Apple : Early Amazon Prime Day deal: save $100 on the Fire TV Recast |
- Early Amazon Prime Day deal: save $100 on the Fire TV Recast
- England vs USA live stream: how to watch today's Women's World Cup 2019 semi-final from anywhere
- Samsung CEO admits the Galaxy Fold was released before it was ready
- Sony CEO: The PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games
- Amazon Prime Day 2019: early deals listed and when it starts in the US
- Best database software in 2019
- Intel announces major 5G IP auction
- The Dell Black Friday in July sale is a Prime Day preview for laptops, TVs and more
- Best cloud analytics of 2019
- Databases are migrating to the cloud
- Looking under the hood of the connected car
- Huawei Mate X foldable phone is in 'final testing'
- Three: 5G is our "biggest opportunity"
- Best budget gaming PC 2018: top gaming desktops for less
- Xbox Games with Gold July 2019: these are the free Xbox One games this month
- iRobot Roomba 671: should I buy it?
- 5G smartphone shipments will overtake 4G by 2023
- How to save £150 off a new iPhone and keep your number with Sky Mobile
- Asus Trade Up Your Graphics program could make upgrading your graphics card more affordable
- Amazon Cloud Cam: everything you need to know about the Alexa-powered camera
| Early Amazon Prime Day deal: save $100 on the Fire TV Recast Posted: 01 Jul 2019 01:25 PM PDT Amazon is giving us a sneak peek into their big July shopping event by releasing early Prime Day deals that you can buy right now. For a limited time, Prime members can get the Fire TV Recast on sale for $129.99. That's a $100 discount and the lowest price we've seen for this DVR device. With the Fire TV Recast, you can store up to 75 hours of HD programming and watch live sports and news programs from anywhere. This device is perfect for someone who no longer wants to pay for cable but still enjoys primary programming on stations like broadcast stations like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and PBS. You can find more Fire TV device deals with the best Amazon Fire TV deals, prices and sales that are happening now. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| England vs USA live stream: how to watch today's Women's World Cup 2019 semi-final from anywhere Posted: 01 Jul 2019 12:57 PM PDT The record-breaking USA are eyeing another piece of history by becoming the first side to reach the Women’s World Cup final for a third consecutive occasion. England have continued to improve as the tournament has progressed, and their clinical 3-0 dismantling of Norway will have given the Lionesses belief that they're capable of pulling off a win against the overwhelming tournament favourites. This is shaping up to be absolutely unmissable, and we'll tell you the best ways to get an England vs USA live stream from anywhere on Earth - it's absolutely free in some regions, including the UK. For the majority of the 2019 Women's World Cup they've looked unstoppable, but the USWNT have had questions asked of them in both of their knockout games so far against Spain and France. Phil Nevile warned his players on Sunday that a semi-final defeat against the seemingly unstoppable USWNT would amount to 'failure'. Harsh as that may sound, on the basis of the momentum the the Lionesses have built-up and the fact that a very beatable team will wait them in the final, the England boss knows that history is there for the writing. All the pressure will nevertheless be on the USA, where Jill Ellis's team will be expecting to see off another European opponent in professional fashion. Neither side has any major injury doubts ahead of the game, but expect Beth Mead to start for England following her impressive showing as a sub for Toni Duggan against Norway. While Captain fantastic Megan Rapinoe has led by example against Spain and France by converting a pair of penalties in both matches, the USA's first-choice striker Alex Morgan has failed to find the back of the net in the last four games. While veteran forward Carli Lloyd will be itching to replace her, expect Morgan to nether less start again this evening. Don't miss any of today's action by following the instructions below and grabbing a live stream of England vs USA wherever you are in the world. Watch a FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 live stream from outside your countryIf you're in UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, we've got your viewing options listed below. If you're out of the country for today's match, you may find that geo-blocking will prevent you from watching your regular domestic coverage from abroad. You don't have to risk watching the match on a dodgy stream, however. With the option of using a VPN service, you can tune into the match no matter where you are in the world, and its super easy to set up. How to stream the Lionesses live in the UKLive stream the USWNT in the US
- Discover our pick of all the US's best sports streaming sites As well as opening up your viewing options for the Women's World Cup, using a VPN allows you to watch all your domestic sports coverage from abroad. How to watch a FIFA Women's World Cup live stream in CanadaHow to watch England vs USA live stream in AustraliaHow to watch a England vs USA live stream in New ZealandThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Samsung CEO admits the Galaxy Fold was released before it was ready Posted: 01 Jul 2019 12:53 PM PDT After screen malfunctions caused Samsung to pull the Galaxy Fold days before its official launch, it was unclear how the company failed to predict the foldable phone would fail. Months later, Samsung CEO DJ Koh came clean, saying: “It was embarrassing. I pushed it through before it was ready,” according to The Independent. Koh made the comments at a recent meeting with several media outlets - presumably the same roundtable where he nonchalantly name-checked the upcoming Note 10. “I do admit I missed something on the foldable phone, but we are in the process of recovery,” Koh said at the meeting. “At the moment, more than 2,000 devices are being tested right now in all aspects. We defined all the issues. Some issues we didn’t even think about, but thanks to our reviewers, mass volume testing is ongoing.” Delays abound, so which foldable will be first?Samsung still hasn’t given the Galaxy Fold a proper release date, leaving us to presume there are plenty of issues left to fix before the device reaches the quality and reliability of tried-and-true smartphones. This has left the market wide open for the Galaxy Fold’s only announced competitor, the Huawei Mate X, to take the lead - but even that device has a vague release window of September or sooner. Whether out of caution or to ensure it doesn’t follow the Fold’s aborted launch, Huawei is biding its time, though the company’s President of Europe, Walter Ji, told TechRadar the foldable “is in final testing.” Foldables are, technologically, a tough nut to crack. But they represent something more: the potential end of the line for smartphones, a design summit that phones might not rise above given their fundamental form factor limitations. Instead, new devices could supplant them, Koh told reporters.
“Foldable will last a couple of years,” Koh said, according to The Independent. “Another form factor is a possibility, but I will say that once 5G and the internet of things are available [together], we must think rather than smartphones, we must think smart devices. Smartphones may decline but new devices will emerge.” Koh foresees networks of interconnected and multi-screen devices at well-traveled locations to functionally replace smartphones. Instead of interfacing with one smartphone you carry around, you’ll speak to dozens of different smaller devices interspersed throughout your day. It’s a what-if scenario where expensive phones give way to a more abstract concept of digital assistance, likely provided by voice-controlled AI assistants. Other devices like smart watches will fit in the network. “Smartphone design has hit a limit, that’s why we designed a folding phone,” Kang Yun-Je, head of Samsung Electronic’s design team, told The Independent. “But we’re also focusing on other devices that are beginning to make a wider impact on the market, like smart earphones and smart watches. In five years or so, people will not even realise they are wearing screens. It will be seamless.” But first, we’ll have phones that fold...eventually.
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| Sony CEO: The PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games Posted: 01 Jul 2019 12:52 PM PDT Indie games may take a bit of a backseat on the PlayStation 5 at launch as Sony has recently 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 - games like Death Stranding and The Last of Us Part 2 - 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. That plan makes a lot of sense considering how much of a role platform-exclusive games play when picking out a new console. But it could be seen as a slight against the indie development community that has given Sony games like Resogun, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and The Witness. Regardless, placing more of a focus on big-budget exclusives is a strategy that has worked for Sony in the past and, while counter-intuitive at first, could actually drive more developers to the PS5 if that’s where the largest player base is.
What’s on the Horizon for Sony’s next console?While indie games aren't a big priority for Sony when it comes to marketing the console, next-gen features like 8K support and the upgraded solid state drive most certainly are, so expect to hear them mentioned frequently before launch. Speaking of launch, WSJ’s sources say to expect 2020 release date for the next-gen console and say that Sony is keeping an eye on what Google is doing with its Stadia game-streaming service, which could be a threat in the short- to medium term. Sony has said recently that it plans on upgrading its PlayStation Now service to compete with Stadia, and has signed a deal with Microsoft to help develop its Azure platform for that very purpose. All that being said, we're still waiting on Sony to officially name the console and reveal it to the world - something we were hoping might happen at this year's E3, but didn't happen. We now predict Sony will introduce the system later this year or early in 2020 instead.
