Apple : AMD Epyc processors for servers are here – with up to 64-cores |
- AMD Epyc processors for servers are here – with up to 64-cores
- Many top printers have major security flaws
- macOS High Sierra news, updates and features
- tvOS 13: All the news and features of Apple's next TV operating system
- Microsoft Surface Pro 7: what we want to see
- Aftermarket AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics cards start showing their shrouds
- Windows 10 S Mode release date, news and features
- Best phones under Rs 15,000 in India for August 2019
- Ransomware remains a huge threat to businesses
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| AMD Epyc processors for servers are here – with up to 64-cores Posted: 08 Aug 2019 12:34 PM PDT Back at Computex 2019 when AMD CEO Lisa Su took the stage to unveil all the Zen 2 processors Team Red would be releasing over the next year, we knew that server processors were on the way – and now they're here. AMD has unveiled its Epyc processors, and they're featuring some pretty serious specs. With these server processors, you'll be able to get up to 64-cores provided you're willing to drop the $6,950 (about £5,580, AU$9,890) it calls for.
Now, AMD Epyc processors are for servers, which means you won't exactly find them in the best gaming PCs, but they also serve as an example of where AMD's 7nm (nanometer) Zen 2 architecture can go when it's pushed to the extreme. And, because these processors feature the same 15% IPC (instructions per clock) uplift as their Ryzen 3rd Generation counterparts, they feature up to 80% faster performance over last generation products, according to Tom's Hardware. Couple the raw performance gains with the support for up to 4TB of RAM in a dual-CPU setup and the relatively low power requirements, and AMD has some serious firepower in the server space – where the AMD vs Intel war will be won. It's thanks to these performance gains that AMD has just been able to score Google and Twitter as customers, as reported by Reuters What does this mean for me?Most people likely don't have the kind of capital at their disposal to actually use these processors, but that doesn't mean that this is completely meaningless for the average consumer that just wants the best processor for gaming. AMD has been giving Intel a lashing in the consumer space, outselling Team Blue's entire mainstream product stack with just the Ryzen 7 3700X. But, in the grand scheme of things, this is nothing compared to the margins in the high-end enterprise scene. The real processor wars take place when clients like Google and Twitter on the line, and it's an area where Intel has traditionally dominated. But, analysts are already expecting these Epyc chips to seriously threaten Intel. So, while you probably won't be able to get your hands on these new chips, they could very well inform future mainstream processors. And, hey, maybe even your Twitter feed will load more quickly.
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| Many top printers have major security flaws Posted: 08 Aug 2019 12:00 PM PDT Researchers at the NCC Group have discovered significant vulnerabilities in six commonly used enterprise printers which could open up organizations to potential attacks and data breaches. The vulnerabilities were uncovered after the team tested multiple aspects of six mid-range enterprise printers including web application and web services, firmware and update capabilities and hardware analysis. The team tested printers from HP, Ricoh, Xerox, Lexmark, Kyocera and Brother using basic tools to reveal a wide range of vulnerabilities with some emerging almost instantly.
NCC Group will present its findings at several security conferences including DEF CON, Hack in the Box and 44Con later this year. Internet-connected printersIf the vulnerabilities were exploited by attackers, the potential impact could range from denial of service attacks that could cause the printers to crash, backdoors that would allow attackers to maintain a hidden presence on an enterprise network or even the ability to spy on every print job sent and to send print jobs through to unauthorized parties. Thankfully though, all of the vulnerabilities discovered by NCC Group have either been patched or will be in the near future. However, the firm is advising all system administrators to update all vulnerable printers with the latest firmware and to monitor further updates. Research director at the NCC Group, Matt Lewis provided additional insight on the researchers' findings, saying: “Because printers have been around for so long, they’re not seen as enterprise IoT devices—but they’re embedded in corporate networks and therefore pose a significant risk. Building security into the development lifecycle would mitigate most if not all of these vulnerabilities. It’s very important that manufacturers continue to invest in security for all devices, just as corporate IT teams should guard against IoT-related vulnerabilities with even small change: changing default settings, enforcing secure configuration guides and regularly updating firmware.”
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| macOS High Sierra news, updates and features Posted: 08 Aug 2019 11:24 AM PDT Apple’s macOS High Sierra has been out for almost two years ago now, and with macOS 10.14 Mojave hitting the streets late 2019, it’s obviously not the current Mac operating system. Not only that, but macOS 10.15 Catalina – unveiled at WWDC 2019 – is slated for release in Fall 2019. However, with Mojave upping the system requirements by a significant margin, many people will likely be sticking to macOS High Sierra for a few more years. That’s not such a bad thing. After all, during macOS High Sierra’s time in the spotlight, it became one of the best versions of the Mac operating system yet. That’s factoring in the fact that there were some security issues at launch. And now, not only have all of the launch issues been fixed, but Apple continues to provide security updates, even in the face of macOS Mojave. Don’t get us wrong; while macOS 10.13 did include some time-saving photo editing tools and a whole new file system, it wasn’t immune from criticism when it came out. Namely, it was called out for simply rehashing Sierra – just like Mountain Lion did when it followed Lion. Still, just because the improvements are relatively minor, doesn’t mean they don’t matter. We’re going to explore everything there is to know about macOS High Sierra. Cut to the chase
macOS 10.13 High Sierra release dateIt wasn’t a surprise that Apple revealed macOS 10.13 High Sierra at the WWDC 2017 keynote, given Apple’s tradition of announcing the latest version of its Mac software at its annual developer event. However, it wasn’t until September 12 that Apple revealed that High Sierra would be made available a little more than a week later, on September 25. As per usual, a developer beta of the operating system was made available leading to the final release, but all that doesn’t matter anymore, as the final build of macOS 10.13 has been out in the wild for more than a year now. The final build of macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra, available now, integrates Airplay 2 into iTunes – although you do need to update iTunes to take advantage of it. You can download the update from the Mac App Store. In addition, it comes with a few bug fixes. More importantly, this update contains the bug fix that prevents the Core i9 MacBook Pro from thermal throttling. And, you can be sure that Apple will continue to release security updates for macOS High Sierra as long as users are still utilizing it. Safari 12 is also on hand for macOS High Sierra users, which not only supports website icons in your tabs, but also offers improved security. Websites, for instance, won’t be able to track your specific Mac when using the native web browser. If, on the other hand, you’re ready to jump to the next version of macOS, you can download macOS Mojave today. Lucky for you, we can show you how to download and install macOS Mojave. macOS 10.13 High Sierra compatibilityFortunately, because macOS High Sierra doesn’t really shake things up, the barrier to entry didn’t change. In fact, macOS High Sierra has much more lenient requirements than Mojave, which likely means it’s going to be popular for a while. As long as you're on one of the following Mac models, you can upgrade to macOS High Sierra (if you haven’t done so already).
Bear in mind that if you want to take advantage of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) benefits posed by macOS High Sierra, you’ll need a Mac packing – at the very least – an Intel sixth-generation Skylake processor. Unfortunately, that excludes everything released before 2015. On the bright side, everything else macOS High Sierra brings to the table is fair game. macOS 10.13 High Sierra featuresBeyond Hackintosh users being reasonably worried about the newly enforced security checks on EFI firmware automatically implemented each week, Apple has revealed a number of fantastic fresh features with macOS 10.13 High Sierra. The new and improved Safari is one of the best and biggest improvements that come with the High Sierra, as it stops ad-tracking and auto-playing videos in their tracks. macOS High Sierra also brings Spotlight Search to the Mail App, alongside enabling the Mail app to allow split view display for the compose window. As an added extra, macOS High Sierra takes up 35% less storage space. Photos also sees enhancements, with an improved sorting tool. This is thanks to a better layout, enhanced facial recognition via neural networks and more reliable syncing across all Apple devices. All these make macOS High Sierra’s photo experience better and more seamless than ever before. Editing tools have also been given their share of updates, making it easier than ever to enhance the quality of your photos without learning the ins and outs of Photoshop or Lightroom. And of course, you can count on Instagram-like filters as being a part of this. One of the biggest changes that come with macOS High Sierra is with the file system. It’s abandoning the HFS, which Apple has used for around 30 years, and introducing the Apple File System (APFS) instead. Every Mac that has been upgraded to macOS High Sierra will receive these file system updates automatically, with the exception of those sporting Fusion Drives and older HDDs. Similarly, all new Macs will ship pre-formatted for APFS. APFS is a 64-bit file system that supports native encryption and faster metadata operation. In lay terms, it will make your Mac feel a lot faster, while also more secure and more transparent about the nature of your files as well as folder contents. Regrettably, this comes with the caveat of 32-bit apps being discontinued in later versions of macOS High Sierra. The update also brings HEVC (H.265) video compression to the Mac. Apple claims that this new standard can compress video files 40% more than the previous-generation H.264 standard, and many new high-end cameras already have this format on hand. The end result will be faster video streams at higher resolutions – ahem, 4K – and smaller video files sizes when stored locally. VR finally comes to the MacOne of the biggest pieces of news surrounding macOS High Sierra is that it will officially bring support for virtual reality headsets, namely, the HTC Vive and Steam VR. Both headsets will work with Macs running the new OS this fall. Keep in mind, however, that to use such a device, you’ll need at least a 5K iMac or MacBook Pro – or, any Mac that can run the new OS with an external GPU connected. Support for such devices comes part and parcel with macOS High Sierra. The good news is that macOS High Sierra comes with a number of refinements to its graphics API that make up for the minimal GPU support. Metal was a step forward for hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, and with Metal 2, Apple offers less strain on the CPU as well as proper machine learning and better Xcode profiling/debugging in macOS High Sierra. Perhaps more importantly is the MoltenVK, which was recently brought to Mac by the Khronos Group. An implementation of the open-source Vulkan API, it’s said to bring frame rate gains of up to 50% in Dota 2. Since it’s cross-platform – being supported by Windows and Linux as well as Apple’s devices – MoltenVK is highly likely to be adopted by more creators. Joe Osborne and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this report Images Credit: Apple
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| tvOS 13: All the news and features of Apple's next TV operating system Posted: 08 Aug 2019 11:18 AM PDT After unveiling being unveiled at this year's WWDC 2019 conference, the tvOS 13 public beta is ready to download on Apple TV and Apple TV 4K - all you need to do is go to the software update section. The big differences for tvOS 13 are that it will finally offer multi-user support with personalized recommendations, a new-and-improved Control Center, improvements to the TV App ahead of Apple TV Plus, as well as be compatible with both the Xbox One and PS4 DualShock 4 controller for Apple Arcade play. Here's everything we know about Apple's next TV smart platform after the official announcement: tvOS 13 release dateThe public beta of tvOS 13 is available to all testers now. We still aren't sure when it will be ready for public roll out, but based on previous years, global availability on Apple TV and Apple TV 4K should happen sometime in September or October - around the time Apple could launch its Apple TV Plus streaming service. tvOS 13 will have personalized recommendations for everyone in your home - here's what Blue Planet looks like. Image Credit: Apple tvOS 13 news and featuresNew home screen and multi-user support The most important update coming to tvOS 13 is the new home screen, which will offer better recommendations for everyone in the family. For this to work, each user in the home will need their own profile, including your kids, but when it's setup you'll see TV shows, movies and music recommendations personalized to you. What's unclear at this point is if those profiles will need to be tied to an Apple account or if there will be one master account that has the payment info for everyone - attaching a credit card to a kid's account sounds like a potentially awful idea, but it seems likely that Apple will adopt Parental Controls for these accounts. So how will you switch between accounts? Apparently, you'll be using Control Center. Shown briefly on-stage during the keynote, Control Center on tvOS will be the brains behind the operation - allowing you to switch accounts, access settings and sync devices. That last bit is important because... Apple tvOS will support Xbox One and PS4 controllers It was apparent that Apple Arcade would require controllers ever since it was announced last year - how else could you play 3D platformers like Oceanhorn 2? Now we know exactly which controllers we'll be using: the Xbox One and PS4 DualShock 4 gamepads. Apple announced that Microsoft and Sony's first-party controllers would be compatible with tvOS in the next update, whenever it arrives. There are still a few question marks here - like what functionality, if any, will the DualShock 4's touchpad have on the Apple TV - but it's the first time Apple has ever announced compatibility with Sony and Microsoft's gaming hardware on-stage at a WWDC, so that's big news in and of itself. Here's what OceanHorn looks like on tvOS13. Image Credit: Apple. Apple Music lyrics and a new screensaver We knew Apple Music would play a key role at WWDC this year, just not on Apple TV. That said, however, we're happy it made an appearance. New on tvOS 13 will be the ability to see lyrics on Apple Music in time with the song - a minor feature, but one that's nice to see all the same. To go alongside the new lyrics, you'll also see personalized song recommendations on the new home screen based on your listening habits to help you find that next hit. The last new feature Cook mentioned was a new screen saver that Apple shot in 4K HDR. It's of a coral reef and it should turn a few heads when it arrives on tvOS 13. Picture-in-picture mode As we move through the various tvOS 13 beta releases, we're seeing features that weren't announced on stage at WWDC 2019 – like a picture-in-picture mode for the Apple TV app, so you can minimize a video to a small thumbnail in the corner of the screen while you get on with something else. We're expecting the PiP mode feature to be retained in the final version of tvOS 13, though it might get tweaked along the way. It would be good to see it support other apps besides Apple's own, for instance.
