Apple : Microsoft launches Dynamics 365 Commerce |
- Microsoft launches Dynamics 365 Commerce
- Google Play Pass is an Apple Arcade competitor for $5 per month
- CISOs believe data breach experience makes them more employable
- Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 may pack an 8-core AMD Ryzen processor
- Best wireless routers 2019: the best routers for your home network
- Arlo Pro 3 ups its security suite with a 2K resolution and vibrant night vision mode
- Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha, i teaser mostrano lo schermo incredibilmente curvo
- 'Made in Japan' tech is back and crazier than ever
- New Razer Blade Pro gets 4K at 120Hz, but don't expect to game at that level
- Apple's 2019 Mac Pro will be produced in Texas
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| Microsoft launches Dynamics 365 Commerce Posted: 23 Sep 2019 02:39 PM PDT As part of its ongoing efforts to gain ground against Amazon in the cloud wars, Microsoft has launched Dynamics 365 Commerce to help retailers manage their business online. The new application will allow brands to create detailed personalized product web pages and it also supports customer ratings and reviews. Businesses can even communicate with customers after they've made a purchase as Dynamics 365 Commerce integrates with other software from Microsoft. They will also be able to view charts on sales performance.
Dynamics 365 Commerce is an expansion of Microsoft's Dynamics 365 for Retail. While the former focused on supply chain management, staffing and promotions, Dynamics 365 Commerce is all about providing retailers with the tools they need to manage their business' online presence. Azure vs AWSMicrosoft has made significant progress in retail lately as it has positioned Azure to take on AWS in cloud infrastructure. Big box stores such as Walmart and even pharmacies like Walgreens have been trying to build stronger relationships with the software giant since they no longer want to give their business to their biggest competitor, Amazon. In addition to launching Dynamics 365 Commerce, Microsoft also launched a new service called Dynamics 365 Connected Store. By using sensors and cameras installed in brick and mortar stores, Dynamics 365 Connected Store can send alerts to employees based on customer activity while shopping. The food and clothing retailer Marks and Spencer has been an Azure customer for years and now the company is using the new service to improve the shopping experience for its customers. Microsoft's push into retail and ecommerce is a welcome trend from businesses trying to break free from Amazon and as the cloud wars heat up, it will likely continue.
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| Google Play Pass is an Apple Arcade competitor for $5 per month Posted: 23 Sep 2019 01:52 PM PDT Google Play Pass, an obvious Apple Arcade competitor, is now live - and offers 350 games and non-game apps for $5 per month. But to sweeten the deal, you can try it for free for 10 days - after which you can sign up for a discounted $2 per month for a full year before the regular price kicks in. Unfortunately, it’s only out in the US, and is unclear when the service will be available elsewhere. While Google teased that Google Play Pass was coming in early September, the company was coy with details. But now that it’s surprise-launched the service - conspicuously soon after the public release of Apple Arcade, which it’s clearly competing against – we know almost everything. How it's like, and unlike, Apple ArcadeIt’s no accident that Google Play Pass launched so soon after Apple’s large-catalog mobile gaming-focused subscription service, but they do differ. For one, Google Play Pass’ subscription library is larger, with 350 games and non-game apps - a departure from Apple Arcade’s games-only catalog. But whereas the latter’s selection criteria strictly allows only new titles, Google Play Pass includes a bunch of existing games, including beloved classics like Limbo, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Monument Valley 2, Terraria, and others. And yet, iconic as it is, KOTOR came out in 2003 - there’s something to be said for only including select new titles in your service for a more curated experience. In our short time with the service, we already found the Apple Arcade catalog tough to sift through. Browsing over 300 is a taller order. We don’t know the full list of games and apps appearing on Google Play Pass, either, so it’s tougher to size it up to Apple’s service. Two thirds of the catalog are games, while the apps include the likes of AccuWeather and Hi-Q recorder. Like Apple Arcade, games appearing on Google Play Pass are ad-free and have no in-app purchases. If you’d bought a game before that now appears on the service, you’ll find all its monetization removed and extra content fully unlocked, according to The Verge. Google Play Pass is multi-platform like Apple Arcade, and supposedly works with mobile, laptop, and tablet devices with Play Store version 16.6.25 or Android 4.4 and newer, per the official Play Pass FAQ. The future of Google Play PassGoogle Play Pass isn’t quite as committed as Apple Arcade to developers - it isn’t directly funding developers to make games appearing on the service. But it also isn’t forcing exclusivity, which is a major feature (and strict requirement) for games to appear on Apple Arcade. Of course, the real value of either service is in the games to come, which could convert the wary if a must-have title appears on one or the other.