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| Amazon Prime Day 2019: early deals listed and when it starts in the US Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:55 AM PDT We finally know when Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals begin in the US, and while the official dates are July 15 and July 16, Amazon is offering Prime Day deals right now. Early Prime Day 2019 deals ahead of this month's 48-hour discount marathon apply to video games, 4KTVs phones and, of course, Amazon's own Echo speakers. Specifically, the Echo Dot price is $24.99 – up to 50% off – and Echo (2nd generation) for $69 – up to 30% off. The Echo Input and Fire TV Recast are on sale for up to 57% off, while all Prime members are invited to a Taylor Swift concert stream on July 10. Clearly Amazon is trying to lure you into its Prime membership program. In the past, it has worked. Amazon stands to make billions of dollars on Prime Day 2019. We're listed all of the top Amazon Prime Day 2019 below, and we're updating this page in real-time to capture the lowest prices in July, all starting today. It's going to get a bit chaotic leading up to the July 15 start date and time, so let's begin there to see when the bulk of the savings take place. When is Amazon Prime Day 2019?We now know that Amazon Prime Day start on Monday, July 15 just after midnight (at 12:01am PDT). Prime Day ends at Tuesday, July 16 (at 11:59pm PDT). Keep in mind the official Prime Day start time is based on where the retail company is located: on the West coast. So some deals may come online at 3am ET. Amazon Prime Day deals: early savings listThis is where we're curating an early Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals list in the days and hours leading up to Prime Day. Everyday we're searching through the retailer to add new deals and the best prices to make your shopping experience easier. Contemplating buying a deal vs holding off until actual Prime Day? The best advice, according to our team of deals experts, is to buy early and make any returns if you find a better price later on. That way you're guaranteed to save. What were last year's best-selling Prime Day dealsPrime members around the world purchased more than 100 million products during the last Prime Day event. The top-selling items from last year's Prime Day included a mixture of home goods, electronics, and Amazon devices. In fact, it was the biggest event ever for Amazon devices with the Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot leading the pack of best-selling items worldwide. The top selling products consisted of the 6-Qt Instant Pot, Fire TV stick, Echo Dot, 23andMe DNA Test, and the LifeStraw personal water filter. The Prime deals you may have missed last timeAs ever, some of the best deals on Prime Day were on Amazon’s own devices. Smart speakers are a big hit every year with the Amazon Echo leading the pack with the below price drops. • Echo Show dropped from $229.99 to $129.99 There were good deals on TVs too. In the US, the excellent TCL TVs were massively discounted and better known brands such as Hisense were chopped too: for example Hisense’s 43-inch 4K TV dropped from $349.99 to $239.99. The best phone deal we spotted in the US was a big drop on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, which went from $799 to a much more affordable $549. Image credit: Shutterstock A brief history of PrimePrime Day first launched four years ago and has grown into the biggest shopping day of the year with last year's even surpassing Cyber Monday and Black Friday with 89 million visitors logging on to the site with 100 million products purchased during the sale event. Globally it was the biggest day of sales in Amazon’s history, and Amazon Prime Day 2019 is going to be even bigger. It didn't just increase in terms of territories or numbers, but the sale itself lasted longer too. Where 2017's Prime Day ran for only one day (well, 30 hours), 2018 ran for a day and a half (36 hours). And now we're looking at 48, so Prime members will have even more time to snag the hottest deals of the year. How can I sign up for Amazon Prime?To participate in the big shopping event, you must be an Amazon Prime Member. Your membership will not only let you partake in Prime Day, but you'll also have access to Amazon Prime movies, books, music, photos, and more. You can sign up here for a 30-day trial and cancel at any time. All you need is an Amazon account with a valid credit card tied to the account. Once you sign up for your free trial, you'll have access to all the Prime benefits, receive free two-day shipping and partake in the biggest shopping event of the year. What other retailers participate in Prime Day?Every year more and more retailers are trying to compete with the tech giant by participating in their own version of Prime Day. You'll find discounts on clothing, tech, home goods and more from a variety of online and local retailers. Last year Walmart joined in on Prime Day by offering free two-day shipping without membership fees and free same-day pickup on qualifying items. They also discounted a wide array of products that included TVs, Google Home devices, kitchen appliances, laptops and much more. Other big retailers like Target, Best Buy, Macy's and eBay also promoted their own one-day sale with discounts on best-selling items throughout their site. Amazon Prime 1-day deliveryAmazon just recently announced plans to offer free one-day shipping for Prime members on most orders. Amazon's CFO Brian Olsavky revealed the ambitious project during Amazon's first-quarter earnings call. To achieve this, the tech giant says they plan to invest $800 million in the second quarter of 2019 and continue its expansion of their fulfillment and logistics network. Amazon currently offers free 2-day shipping for all Prime members and offers free one-day and same-day delivery on certain items in eligible zip codes. Amazon's future plans include increasing the locations and available items so free one-day delivery replaces the standard two-day Prime delivery window. While we don't think the new one-day delivery will be rolled out in time for Prime Day, we do believe there will be more items available for one-day and same-day delivery in eligible zip codes for the big shopping day. Prime Day and Whole FoodsLast year Prime Day extended its sale from devices and electronics to discounts on groceries at the Whole Foods Market chain which the company also own. Savings included price cuts on popular food items and discounts for first time users of the grocery delivery service Prime Now. Amazon also offered $10 back in Amazon credits to use on Prime Day for members that spent $10 at Whole Foods. Amazon credit card users also received double the rewards when they used their card at Whole Foods during the week leading up to the big sale. We expect this year to feature more discounts on groceries in-store as well as promotions with the Amazon Rewards Card and Prime Now. How much money did Amazon make on Prime Day?Amazon was predicted to gross $3.4 billion on Prime Day last year, although we don’t know if that prediction is accurate as Amazon doesn’t release such information. However, it did announce that third party sellers shifted a billion dollars of product in just one day. As for its own sales, Amazon was content to say that “sales this Prime Day surpassed Cyber Monday, Black Friday and the previous Prime Day, when comparing 36-hour periods, making this once again the biggest shopping event in Amazon history.” That’s a little sneaky, mind you: as the 2017 sale only ran for 24 hours, not 36. Image credit: Amazon Why did Amazon crash on Prime Day? Did the crash cost it money?Amazon struggled to cope with traffic on Prime Day, an issue that affected not just the Amazon site but services such as Prime Video and Twitch. Customers found their shopping carts would suddenly empty, or links simply wouldn’t work, or they couldn’t access the site at all. The issues were largely confined to the US website and customers, although problems with Prime Video lasted well into the evening in the UK. Some sites got their calculators out and concluded that the worst outage, which lasted for 63 minutes, cost Jeff Bezos' company just under $100 million in lost sales. Amazon disagrees, saying that the effect on sales was “minimal”. Or maybe $100 million just isn't that much to the retail giant nowadays. CNBC has seen internal documents that describe what happened. First, it didn’t secure enough servers to cope with the demand; secondly, that shortage caused a “cascading series of failures” that knocked out key services; and thirdly, Amazon temporarily killed all international traffic to reduce the load. All of those things happened within the first 15 minutes of Prime Day. The outage wasn’t the only issue Amazon faced during the sale though... Why were workers striking and supporters urging Amazon boycotts on Prime Day?Prime Day wasn’t the first time Amazon has been accused of terrible working practices, but it was a great day to get the issue into the papers. Workers in Spain and Germany went on strike over working hours and conditions while activists urged people to send Amazon a message by boycotting the sale altogether over its treatment of workers and its tax arrangements. It was also marked by a surge in health and safety complaints from UK workers. As you’d expect, Amazon denies the allegations, with a spokesperson telling us: "These allegations and the data are just not accurate — safety incidents in our fulfillment centers did not increase around Prime Day, they actually decreased from the previous week. We’re proud of our team and our workplace, and invite anyone to come see for themselves – we offer public tours of our buildings and you can learn more at amazonfctours.com." Amazon also told Wired that the Organise campaign behind the publicity was indulging in fake news. “To our knowledge, Organise doesn’t verify that respondents actually work for the company they claim to work for.” Image credit: Amazon What could Amazon have done better on Prime Day?It should have anticipated and been able to cope with the load not just on its ecommerce site but on its cloud services too: we weren’t the only ones irritated because we couldn’t get our Preacher fix on Amazon Prime Video. It’s all the more embarrassing when you remember that Amazon provides the cloud infrastructure for many high-profile sites and services: Prime Day wasn’t a great ad for that side of its business. Our main criticisms aren’t technological, though. Navigating the deals was hopeless and many of the deals were laughable, especially in gaming: we frequently found much better console bundles on AO.com’s eBay page than we did on Amazon. Here’s a great example. On Prime Day, one of the flagship deals we identified was $50 off a set of Bose QuietComfort 25 headphones. That brought the price down from $299 to $249. Just three weeks later, Amazon US was listing the same headphones for $169. Will Amazon Prime Day 2019 do things differently?Yes. CNBC reports that Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO of worldwide retail, has already demanded