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| Microsoft Surface Pro 7: what we want to see Posted: 08 Aug 2019 11:07 AM PDT Microsoft has been habitually designing some of the best Windows tablets and 2-in-1 laptops for some time now with its Surface lineup. Unfortunately, when the Surface Pro 6 was released back in October 2018, there were limited improvements over the 2017 model. So, we were beginning to think we weren’t going to see more significant improvements to the Surface Pro formula. Now comes the Surface Pro 7. We’re starting to see all kinds of patents for the new Surface Pro coming out of the woodwork that could change the game for how we use Microsoft’s tablets. For instance, there’s a brand new USB-C magnetic Surface charger, which we truly hope comes to fruition. Couple that with Intel’s new Ice Lake processors that should, with any luck, come sometime this year – that is, if Microsoft doesn’t pack it with new ARM processors – and the Surface Pro 7 may end up being the most powerful model yet. Still, because nothing’s definite yet, this is all just educated speculation. Still, we will continue to update this article with any new information that comes our way. Cut to the chase
Surface Pro 7 release dateSince the Surface Pro 6 only recently came out, it’s doubtful that we’ll see the next one land before the end of 2019. The Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pro 6 both hit the streets in October 2015 and 2018, respectively. However, the Surface Pro 2017 did get a June release date. It’s likely that the Surface Pro 7 could unveil in October 2019, but the release schedule for Surface Pro devices appears to be about every 16 to 18 months. In other words, there might not be a Surface Pro 7 until Spring or Summer 2020. We might see it hit the streets in October, if Microsoft wants to target that annualized release, but we’ll believe that when we see it. Don’t worry, we’ll update this article just as soon as we hear any word – official or otherwise – regarding the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 release date. Surface Pro 7 priceThe Surface Pro 6 launched at $899 (£879, AU$1,349) for the base configuration, an evident price increase over the Surface Pro 2017, the base model of which was $799 (£799, AU$1,199). So, the pricing of the Surface Pro 7 could turn in one of two directions: either it will get another price increase of $100, or stay the same price as before. We doubt the price will drop, however. If the price does rise by another $100, and starts at $999 (about £770, AU$1,380), it’ll put the Surface Pro 7 at the same price point as devices like the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360 – not to mention the new iPad Pro. Like anything else we’ve listed, we won’t know the actual pricing of the Surface Pro 7 until Microsoft is willing to share it. But again, we’ll update this article if and when that happens. What we want to seeBecause the release of the Surface Pro 7 is so far away at the moment, it’s hard to foresee what exactly is in store for the next Surface device. However, based on all the patents that Microsoft has filed lately, like an update to the Surface Pen that would make it more accurate, we came up with a wish list of improvements that we’d like to see. Blazing speed However, we’ve come across some rumors that Qualcomm Snapdragon-equipped Surface devices are “floating around”. It’s dubious that the top-end Surface Pro 7 would implement an ARM processor like this, as there would be possible issues with software emulation of x86 apps. Nevertheless, we could see an entry-level Surface device using these ARM chips. If the Surface Pro 7 does pack these new processors, you can expect critically improved performance and battery life across the board. Thunderbolt 3, please Fortunately, we have reason to believe that Microsoft will reveal the Surface Pro 7 with Thunderbolt 3 support, or at the very least basic USB-C charging. Microsoft has patented a new magnetic charger with a USB-C input that would function like the current Surface charger. We’re not really sure of whether Surface Pro 7 will support Thunderbolt 3, as it hangs on Microsoft’s openness to trading its proprietary technology for Thunderbolt 3 that it has to pay Intel to license. An improved Type Cover As with the charging capabilities, we might have an idea of what the next generation Type Cover could look like. Microsoft has patented a thinner Type Cover that should minimize the footprint of the device all around. It looks like Microsoft is planning on doing this by utilizing a trackpad that’s integrated right into the printed circuit board. It might also use haptic feedback in the keys, to improve the tactile response of typing, which would be essential on a slimmer keyboard cover. It’s an odd move, but it’s caught our attention nonetheless – if Microsoft can make the Type Cover thinner without making the same mistakes as Apple’s Butterfly keyboards, it could be a game-changer. We’ve also come across a patent that would make the fabric covering the Type Cover smarter. It would feature touch sensitivity, so you could swipe through news stories and photos without having to find the touchpad or the touchscreen. We’re not sure who was asking for this tech, but it’s still a cool idea. Image Credit: TechRadar This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Aftermarket AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics cards start showing their shrouds Posted: 08 Aug 2019 11:06 AM PDT The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT has been out for a while now, and its still offering amazing performance at an approachable price point. However, we're starting to see custom card designs appearing on retailer sites, along with some leaks – just as we knew they would.
Some of these teases and leaks are starting to look pretty amazing. From an extraordinarily Thicc graphics card from XFX to a gorgeous gold card from MSI, there are going to be some awesome third party graphics cards coming to market in the near future. Keep in mind that many of these cards don't have any official specs revealed, as they're just teases from the manufacturers, or even simply leaked info. But we can get an idea of how these cards may look in their cases. XFX THICC2 Radeon RX 5700 XTSpotted by Videocardz, this leaked graphics card might be the biggest Radeon RX 5700 XT out there so far – if the name didn't already give it away. This version of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT isn't listed on its website quite yet, so we don 't know how hefty an overclock it has, but it's probably pretty substantial judging by the sheer size of this cooler. This is a 2.5 slot graphics card, so if you want to pick it up, you're going to have to make sure you have room in your case. However, with its two large fans and a gigantic heatsink, it should stay nice and cool. And, it looks quite great too, with its black shroud and the fin design on the back of the card. Asus Radeon RX 5700 XT ROG StrixIt shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Asus would be putting out its own version of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. Luckily, unlike some other cards on this list, we have a better picture of what this card can do, as it's up for preorder over at Overclockers. This is a triple-fan design that likely has more than enough RGB lighting to illuminate your gaming area at night. However, if you want to get your hands on this graphics card, get ready to pay a bit of a premium, as you're looking at a price tag of £499 (about $620, AU$880). However, as this graphics card is not up on Asus' own website, this number might not be the final pricing. You should still expect to pay a bit of a premium given the Asus Radeon RX 5700 XT ROG Strix is boasting a 200MHz overclock, according to this store listing, but the exact amount is still up for debate. MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT EvokeNow, this version of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is a beauty – or at least what we can piece together of it. You see, rather than just coming out and announcing the graphics card, MSI has teased Radeon RX 5700 XT Evoke by sending some images out to several publications: Guru3D, Igor's Lab, TechPowerUp and TweakTown. This is a gold graphics card, that should look excellent in even the most elegant cases. MSI hasn't shared specs for this card quite yet, but it almost doesn't matter. We're sure this graphics card will have at least some semblance of an out-of-the-box overclock, but the elegant gold design almost makes the MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT Evoke worth it on its own. Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT PulseSapphire's Pulse graphics cards have never been the most robust graphics cards on the market. The Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT Pulse has appeared on Overclockers, though you can't preorder it quite yet. This is a simple dual-slot, dual-fan graphics card without any frills – and, honestly that's just what we want from it. Clock speeds haven't been revealed yet, but we wouldn't get our hopes up too high. At just £428 (about $530, AU$750), it's not much higher than the reference price of £399 ($399, AU$629), and is likely paying for the more robust dual-fan design. Powercolor Radeon RX 5700 XT Red DevilThe Powercolor Radeon RX 5700 XT Red Devil is the shakiest of all the leaks we've seen yet. Spotted by VideoCardz, this is a triple-fan design that will likely have a meaty overclock going for it. And, according to VideoCardz, it will also be Powercolor's first graphics card with RGB lighting. We know we want to see what this card looks like all lit up. Now, obviously because all we have are some images of the card, we don't know what the specs are or the price. But, with an aftermarket design this robust, it likely won't be cheap.