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| CISOs believe data breach experience makes them more employable Posted: 23 Sep 2019 01:00 PM PDT Over half of CISOs believe that experiencing a data breach makes them more attractive to potential employers according to a new survey from Optiv Security. To compile its new “State of the CISO” report, the firm surveyed 200 CISOs and senior security personnel with equivalent responsibilities from both the US and the UK. Optiv's survey revealed a fundamental change in how senior executives and board members perceive cybersecurity with the fact that 58 percent of respondents said that experiencing a data breach makes them more desirable to potential employers being the most surprising.
This idea stands in stark contrast with the way things were just a few years ago when a data breach was often considered a fireable offense for CISOs. Changing attitudes towards cybersecurityOptiv's report also shows that attitudes towards cybersecurity are changing with 96 percent of those surveyed either slightly or strongly agreeing that senior executives have a better understanding of cybersecurity than they did five years ago. The firm also found that 67 percent of businesses now prioritize cybersecurity above all other business considerations as cyberattacks have become more frequent and also more severe. Cybersecurity risk has also become important enough that 76 percent of those surveyed believe that CISOs will soon begin to be named as CEOs. Optiv discovered that a significant amount of CISO are not following best practices when it comes to cybersecurity. For instance, more than half (54%) of US CISOs and 44 percent of UK CISOs indicated that they practice their incident response plans once a year or less when industry best practices call for more frequent incident response tests and practice. Of all the CISO surveyed by Optiv, 88 percent agreed that it would be a good idea to have a global treaty in place on cybersecurity, similar to the Geneva Convention, where countries agree to a set of principals governing their online conduct.
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| Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 may pack an 8-core AMD Ryzen processor Posted: 23 Sep 2019 12:58 PM PDT The Microsoft October Event 2019 is coming up soon, on October 2, and we have high expectations for the launch of a new Surface Laptop 3, which sounds to be more powerful than ever. A leak has suggested that this new laptop will make a departure from the Surface series to date by including AMD processors (CPUs), and may even offer an eight-core CPU, German site WinFuture reports. We've heard previous rumblings of Microsoft ditching Intel for AMD in the Surface Laptop 3, but this is the first suggestion of eight-core AMD processors showing up in the laptop. Not only would this be a big move for Microsoft, it would also put AMD CPUs at the high-end of the product SKUs instead of sitting below Intel Ice Lake models. The report mentions a number of different Surface Laptop 3 models, all with a larger 15-inch display. They range in specs from quad-core Ryzen CPUs up to the aforementioned eight-core model, with a hexa-core model as well. Memory could come in 8GB, 12GB or 16GB of RAM. Prices are anticipated to range from about $1,000 (about £800, AU$1,460) to $2,400 (about £1,930, AU$3,500).
Eight-core Ryzen CPUs exist – but not for mobileEight-core CPUs may seem pretty run-of-the-mill for AMD, given all the high-core-count CPUs the company has launched in its Ryzen 3000 series. But, the same can't be said for its mobile processors. WinFuture previously reported the laptop may include a Ryzen 5 3550U or Ryzen 7 3750U CPU option, but both of these are quad-core CPUs. None of AMD's currently available mobile processors offer eight cores, in contrast to the company's desktop processor offerings. So, what does this mean? One possibility WinFuture puts forward is an AMD Epyc Embedded 3000 series system-on-chip (SoC). Several of these SoCs do feature eight cores. But, the Surface Laptop 3 would feel like an odd home for a chip that's designed with servers and enterprise use in mind. Another possibility is that AMD will launch new Ryzen mobile CPUs that will appear first on the Surface Laptop 3. The issue there is that it would be a little early for a new line of mobile Ryzen processors, as the Zen+ mobile processors only launched this past January. Of course, a final possibility is that these rumors won't play out in October. Perhaps we'll still get AMD-powered Surface Laptop 3 models, but they may be limited to four cores. And, maybe we'll still get eight-core variants, but it could be later on.