improvements to prevent a repeat the previous Prime Day’s capacity problems: “tech teams are already working to improve our architecture”. We’d like to think that Amazon will also improve the navigation and discoverability of its deals, although we aren’t holding our collective breath: both factors’ general rubbishness didn’t stop it breaking all records. But that's why we're here to show you the best Prime Day deals! Image credit: Amazon What does all this mean for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?It’s clear that Amazon is prioritising Prime Day over Super Black Friday Deals Month or whatever convoluted name it’s going to give its Black Friday sales period in 2019: according to Digitalcommerce360.com, 67% of this year's Prime Day deals were lower than comparable deals on the preceding Black Friday. That’s not to say Amazon won’t take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It will, and it’ll offer the same kind of discounting that we’ve seen in recent years. But Prime Day is more important to the firm, and we’d expect its discounts to be deeper, especially on its own devices. Prime Day: why does it matter more to Amazon?There are some crucial differences between Prime Day and Black Friday. The first is that the former is Amazon’s own day. It’s right there in the name, which of course refers to Amazon’s Prime membership programme and associated services. Amazon doesn’t own Black Friday, and that means ultimately it’s just another retailer shouting for attention – a massive retailer with a really loud voice, of course, but Black Friday is a sales event for the entire retail sector. It’s much harder for rivals to muscle in on something that Amazon has effectively created from thin air. The second and more important difference is that Black Friday doesn’t create new spending. It just moves it slightly. As we’ve discovered in recent years, the money people spend over the Black Friday period is money they were probably going to spend anyway: all Black Friday really does is concentrates pre-Christmas shopping in the last week of November. Prime Day spending is different in two ways. First of all, people aren’t spending the money they’d already planned to spend on Christmas presents. And secondly, they’re buying mainly for themselves, not for others. If you go back to the list of bestsellers there’s an awful lot of impulse buying in there: Instant Pots and Hue Lightstrips, frying pans and dishwasher tablets. This is new spending, not merely moving pre-planned spending. There’s another key benefit for Amazon. Its best-sellers on Prime Day weren’t just Amazon devices; they were Amazon devices that connect to Amazon services. Fire TVs, Kindle Fires, Echo devices, Alexa remotes. Each one of them connecting to Amazon Prime, and each one of them requiring an Amazon membership to buy in the first place. So when Black Friday rolls around, Amazon will have a whole bunch of members for whom shopping there is the default option, and who might want to enhance their Amazon-powered smart homes with more of the company's branded Black Friday deals. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best database software in 2019 Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:52 AM PDT The modern business world is built on information stored in databases. The challenge comes in using the right database with the right structure to hold the information you need, while being able to access that data easily. Of course, making a decision on this is not an easy process. There are many different database platform options, all of which allow for the retrieval of datasets in different ways. And there are many different priorities that may affect the database architecture, whether it's query speed, storage format, security or even integration issues. Many people will be familiar with the basic set of columns and rows of a simple database, such as one made with Microsoft Access, but these days databases can be multi-layered, use different query languages, and work with different storage formats such as even XML. The biggest concerns are likely to revolve around performance and the end-user experience. If business owners and employees struggle to get the information they need from a dataset, then the database isn't working well for them. The same applies to speed, as modern demands expect data to be presentable in seconds rather than days. With all that in mind, we’re going to look at some of the powerhouses of the database world, from simple and straightforward solutions, to ones with more complex architecture that may require extensive customization.
Image credit: TeamDesk If you’re looking for a powerful database solution that’s also easy to use, then it’s worth checking out TeamDesk. It provides you with the tools to create custom databases quickly without any prior technical knowledge. What’s great about TeamDesk is that it runs on the cloud through its own secure servers, so you don’t need to invest in your own hardware. According to the company, it’s achieved a 99.96% uptime record over the past six years, making it a reliable choice. The software runs on PC, Mac, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone. To set up a database, you can either choose from a library of predefined templates or build your own from scratch. Once you’ve done that, you’re able to remove and add functionalities as your business grows. In terms of pricing, there are several plans available. The starter package costs $49 (£36) per month, letting you add up to five users with an unlimited amount of tables, records, storage space and customer support. However, there’s a team edition available for $99 per month (£74) and an enterprise edition for $249 per month (£187) as well. At any rate, you can sign up for a 14-day free trial to test the waters. Image credit: Knack Targeted at organizations of all sizes, Knack is probably one of the most diverse and easy-to-use database management solutions out there. The cloud-based platform is used by thousands of businesses across the world, including Fortune 500 companies, startups, educational institutions and charities. It offers a range of tools that aim to transform the way you organize business data. You can structure it based on metrics such as names and emails, link records together, and gain a better insight into your data by using a range of formulas and equations. What’s more, the interface is easy-to-use and requires no coding knowledge. To get real-time data insights, you can set up dashboards kitted out with charts, graphs and pivot tables. You can also conduct searches across datasets and make use of flexible filters. And just like TeamDesk, there’s a variety of pre-built templates available, meaning you can set up advanced databases quickly. The software comes with some neat e-commerce abilities, too. You’re able to process payments, donations and online orders through integration with payment providers such as PayPal and Stripe. Currently, prices start at $39 (£29) per month, although there’s a 14-day free trial available. Image credit: TablePlus Looking for an on-premise database management platform? Then look no further than TablePlus. Available for the Mac, it lets you create and manage a plethora of relational databases from one user interface, including the likes of MySQL, SQLite, Redis, Amazon Redshift and Postgres. It lets you create, query, edit and save databases easily from a native app that’s fast and easy-to-use. However, one of the defining features of this software is that it comes with native TLS encryption to ensure that important business data never gets into the wrong hands. As for other features, there are multi-tab and multi-window modes so you can get a quick overview of various datasets. And you can track changes you’ve made to your databases through a function called Code Review. You can also split databases into tabs and highlight different datasets to increase productivity. This software is used by major companies and organizations such as Spotify, Apple, Intel, FastMail, Stanford University, Shutterstock, and Rocket Internet. You can purchase TablePlus for $59 (£45). If you end up buying the solution but decide it isn’t for you, there’s a 7-day money-back policy. Image credit: Oracle Oracle provides some of the most popular and advanced enterprise technology solutions on the market, and it also has some world-class database products. A great example is the Oracle Database Cloud Service which has been designed to support workloads of all sizes. It’s a multilayered database product that comes with encryption solutions running out of the box, and has been designed especially for application development, test and production deployment. The software sports an easy-to-use web console where users can quickly create and manage databases. Users get access to a range of provisioning choices and pre-packaged bundles, including options for DevOps, performance, security, analytics and monitoring. Data can be managed through tools such as SSH, SQL Developer, Data Pump and SQL Plus. You’ll need to get in touch with Oracle for a quote on pricing, but can demo the software to make an informed decision. Image credit: Microsoft The Microsoft Azure Cloud offers a wide range of database software and management options, hardly surprising as Microsoft has been a leading developer of database for decades. While home users may (or may not!) be familiar with Access, which comes as part of the Office 365 suite of apps, MySQL has been one of Microsoft's most valuable gifts to the open source community. Although MySQL is increasingly in competition with other database types, not least PostgreSQL and non-relational databases such as NoSQL, Microsoft can cater for these and more with its cloud-based Azure offering. The Microsoft Azure Cloud platform is already an industry leading service, but databases and database management remain core to that. And while some users may feel overwhelmed by the many options in Azure, the one that allows databases to be fully managed can provide some relief. Pricing is dependent upon the actual Azure services being subscribed to, but estimates are available allow with introductory offers to help ease new users into the Azure ecosystem. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Intel announces major 5G IP auction Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:40 AM PDT After announcing that it will exit the 5G modem market back in April, Intel has put its IP related to cellular wireless connectivity up for auction as the chipmaker looks to unload around 8,500 assets from its massive portfolio. Although the company supplied 4G modem chips for Apple's iPhone for the last few years, it has struggled to release a 5G modem in time for the global rollout of the next generation of wireless technology. Intel's auction will be divided into two parts and bidders will be able to make an offer for its cellular portfolio or its connected device portfolio. The chipmaker's cellular portfolio contains approximately 6,000 patent assets related to 3G, 4G and 5G cellular standards as well as an additional 1,700 assets related to wireless implementation technologies.
