts, complete with the likelihood of each being accurate, or you can dig down to the individual forecasts from each weather provider, to see how they vary.

Climendo lacks some of the more detailed information found in other apps – such as humidity and UV index -  but if you just want accurate information on whether or not you need an umbrella then this app is up there with the best.

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