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| Best wireless routers 2019: the best routers for your home network Posted: 23 Sep 2019 11:21 AM PDT Despite what most people think, having one of the best wireless routers in your home is actually crucial. Whether you’re using your WiFi connection for work, gaming or simply connecting with friends and streaming videos, our computer lives exist practically entirely online, and utilizing a less than stellar router can really hold you back. You don’t want to put up with constant buffering when you’re watching your favorite shows on Netflix, or to not be at your full potential when playing the best PC games. While your instinct might be to call up your internet provider or upgrade your service, think about picking up one of the best wireless routers instead. After all, having a fast internet service won’t matter if your wireless router can’t keep up. You’ll want to get one of the best wireless routers you can afford. However, that might mean different things to different people. The best router might look like the most cutting edge wireless mesh router boosting signal into every corner of the house or it may look like an epic gaming router providing the signal. It might even mean one touting the upcoming Wi-Fi 6 capabilities that may make this list in the near future. So, if you’re shopping around for one of the best wireless routers on the market right now, you should keep a couple things in mind. MU-MIMO is a must for anyone with multiple devices, and considering that most homes will have several people with several devices, that’s probably everyone in the market for the best wireless routers. Check out the speed rating of the router as well – a rated speed of AC1900 should cover all your bases. There are a lot of wireless routers to choose from, hundreds in fact, that getting the one that does everything you need might not be easy. To lend you a hand, we’ve gathered the best wireless routers we’ve tested so far, so you can be sure to get a quality router, possibly the best wireless router for your home and your needs. Google Wifi is proof that the mesh revolution is coming. The days of traditional wireless routers are almost over, and the age of the wireless mesh routers is upon us. Google Wifi, alone, is proof that the mesh revolution is coming, so you can finally say goodbye to the days when the only way to have wireless freedom was to install a number of wireless extenders. The idea of Google Wifi is simple – purchase a set of points, put them in strategic places around your house and then simply scan a QR code. And, just like that, you’re all set. It’s no wonder that this wireless mesh router tops our best routers list of 2019, as it’s also the one that’s simplest to set up and get going. Read the full review: Google Wifi Asus RT-AC86U easily outclasses practically all the wireless routers on the market. If you’re familiar with Asus, especially its gaming devices, then you most likely have a good idea of what’s in store with the Asus RT-AC86U. This wireless router may look like the lovechild of Doritos and Mountain Dew, if they spent a night together in a router making machine. However, inside that kitschy gaming look is a piece of hardware that, for its price, easily outclasses practically all the wireless routers on the market. You’re also not paying a premium here for a gaming device, so if you’re in the market for a high-speed connection with a reasonable price tag, the Asus RT-AC86U is your best bet. Read the full review: Asus RT-AC86U Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 is an economical alternative for casual users. When the Netgear Orbi hit the streets, it changed the wireless router scene. Then, in 2019, Netgear released the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23, an economical alternative for casual users who don’t have a grand manor to cover. This makes it a worthy contender for the best wireless routers. Sure, it comes with fewer antennae and ethernet ports than its higher end counterpart. However, it does deliver more than enough to provide very solid network coverage. Plus, the small form factor means that it will have no issues blending in – not that you will feel the need to hide it. Read the full review: Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 Samsung Connect Home can positively hold its own against the Google Wi-Fi. Now that smart homes are quickly becoming standard, more and more folks require wireless routers that also function as smart home hubs. This doesn’t only make things a lot more convenient, but it also lessens all the clutter created by having several routers, modems and hubs strewn around your house. The Samsung Connect Home isn’t the most feature-rich wireless router out there today, but it can positively hold its own against the Google Wi-Fi, while also fitting in the SmartThings hub. It’s still obviously one of the best wireless routers – especially if your home has a number of smart devices. Read the full review: Samsung Connect Home
TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 can bridge consumer and enterprise users by offering high-end functionality at a reasonable price point. Are you in the market for one of the best wireless routers of 2019 and don’t mind a quirky design. If a ‘90s-inspired sci-fi design sounds like it will fit right in your home, then the TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 might be the best wireless router for you. It’s not exactly the most modern-looking mesh router out there, but it’s unique in that it can bridge consumer and enterprise users by offering high-end functionality at a reasonable price point and with a relaxed setup. It’s peculiar looking, yes; however, if you’re scouring the market for a wireless router that can cover a mid-sized home, you can’t go wrong with this. Read the full review: TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 Netgear Orbi Pro is a modular Wi-Fi mesh router. If you need to bring your office’s networking into the modern age with one of the best routers of 2019, then you must seriously consider getting the Netgear Orbi Pro. It’s a modular Wi-Fi mesh router that takes some design and performance inspiration from its business-grade competitors. It’s on the more expensive side. However, if you’re running a business where you cannot afford any lags due to poor Wi-Fi, then it’s absolutely worth every penny. Read the full review: Netgear Orbi Pro TP-Link Deco M9 incorporates IoT smart home support, alongside industry standard speeds and coverage. The market is now flooded with wireless mesh routers, but it’s hard to complain when the level of coverage these wireless routers brings tops anything we’ve seen before. With devices like the TP-Link Deco M9, one of the best routers of 2019, we can see how they’re only getting better and better. By incorporating IoT smart home support, alongside industry standard speeds and coverage, the TP-Link Deco M9 is, without question, an excellent choice for a smart home supporter. Fair warning though, this router is a tad expensive. However, you’re also getting all these features and an outstanding performance in exchange. Read the full review: TP-Link Deco M9 D-Link Covr C1203 is one of the best wireless routers if you want to upgrade and save at the same time. Ready to jump on the mesh wireless router bandwagon, but without having to break that piggy bank? You’re in luck with the affordable D-Link Covr C1203. It’s one of the best wireless routers, if you want to upgrade and save at the same time. It offers comparable coverage to that of the Google Wifi while also being affordable, and it also looks futuristic in a great way. It’s somewhat slower than Google’s legendary router, but it will still be fast enough for the typical user. It’s no surprise that the D-Link Covr C1203 gets our vote as one of the best wireless routers of 2019. Read the full review: D-Link Covr-C1203 Eero Home Wi-Fi System gives users total control over their network while touting a secure connection through AI. If you’re in the market for a wireless mesh router that gives you a lot of control over your network, then the Eero Home Wi-Fi system might just be the answer. It has a price more premium than that of your standard router, but it also gives users total control over their network while touting a secure connection through AI. Even better, the Eero Home Wi-Fi System comes with subscriptions to 1Password, MalwareBytes and Encrypt.me VPN, which should keep everyone linked to your network safe and secure. Read the full review: Eero Home Wi-Fi System Amplifi HD boasts a brilliant performance and a smart design to match. The Amplifi HD is one of the most expensive wireless routers on the list. However, due to its clean, contemporary aesthetic, it’s found a loyal audience without a problem. While design isn’t exactly at the top of everyone's priorities when choosing the best wireless router for them, it does help encourage users to install and show them off it in central locations that will help boost the router’s signal. This wireless router boasts a brilliant performance and a smart design to match, as long as you’re willing to shell out a bit more. Read the full review: Amplifi HD Joe Osborne, Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Images Credit: TechRadar
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| Arlo Pro 3 ups its security suite with a 2K resolution and vibrant night vision mode Posted: 23 Sep 2019 11:04 AM PDT If you’ve had your eye on smart cameras, you might know about Arlo and its Pro series - which now includes the new Arlo Pro 3. Arlo’s latest camera sits between the Arlo Pro 2 and Arlo Ultra with a 2K resolution, plus adds color night vision to the Pro line-up while staying relatively affordable. In terms of specs, the Arlo Pro 3 is IP65 water-resistant making it for indoor and outdoor use, and has a 160-degree field-of-view with a 2,560x2,560 resolution. This wider – and taller – field-of-view allows you to see packages on your porch and the faces of unwanted guests who get too close to the front door. In addition to the upgraded specs, Arlo added a built-in light that can be turned on and off remotely (seen in the image above), a larger battery that can last up to six months between charges and a two way mic system. That said, the most interesting new feature for the Arlo Pro 3 comes from Arlo’s $299 Arlo Pro – and that’s colored night vision. This feature uses Arlo’s advanced algorithms to add color to traditionally monotone night vision footage, enabling you to get crucial information about the area around the outside of your house. Eye-SpyIn a demo of the new Arlo Pro 3, the company showed us comparative footage with two night scenes – one that had color and one that didn't. With color mode turned on we were able to see the colors of cars that drove past a house and clothing details of people who walked by. That may sound innocuous, but these are key details should anything ever happen to your home. In addition to night mode, the Pro 3 will also have HDR enabled to let you see more in the darkest and brightest parts of the image. This feature, that was until now found exclusively on the Ultra series, allows you to see what's happening in a room where the camera is facing a bright window, or in a room that has a screen door leading outside, our demo proved. While all of this sounds like minor adjustments, these little details could potentially help aid investigators and give you peace of mind when you're away. The Arlo Pro 3 will be available later this week in black or white for $199.99 (around £160, AU$295) for just the camera or $499.99 (around £400, AU$740) for two cameras and the requisite Arlo Hub.