Intel's connected device portfolio on the other hand is much smaller and is made up of 500 patents with broad applications for the semiconductor and electronics industries. Intel's 5G auctionThe auction process is being handled by Nader Mousavi of Sullivan & Cromwell and Intel expects to begin accepting non-binding indications of interest from bidders in August. According to IAM, Intel will launch the auction process for its wireless IP separately from its current efforts to sell its smartphone modem business. However, a prospective buyer could acquire both its IP and modem business. The company may have struggled to bring a 5G product to market but it has still made great strides in building one of the most robust patent portfolios in the mobile sector. We'll likely find out more once we get closer to start of the auction but either way, Intel's decision to sell of its patents related to cellular wireless connectivity will have huge ramifications on the industry as a whole. Via IAM This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Dell Black Friday in July sale is a Prime Day preview for laptops, TVs and more Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:35 AM PDT Just ahead of Amazon Prime Day, the Dell Black Friday in July sale has begun. Starting today, you can save up to 40% on laptops, TVs, desktops, speakers and more. You can score massive savings till July 14, with new door-buster deals added every day. Shop more of Dell's best deals below that include savings on gaming laptops, speakers, desktops, and more. The sale ends on July 14 so make sure to take advantage while supplies last. The best Dell Black Friday in July deals:Shop more deals with our guide to Amazon Prime Day 2019. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:26 AM PDT Big data and business intelligence are key words in modern business management, as the profusion of data from a wide array of digital applications allows for the close reporting of everything from systems operations to employee performance. However, while a lot of SaaS platform come with built-in analytics, often you'll need to combine different data sets from different sources, or even export data from spreadsheets. This is where cloud-based analytics software really comes into its own, as not only will it be able to represent all those figures and numbers into clear visualizations, because it's based in the cloud it means the data can be synchronized and shared across key employees or supervisors. While there are a wide array of analytics programs currently on the market, here we'll feature the best in cloud analytics programs.
Image credit: Microsoft Power BI is a business analytics service provided by Microsoft. This solution helps users to consolidate all their useful data analytics into one place. Power BI is a suite of analytics tools which help gain insights into your organization. Subscribers can use it to access many supported cloud-based and on-premise sources such as Salesforce, Excel and Sharepoint. Users can analyse data and find patterns they may missed in relation to their business. This is done through features such as quick measures, forecasting, grouping and clustering. Users more comfortable with Excel can use DAX formula to control this analytic tool. Power BI is very visual. Users can create reports with interactive data visualizations. The dashboard is simple to use and includes a handy drag and drop feature. Reports are created with formatting, theming and layout tools. The ‘Power BI Desktop’ plan is free and suitable for single users. It includes connections to a variety of different data sources, visual tools and analytic visualization tools. The ‘Power BI Pro’ package is $9.99 per month per user. Clients can build dashboards that deliver a real-time, 360 degree, view of their business. It includes automation of updates, collaboration, audits, governance and distribution to users with apps. The ‘Power BI Premium’ plan is based on capacity pricing. This can be calculated from the Power BI website. Some online users have complained the dashboard isn’t fully customizable. Image credit: Host Analytics Host Analytics EPM suite is a cloud-based performance management solution. The solution is security conscious and uses AES-256 encryption. Data is backed up hourly. The suite is geared towards medium to large businesses. The easy to use dashboard allows users to manage financial and operational processes. The forecast and planning tools analyse the effects of different projects on your company. Host Analytics works from a centralized database. Users can enter and manage multiple sets of books, journals and allocations. The solution allows users to transfer data from each source to its dashboard automatically, relieving users of the tedium of copying data piece by piece. The suite allows users to run analyses through a variety of reports. You can run, present and publish data as you see fit. Reports can be published using Microsoft PowerPoint, Word or the Financial Package Publisher. The dashboard includes standard reporting templates but users can customize their own templates to suit their business needs. Some reviewers have mentioned difficulties with doing this. Demos are available upon request. Users need to contact Host Analytics directly to obtain a quote. Image credit: Zoho Zoho is a software development company based in India. It was founded in 2006. The analytics application allows users access to an easy to use dashboard. It is part of Zoho’s software suite but works as a stand-alone package also. The interface is user friendly. From here users have access to a help center, a snapshot tour, a variety of data samples and live chat. Zoho Analytics allows users to load data onto their reporting center with just a few clicks. The automation feature runs reports without prompt based on the type of data you have entered. Users can share data and collaborate on tables and reports. More in-depth reporting is available but this is more suitable for experienced users. This advanced reporting includes a handy drag and drop feature which is used to insert data into columns you create. With a variety of filters, users can sort data, queries and output visualizations as needed. Analysts can also run custom made SQL (Structured Query Language) queries. The ‘Basic’ package is $25 per month and includes two users, 0.5 million rows, unlimited reports, over 100 data connectors, Zoho Apps connectors, slideshow and daily sync. The ‘Standard’ plan starts at $50 per month. Extras include 5 users, 1 million rows, hourly data sync, groups support, workspace admin role and data backup. The ‘Premium’ tier starts at $125 per month. Along with 15 users and 5 million rows, users also receive logo rebranding and private links. The ‘Enterprise’ package is $495 per month. This includes 50 users, 50 million rows, 5x performance and live chat support. Some reviewers have note that the advanced features take some time to master. Image credit: Domo Domo is a software company which specializes in business intelligence tools and data visualization. It was founded in 2010. Users can manage all functions from the main dashboard. It is straight forward to use and easy on the eye. The dashboard works in real-time. Users can view data relating to multiple business areas, return-on-investment, key performance and indicators. Domo has its own App Store where users access free and paid connectors. Also, included are a huge variety of plug-ins which help with tools such as Microsoft Excel and PowerPoints. The ‘Workbench’ imports large amount of data via XML, ODBC and Excel amongst others into the solution. The ‘Analyzer’ application allows users to view results they are most interested in. Less interesting data can be hidden with one-click. Users can filter the data they want to share with other users. Domo offers a free 30-day trial. This includes 5 users, 5 million rows of data and hourly data refresh. The ‘Standard’ package offers a free trial plus up to 20 users and available consulting. The ‘Professional’ package includes all of what the ‘Standard’ package has to offer plus unlimited users, 250 million rows, on-demand data refresh and premium support. The ‘Enterprise’ plan has all the features of the ‘Professional’ package plus unlimited data, advanced governance, security and HIPAA compliance. Pricing for all packages is available upon request. Image credit: IBM IBM's Cognos Analytics is a business intelligence platform and self-service analytics solution that uses AI and machine learning. The aim is to discover patterns of information other products cannot find using advanced pattern detection, and provide both answers and actionable insights through the natural language-powered AI assistant. Cognos Analytics can be run from the cloud or on your premises. Either way, data in the form of spreadsheets or CSV files can be uploaded to the program, where the data sources can be combined and modeled. Cognos recommends what it believes are the best chart types for visualization, and reports have geospatial-mapping capabilities. Charts can also be augmented with other media, such as voiceovers, and interactive elements can be incorporated. The Premium tier costs $70 per user per month and runs as an on-demand SaaS solution, and allows for a multi-tenant cloud and multiple cloud sources. There's an Enterprise version available for critical performance needs which also allows other IBM services to be bought in and integrated, but you will need to get a quote for pricing in this case. There's a free 30-day trial available which allows full use of the product. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Databases are migrating to the cloud Posted: 01 Jul 2019 10:30 AM PDT The future of the database market is in the cloud according to new research from the global research and advisory firm Gartner which predicts that by 2022, 75 percent of all databases will be deployed or migrated to a cloud platform with just five percent returning to on-premises. Databases used for analytics and the SaaS model will help fuel this trend and distinguished research vice president at Gartner, Donald Feinberg explained why, saying: “According to inquiries with Gartner clients, organizations are developing and deploying new applications in the cloud and moving existing assets at an increasing rate, and we believe this will continue to increase. We also believe this begins with systems for data management solutions for analytics (DMSA) use cases — such as data warehousing, data lakes and other use cases where data is used for analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Increasingly, operational systems are also moving to the cloud, especially with conversion to the SaaS application model.”