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| Windows 10 S Mode release date, news and features Posted: 08 Aug 2019 11:04 AM PDT Windows 10 S launched back in May 2017 as a standalone OS, but it was met with some controversy. A lot of the criticism rooted from the fact that it restricts users to apps found on the Microsoft Store. Fortunately, users can opt out of Windows 10 S Mode for free. Still, the lightweight operating system has proved instrumental in getting Windows 10 more than 825 million installs. Windows 10 in S Mode makes a lot of sense for the right kind of user and device. The Microsoft Surface Go, for example, is a low-priced alternative to the Surface Pro and only has a low-power Intel Pentium Gold processor. This means it’s a perfect candidate for Windows 10 S. We’ve also seen reports of people getting Windows 10 S running on a Raspberry Pi 3, which is a perfect use case for the lightweight OS. Microsoft is also allegedly working on Windows Lite, which will expand on the lightweight nature of the OS, to contend with the best Chromebooks. Windows 10 S Mode is also able to benefit from any Windows 10 updates, like the October 2018 Update and the most recent Windows 10 May 2019 Update. What does this mean for Windows 10 S users? Simply that they get clever features like the May Update’s “Light Mode” and useful storage space tools, as well as the possibility of playing Xbox One games natively. Windows 10 S is still a huge part of the Windows 10 landscape even a few years after its original release, so we thought it would be a great time to dive in and discover everything this lightweight version of Windows can do. Make sure you bookmark this page, as we’ll keep it updated with all the latest and greatest Windows 10 S information that comes our way. Cut to the chase
Windows 10 S release dateWindows 10 S originally launched on May 2, 2017, with devices using the OS trickling out over the next few months. Fast forward to 2019 and Windows 10 S is bigger than ever, making lower spec Windows 10 devices more versatile now than ever before. Ultimately, there will be a UI toggle that’ll let Windows 10 users switch in and out of S Mode (this was not available at the original time of this writing). Unfortunately, switching out of S Mode is a one-way street and permanent. Though if you need more than what this light OS can offer, you can get out of S Mode easier than you think – simply go to the Windows Store and search for “switch out of S Mode”. Currently, to get Windows 10 in S mode, it’s compulsory to have the qualifying devices that are already enabled in S mode. You can also ask your computer manufacturer to see if you can get it installed in a new device you are buying. Windows 10 S is not for individual sale, but it is issued to IT administrators in education as well as laptops found in stores and online. It’s no coincidence that Windows 10 S is focused on the education sector, where Google’s Chromebooks are having unprecedented success and popularity. Windows 10 S priceWindows 10 S is essentially free for users. Microsoft subsidizes the cost of the OS to hardware manufacturers, assuming they’re not getting Windows 10 S for free. Basically, as a user, you don’t really pay for Windows 10 S Mode. Instead, you’re paying for the hardware running it. You can find devices running Windows 10 S Mode starting at just $189 (about £146, AU$251) and cap out around $299 (about £239, AU$396) – with the exception of premium devices like the original Surface Laptop, of course. PC makers across the board – including Dell, HP, Asus, Acer and Lenovo – all have Windows 10 S Mode-powered devices in their stables. However, now that Windows 10 S Mode is a thing, it’s a toggle that won’t cost you extra. Both Windows 10 Home and Pro S Mode users are able to go to the Windows Store and opt out of S Mode. Though bear in mind that the conversion only works one way – out of S Mode. Currently, at least. There might be a switch in the settings app of a future build that will let users go back and forth. So far, however, opting out of it is permanent. What is Windows 10 S?Microsoft intended Windows 10 S to be the lightweight yet more secure version of Windows 10 for lower-end devices. By lightweight, that also means that in “S Mode,” Windows 10 will only support apps that are downloaded from the Windows Store. This talk of a version of Windows that can only download Microsoft-approved apps is familiar, isn’t it? Microsoft believes it has achieved this approach since the turbulent days of Windows 8 RT and Windows 8 with Bing – both of which attempted to position Microsoft as the sole provider of apps through curation. The great thing about this, though, is that it allows for a startup time of under 5 seconds, as opposed to Windows 10 Pro’s startup time of 30 - 40 seconds. Moreover, configuration settings (such as Wi-Fi, webcam, etc.) across an entire classroom of students is as effortless as inserting a USB stick in each of their laptops. Windows 10 S competes with Google’s Chrome OS, so Microsoft has, of course, also positioned it to be a more secure PC operating system. However, its resilience to viruses is mostly a side-effect of the inability to install apps not approved by Microsoft, since Windows viruses tend to come from untrustworthy internet downloads. Should you find a must-have app that isn't available in the Microsoft Store in Windows 10 S, you can switch from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Home or Pro simply by going to the Windows Store and searching for “switch out of S Mode”. Microsoft used to charge a fee for this service, but now it’s free. Microsoft will also let users that upgrade to Windows 10 Pro to move back down to Windows 10 S. And now, Microsoft is rumored to be working on a Windows 10 Lean Mode, which will be even more lightweight and locked down. Strangely enough, the shiny new Surface Laptop 2 now ships with Windows 10 Home, not in S Mode like the prior model. That said, what exactly can you expect to see included in devices running Windows 10 S? Well, the Edge browser, OneNote and Windows Ink are all givens. The standard Movies and Groove Music apps, not to mention Maps, Mail and Calendar, are obvious choices as well. Of course, we won’t see x86/x64 program support on a Windows 10 cloud operating system until sometime in 2019 when Polaris is anticipated to come out and implement a ‘virtualization container’ for each of your favorite legacy applications. This means that, yes, should everything work according to plan, there will be a Windows 10 cloud OS that can emulate the .exe’s of the past. Despite its limitations, Windows 10 S still features File Explorer. And, while many of the laptops that come with the lightweight OS pre-installed may ship with smaller capacity SSDs, Microsoft’s upcoming introduction of OneDrive Files On-Demand will permit users to access files stored in the cloud and view them the same way as you would locally stored content. All things considered, there are still questions looming concerning the practicality of Windows 10 S. Luckily, as new developments surface to address those criticisms, you can count on us to cover them right here in this article. Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Images Credit: Microsoft This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best phones under Rs 15,000 in India for August 2019 Posted: 08 Aug 2019 10:38 AM PDT The Indian smartphone market has been extremely competitive, especially the whole segment from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000. The market is full of so many options that often it can be a bit of a challenge to choose the best smartphone for your needs. In this guide, we're looking at the sweet spot -- the best phones under ₹15,000. While Xiaomi has dominated the ₹15,000 smartphone segment for a long time, players like Realme, Asus and even Samsung are giving it a tough fight now. Without wasting any more time, let's take a look at the best smartphones under ₹15,000 in India in August 2019.
Xiaomi has dominated the budget and entry-level smartphone segments for a long time now. This is no different this year either - the launch of the Redmi Note 7 Pro changed the market dynamics yet again. Offering a high-resolution, premium-grade 48MP camera at budget prices was the primary clincher for the Redmi Note 7 Pro. Apart from its imaging capabilities, the Redmi Note 7 Pro offers a great bang for your buck thanks to the great display, a well-balanced chipset and battery life that we've all grown to expect from Xiaomi's Redmi Note series. Topping it all off is the glass design which gives it a premium look. It has a great value for money quotient which is why the Redmi Note 7 Pro is the phone to buy. Read our full review of the Redmi Note 7 Pro Image credit: Realme Realme has been gunning for the market share that Redmi smartphones currently enjoy. To this end, the company launched the Realme 3 Pro with the Snapdragon 710 chipset. In lay terms, Realme 3 Pro is aimed at users who like gaming and want a good option in the budget segment. Beyond its gaming capabilities, the Realme 3 Pro also looks good with its waterdrop notch and a glossy back design. To round it off, the lowlight camera performance, battery life and the display quality are very good, too. Vivo has upped its game in the budget and mid-range segments over the last few months in India. While a few other smartphones are aimed specifically at a slightly younger audience, Vivo has tried to offer a slightly more rounded package with the Z1 Pro. The Z1 Pro is also one of the few smartphones in this price range to sport a punch hole notch. If you are looking for a smartphone that offers really long battery life, the Z1 Pro won't let you down with its massive 5,000mAh battery. The display, camera and the glossy design round off the remaining important aspects. If you are searching for a smartphone in the ₹15,000 price segment that looks amazing, the Honor 10 Lite could be right up there with the best in this range. Apart from its looks, it also has a very good display and a pair of decent cameras. The performance and UI fluidity leaves something to be desired, though. Read our review of the Honor 10 Lite Samsung has been trying to reinvent itself in the budget segment for a while now, and the Galaxy M series is a good testament of the company's efforts. The Galaxy M30 offers a good balance between power, performance and battery life. Add to it, Samsung's excellent Super AMOLED display, a massive battery that can last for a couple of days on a single charge and a wide angle camera, you have a recipe for a great phone that has a competitive advantage over its competitors. Read our review of the Samsung Galaxy M30
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| Ransomware remains a huge threat to businesses Posted: 08 Aug 2019 10:06 AM PDT Cybercriminals have changed their tactics when launching ransomware attacks after finding that those targeting businesses offer a much higher return on investment than attacks against consumers, according to new research from Malwarebytes. In the past year, business ransomware detections increased by 365 percent with Ryuk and Phobos increasing by 88 percent and 940 percent respectively. GandCrab and Rapid ransomware attacks on businesses also increased during the same period with Rapid up by 319 percent and GandCrab up by just five percent. Malwarebytes' report shows how cybercriminals can reap “serious benefits” by ransoming organizations over individuals as consumers only have a few personal files which could be used for extortion or identity theft while businesses have much more sensitive data they would be willing to pay to regain access to.
In terms of countries most targeted by ransomware, the US took the top spot at 53 percent of all detections followed by Canada at 10 percent and the UK at nine percent. In the UK, Manchester had the most ransomware detections followed by Royal Kensington and Chelsea, Reading, Harrow and Leeds. Ransomware resurgenceAlthough there was a respite in ransomware after the peak in 2017, Malwarebytes' report shows that the threat has come back in a big way as cybercriminals have switched from mass consumer campaigns to highly targeted attacks on businesses. Director of Malwarebytes Labs, Adam Kujawa provided further insight on the recent resurgence of ransomware and how organizations can protect themselves from this growing threat in a blog post, saying: “This year we have noticed ransomware making more headlines than ever before as a resurgence in ransomware turned its sights to large, ill-prepared public and private organizations with easy to exploit vulnerabilities such as cities, non-profits and educational institutions. Our critical infrastructure needs to adapt and arm themselves against these threats as they continue to be targets of cybercriminals, causing great distress to all the people who depend on public services and trust these entities to protect their personal information.” The firm's researchers predict that “manual” ransomware infections which leverage already-breached networks will increase in the future as attackers can disable security tools and launch ransomware of their own from within these networks. They also expect to see an increase in ransomware attacks that combine downloaded threats from a command and control (C&C) server with worm-like functionality that allows it to spread and Trojan elements that allow the ransomware to avoid detection on corporate networks. There is good news for consumers however as Malwarebytes expects consumer-focused ransomware attacks to virtually disappear in favor of more lucrative attacks against organizations. Ransomware isn't going away any time soon and the firm stressed that businesses need to continue to take the ransomware threat seriously or risk falling victim to an attack themselves.
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| Pokémon Sword and Shield release date, trailers, and brand new features Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:10 AM PDT After releasing some of the best games in franchise history on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo and Game Freak are finally ready to bring the main Pokémon games to the Nintendo Switch – the first of which are called Pokémon Sword and Shield. The games will release globally on Nintendo Switch this November and will bring with them a brand-new region, features and Pokémon for trainers to swoon over. The official Pokémon YouTube channel has been dripping feeding us with snippets of gameplay and Pokémon designs too – though not everyone is happy with what's been shown so far (more on this below). The Sword and Shield games will be set in the Galar Region (basically, a Pokémon-ified version of the United Kingdom) and will include a number of creatures including three new starting Pokémon, Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey. We'll also see a new mechanic called Dynamaxing that will replace Z-Moves and Mega-Evolutions – and apparently even Poké Jobs that help your Pokémon gain experience. So how does Sword and Shield stack up to Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee on Switch? Those games acted as a sort of reboot of the original Red and Blue titles for the Nintendo Gameboy, and for many didn't count as a 'core' Pokémon experience. Players will be looking to Pokémon Sword and Shield to bring the true Pokémon experience to Nintendo Switch, and expectations are much, much higher. So what do we know, and what are we hoping to see when Pokémon Sword and Shield launch this year? Read on to find out.