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| Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha, i teaser mostrano lo schermo incredibilmente curvo Posted: 23 Sep 2019 11:00 AM PDT Lo Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha (ufficialmente stilizzato come Mi MIX α) verrà presentato in Cina domani, il 24 settembre. I teaser condivisi dall'azienda mostrano un display curvato oltre i 90 gradi, con un potenziale rapporto schermo-corpo del 100%. La serie Mi MIX di Xiaomi è conosciuta per le sue idee innovative che hanno reso possibile un design per smartphone con cornici ridotte al minimo. In passato i risultati sono stati ottimi, con un rapporto schermo-corpo che ha superato abbondantemente il 90%, ma con il Mi MIX Alpha l'azienda potrebbe arrivare addirittura al 100%. Per la cronaca, il rapporto schermo-corpo di uno smartphone si calcola rapportando l'area del display (piano) all'ingombro fisico della parte frontale del dispositivo (visto come una silhouette). I dispositivi con un display curvo sono decisamente in vantaggio, infatti se si tiene conto delle dimensioni del display in piano, questo risulta più grande. Questo crea anche una differenza a livello visivo, le cornici laterali infatti risultano quasi invisibili se guardate frontalmente. A giudicare dai teaser postati da Xiaomi, il Mi MIX Alpha ha un display che si curva quasi fino alla parte posteriore su almeno un lato. Questo surclassa il trend emergente dei display Waterfall, visto per esempio sul Huawei Mate 30 Pro. Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha: le specificheAl di là del concetto dietro al Mi MIX Alpha, ci aspettiamo che avrà specifiche incredibili, simili ad altri top di gamma recenti. Il display sarà un Super AMOLED curvo con un rapporto schermo-corpo del 100%. Probabilmente ci sarà anche un lettore di impronte digitali integrato nel display. Ci si può aspettare la presenza del chipset Snapdragon 855 Plus e di 8 o 12 GB di RAM, di una batteria da 4.000 mAh con supporto alla tecnologia Mi Charge Turbo (ricarica rapida da 40W). Probabilmente lo smartphone supporterà anche il 5G. Non è chiaro se il dispositivo verrà distribuito sul mercato di massa o rimarrà un prodotto di nicchia, semplicemente adibito a ricordare di cos'è capace di ideare Xiaomi. Le nostre domande dovrebbero ricevere risposta domani, il 24 settembre, quando il Mi MIX Alpha verrà presentato.