New data management platformThe firm's research shows that 2018 worldwide database management systems (DBMS) revenue grew by 18.4 percent to reach $46bn. Cloud DMBS revenue accounts for 68 percent of that growth while Microsoft and AWS account for 75.5 percent of the total market growth. This trend helps reinforce the notion that cloud service provider (CSP) infrastructures and the services that run on them are becoming the new data management platform. Ecosystems have begun to form around CSPs that integrate services within a single CSP and provide early steps toward intercloud data management. This is quite different from the on-premises approach where individual products often serve multiple roles but rarely have their own built-in capabilities to support integration with adjacent products within the on-premises deployment environment. According to Gartner, there is still some growth in on-premises systems but this growth is rarely from new deployments but rather from price increases and forced upgrades undertaken by organizations to avoid risk.
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| Looking under the hood of the connected car Posted: 01 Jul 2019 10:28 AM PDT When thinking about a self-driving car, many could instantly think of the many benefits that arise from being able to remotely control the majority of a cars functions via a smartphone, smartwatch, tablet device or computer. Features like being able to remotely lock a car if the driver has forgotten, being able to find the car in a busy car park, reminders for maintenance on various systems (from real-time data and not just when the car is programmed to notify) and even tracking in the event of theft, are all modern day blessings. They all lead to an improved user and driving experience - the main goal for most internet connected devices. However, this is simply the shiny exterior of the connected car and does not even scratch the surface of the power that lies within. By taking a look under the metaphorical hood, at the data collected and used to make the connected car truly “smart”, anyone can see the vast use cases available on improving everyday lives. Going beyond the paint jobInstead of just thinking of a modern car as a connected car, it should be thought of as a connected data driven ecosystem. A connected car’s ecosystem is not just its ability to connect to a smartphone, but the information the car can gather from the world around it. The connected car of the future is one with dozens of sensors and edge devices gathering up data from just about anything. From road infrastructure, other vehicles, and even pedestrians, connected cars can gather an enormous amount of data from the world around it. All the data that a connected car can collect helps create safer cars and roads in the future, informs smarter logistics and provides more actionable insights for a plethora of industries. From manufacturers building safe vehicles, fleet managers tracking assets, to insurers monitoring driving behaviours to make roads safer. This is made possible with the journey that data makes from the edge to AI. What even is the edge?“Edge” is without a doubt the buzzword du jour. Market intelligence firm IDC predicts that edge spend will reach up to 18 percent of the total IoT infrastructure spend by 2020. However, with marketing departments adding the word “edge” to their slogans as quickly as possible, many are missing the truth behind what edge technology is and what it can do for businesses. To clarify, edge computing is the practice of processing data from IoT devices where it is generated. So for a car, this would be processing data it gathers while driving instead of in a centralized data-processing warehouse or in a public cloud. It promotes real-time data analytics without lag as the data is generated at the source, enabling the smart device to perform as it was designed while simultaneously reducing internet bandwidth. While edge computing has many different purposes, it is popularly associated with IoT because it is focused on devices and technologies that are attached to the “things” in the IoT. For example, the edge connects previously unconnected industrial machines in order to acquire and collect actionable data. Sharpening the edge to dispel common misconceptionsEdge computing has many applications, and it’s constantly evolving, yet the concept of edge computing isn’t particularly new. In fact, it goes back at least 25 years, when Akamai’s content delivery network (CDN) developed technologies that worked closer to users. Edge computing solutions can take quite different forms. They can be both mobile, such as data collected in real time from a connected or autonomous car. They can be static, such as information that is slowly collected from a building management solution or an offshore oil rig. And they can be hybrid solutions for infrastructure like hospitals. Electronic medical records (EMR) data is relatively static, but mobile data from patients collected in real-time can be shared and distributed for monitoring and evaluation. The true value of edge computing in IoT solutions is that with the rapid increase in the usage of sensors – particularly in industrial environments such as manufacturing facilities and offshore oil rigs – the data being collected occurs right at the source. Then it’s up to the technology the organisation has established to translate and analyze what has been captured, what it means and where it should be stored. Many might think that the edge simply collects and transmits data and deposits it into an analytics programme. However this simply is not true. There are many cases in which the edge translates raw signal data into actionable insights; turning analog data into digital. In actuality, the edge is really a decentralised extension for data center networks and the cloud. Edge computing complements and enriches on-premises solutions so incorporating models that can move decision-making at the edge is essential. The goal is to leverage predictive analytics that, for example, can help an autonomous vehicle determine when to stop or what to avoid depending on what comes into its path. So what does the edge have to do with the connected car?Being able to analyse the data created at the edge - in the connected car - can achieve results that were previously impossible due to the limitations associated with the connect car’s wide-area networks. Connected car technology primarily leverages cellular networks for connectivity and streaming the full corpus of data generated over cellular networks would be both cost and bandwidth prohibitive. In cars that can be bought today, there are already a multitude of sensors, like when reversing and it notifies when approaching an object. In an autonomous car, a lot more sensors will be necessary, however for the sensors to provide the value that they need to, there needs to be a device that can process the information that is streaming in real time. For example if in an autonomous vehicle during a snowstorm, internet connection could be unreliable which can result in a very dangerous situation. Having edge devices built into the vehicle ensures the vehicle is getting the updates it needs in order to drive safely. In factories, edge devices can help predict machine failure. It can start to see anomalies in how the work is produced, potentially leading to fewer faults in cars that are being manufactured. The true power of the connected car lies in the journey the data makes from the edge to AI. In the connected car, data is captured, consolidated, and then sent to a real-time streaming analytics platform in order to enrich the data. This can then provide the foundation to develop service center applications, sales reports and engineering dashboards. With results from an analytics platform, data scientists can continuously train AI models and use it to push the models back to the edge to enhance the cars performance. It’s a continual journey, not a linear progression. Edge computing provides the pivotal role to making this connected future possible, however, the data that flows through and into the edge, needs to be enriched by a scalable, real-time streaming analytics platform that ingests, curates, and analyses data for key insights and immediate actionable intelligence. Without this, businesses will not be able to process the real-time data streaming at high volume and scale, nor will they be able to manage and monitor edge applications and streaming sources. The advent of edge computing and the connected car has a wealth of opportunity, and by understanding the power in the data’s journey from the edge to AI will open up the door to a truly connected future. Dave Shuman is Managing Director of Connected Industries and Smart Cities at Cloudera
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| Huawei Mate X foldable phone is in 'final testing' Posted: 01 Jul 2019 10:20 AM PDT The foldable Huawei Mate X, which we've been told will launch in September at the latest, is now in final testing. TechRadar spoke to Huawei's President of Europe, Walter Ji, who told us in a response to our question about the Mate X that the handset "is in final testing", although he wouldn't be drawn on giving us any more detail as to an exact release date. It's sounding promising though, and with Samsung also claiming it has more than 2,000 Galaxy Fold devices in testing, foldable phone fans could finally get their hands on these breakthrough handsets in the next few months.