Cut to the chase
Image credit: Nintendo Pokémon Sword and Shield release dateDuring a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5, Nintendo revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will release globally on November 15, 2019. In addition, Nintendo announced pre-orders for a double-pack edition of the games will be available soon. Pokémon Sword and Shield trailersA new day, a new trailer. We were expecting possibly more of an in-depth Pokémon Direct, but this two-minute clip does give us a look at some new Pokémon designs – as well as some 'rivals' you'll be facing off against in the game. Check out the video below: Another recent Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer gave us a closer look at Dynamaxing, new Pokémon and the Galar Pokémon League. Check it out below: The best glimpse we've had of Pokémon Sword and Shield was during a special Nintendo Direct in June. The Nintendo Direct shed a lot of light on what new features we can expect alongside some new Pokémon pals. Check out the video below: The first Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer didn't give too much away, but you can see the first glimpse of the environments and art style. You also get a first look at three new starter Pokémon: the fire-rabbit Scorbunny, twig-monkey Grookey, and a sad-looking tadpole (sadpole?) called Sobble. Check the trailer out below: The last video, released right around the time of E3 2019, highlighted some of the geographical features of the Galar Region and introduced us to raid battles – a mechanic taken from the Pokémon Go mobile game. Pokémon Sword and Shield screenshotsPokémon Sword and Shield news and featuresPokémon have jobs now, we guess? An official listing on the Pokémon Sword and Shield's website shows a way of earning experience points by freelancing your Pokémon out to random employers. Exploitation, or a fun summer job? An evil organization... that yells? One of the most surprising teases from the latest trailer was the introduction of 'Team Yell', a bunch of trainers / rockers you'll apparently be facing off against in the game. We don't know yet whether they'll be the big baddies of Sword and Shield – like Team Rocket, or Team Skull before them – but Team Yell doesn't quite seem as menacing, and we want to think they're small fry from early in the game. Given the UK setting, they could be hell-bent on causing noise disturbances to irritate wealthy pensioners in the countryside, we guess? Brand new models The Pokémon Sword and Shield development team has been facing ire from fans following the news that every single Pokémon ever won’t be available to catch in the new games with the latest rumors suggesting that Game Freak has been utilising old 3DS creature models for the Switch game in order to cut costs. This theory has been shot down by an older Famitsu interview with Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori (via Polygon) in which it’s stated that the models for the new game have been created from scratch. It was also said that the more intensive graphics of the Switch has lengthened the time needed to render Pokémon so the limited Pokédex would have come at some point. Version-exclusive Gym Leaders Pokémon Sword and Shield will have version-exclusive Gym Leaders. In Pokémon Sword you will battle karate prodigy Bea, while in Pokémon Shield, you take on emo king Allister. Gigantamaxing Previously we had heard of the Dynamax feature that allows Pokémon to become super-sized during battles, however Nintendo has now revealed the "phenomenon" of Gigantamaxing. While Dynamaxing can only occur in specific areas of the Galar region, and is a common occurrence for Pokémon from the region, Gigantaxmaxing is only specific to certain species of Pokémon and kicks things up a notch by not only increasing a Pokémon's size but also its appearance. In addition, Gigantamaxing boosts the power of the Pokémon and allows it to use a unique move known as a G-Max Move - each G-Max Move is particular to a specific species of Gigantamax Pokémon. More new Pokémon In a recent trailer Nintendo introduced us to some more new Pokémon we'll be encountering in Galar, including the walking ice-cream sundae Alcremie, adorable puppy Yamper, coal chunk Rolycoly and steel dragon Duraludon. Image credit: Nintendo Doubling Down Pokémon producer Junichi Masuda has reiterated the news that not all Pokémon would be available to catch in Sword and Shield in a statement to fans on the official Pokémon site. In the statement, Masuda thanked fans for their love of the Pokémon series but reaffirmed the decision to limit Pokémon in the game to those within the Galar region. He did, however, add that "even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games." Fan backlash against the news has been severe but it seems that Game Freak is sticking to its guns. Masuda added in his statement that the Galar region will see “the world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.“ Can't catch 'em all It's been confirmed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will not feature every Pokémon from the franchise so far, making them the first mainline games to do so. Given there are now more than 800 species of Pokémon this is, perhaps, not all that surprising. The reason, according to Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda (via Famitsu), is that on reaching generation eight there will be more than a thousand Pokémon in the Pokédex. Such a large number means "it has become extremely difficult to make Pokémon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility" as well as to make sure they'll all be balanced in battle. Not only that, it would be too difficult to have so many in-game models with a high enough graphical quality. Though the choice saddens Masuda, he says that it's a decision he "had to make some day" and that he's opting to "choose the quality". Poké Ball Plus Pokémon Ball Plus We didn't hear much about Pokémon Sword and Shield during Nintendo Direct at E3 2019, but it was teased that the Pokémon Ball Plus can be used to take your in-game Pokémon for "a stroll". However, the ball cannot be used as a controller. In addition, it was teased that "good things" will happen if you build up a strong connection to one Pokémon in particular. Release date revealed Nintendo held a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5 that revealed both games will release globally on November 15, 2019. Max Raid Battles Much like Pokémon Go, Sword and Shield has a feature which allows trainers to team up with up to three others online to take on more powerful Pokémon. Legendaries Pokémon Sword and Shield's wolf-like Legendary Pokémon are Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (shield). Dynamax Mode This new mode allows trainers to make their Pokémon giant and super-powered. This mode can only be activated once during a battle and lasts three turns before a Pokémon reverts to normal size. Image credit: Nintendo More new Pokémon Alongside the starter Pokémon, Nintendo has also revealed a few more new Pokémon joining Sword and Shield: Wooloo (sheep Pokémon), Gossifleur (a fancy lady Pokémon that evolves into Eldegoss), Drednaw (who resembles a snapping turtle) and Corviknight (a raven and glorified taxi service for the Galar region). Wild Area Galar features a Wild Area where trainers can explore, battle and capture Pokémon. Which Pokémon appear depends on the environment and weather. Stadiums Trainers will battle Pokémon leaders in Stadiums rather than the usual gyms. These stadiums are huge and packed with a cheering audience. New characters Nintendo revealed your new rival is Hop, whose older brother is the Pokémon champion of Galar. Meanwhile Professor Magnolia and her assistant Sonia will act as your guides. Image credit: Nintendo Trainer outfit customization will be a feature While it's not a brand new feature, trainer outfit customization has been popular with Pokémon players since it was introduced in X and Y. And it's a feature which a recent Uniqlo competition has confirmed will be in Pokémon Sword and Shield. In a collaboration with The Pokémon Company, the clothing brand asked fans to design a top which would then be sold in stores. Now that the winning entry has been chosen (a design featuring Magikarp and Gyrados) it's been revealed that the top will also be wearable in Pokémon Sword and Shield as a trainer outfit. Just how many more outfit options there'll be in the games isn't known yet, but we're hoping to catch a glimpse of some more if Nintendo shows us some new Sword and Shield footage during its E3 conference this year. Made for handheld While the Pokémon Let's Go games were developed with TV mode in mind, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that Pokémon Sword and Shield will "emphasize the fun of playing Nintendo Switch in handheld mode." Furukawa made the comments during Nintendo's March 2019 Financial Results Briefing (via Nintendo Life). Image credit: Nintendo A whole new world We know the game is set in a brand new region of Galar, rather than a rehash of Kanto or a previously visited territory. Galar seems to be loosely inspired by England's cities and countryside, with rolling hills and brickwork cities to explore. The trailer also showed glimpses of jewel-encrusted mines and what might even be a football stadium (see the kit below), though we're waiting to see whether competing in a Pokémon-themed Football World Cup will be possible for players. Brand new Pokémon Yup, this is a new generation of Pokémon, meaning you'll be seeing a lot of new faces – as well as a lot of old ones. The trailer gave us a mix of familiar Pokémon like Pikachu and Hoothoot along the new starters, and we're hoping Game Freak manage to keep the new designs interesting (no ice cream or candelabra Pokémon, please.) Modern to the core Sword and Shield look to retain the look and 3D animation style of the Pokeémon Let's Go games that launched on Nintendo Switch last year. Pokémon games haven't been flat 2D games in years, and has increasingly been moving towards full-size avatars and 3D environments. Some may miss the old-school pixel charm of the earlier games – and find the 3D creature models a bit bland – but for better or worse this is what we're getting. Pokémon Stars what? What still confuses us is that we've been waiting for the long-rumored Pokémon Stars game for over two years now, Eurogamer. published a report in late 2016 that said multiple sources had confirmed a new version of Pokémon Sun and Moon was being developed for the Switch under the code named Pokémon Stars. While it never materialized, 'Stars' could well have been a code-name for what eventually became the Let's Go games, or could still prove a Switch port for the Sun and Moon games.
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| Black Mirror Season 6 on Netflix: will the sci-fi series return? Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:00 AM PDT The dust has only recently settled on Black Mirror Season 5, with some of the biggest and most ambitious episodes of the series so far – and even Miley Cyrus taking a lead role – but being a TV junkie like yourself, you're probably already wondering when Black Mirror Season 6 is going to hit your screens. While there's been no official announcement about the next season, Black Mirror is now one of Netflix's hottest properties, alongside the likes of Orange is the New Black or Stranger Things. We didn't get quite as much in the most recent season as usual: with a shorter run of three episodes each at an hour long. But there's no sign of Black Mirror stopping there, with showrunners Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones pointing to plenty of potential for the long-running sci-fi anthology series. In an interview with Digital Spy, Charlie Brooker suggested Black Mirror was "pretty flexible" in the kind of tone and format it worked with, adding that "I don't think there's anything to stop us... we could do one-offs, we could do an ongoing story, we could do spin-offs." And why stop now? With the show's profile bigger than ever, and Netflix distributing the show to an ever-larger global audience, we fully expect to see Black Mirror Season 6 in the very near future.
Cut to the chase
Black Mirror has been a regular presence on our televisions – and everywhere else we stream – since the show began its life back in 2011. Seasons 1 and 2 were produced by the British broadcaster Channel 4, but after that Netflix took over the reins – making for a show on a much larger scale. The show was first conceived by screenwriter, producer, and journalist Charlie Brooker, who was behind previous shows such as horror drama Dead Set, and hosted mocking news programmes such as Newswipe and Screenwipe. He has written or co-written all but one episode in the series' history, and serves as showrunner alongside Annabel Jones, who also executive produces the series. Playtest (Season 3) Black Mirror was envisaged in the vein of anthology shows like The Twilight Zone, with distinct, episode-contained stories tackling our society's often-problematic relationship to technology – exploring the dark side of social media, virtual reality, and even the afterlife in a sleek, bleak package. In a Guardian column back in 2011, Brooker wrote that "The 'black mirror' of the title is the one you'll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone." Black Mirror season 6 release dateU.S.S Callister opened Season 3 with an unnerving take on space opera escapism When will we see another season of Black Mirror? The past few seasons have only had around a year between them, so we'd be surprised if the next load of episodes didn't land sometime in 2020. New seasons traditionally launch near the end of the year, close to Christmas – though Season 5 did buck the trend with a June release. (Don't those bleak winter months suit Black Mirror best?) Holiday 2020 seems likely, but it would be just like Black Mirror to catch us by surprise. Black Mirror season 6 number of episodesThe sci-fi show tends to be somewhat restrained about its episodes, tending towards an impactful few rather than countless hours to binge. That said, the move to Netflix did see Black Mirror up its episode count to six per season – though Season 5 dropped that back to only three episodes, which may have had something to do with how much production time the interactive Bandersnatch movie took up (see below). We imagine the head honchos at Netflix will want to up the number for the next season if possible. Will we see another interactive episode like Bandersnatch?Bandersnatch was an interactive episode with multiple endings – if you could find them all Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was an incredible experiment for the series – and for Netflix. Instead of a linear story, Bandersnatch put you, the viewer, in the driver's seat, making crucial – and not so crucial – decisions throughout the narrative. You could zip through the story by hitting a dead end early on, or spend hours getting lost down a rabbit hole of looping plot threads. Unsurprisingly, it took a lot of work. Speaking to Hollywood Reporter, co-creator Charlie Brooker saying that "It’s definitely something I would do again and I think there are lots of ways to tackle it. The biggest challenge is narratively. It would have to justify being interactive otherwise, why put yourself through that?” So, another interactive episode could happen, especially given Netflix now has the programming infrastructure for it – which it's putting to use for other shows like Bear Grylls: You vs Wild, or even Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. However, we imagine it may be a smaller endeavour the next time around. Black Mirror season 6 cast: expect some big namesAnthony Mackie in Striking Vipers (Season 5) Black Mirror has come a long away in terms of high-profile stars. While its first episodes had plenty of talent – including Daniel Kaluuya, who would later star in Jordan Peel's comedy-horror Get Out – the latest seasons have seen some huge names appear, including the likes of Brian Wong (The Martian) and John Hamm (Mad Men). Season 5 managed to net not only Anthony Mackie (MCU's The Falcon) and Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy 2), but also international pop star Miley Cyrus, who played... an international pop star. The second episode also starred Andrew Scott – who you may know as Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock, or the hot priest from Fleabag Season 2 – alongside Topher Grace (That 70s Show) as a social media platform CEO. Without an official season announcement, it's hard to get a sense of the potential talent in the next season, but you can be sure you'll recognise some of the faces. Where can I watch Black Mirror season 6?Rachael, Jack, and Ashley Too (Season 5) Since Netflix bought the rights to Black Mirror back in 2015, new seasons have all debuted and streamed exclusively through the Netflix platform. Netflix is a paid-for online streaming service for browsers, TV streaming devices, and mobile and tablets apps. Even the cheapest Basic Plan on Netflix offers access to the whole catalogue of titles for £5.99 / $8.99 / AU$9.99 a month. However, you'll need the Premium Plan to watch the show in the highest video quality possible. You can see a breakdown of all the subscription options in our Netflix plans guide.