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| 'Made in Japan' tech is back and crazier than ever Posted: 23 Sep 2019 11:00 AM PDT There was a time when Japanese brands dominated tech and everything was ‘made in Japan’. As a country it gradually became synonymous with incredible innovation: the Walkman, games consoles, the plasma TV. Then China happened, and everything changed. Now it’s time to take a trip back to Tokyo. With the world’s third highest GDP and more money being invested in ‘J-startups’ than at any time for a decade, Japan’s tech scene is now producing some of the most innovative ideas of all… though some of them are pretty weird. From AI, robotics and even a private moon rover to ‘smart art’ and a surprisingly number of human-animal gadgets, here’s a sample of the startups coming out of Japan right now. 1. Langualess Inupathy dog mood sensorA strap-on dog mood sensor that hopefully won’t annoy your dog Is your dog happy? They may be man's best friend, but human-dog communication has not improved for centuries. Basically we’re terrible at reading dogs’ body language, so we need a gadget to do it for us. The Inupathy wearable device uses HRV (heart rate variability) – it continually takes your dog’s pulse – and uses analysis to give you feedback on its mood as flashing colors on the back of the harness. Everything from happy and alert to concerned and stressed is covered, though there’s no color for ‘annoyed by harness’. Before you ask, it’s too big for cats. 2. Mui Pillar Memories smart art systemMeasuring the height of your kids. On some digital wood Peaceful digital living. That’s what Kyoto-based Internet of Things design startup mui Lab is trying to do with its ‘calm’ devices, the latest of which is a multimedia re-think of the family tradition of marking the growth of a child on a wall at home. The concept model ‘hashira no kioku’ (height marking in wood) is a ‘smart art system’ that connects a wood column – actually a well-disguised touch-sensitive smart screen – and a Wacom digital pen via the cloud. After you mark your child's height using the pen, the system displays the exact measurement on the wood-screen and saves those measurements. It does the same for siblings. Well, it’s a conversation-starter… 3. ispace HAKUTO-RThe world’s first private lunar exploration program Can Japan become a ‘moon country’? Space industry startup ispace, a private lunar robotic exploration company in Tokyo, has plans to put a lunar rover on the moon. One of the five finalists in the Google Lunar XPRIZE, ispace wants to be able to provide a vehicle for private companies so that the moon can be brought into the Earth's economic system. The HAKUTO-R program currently involves a mission to orbit the moon in 2021 and a moon landing in 2023 for the world’s smallest and lightest planetary exploration rover, which can detect surrounding obstacles using its sophisticated camera system. 4. Pixie Dust Technologies Holographic WhisperA speaker that gets right to the point If you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to ultrasonic speakers, you’re in for a treat. A circular speaker like any other, the Holographic Whisper from Pixie Dust Technologies is all about directional audio that can only be heard by one person in a room who's standing in exactly the right position. Holographic Whisper’s audible sound sources are generated in the air by high amplitude ultrasonic waves, creating a very tight beam of sound that’s focused in one small area. It could have uses in public places. 5. Yukai Qooboo cushionWhy not relax by tickling a headless robot cat? You want a pet. You can't have a pet. So what do you do? Designed for people living in small apartments, ostensibly in Tokyo, and for those with pet allergies, Qoobo (US$165/UK£133) is a robotic cushion with a cat-like tail that makes realistic moves in response to being touched. If you caress it the tail waves gently, and if you rub Qooboo, its tail swings playfully. Yukai also makes the equally bizarre NecoMimi, a headband with fake cat ears that moves in sync with the user’s brain waves. Essential stuff. 6. UniposGive your colleagues a digital pat on the back Ever get the feeling that your happy, helpful disposition and hard work is going unnoticed? Standing for ‘unified positivity’, Unipos is a platform designed to build a culture of recognition in the workplace. Each person in a company gives feedback on everyone else essentially to express their gratitude for big or small tasks. With 280 partners and 40,000+ active users across the world, the Unipos system is all about expanding beyond ‘key performance indicators’ in the workplace to embrace the everyday contributions by employees that previously went under the radar. 7. XPAND Code for smart citiesA barcode for football scarves? QR codes, be worried QR codes that open URLs when you point your phone’s camera at them are clever, but ugly and geographically limited. They’re increasingly found on lampposts, train platforms, bus stops and billboards, but XPAND Code is an attempt to scale them up for the smart city and, at the same time, give them a makeover. A new kind of virtual signage, the tech has a slim horizontal form that tries not to disrupt its surroundings. Best of all, instead of needing to be within 10cm of a QR code, you could get information from up to 200 metres away from an XPAND Code. 8. Triple W Dfree toilet timing predicting deviceIs it time to go? The world is getting old. In a rapidly ageing society like Japan a lot of innovative technology is now being created to serve the needs of the elderly, like Dfree (US$445/UK£355), a device designed to alleviate incontinence. A small ultrasound sensor that sits on the bladder, it constantly detects its size, and before the bladder gets full it sends an alert to the wearer’s phone telling them it’s time to go to the toilet. A predictive wearable device, DFree is already used by over 2,000 people in Japan. 