Huawei Mate X 20 5G finally going on sale in UKThere's more good news as well, as Ji was able to confirm that the firm's Huawei Mate 20 X 5G handset – which was initially put 'on pause' by UK carriers after following the Huawei ban – will go on sale this month. He was again, unable to provide any further details such as an exact Mate 20 X 5G release date, price or which networks will be ranging the handsets, but you should see it on shop shelves in the UK very soon. It' currently unclear what the handset's availability will be like in other countries. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Three: 5G is our "biggest opportunity" Posted: 01 Jul 2019 10:11 AM PDT Three has revealed more on its 5G launch plans, unveiling more news about both its new mobile and home broadband services. At a media event in London today, the operator revealed further details on its next-generation offerings, set to launch later this year, as the UK 5G race hots up. The operator says it has invested more than £2bn to ensure it is able to offer its customers the best 5G experience when its network launches later this year.
Changing the rules"5G allows us to change the rules of the game," Shadi Halliwell, Three's chief marketing officer told media, "5G is the single biggest opportunity we have as a business." Three had already confirmed that its 5G home broadband service would launch in August, but today revealed early findings from a beta trial it has been carrying out with customers in London, nearly all of whom claimed to experience faster, smoother internet speeds. The company has also said its network for 5G phones will arriving later this year, and that it is aiming to switch on 5G in 25 cities by the end of 2019. "What we've always strived to do is to deliver more things to our customers than anyone else," Halliwell added, "and what we're going to be doing in the next five years is delivering better connectivity experiences to people and enterprises across the UK." "The aim for us is to be a connectivity business." Although the smallest of the so-called "big four" operators that dominate the UK mobile market, Three believes the advent of 5G could signal a major turning point in its standing. The company pointed to the fact that it currently possesses more 5G spectrum than any other operator - a complete turnaround from its position as holding the least 3G and 4G spectrum. And thanks due to recent acquisitions, plus some canny manoeuvering in the UK 5G spectrum auction, Three owns 100MHz of contiguous bandwidth, meaning it should be able to offer more reliable services and connections - what it calls a "true" 5G experience. Three also highlighted the work it is doing with Nokia, with whom it has partnered for a world-first cloud core network, and with SSE Telecoms, with which it has partnered to connect its fibre to BT's local telephone exchanges, as well as laying fibre cables along the Thames Water sewer system, all bringing faster speeds and lower latency. The company says that all these infrastructure upgrades are necessary due to the explosion of data usage it says 5G will bring. Three found that its customers are currently using 8.3GB of data per month on average, around 3.5 times more than the industry average. However it believes that the hardware updates it is rolling out will help it deliver not just improvements in 5G, but also across 3G and 4G networks too - contributing to up to 400 percent improvements in speed and capacity alongside overall improved reliability. "Only Three has enough spectrum to deploy 5G effectively," Halliwell concluded, "we are in an incredible position to lead 5G going forward" This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best budget gaming PC 2018: top gaming desktops for less Posted: 01 Jul 2019 10:01 AM PDT The best budget gaming PCs on the market prove that investing in a new gaming rig doesn't have to cost a fortune. While you might think that the best gaming PCs are all prohibitively expensive, fantastic budget gaming PCs that can still deliver brilliant gaming performance at very affordable prices are on hand for budget-conscious buyers And, now that all the latest components have been rolled out or announced, like Intel Coffee Lake Refresh, AMD Ryzen 3nd Generation and AMD Navi, not to mention the rumors surrounding Nvidia’s Super RTX series, there’s never been a better time to pick up one of the best budget gaming PCs. So, read on for our list of the best budget gaming PCs of 2019, which will leave the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X in the dust, without costing a fortune. If you’re looking for a cheap way to play your favorite PC games without having a gigantic tower taking up a ton of space in your apartment, you’re going to want to take a look at the Intel Hades Canyon NUC. Don’t assume that these onboard graphics won’t be able to handle real gaming either – these Vega graphics will see you through AAA games at 1080p no problem, with some light 1440p thrown in for good measure. The only drawback here is that you won’t have an SSD, RAM or an OS, but you should be able to make it a full system for under $1,000/£1,000, easy. Read the full review: Intel Hades Canyon NUC When souped up, the HP Omen Desktop PC isn’t what many would consider cheap (and understandably so, as powerful internals do tend to cost a lot). Yet there’s an HP Omen Desktop PC for everyone – yes, even the budget-minded. At less than $1,500, you’re scoring more than enough power to get you through AAA games, albeit probably not on Ultra, what with an Intel Core i7-8700 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics and 8GB RAM. Plus, it’s very upgradeable should you come into a bit of money later, meaning it’s just the best budget gaming PC for gamers who like to plan for the future. Read the full review: HP Omen Desktop PC MSI has long held a reputation for being a top-tier laptop and PC component manufacturer, and with the MSI Trident 3, it has combined the two to great effect. And, while this budget gaming PC features last-generation Kaby Lake processors, you’re still going to get fantastic gaming performance – especially at 1080p. Plus, unlike many small-form factor PCs like the Corsair One, you can easily upgrade the MSI Trident 3 in the future – making this purchase one that will last you a long time. Read the full review: MSI Trident 3 The CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme GXIVR8020A4 is another best budget gaming PC that provides very good gaming performance without costing too much. It comes with some pretty recent components to help it power the latest games, and it can even support virtual reality headsets like the HTC Vive. The only downside is the lack of a solid state drive, but you can always add one in if you want a speed boost down the line. The Dell XPS Tower Special Edition is a lesson in subtlety. This on-the-DL gaming rig looks like something you’d find in your dad’s office, rather than something powering the latest PC games. Rocking an Intel 8th generation Coffee Lake CPU and a Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti even at the lowest configuration option, you’re getting one of the best gaming PCs you can buy in 2019 with the Dell XPS Tower, and that’s without any of the off-putting ‘gamer aesthetic’. Read the full review: Dell XPS Tower Special Edition The HP Omen line’s more affordable PC, the HP Omen Obelisk, is definitely well-deserving of the best budget gaming PC title, thanks to its low price of admission well under $1,000 and its decent specs at that configuration. And, if you customize before you buy, upgrading the base specs for more power, it won’t set you back a whole lot either. The best part? If you’re not into that over-the-top gaming aesthetic, this one has a classier-looking chassis so you can haul it to your office desk, and no one will be the wiser. Read the full review: HP Omen Obelisk When purchasing a budget gaming PC, you sometimes have to make compromises in order to keep the cost down. But, the best budget gaming PCs, like the Lenovo Legion Y520, do an excellent job of minimising any such sacrifices. This is a desktop gaming PC that has enough oomph to give it a 'VR-ready' sticker, so you can use an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive with it. Better yet, it also has plenty of storage space with a 2TB hard drive and a 256GB solid state drive. Plus, there are a range of specifications you can choose from, so if your budget allows, you can pack more powerful components for even better results. Read the full review: Lenovo Legion Y520
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| Xbox Games with Gold July 2019: these are the free Xbox One games this month Posted: 01 Jul 2019 09:56 AM PDT Looking for the latest Xbox Games with Gold titles? You've come to the right place. One of the main benefits of being an Xbox Live Gold subscriber is definitely the fact that each month you get access to a range of free games across the Xbox One and Xbox 360 platforms. If you’re an Xbox One owner, backwards compatibility means you get to take advantage of the Xbox 360 titles too. This is a great way to try games you might not otherwise have played, whether because they're indie titles that slip under your radar or simply because you don’t have the funds to buy several games a month. Even if you don’t have the console memory or the time to spare right now, we’d say it’s always worth claiming them every month anyway as you’ll then have free access to them for as long as you have an active Xbox Live account. Looking for the latest free Xbox Games with Gold titles? You've come to the right place for finding the newest free games, and how long it'll be available for. We've also included some previous game offerings underneath the list.