Will Black Mirror season 6 be in 4K / HDR?Striking Vipers (Season 5) If you're watching killer bee drones, virtual reality simulations, or giant holograms of Miley Cyrus on your TV screen, you're going to want the best picture formats to do it. Black Mirror has been filmed in 4K resolution ever since Netflix picked up the show in 2015, with Seasons 3 onwards getting much sharper detail than the previous seasons on Channel 4. Seasons 4 and 5 were also filmed in HDR (high dynamic range), meaning that anyone with an HDR-compatible TV will be able to enjoy increased contrast and more vivid colors. TVs that support the premium Dolby Vision HDR format will get an even better picture, with dynamic metadata that tailors the display settings the visuals you get in each scene – but even standard HDR TVs will offer something special for you. You will need a Netflix's Premium Plan to get this level of picture quality, which costs £11.99 / $15.99 / AU$17.99 per month. Common sense says the next season will be available in 4K / HDR too.
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| What the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 tells us about the Samsung Galaxy S11 Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:00 AM PDT The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus are impressive phones, and even if you’re holding out for the Samsung Galaxy S11, they’re still worth paying attention to, as a number of the features and changes found in these handsets could filter through to Samsung’s next S phone. Nothing is known for sure about the Galaxy S11, but there are some key aspects of the Note 10 range that allow us to take an educated guess at what it might offer. That’s exactly what we’ve done here, so read on for a look into a possible future, based on the Note 10’s present. 1. It probably won’t have a headphone jackSamsung was one of the last holdouts in the headphone jack cull, but with neither the Galaxy Note 10 nor the Galaxy Note 10 Plus sporting one it seems likely that the Samsung Galaxy S11 won’t either. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use wired headphones, but does mean you’ll need a USB-C adaptor to do so. This isn’t all bad news though, as the lack of a headphone port could allow for two key improvements, mentioned below. 2. The battery might be biggerAt 4,100mAh, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus’s battery is already a reasonable size, but the 3,400mAh Galaxy S10 is less impressive, and both could be improved, especially if there’s no headphone port, as removing it will free up space that could be used for a larger juice pack. While not the most exciting of upgrades, this could be a very useful one, as battery life hasn’t really improved on phones over the years, so we’ll take any boost we can get. 3. The body could be thinnerThe lack of a headphone port could also allow Samsung to make the Galaxy S11 thinner. At 7.8mm thick, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is hardly fat, but it is chunkier than some phones, and a slimmer build could help improve the appearance, making it look even more modern and premium. 4. The punch-hole might moveThe Samsung Galaxy S10 range and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 range both use a punch-hole cut into the screen for their front-facing cameras, but while the S10 range has it in the top left corner, the Note 10 range puts it in the top center. One position isn’t objectively better than the other, but this could be a sign that Samsung will move the punch-hole to the center for the Galaxy S11 as well. Then again, the differing positions might be one way the company plans to differentiate the ranges. 5. There could be more camerasThe Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus has four rear cameras, which is one more than any Galaxy S10 handset other than the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. With Samsung always looking to improve its flagship’s cameras, this could be a sign that the Samsung Galaxy S11 will get one or more extra lenses, to match or beat the Note 10 Plus. It may well even use the same lenses, as three of the lenses on the Galaxy Note 10 Plus are the same as the ones on the Samsung Galaxy S10, it just adds a DepthVision camera to the mix, for sensing depth. It would make sense for Samsung to add something along these lines to the S11 range, as it’s a lens type that is currently missing and which many other phones offer. 6. 5G could come as standardWith the Galaxy S10, Samsung released a special 5G model which was different to the rest of the range in numerous ways, but with the Galaxy Note 10, the company simply allowed you to optionally add 5G to the standard Note 10 Plus. This shows that the company is moving to make 5G a more standard feature in its range, which makes sense, as 5G networks are starting to become a bit more widely available. So for the Samsung Galaxy S11 range we would at a minimum expect a similar approach to the Note 10 – with 5G being an optional extra for the handsets. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung goes a step further and makes it a standard feature, just as 4G is a standard feature on pretty much all phones. 7. The overall design probably won’t change muchAside from a possibly slimmer build and repositioned punch-hole, we wouldn’t expect the design of the Samsung Galaxy S11 to differ much from the Samsung Galaxy S10, as Samsung overhauled the design for the S10 and is unlikely to do so again this soon. The fact that the Note 10 range looks a lot more like the S10 than it does the Galaxy Note 9 further suggests that this is a design Samsung is set on for a while. 8. No more Bixby buttonThere’s no real getting away from Bixby – Samsung’s AI assistant – on the company’s recent phones, but Samsung has at least removed the dedicated Bixby button for the Galaxy Note 10 range, so this is another change that we think is likely to appear on the Galaxy S11. For those of you who actually want to use Bixby this is no great loss, as you can simply launch it by holding down the power button, and for everyone else this should be a welcome change.
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| Nintendo Switch Online: should you sign up? Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:58 AM PDT The Nintendo Switch Online service has been live for near enough two years now – though even then it was late to the game. Rival services like Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus had been going for years previously, offering a host of online benefits to Nintendo Switch players who subscribe for a monthly or annual fee on top of the cost of a console. Two years on, we still haven't seen those much-hoped-for SNES games, but there's still a pretty stocked library of retro NES classics you can play with Nintendo Switch Online's emulator – the full list below – as well as upsides like cloud saves and online play. This is Nintendo's first paid online service, though the basic $3.99 (£3.49 / AU$5.95) per month subscription is a far amount below Xbox Live or Playstation Plus. (You can check out these Nintendo Switch Online subscription prices for the best deal). As new games and features get added each month, Nintendo Switch Online is increasingly looking like a necessary service for any committed Switch owner – or anyone with their eye on the incoming Nintendo Switch Lite, a handheld-only model launching September 20, or any new Nintendo Switch model that might come after. But what exactly does Nintendo Switch Online give players that they don’t have already?
Nintendo Switch Online: what can I play online?Nintendo Switch Online gives you the online capability to play, compete, and cooperate with players around the world – which means not having the service restricts your access to all of those things. If you don't sign up to the service, you can still play all your single-player or offline Switch games to your heart's content: you don't need it to play Breath of the Wild, or for playing local multiplayer with friends in your living room. But many players will want a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to get the most out of their purchases. Online play was free until mid-September, and competitive games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have proved hugely popular. There’s also a tie-in smartphone app that provides players with in-game battle stats, voice chat functionality, and additional information on select titles – mainly Splatoon 2 and other first-party titles like Smash Bros and Mario Tennis Aces.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Sadly there are still no dedicated servers, so players will have to make do with less reliable P2P (peer to peer) hosting for online matches. On the upside, free-to-play online games like Fortnite, Paladins, or Warframe don't require a paid subscription to the service. Or, if you're after the swag, there's a members-only outfit for use in Splatoon 2, and the ability to buy Nintendo’s wireless NES controllers for playing those retro games in style. Nintendo Switch Online NES gamesIf the warm fuzzy feeling of supporting your favorite video game publisher wasn’t enough, your extra pennies each month will also net you access to a library of classic and retro games, via the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator. This isn’t the Virtual Console from the Wii and Wii U, though. Instead of a marketplace for one-off game purchases, Nintendo Switch Online members are able to play select titles bundled into their subscription. At launch you got 20 NES titles, including Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Balloon Fight, Soccer, Tennis, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong, Ghosts ’n Goblins, Excitebike, Tecmo Bowl, Yoshi, Double Dragon, Gradius, Ice Hockey, River City Ransom, Pro Wrestling, and Baseball. Each title is 'remastered' in 4:3 HD, but with the option to play in a more 'authentic' arcade viewing mode with a 'CRT' (Cathode Ray Tube) style display. These are being followed by two or three additional titles each month – see the box, right – which we're sure will include games from more recent consoles like the SNES, N64, and (god-willing) the GameCube down the line. Image Credit: Nintendo Handy features include being able to pause each NES game at any point, or save and reload your own checkpoints, making the experience much more forgiving than the arcade cabinets of yore. Online capability also lets you play two-player games competitively with friends, or swap over control between devices in one-player games. Custom button mapping is absent, so you are stuck using the A and B buttons the wrong way round from an actual NES controller – unless you buy Nintendo's wireless NES controllers, which are only available for sale for Nintendo Switch Online members. Nintendo Switch Online cloud savesOne sore point for Switch users has been the omission of cloud saves for their games, meaning that a busted Switch console will take all your hard-earned progress with it. To prevent you having to start Breath Of The Wild all over again – again – the paid service will back all of your save files onto Nintendo’s own servers for safety. This is in keeping with the save data on Sony's Playstation Plus program, though any Xbox One owner can access cloud saving for free. If your Nintendo Switch Online subscription lapses, your save files are protected for up to six months before they vanish from the cloud. While Nintendo Switch Online's cloud saving will be enabled by default for most titles, developers can choose to opt out to prevent online cheating – since reloading an old save file could restore items someone had traded to another player, or even reset their online ranking. Games like Splatoon 2, FIFA 19, and Pokemon Let's Go games are all missing the feature – so once you've traded that Eevee, there's no reloading an old save. Nintendo Switch online price and subscriptionsIndividual users can sign up for $3.99 (£3.49 / AU$5.95) per month, with reduced rates for longer membership options (see box, right). There’s also a separate ‘Family’ option that includes allows up to 8 Nintendo Accounts to use the same subscription, for $34.99 (£31.49 / AU$54.95). There's naturally a seven-day trial to sample the online wares before you buy – while subscribers to subscribers to Amazon Prime can claim up to 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online for free. Players will also be able to buy a subscription with My Nintendo Gold Points – a rewards service that gives you spending tokens when you buy games on the Switch eShop, and came into effect earlier this year. By comparison, an Xbox Live membership costs users $24.99 (£14.99 / AU$29.95) for a three-month subscription, while Playstation Plus will put you back $24.99 (£19.99 / AU$33.95). On price alone Nintendo Switch Online is the winner, though its limited features and lack of dedicated servers currently don't match up to competing services. But if you own a Switch, it may be what you need to get the most out of the console. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| WhatsApp chats can be hacked to show fake information Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:55 AM PDT Security experts have warned that WhatsApp messages can be altered without the user's knowledge due to a flaw in the messaging app's systems. Researchers from Check Point have revealed that vulnerabilities in WhatsApp could allow hackers to gain access to a user's conversations and alter the content within. The flaw, published at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, could affect both private and public chats, potentially leading to the spread of false information or "fake news" by what were thought to be trusted sources.