9. mui Lab smart home control panelDitch the smartphone. Get wood Want to know the weather? Touch a tree. This novel smart home control panel is a slab of real wood that’s connected to the internet. It’s paired to your phone and your smart home, and can filter-through messages, play music, tell you the weather – anything a phone can do – but, crucially, it only displays information when you touch it. “Smartphones are always displaying information and disturbing us, forcing us to adapt to them,” says Akikio Moriguchi at mui Lab. “This is the opposite to a smartphone.” 10. Yukai BOCCO emo responsive robotA robot-phone for toddlers Kids have smartphones from a really early age these days, what about toddlers and preschoolers? Give them a robot, obviously. “BOCCO Emo (US$149/£120) was created for parents and kids who are too young to use a smartphone,” says Clement Bastide, Marketing Manager, Yukai Engineering, Tokyo. “If your kid is at home and you want to check up on them you can send them a message on a smartphone and the robot will speak out loud what you write.” The idea is that the kid can then just press the robot’s nose to send you a voice message back. It also works with smart home devices; parents can receive a message from a smart door lock if a door is left open. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Razer Blade Pro gets 4K at 120Hz, but don't expect to game at that level Posted: 23 Sep 2019 10:39 AM PDT Razer's laptops pack a lot of power into a sleek design that would look right at home next to a MacBook Pro if not for the entangled snakes of Razer's logo. Now, Razer is pushing its high-end Razer Blade Pro 17 even further with a 4K display running at 120Hz. We've seen Razer deliver laptops with high resolutions and high refresh rates, but this is the first time the company has combined the two in this way. In fact, this appears to be the first laptop to come with a display capable of 4K at 120Hz. Asus has previously announced such a laptop earlier this year at Computex, but we haven't seen that laptop actually show up commercially. That new display was intended to come to the Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX502, and would have come with 400 nits of brightness and 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. Curiously, Razer seems to have beaten Asus to the punch, and has done so with the exact same formula. The new Razer Blade Pro 17 display also hits 400 nits and 100% coverage of Adobe RGB. The new model launches today for $3,699 (about £2,975 / AU$5,465) in the US and China, with a UK launch to follow in the fourth quarter
4K or 120Hz, but probably not both for gamingThe upgraded Razer Blade Pro 17 may be packing the best Blade hardware available, with the same Intel Core i7-9750H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics as the other high-end model, but that'll only go so far in gaming at 4K. High resolutions put incredible demand on gaming hardware, and 4K is still a steep slope to climb, even for a six-core processor paired with one of the strongest graphics processors (GPUs). Pushing 4K at 120 frames per second (fps) – which would be needed to take full advantage of the 120Hz refresh rate – is harder still. In our review of the desktop RTX 2080, we saw it struggle to offer even a consistent 60 fps at 4K. And, mobile versions of GPUs generally don't perform as well as their desktop counterparts. This puts the Razer Blade Pro 17 in a position where it will likely be able to offer creators sharp visuals and a smooth experience, but where gamers will have to choose between sharpness and smoothness. Some less demanding games may be able to hit 120fps at 4K, but blockbuster titles almost surely will not. Still, the new display will give gamers the option. They can dial down the resolution to achieve their desired frame rate in competitive games, or dial it up for games where the visuals matter more than the frame rate. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Apple's 2019 Mac Pro will be produced in Texas Posted: 23 Sep 2019 10:37 AM PDT Apple has announced that the Mac Pro 2019 model will be produced in an Austin, Texas manufacturing facility. This is the same location where Mac Pro computers have been manufactured since 2013 with the previous-generation model. The news marks a milestone in Apple's public commitment to growing the US economy, but also comes amid growing tariffs on imported Chinese goods under the Trump administration as well as growing general criticism of off-shore manufacturing conducted by US companies. Several parts within the 2019 Mac Pro will be "designed, developed and manufactured by more than a dozen American companies for distribution to US customers," according to a press release.