Xbox Games with Gold (July 2019)Image credit: Other Ocean interactive Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - available July 1 to 15, 2019 on Xbox One and Xbox 360 (usually $9.99 / £6.75 / AU$9.95) Considered one of the greatest games of all time, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a 2-D adventure/RPG platformer that sees you battle the forces of evil in an effort to solve the mystery of what became of previous hero, Richter Belmont. Image credit: PlayDead Inside - available July 1 to 31, 2019 on Xbox One (usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$26.95) If you're a fan of weird, indie gems then make sure to get your hands on Inside. It's difficult to describe the critically acclaimed puzzle-platformer without spoiling it, but you play as a young boy making his way through a dystopian future. Inside is a beautiful and haunting game that will definitely be worth a few hours of your time. Image credit: Disney interactive Studios Meet the Robinsons - available July 16 to 31, 2019 on Xbox One and Xbox 360 (usually $19.99) Based on the film, but not necessarily for everyone, Meet the Robinsons is a family action adventure that sees you step into the shoes of Wilbur Robinson as he pursues Bowler Hat Guy and his robotic hat, Doris, through time in an effort to thwart their evil plans. Worth downloading if there are kids in the house or if you're in the mood for some light-hearted fun. Image credit: Sold Out Sales & Marketing Ltd Big Crown: Showdown - available July 16 to August 15, 2019 on Xbox One (usually $12.99 / £9.99 / AU$18.60) The final game on offer this month is Big Crown: Showdown, a medieval multiplayer title that sees you battling against others to claim the coveted crown. Big Crown can played as an online multiplayer or as a 4-player local game. Games featured previously in the program
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| iRobot Roomba 671: should I buy it? Posted: 01 Jul 2019 09:45 AM PDT The robotic vacuum has enjoyed somewhat of a boom in recent years, with iRobot leading that charge with its Roomba series of products. The iRobot Roomba 671 is one of the most popular and, being a few years old and with Amazon Prime Day 2019 (spanning July 15 and July 16) just around the corner, one of the most likely to soon see a reasonable discount applied to its price tag. But should you buy it? The Bottom Line: Roomba 671 is one of iRobot’s entry-level robotic vacuums, but it includes many of the baseline features found in pricier models, like Wi-Fi and Alexa support – that last feature making it more likely to feature in Amazon's yearly sales bonanza. This model is for folks that are either new to robotic vacuums or want a second one for another floor of the house. Pros: Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to activate your Roomba when you’re not even in your house. On a related note, Alexa support allows you to control the thing with your voice. Finally, the robot can vacuum for up to 90 minutes before returning to its charging station – plenty of time to clean several rooms. Cons: Of course, 90 minutes of charge time isn’t enough to clean an entire floor in a house. You also cannot run this device on all carpets – for instance, Roomba products do not like shag carpets. Roomba 671: Everything you need to knowThe Roomba 671 normally goes for a substantial $349 in the US, but regularly sees discounts applied. At last year's Prime Day, for example, its price fell to only $229. At that price, and even before the deal, the 671 is iRobot’s least expensive Roomba vacuum. That said, it’s also the most basic of Roomba vacuums, lacking the intelligent room-bounding features of pricier models and less intelligent dirt tracking technology. However, you’re still getting the core benefit out of the product by going for the most affordable option. Battery life. Roomba 671 lasts for 90 minutes on a charge. That may not seem like a lot, but considering that the highest-end Roomba can last for two hours, it’s not too bad. Ease of use. Using Roomba 671 is even easier than previous models with control via either the iRobot app or your Alexa device. Though, you’ll still have to manually pick the thing up if an error occurs. Anything else? There are countless robotic vacuums out there from companies like Shark and Dyson, but iRobot is the one that started this trend in the first place. With that, not to mention their quality, it’d be smart to go with a Roomba. However, if you’re truly left on the fence regarding your first (or second) robotic vacuum, check out our best robot vacuum buying guide. Of course, a Roomba sits at the top of that list, too. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 5G smartphone shipments will overtake 4G by 2023 Posted: 01 Jul 2019 09:43 AM PDT Mobile carriers have finally begun to offer 5G service after years of buildup and there are now several 5G smartphones available for purchase, but according to a new report from Canalys, 5G smartphone shipments won't overtake 4G until 2023. According to the firm's projections, 1.9bn 5G smartphones will ship in the next five years and by 2023 they will make up 51.4 percent of global shipments. Canalys expects shipments of 5G phones will hit 800m in 2023 with North America making up 18.8 percent of the market while greater China will account for 34 percent.
China surpassed the US as the largest smartphone market back in 2011 and Canalys believes the country will continue to maintain its smartphone dominance in the years ahead. China's unique positionDespite the fact that the Chinese economy has slowed in recent years and its high-end smartphone market is no longer what it used to be, the country is well-positioned to be a major player in the 5G race. Vice president of mobility at Canalys, Nicole Peng explained why China has a leg up in the race to 5G, saying: “There was a phenomenal amount of 5G discussion at this year’s MWC Shanghai, with Chinese 5G licenses granted a year earlier than planned. The role of the Chinese government and the well-orchestrated joint investments of operators and equipment suppliers were critical to this earlier commercial launch. 5G smartphones will see rapid adoption in China, thanks to a strong government technology roadmap and operators’ financial capabilities. China is also home to many major 5G equipment suppliers and smartphone vendors, which will be responsible for an aggressive marketing push over the next few years.” Canalys Analyst Mo Jia explained how Chinese mobile carriers will aggressively target early adopters this year while Apple users will miss out, saying: “China Mobile has the broadest 5G smartphone portfolio at launch. Given the government has just implemented the long-awaited mobile number portability policy, all three operators will be even more aggressive with promotions to target 5G early adopters and high-value customers later this year. Unsurprisingly, local Chinese brands, such as Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi and ZTE, are 5G handset launch partners for the three operators, while Samsung will also use this window of opportunity to fight back in China. Yet Apple will miss out, leaving loyal iPhone users waiting another year, which might risk them switching to aggressive competitors.” Via TechCrunch This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| How to save £150 off a new iPhone and keep your number with Sky Mobile Posted: 01 Jul 2019 09:39 AM PDT If you're in the market for a new mobile phone deal - specifically an iPhone deal or Samsung phone deal - then you might want to take a glance over at Sky Mobile as it could save you £150. Following the new Ofcom regulations, which now help you to switch network by simply sending a text, Sky Mobile has decided to make this tasty new offer to entice fresh customers. The 'text-to-switch' Ofcom initiative means you can now simply send a free text to your current network and you'll be given your PAC code so you can take it – and your same number – across to any new network. For those new to Sky Mobile the Apple deal will let you snap up an iPhone XR for £36 per month, which gets you unlimited calls and texts with a plentiful 8GB of data all on a Swap24 plan meaning you can change up after the 24 month contract ends. On that same contract is the Samsung Galaxy S10e for a more affordable £32 per month but also with unlimited text and calls plus that 8GB data allowance. None of that grab you? Check out our best mobile phone deals this month for the other top options out there right now. "Switching mobile networks is so much easier for customers"Sophia Ahmad, director of Sky Mobile said: "The arrival of text-to-switch will make it much easier for customers to move to a mobile provider that has the right offer to meet their needs. "When we launched Sky Mobile our aim was to be the most flexible network, giving customers choice and savings every month. Our approach has proved to be very popular – we surpassed the 1 million customer mark in June, and we’re confident we’ll continue to see success now switching mobile networks is so much easier for customers." Head straight to the Sky Mobile site to see all of its best phone deals and offers This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Asus Trade Up Your Graphics program could make upgrading your graphics card more affordable Posted: 01 Jul 2019 09:09 AM PDT Asus has announced a new program called Trade Up Your Graphics, which aims to make it more affordable for its customers to upgrade to the latest Nvidia graphics cards. The program will give customers up to £270 cash rebate when they trade in their graphics card for a new Asus Nvidia graphics card, including the latest RTX series of cards.