DoctoredCheck Point says that it found three different potential ways to alter WhatsApp conversations, all of which can be exploited using a particular tool that affects the app's quoting feature. The first flaw looks to change how a message's sender is identified, allowing hackers to mis-attribute a message, with the second allowing third parties to change the text of a user's reply. Also uncovered was a flaw that allows a user to send a private message to another group participant disguised as a public message to all - meaning that when the targeted individual responded, their reply was visible to everyone in the conversation. Check Point says this third flaw has now been addressed, and it is working with WhatsApp to tackle the others. WhatsApp has yet to comment on the news, but the company has faced criticism recently for failing to halt the spread of fake news on its service. The app has over 1.5 billion users worldwide, meaning it has a huge possible customer base that could be affected by the flaws.
Via BBC This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| West Indies vs India live stream: how to watch 2019 ODI cricket series from anywhere Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:51 AM PDT An opportunity for both teams to regroup after a World Cup where they disappointed, India are in the West Indies for a full tour. The visitors have already won a three-match T20 series and now the action continues with a trio of one day internationals. Check out our guide below on how to live stream the West Indies vs India ODI series, no matter where you are in the world. India's tour of the West Indies, has so far been something of a stop start affair thanks to near relentless rain during its T20 stop offs in Florida and Guyana, with the second match decided by the dreaded Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method. When the weather has played ball, it's been India who have looked the stronger side. The change in format is likely to see personal changes for the next run of games, as both teams try to work out their best starting elevens for next year. Young hopes Navdeep Saini and Rahul Chahar have both shined for India in the T20 series, deflecting attention away from rumours of a rift within the team camp. The pair look likely to get a further opportunity over the next three games. The Windies, meanwhile, will be hoping Kieron Pollard's positive return from injury will inspire a side that still looks a little low on confidence. Follow the instructions below to watch all of the coverage of these ODI International encounters. We'll tell you how to grab a West Indies vs India live stream from pretty much anywhere on Earth. Live stream West Indies vs India away from your countryIn the UK, Australia, India or the US and looking to find out how to watch the ODI matches between the West Indies vs India? We've got all the details about the broadcaster with the rights to show the series in your region below. But if you're away from home country - maybe abroad on business or on holiday - but still want to tune in to your domestic coverage of the match then you'll run in to issues. Because of broadcaster geo-blocking, you won't be able to watch online from overaseas. By using a VPN however, you'll be able to watch the game without having to resort to watching a potentially illegal feed from a dubious website. How to India play cricket in IndiaHow to watch India vs West Indies in Pakistan for FREEHow stream West Indies vs India live in the UKLive stream the West Indies vs India ODI series in AustraliaHow to get an ODI West Indies vs India live stream in New ZealandHow to live stream West Indies vs India in North AmericaThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Transfer Deadline Day 2019 live stream: how to watch coverage from anywhere Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:50 AM PDT It's a day where productivity across the country goes through the floor, where news reports from some of the nation's bleakest car parks become the most exciting thing ever, and where we all look on in disbelief when we learn that huge multi-billion businesses are still reliant on fax machines in 2019. Yes, it's transfer deadline day for the English Premier League and the EFL Championship! This year's instalment looks like being one of the more eventful ones of recent times, with the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United all looking to rush through deals before the late afternoon cut-off point. Getting a live stream of transfer Deadline Day coverage is thankfully far, far easier than trying to get an ageing centre forward to pass a medical - use our guide below, and you'll be able to keep up with all the mayhem, as it happens. Man United look set to be one of the busiest clubs on the day, with the departure of Romelu Lukaku set to trigger moves for a new forward. Moussa Dembele from Lyon and Polish hitman Robert Lewandowski are rumoured to be lined up by boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while a move to the Red Devils for Tottenham's want-away Norwegian star Christian Eriksen also remains a possibility. Spurs also look set to make a major signing or two of their own, with talks ongoing for Paulo Dybala from Juventus, Real Betis star Giovani Lo Celso and Fulham youngster Ryan Sessegnon. Everton appear to have taken a scattergun approach to their business, with the Merseysiders throwing out seemingly random bids for players during the closing stages of the window, with the club now focusing on bringing in Crystal Palace forward Wilfred Zaha and Marseille midfielder Morgan Sanson to Goodison Park. Arsenal fans have been hoping for some much needed strengthening at the back this window, and they'll be hoping the club can beat the deadline with deals for Celtic left back Kieran Tierney and Chelsea's David Luiz. With so many deals on a knife-edge, the great news is that following the comings and goings is easy. Whether you're sneakily trying to watch at work or are on holiday abroad, we’ll show you how to live stream Deadline Day coverage no matter where you are in the world.
How to watch a Deadline Day live stream for free in the UKStream the Transfer Deadline Day from abroadWe've got your UK (above) and US (below) watching options covered in this article. But if you trying to watch coverage of Deadline Day and you're abroad, you're going to be out of luck - with the broadcast almost certainly geo-blocked. Luckily, there's an easy way around even this hurdle. Simply download and install a VPN to change your IP address to a server back in your country. That way, your laptop, mobile or streaming device will think it's back at home and thus the geo-block will be avoided. Lovely! How to watch a Transfer Deadline Day live stream in the USIf you’re in the US and want to watch how the closing stages of Transfer Deadline Day unfold, then fear not. NBC Sports will be simulcasting Sky Sports News Transfer Day Show at 6am PT, 9am ET on NBCSN. If you’d prefer to stream the coverage on your computer, streaming devices or on mobile, the NBC site and NBC Sports App will also be showing the simulcast. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best PC games 2019: the must-play titles you don’t want to miss Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:09 AM PDT Welcome to our pick of the best PC games of 2019. Now that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is here, along with Intel’s Coffee Lake Refresh processors, there’s never been a better time to get into PC games. The PC is arguably the best gaming platform in the world – forget about your PlayStations and Xboxes – thanks to a phenomenally huge catalogue of brilliant games. The best PC games cover a huge range of genres, from platformers and point-and-click adventures, to retro favorites and action-packed first person shooters that utilise the best modern graphics tech for eye-popping visuals. The sheer about of brilliant PC games can leave you wondering where to get started, which is where our best PC games of 2019 list comes in. We've put together the definitive list of the best PC games, 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 firsthand. If you’re a PC gaming newbie, 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 in 2019. The best PC game on our radar: Baldur's Gate 3This sequel to the iconic role playing game suffered a few setbacks, so much so that many thought it would never come out. It’s why it came as a pleasant surprise to fans when they found 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. One such detail? The fact that it’s set 100 years after the events of the second installment. They also made it known that it will be based on the Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and expected to feature many fan favorite 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 1. The Witcher 3: Wild HuntThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is aging like fine wine. Four years after its release, and 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 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. 2. Dark Souls 3While it's arguably not as hard 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 also plays fair, making it more approachable 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. 3. Monster Hunter WorldMonster Hunter has been one of the largest 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, badder armor. It’s a deceptively simple gameplay loop that ends up being one of the most compelling 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. 4. Grand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto V is one of the most anticipated console ports to ever hit the PC, and you won’t need to be told 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. Plus, 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. 5. Sid Meier's Civilization VISid Meier's Civilization VI is the latest entry in the iconic turn-based strategy game, and it's one of our picks for the best PC game you can play right now. One of the things that makes the PC the best platform for gaming on is the sheer breadth of different game genres on offer. Civilization VI might seem slow paced compared to the likes of Fortnite, but its scope is huge. Spead your empire across the map and crush your enemies. You build up your empire from a simple settlement to a world power, and you can choose to do this through military might, technological supremacy or cultural influence. Since its launch in 2016, it has had two expansion packs that continue to cement the game as an epic entry in our best PC games list. Civilization VI: Rise and Fall released in February 2018, with Civilization VI: Gathering Storm following in February 2019. 6. Alien: IsolationSet 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. Playing the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Alien protagonist Ellen Ripley, you’re tasked 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 giving you 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 on our list of the best PC games. 7. OverwatchOverwatch, if nothing else, has drastically 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 approachable characters, each coming 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. 8. Forza Horizon 4Microsoft's racing series has been getting better with every release, and in many ways this spin-off has surpassed the main Forza Motorsport line as the best racing games on PC right now. They're certainly more fun, adding a dash of arcade fun to the stunningly recreated cars and race tracks we've come to expect from Forza. Forza Horizon 4 is easily one of the best PC games you can buy today, and this entry brings the racing to the UK after having explored America, France, Italy and Australia in the previous three instalments of the franchise. Now, you can tear through quaint villages, seaside towns and the city of Edinburgh by way of many miles of country roads and dirt tracks in between. It's fast, frantic and a lot of fun. You can buy Forza Horizon 4 through the Microsoft Store. It's also available as part of the Xbox Game Pass for PC, or you can buy the Xbox One version and get a download code for PC using the Xbox Anywhere feature. 9. Thimbleweed ParkFans of classic point and click games such as Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle, which are some of the finest PC games ever made, should make sure they download Thimbleweed Park. Made by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, two of the people behind PC classics Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion, Thimbleweed Park plays like a love letter to classic point-and-click adventure games. From the stunning retro artwork, hilarious dialogue and head-scratching puzzles, Thimbleweed Park deserves its place on our list of the best PC games, combining the best of old school PC game design with modern technology. 10. The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimSeven 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 packed DLC expansion packs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn) to the mix, 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. 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. 11. Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceFrom Software is a household name when it comes to creating the best PC games. 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 yet 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 hard 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. 12. MinecraftThe phrase "build it, and they will come" rings true with 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 build 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. Additionally, 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 incredible game. 13. DoomId 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, thanks in large part 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. Even though 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. 14. Fortnite Battle RoyaleHow could we not include possibly the biggest game in the world right now? Fortnite Battle Royale is a global phenomenon and one of the best PC games right now if you like super-competitive online games. This is a game people keep coming back to, and that's mainly thanks to the addictive gameplay and regular updates from Epic. Fortnite Battle Royale is actually a game mode for the Fortnite game, but this mode has become so popular, many people consider it a separate game in its own right. As with other Battle Royale games, the aim of Fortnite Battle Royale is to fight your way through an ever-shrinking map until you're the last player standing. That might sound simple, but there's a whole lot of depth to this game once you start playing. 15. CupheadCuphead's 1930's animation aesthetics easily makes this one of the best looking – and sounding – PC games on the list. Combining run-and-gun platforming and boss rush battles, it's an incredibly difficult game – but that also makes it so rewarding. With hand-drawn cell animation, watercolor backgrounds and original jazz soundtrack, Cuphead is unlike anything you'll play on PC, and while the steep difficulty curve may put people off, if you're willing to sharpen your gaming skills you'll be rewarded with one of the best PC games money can buy.
Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best camera phone 2019: the top smartphone snappers around Posted: 08 Aug 2019 07:41 AM PDT Picking the best camera phone in 2019 has become harder, with new front-runners in recent months, including Google, Huawei and Samsung. Surprise, they're all better than iPhone when it comes to taking photos. Apple's competition has caught up. Our testing doesn't come down to the latest iPhone or the camera with the most megapixels. So much of the camera unit's quality is determined by how well the smartphone has optimized its software to snap photos or record videos. Note: We're always updating this best camera phone list, and as new software tweaks happen and additional phones come out, we'll keep everything fresh and continue to test everything we get our hands on. It's also important to consider which photos you'd want to capture, since some smartphone cameras can handle certain scenarios better than others. We’ve tested all of the top camera phones in a multitude of lighting conditions, scenarios, and with a wide range of subjects. Knowing how each camera performs at different shooting tasks will help you determine which can capture the moments you want to save. So, before you settle on the best camera phone for you, you’ll want to figure out your photographic needs. Great front-facing sensors with a wide-angle lens (or two) to snap better selfies? An array of different sensors on the back for versatile shooting? Knowing will help you decide which phone best suits your uses. Want to know more about dual-cameras? Check out our video below. Beyond the specs and capabilities of the camera itself, there are a number of aspects about the phone you’ll also want to consider. For example, getting a high-storage option or one that supports a microSD card will be helpful if you capture lots of 4K video. It's also worth thinking about battery size and screen quality - if you're going to be heading out all day and doing longer photography sessions, you'll need a battery that can keep up. And if you're mostly going to look at your photos on the phone, then a phone with OLED screen technology can really make your snaps pop - but if it's social media, or even printing out your photos, that's your plan then you've got a wider array of options. We've listed all that information below, along with some of our top test snaps so you can make the right decision when it comes to choosing your next camera phone. Of course, we could well see new entrants to this list before the year is out. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus have recently been announced, and we expect to see the iPhone 11, Google Pixel 4 and Huawei Mate 30 Pro all launch in the coming months. The Huawei P30 Pro has been meticiously engineered to be the best cameras phone, narrowly passing the single-lens rear Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL cameras in terms of quality. How? Two ways: it's the best low-light performer we've tested and its 'periscope' telephoto lens takes astounding optically zoomed-in shots at a distance. There were a lot of cameras to test on this phone, including four on the back: a 40MP main lens, an 8MP telephoto lens, a 20MP ultra-wide lens, and then a ToF (time-of-flight) camera to sense depth for portrait photos. The Huawei P30 Pro camera also uses an RYYB (red yellow yellow blue) sensor instead of the industry standard RGB (red green blue) sensor to capture more light, and it shows. The snaps we took for our review had more detail and less shadow than the competition, yet they didn't look completely overexposed. It's a fine balance that few phone manufacturers get right with their tiny cameras and limited software. It's all amazing for a smartphone, but not entirely perfect. We did notice some purple fringing in areas, and the camera software controls aren't always responsive when switching between ultra-wide, 5x zoom, 10x zoom and digital 50x zoom. But the fact that you can get insanely close to objects with a 50x zoom and also shoot at night as if all of the lights were on really sets a new bar for camera phones in 2019. Read our full review: Huawei P30 Pro The Google Pixel 3 is the second best camera phone you can buy right now, and at times, offers better colors compared to even the Huawei P30 Pro. So if you prefer a pure Android software experience, don't hesitate to consider this runner-up. We also like the fact that you get the choice of two handsets sizes, with both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL boasting the same camera setup. While most of the other handsets in our best camera phone round-up have at least two rear cameras, the Pixel devices come with just a single rear snapper. These cameras are extremely powerful though, with an intuitive interface and AI smarts adapting fantastically to any scenario, be it beautiful vistas or low-light portraits. What sets Google's 12.2MP rear camera apart from the competition is its consistency. We got sharper, slightly brighter photos from the Pixel 3 and 3 XL versus the iPhone XS Max (overly warm color tones), Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (not always the best HDR) and Huawei P20 Pro (frequently over-sharpened). Behind-the-scenes, Google's dedicated Pixel Visual Core chip and machine-learning software are the magic that recognize what photos should look like and which shots you'll actually want. If there's one thing Google knows how to do, it's processing data and perfecting algorithms. Where it loses out, though is in its new Night Mode for long exposure shots. The Huawei P30 Pro is slightly better, even though Google does a good job as well. it's also not as vertisible on the back, without an ultra-wide or a telephoto lens. And let's not forget, both phones also have dual front-facing cameras, giving you great portrait-mode selfies with beautifully blurred backgrounds. Read our full reviews: Google Pixel 3 | Google Pixel 3 XL The Galaxy S10 Plus, along with the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e, debut cameras new to Samsung owners. In addition to an improved regular camera and a 2x optical telephoto lens on the S10 and S10 Plus, there's also a 123-degree ultra-wide lens on the back of the trio of phones. We found the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus to be extremely versatile and fun to shoot with. This is mainly down to its best-in-class camera software. It's feature-packed with modes like Color Point. It's a Live Focus (bokeh) mode that masks the background in grayscale, while letting your subject pop. You can change this in post (to become a blur or a swirling blur) and slide the intensity up and down. It's our favorite new camera mode of 2019. Where does it fall short? Samsung's photos apply aggressive smoothing to mask noise in low-light, preventing it from topping the Google Pixel 3 and Huawei P30 Pro. You're not going to get the very best shots next to those phones, but we've still consider them really good and the huge 6.4-inch display to be the best. Note: the Samsung Galaxy S10e has the new ultra-wide lens, but lacks the telephoto lens, while the standard S10 lacks the dual-front facing camera of the Plus (though we didn't see much difference between portrait selfies on the Plus and the normal S10). Read our full review: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus With three rear cameras the Huawei Mate 20 Pro offers a highly versatile camera phone experience. The P20 Pro ushered in this era of great Huawei cameras, and the Mate 20 Pro inherits its 40MP wide-angle f/1.8 lens and 8MP, f/2.4 3x telephoto with OIS and then builds on it further. Rounding out that trio of rear-facing cameras is the new star, an ultra-wide 16MP, f/2.2 lens. It expands the Mate 20 Pro's feature set, letting you take a wider array of photos from limited positions. Even for casual shooting, it makes life easier when trying to fit a bunch of far-flung elements in the same photo. The Mate 20 Pro's overall low-light performance is superior to that of most other smartphones we tested, especially with its seconds-long-exposure Night Mode. The phone's 3x telephoto does a great job of snagging distant shots, and the hybrid 5x zoom adds a digital blend to give you a bit more reach. It’s not perfect, but in our comparative testing, it outdid some digital-only zooms like on the Google Pixel 3. There's a host of other features in the camera app on the Mate 20 Pro too, allowing you to really fine tune and tinker with the photography experience. Read our full review: Huawei Mate 20 Pro The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 builds on the strong camera offering of the Galaxy S9 Plus, with a number of small enhancements making it even better. The result is a handset which is comfortable shooting in any scenario, including in low light, for some truly impressive shots. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 camera identifies and adapts to various subjects with a new scene-optimizer feature. It adjusts the white balance and color based on 20 subjects as varied as sunsets, flowers, food, birds, text and so forth. Compared to even the six-month-old S9 Plus, the Note 9 camera captures more detail, but you'll have to squint to see the differences. As this is a Note device, you get Samsung's S Pen stylus included with the handset, and you can use the button on this as a remote shutter key. It means you can set the Galaxy Note 9 down on a surface and walk away from it and still snap a shot using the S Pen. It's a relatively minor perk, but one we enjoy using. One slight mark against the Note 9 is its lack of HDR video recording, but for many this won't be an issue. Read our full review: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Apple's latest iPhone duo boast powerful dual rear cameras, but it's not just the specs that appeal about the firm's mobile photography experience - it's also the ease of use of their smartphone snappers. The iPhone camera app is well known for being a simple, clutter-free interface, focused on taking great snaps every time with minimal controls, modes and settings for the user to worry about. It means that you don't quite get the same breath of shooting options as you do on the likes of the Samsungs and Huaweis, but the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max boast Apple's best smartphone snappers to date, with improvements to their low-light capabilities. If you want a phone to pull out and take a quick snap with minimum effort, the new iPhones are some of the best camera phones around. Apple has popularized the blurred background Bokeh effect, and Portrait Mode is one of the best implementations of the technology we've used on a smartphone, with a range of studio lighting effects adding extra pizzazz to your compositions. Both the iPhone XS and XS Max have exactly the same dual 12MP rear cameras, with the only differences between the two being screen size, battery size and their physical size. The 6.5-inch display on the iPhone XS Max gives you a huge viewfinder when it comes to snapping photos, but it comes with an equally huge price tag, with the still-expensive iPhone XS producing the same results in a smaller form factor. Read our full reviews: iPhone XS | iPhone XS Max Earlier this year the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus was our best camera phone pick, fusing an excellent all-round smartphone experience with a highly accomplished photography offering. As you can see, it's now be usurped by a number of new camera phone releases, but it's still a fantastic offering which has now dropped in price since launch. Round the back you get two cameras, with the main 12MP sensor joined by a secondary 12MP sensor directly below it. The main sensor is rather special, as it has a world's-first-on-a-phone f/1.5 aperture, meaning that it performs fantastically well in low light. That's not all this sensor has up its sleeve though, as it also features Samsung's Dual Aperture Technology, allowing it to move from f/1.5 (for low light) to f/2.4 (reduces overexposure in bright scenes). Meanwhile the second camera allows you to take bokeh-rich photos, with parts of the image blurred while other parts are in focus. This is all wrapped up into an easy-to-use camera app with an automatic mode which takes care of most of the technological trickery, meaning all you have to do is point and shoot for a great snap. Read our full review: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus The Huawei P20 Pro marked a significant shift for the Chinese firm, as it offers up one of best camera phone experiences on the market. It may have been superseded by the newer Mate 20 Pro, but take nothing away from the P20 Pro, this is still a top camera phone. Its party piece is the triple camera setup on its rear. The three cameras have a combined megapixel count of a staggering 68MP. Chuck the 24MP front facing camera into the mix as well and the phone has a total count of 92MP. Megapixels only get you so far, but the good news here is that the Huawei P20 Pro backs up its MP count with a strong suit of camera features. The main 40MP camera is backed up by a 20MP black and white sensor that helps with image processing, including decreasing noise and improving dynamic range - although as default the P20 Pro shoots at 10MP. The third rear camera has a 3x 'zoom' lens and an 8MP sensor, letting you zoom into a scene without using digital zoom - which means there's very little decrease in image quality when used. Read our full review: Huawei P20 Pro You may be wondering how the Galaxy S9 is as far down as it is considering its bigger brother is above it. The reason is that, unlike the iPhone XS/XS Max and Google Pixel 3/3 XL which have identical cameras, Samsung gave the S9 Plus more photography prowess. The Galaxy S9 is still a top camera phone though, with its powerful 12MP rear snapper (there's just one on the back of this phone) an advancement on the excellent sensor found on its predecessor. Samsung has improved the camera's low-light capabilities on the Galaxy S9 with an industry leading f/1.5 aperture, and it's added super slo-mo, 960fps video recording to the mix as well. The camera is even smarter though as, like the S9 Plus, it boasts Samsung's Dual-Aperture Technology, allowing it to automatically switch between f/1.5 in low-light settings, to f/2.4 in bright scenes. The result? An easy to use camera, with an auto mode which, nine times out of ten, delivers a great photo with very little effort. Read our full review: Samsung Galaxy S9 The Sony Xperia XZ3 is the best camera phone from the Japanese firm