Asus’ TUF Gaming, Phoneix, Dual, Turbo and Republic of Gamers cards (including Strix) are the models on offer. While you can only use the rebate to buy a new Asus Nvidia card, you can “trade in any brand of GeForce graphics card, including Nvidia Founders edition GeForce cards” according to Asus. You can also trade in an AMD Radeon RX480 for a new Nvidia card – though that appears to be the only AMD card the program accepts. For Nvidia cards, the program accepts all GeForce cards from the GTX 650 upwards. The amount of cash you get depends on what tier of GPU you’re trading in, and what tier of GPU you want to buy. The tiers are listed as ‘Good’, ‘Better’ and ‘Best’. Asus offers the following example: if you trade in a GeForce GTX 950 card, which is listed under the 'Good' trade-in price for an Asus Dual GeForce RTX 2070 O8G graphics card, which is listed in the 'Better' category, you will receive a £65 rebate or their trade up. Meanwhile, if someone trades in an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti, which is in the 'Best' category, for the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti O11G (also 'Best'), then you’d get £270 off the price. Interesting timingThe launch of this new program is certainly interesting timing, as Nvidia is rumored to be unveiling its new RTX Super line of GPUs any day now. This could be one of the reasons Asus is so keen to get people to upgrade their graphics cards. Whatever the reason, getting money off your next GPU upgrade is definitely welcome, so if you were thinking of swapping out your graphics card for a more powerful GPU, then check out the Trade Up Your Graphics website to see if you can make a decent saving.
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| Amazon Cloud Cam: everything you need to know about the Alexa-powered camera Posted: 01 Jul 2019 08:52 AM PDT Amazon Cloud Cam gives Alexa a new sense: sight. It’s a security camera and a pet camera, a motion detector and even a two-way intercom that you can use to chat to the kids or bark at the dog. Amazon Cloud Cam was introduced in late 2017, although at the time it lacked the ability to watch via a web browser (that’s now been added). It was designed to work with Amazon Key, Amazon’s security service that enables customers to control access to their home for appointments and deliveries. Amazon also suggests that you might want to use it to check in on the kids when you’re cooking in the kitchen, or monitor the front door while traveling. It’s a direct competitor to the Google-owned Nest cameras, as well as the recent wave of Wi-Fi-enabled, cloud-connected security products. Image credit: Amazon What is Amazon Cloud Cam and how does it work?Amazon Cloud Cam is a connected security camera that records and streams video in 1080p whenever it detects motion; the camera is only enabled when motion is detected, so it’s not recording 24/7. Amazon Cloud Cam has night vision LEDs that can see in the dark, a microphone so it can hear, and a speaker so that you can talk through it, and it works with Alexa. To see what the camera can see, just ask Alexa to show your video feed. You can then watch live or watch the recorded clips on your phone or tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Fire tablet, Echo Show or Echo Spot. Of course, the main feature of a security camera is to let you know if something happens when you aren’t watching. Amazon Cloud Cam will notify your phone or Echo device whenever it thinks there’s something you should know about, such as the sound of breaking glass or an unauthorized visitor. You can adjust the frequency of the notifications by turning off 'Motion Detected' in the app’s Settings. Once notified you can watch the live feed on your phone, your Amazon device, or via your web browser. Amazon Cloud Cam also stores footage in the cloud so you can review it later, although if you don’t have a subscription that storage only lasts for 24 hours. What does Amazon Cloud Cam cost?At the time of writing, Amazon Cloud Cam is only available to Amazon customers in the US, and we're waiting to see if Amazon makes it more widely available. Keep an eye on Amazon sales events such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, when Amazon tends to offer good deals on its own devices. What are the specifications of the Amazon Cloud Cam?Image credit: Amazon The Amazon Cloud Cam comes in a smart white finish, and has a 1080p camera that can record at up to 30fps, with eight infrared LEDs for night vision and a 120-degree field of view. There’s an ambient light sensor, an omni-directional microphone, a small speaker and a micro USB port with a 10-foot power cord. There’s no battery backup and no display; everything is controlled via the companion app. The app is available for iOS, Android and Fire OS. The Cloud Cam works with 802.11g and 802.11n Wi-Fi, and an upload speed of 2Mbps is recommended. Why do you need an Amazon Cloud Cam subscription?Amazon’s Cloud Cam may be a new product, but it’s based on the same old business model as traditional security systems: for the best protection you need to take out a subscription, and here that subscription comes in three different flavors: Basic, Extended and Pro – see below for details of these. Some of the Cloud Cam’s best features are only available to subscribers. Person detection uses intelligent image analysis to tell the difference between people and things, so you’ll be notified when the kids come home or if someone is trying to steal your TV, but you won’t be interrupted if a leaf blows past or a curtain moves. Zones are really useful. These enable you to tell Alexa to ignore particular bits of the room, so for example if you have glass doors or really big windows you can exclude them to prevent the slightest outside movement from triggering the alarm. Zones can also be used for indoor things such as fish tanks, or for walls that tend to get a lot of light reflections. Image credit: Amazon How much do Amazon Cloud Cam subscriptions cost, and what do you get?The Basic plan gives you seven days of cloud storage and supports up to three cameras. Extended doubles the storage time to 14 days and supports up to five cameras, while Pro takes the storage up to 30 days and the number of cameras to 10. You’ll save a lot if you pay upfront for a year. The Basic plan is $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, a saving of just under $14; Extended is $9.99 / $99.99, saving you just under $20; and Pro is $19.99 a month or $199.99 per year, a saving of just under $40. Should you be worried about privacy with Amazon Cloud Cam?That’s an interesting question. The official line is that your video is stored on Amazon’s servers and isn’t shared with any third parties, and Amazon has a pretty good record on security. However, we also know that a lot of Alexa’s intelligence comes from humans listening in, and in early 2018 Alexa accidentally sent an entire private conversation to someone in its owners’ address book – an accident that, according to Amazon’s explanation, required an almost impossible combination of extremely unlikely circumstances. So while you shouldn't have to worry too much, if you are concerned about privacy then you might want to be careful about what you do in view of your Cloud Cam What are the main rivals to Amazon Cloud Cam?The Nest Hello. Image credit: TechRadar Google’s the big one here: its Nest products include two indoor cameras, an outdoor camera and a doorbell. They’re all more expensive than the Amazon Cloud Cam, though: the cheapest indoor camera is $199 / £159 / AU$249, although it’s sometimes discounted by retailers. Like Amazon Cloud Cam, Nest cameras need a subscription to unlock their best features: they’re $5 / £4 / AU$7 per month for five days of video history, $10 / £8 / AU$14 for 10, or $30 / £24 / AU$30 for 30 days of recording. That’s for one camera. Each additional camera requires a subscription too, and they’re billed at 50% of the normal cost – so it’s $2.50 / £2 / AU$3.50 to $15 / £12 / AU$15 per additional camera per month. Where can you find out more about Amazon Cloud Cam?Amazon has all the blurb right here.
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