to date, with its single 19MP rear snapper proving a powerful photography option. The user interface has been streamlined for starters, so there's less swiping to get to the various modes and frequently accessed settings are always shown on-screen, so there's minimal fiddling around when prepping your shot. In good light, detail is strong, and a nice amount of background blur can be achieved without calling on any bokeh modes. Where the Xperia XZ3 camera excels though is video. The digital stabilization works well in good light in particular, and the 4K HDR footage you can capture is simply breath-taking. Sony is also still the only manufacturer whose phone cameras are able to capture 960fps Full HD slow motion, with the competition capping out at 720p. It's totally unusable in medium to low light, but it's a nice feature to have when you're outdoors on a sunny day. Read our full review: Sony Xperia XZ3 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The cheapest AirPod prices, sales and deals in August 2019 Posted: 08 Aug 2019 07:30 AM PDT If you're looking for the best AirPods price, you've come to the right place, because we have the best Apple AirPods deals listed below, including orders for the new Apple AirPods (2019). We're all about ditching those irritating cables to charge our devices, so we've found the latest discounted prices for the Apple AirPods with the wireless charging case too. It costs a little more, but we think it's worth it to be honest. It's actually pretty rare to find Apple's wireless earbuds on sale, simply because it's one of the most in-demand items. In fact, it was one of the hottest products last year and sold out on a regular basis. Stock levels are improved nowadays, so we're confident of being able to find you a deal. Also, every time there's a decent AirPods deal, they get snapped up quickly, which isn't great news for those of you looking for a big discount. The AirPods' price is undeniably high, but we're in familiar territory here given Apple's reputation for premium items with the cost to match. If you've picked up a modern iPhone that's dumped the traditional headphone jack, the Apple AirPods rank amongst the best earphones to pair with your new phone. Although, as they're bluetooth, you can pair them with plenty of other mobile phones too and even laptops. If you're thinking of getting a new phone too, check out the latest offers below. The latest AirPods prices and dealsDirectly below you'll find the latest options to order the newest 2019 upgrade of the AirPods that were released in early 2019. The new AirPods cost $159 / £159 / AU$249, which is the same launch price as the original ones - so we're a little surprised they didn't cost a bit more given the improvements. Compared to the older model the visual design remains the same. But inside you get a faster H1 processor chip, 50% more talk time and hands-free Siri interactions. So seeing as the older models never really came down in price, the new 2019 AirPods are the best option to buy right now. Look out for these features in the description, to make sure you're getting the newest versions. This model comes with the standard charging case, but we've found some deals for the wireless charging case model further down this page too. 2019 AirPods with wireless charging caseThe 2019 upgrade of the Apple AirPods are also available with a wireless charging case. They cost a bit more with prices starting at $199 / £199 / AU$319, but wireless charging is a super convenient feature. The actual AirPods themselves are the same as the ones we mentioned above, so the case is the only difference between the two. Just pop the your AirPods into the snug charging case, close the lid and put it on a Qi-certified wireless charging pad (sold separately) and that's it. Apple cancelled the release of its own bespoke wireless charging pad, the Apple AirPower, which would have allowed for simultaneous charging of your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. But at least third-party pads are significantly cheaper than that one would have been. Apple AirPods (2016)The price comparison chart below is mainly targeting the original, last-gen versions of the Apple AirPod deals. Apple is already phasing these out though, and stock was already incredibly hard to find before the new versions launched. At best, you might see the occasional tiny discount, but prices stuck at the MSRP/RRP throughout most of its life. Short version: get the new and improved ones in the comparison chart above instead. To be sure they are the new ones, look out for H1 chip and hands-free Siri functionality in the description if the title doesn't say something along the lines of '2019' or 'latest/newest version'. How much are AirPods?The official AirPods' price is $159 in the US and £159 in the UK and $249 in Australia. So you shouldn't pay any more. Although, we have seen some stores cheekily push the price up when stock thins out. Expect the usual outlets to charge closer to the MSRP and, better yet, potentially dip below it around the key shopping seasons. Fingers crossed we don't have to wait long for some proper Apple AirPod sales though! As an alternative, there are lots of wireless earphone and headphone deals in our Beats headphone deals page and other brands are covered in our wireless headphone deals page. Should I wait for a cheaper AirPods deal?You might be waiting a while for seriously big discounts. Last year around Black Friday, Walmart knocked off, wait for it, about $7 and it was one of the most popular deals we highlighted in our extensive roundups of the hottest offers. We saw similar tiny discounts in the UK too. Things have actually been better this year though with much better deals available in various regions. We're regularly seeing discounts of $15/£20, so you should be able to beat the recommended asking price to be honest. What about Apple AirPods 2?In the end, the AirPods 2 deals never arrived, simply because Apple decided not to name the 2019 upgrade as a numbered iteration. This might just be the way things are as the company has ditched numbers from all recent versions of iPads and MacBooks. Or maybe the name AirPods 2 is being saved for a more substantial upgrade and redesign at some point in the future. Either way, we're not expecting new anything from Apple until 2020 now.
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| Firefox in 2020: what's next for the feisty underdog? Posted: 08 Aug 2019 07:16 AM PDT The release of Firefox Quantum in 2017 was the browser’s biggest overhaul in 13 years, but it was also a change in attitude. Since then, we’ve seen a spunkier attitude from non-profit developer Mozilla – unafraid to call out competitors for unscrupulous behavior and lax attitudes to users’ privacy. Art installation The Glass Room (curated by Tactical Tech and presented by Mozilla) shone a light on the practices of Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook. Sculptures, videos and other works visualized the labyrinthine connections between the companies that fall under each of their umbrellas, highlighted the length and complexity of their terms of use, and showed how much user data was released in the event of a data breach. In the wake the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Firefox released a Facebook Container extension, which stops Facebook collecting your data when you browse other sites. Other recent additions include Firefox Send, for transmitting files securely, Firefox Lockwise for managing passwords, Advanced Tracking Protection to prevent advertisers building up a unique ‘fingerprint’ based on your hardware, and Firefox Monitor, which lets you see if your details have been leaked in a data breach. On the Android front, Mozilla has released Firefox Preview – an experimental browser that’s taking the fight to Google’s front door and aiming to undo Chrome’s monopoly on the mobile web. Preview is built on Mozilla’s own Gecko engine rather than Google’s Blink, which powers most of the world’s main browsers. By freeing itself from Blink, Firefox is no longer tied to infrastructure designed to serve Google’s interests. It’s been a busy couple of years, but what can we expect to see in 2020 and beyond? To find out, TechRadar spoke to Dave Camp, senior vice president of Firefox at Mozilla’s London office. Free and premiumWe started by asking Camp about the much-discussed premium features that the non-profit Mozilla Foundation is considering adding to Firefox as a way to pay the bills in a transparent way without resorting to ads and tracking. “Without that clear idea of what we're doing, it's been met mostly with like questions,” he said. “What's it gonna look like? And I think that's totally reasonable. Totally valid.” “I think people generally understand what we're trying to do, which is like figure out a more clear way to recover some of the value that we put into the world. People are waiting for details and that's totally understandable.” He wouldn’t be drawn on what the new features will be (despite our best attempts), but he made it clear that a separate, paid-for version of Firefox definitely isn’t on the cards. Instead, he and his team are looking at privacy-related tools that will augment the existing browser. We’ve seen hints at such features before, when questionnaires appeared asking Firefox users their opinions on VPN and ad-free news services, and how much they might be willing to pay for them. However, as Camp explains, these were only tests to get a feel for the average user’s opinion. Testing the watersCanvassing opinion something Mozilla has found tricky in the past. In January 2019, the foundation closed Firefox Test Pilot – its program for trialling new features, gathering feedback, and seeing whether they were viable before deciding whether to integrate them into the browser. “Test Pilot was great,” said Camp. “I enjoyed it. I loved it. But it ended up being a biased sample. It was self-selecting, and the audiences that tended to pick up Test Pilot and use it ended up being audiences very similar to us as people. And so it didn't do as much to aid our intuition as we were hoping it would. “Part of the idea of getting things in front of users is to replace intuition with understanding, and Test Pilot sometimes struggled to replace our intuition. So if you saw that that VPN test we did, where we just sort of asked a sampling of Firefox users if they would be interested in a product like this, that’s taking some of the Test Pilot work forward, but doing it one at a time, and with more random samples of people so that we can get something a little more representative.” The necessary sample size means that not all Firefox users will be asked for their thoughts, but don’t be surprised if you see the occasional survey or questionnaire over the coming months as the team continue to test the waters. The future of mobileBeta testing is another way to gauge users opinions, which is what Mozilla is trying with Firefox Preview – an experimental new browser for Android that not only uses a different framework, but also incorporates some features from the pared-back, privacy-centric browser Firefox Focus. “Reception has been good, and we've enjoyed developing it,” said Camp. “It's in a preview state right now, but the users seem to like it. There are still a lot of users on our primary current browser, but we're looking forward to release it that more broadly. The beta has been going very well. I think long-term, we expect most of our users to end up on what is now Firefox Preview.” The existing Firefox for Android will remain available for the near future, but the team will monitor how Preview is performing and make sure users are as happy with it as possible before considering phasing it out. Firefox for iOS doesn’t have the same issues as the Android version (Apple’s default browser, Safari, is built on the company’s own WebKit platform rather than Blink), so Mozilla isn’t planning to replace its iPhone app. Instead, it intends to upgrade the existing browser with features that work well in the new Android version. The winds of changeNew features like Firefox Lockwise and Monitor have received a warm welcome. “The Facebook container has been really popular,” said Camp. “It's a very good example of what we've been able to put together to make complex issues a little more simple for users to work with. People really enjoy that.” “Firefox Monitor, which is our breach detection service, has been a breakout success. We've had a lot of, a lot of registrations for that, so that's been pretty positive. We were expecting a lot – we hold ourselves to high standards – but I think it resonated in a way we were very happy with.” The introduction of GDPR in the European Union and the Cambridge Analytica data scandal mean privacy has been making mainstream headlines over recent years. Has the Firefox team noticed a change in the air as a result? 2020 visionSo what are Mozilla’s plans for 2020, in light of that shift? “Our main target is, at a very high level, giving people the experiences they love on the Internet without compromising their privacy and security,” Camp said. “We see a lot of great stuff being built on the web, and users loving it and wanting to use it. And we think that's great. We're not here to try and tell people to stop using the Internet because it's scary. But what isn't going well is that they don’t understand what’s going on behind the scenes. “We released enhanced tracking protection recently. The idea behind that is you go to a site, you love the site, it's great. That's cool – we want you to have that experience – but you don't realize that some pieces of that page that you maybe thought were just an ad were also forming an opinion about you, saving that opinion and using it to fund further advertising and stuff. And so we want to build products that let people get the experience they expect and understand, and protect from the experiences they don't.” For the time being, Camp’s advice to keep yourself safe online is to grab a password manager if you don’t already have one, but also to think more generally about the software you choose to use. “It’s helpful to think about the people who provide your software – what motivates them,” he said. “I think one of the things that make Firefox great is our modus operandi and motivations behind our products. The things we care about, how we think about people is, is important. “I think consider the relationship you have with the companies that you're giving yourself over to – that really matters.”
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