'Federal product exclusion'Apple itself states that this entire endeavor is "made possible following a federal product exclusion Apple is receiving for certain necessary components." This means that Apple has been pardoned by the US federal government from paying inflated import tariffs on a certain amount of the parts sourced from China within the Mac Pro for 2019. Had Apple not received this "federal product exclusion," it's possible that Mac Pro 2019 production would have taken place elsewhere worldwide. Apple is also keen to point out that "the value of American-made components in the new Mac Pro is 2.5 times greater than in Apple’s previous generation Mac Pro." Again, what this means is that these American-made parts are costing Apple and its partners 2.5 times as much to produce as before, due to the generally higher cost of labor in the US compared to that of, say, China – where the majority of Apple product manufacturing and assembly takes place today. Apple previously stated in June 2019 that the 2019 Mac Pro will start pricing at $5,999 (about £4,730, AU$8.720). It's unknown whether Apple issued this pricing before or after it received this "federal product exclusion." Regardless, it would be in bad form for Apple to increase the starting price after announcement, so we wouldn't expect that to change before release. If you remember, Apple products of even the recent past used to include the line "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." This line is no longer featured on Apple's iPhones as of the XS and XR series. Surely, the Mac Pro 2019 will feature a new, more US-centric line emblazoned on its chassis somewhere.
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| Coordinated campaign hijacks YouTube creator accounts Posted: 23 Sep 2019 10:05 AM PDT YouTube creators are having their accounts hijacked in what appears to be a coordinated campaign launched against the platform with hackers focusing on users from the auto-tuning and car review community. A number of high-profile accounts from the YouTube creators car community have already been targeted including Built, Troy Sowers, MaxtChekVids, PURE Function and Musafir. However, creators from other communities on the platform also reported having their accounts hijacked over the past few days.
The massive wave of account hijacks is the result of a coordinated campaign which used messages to lure users to phishing sites where hackers were able to obtain their credentials. Bypassing two-factor authenticationAfter speaking with a YouTube channel owner that managed to recover their account, ZDNet gained a better idea of how these attacks likely occurred. First hackers used phishing emails to lure victims to fake Google login pages where they collected their account credentials, then they broke into their Google accounts, re-assigned popular channels to new owners and finally they changed the channel's vanity URL to trick account owners into thinking their channels had been deleted. Some of the creators targeted by the campaign received individual emails while others said they had received email chains that included the addresses of multiple YouTube creators, often from the same community or niche. On creator whose channel is called Life of Palos confirmed that hackers were apple to bypass the two-factor authentication protecting his account. He believes those behind the campaign could have used a reverse proxy-based phishing toolkit called Modlishka which is used to intercept 2FA SMS codes. However, there are a number of reverse proxy-based phishing toolkits available on the dark web which could have been used instead. Those behind these account takeover attacks have not yet come forward and neither Google nor YouTube has issued a public response regarding the coordinated campaign.
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| Best laptop games: 20 games for laptops that won't melt your machine Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:47 AM PDT The best laptop games used to prioritize convenience over visual brilliance, but with the best gaming laptops now rocking the most powerful processors and graphics cards, there are many opportunities to play the best PC games like Far Cry 5. Not that you should discount some of the best indie games either, which over the last few years have been beautiful without relying on complicated graphics – note Cuphead. Especially if you’ve got one of the best laptops, as opposed to a gaming one. Plus, beloved classics like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic may look dated, but still make for some of the best laptop games thanks to stellar gameplay and stories (even if, regrettably, that particular game isn’t considered canon anymore). The best laptop games on the market today range from tiny indie games you maybe haven’t heard of, like Thimbleweed Park, to wildly popular triple-A games along the lines of The Sims 4. Whatever your play style, schedule and hardware, we’re willing to bet you’ll find something on this list that you’ll enjoy.
Whether he’s at LucasArts, Double-Fine or here and now in a new indie studio, veteran developer Ron Gilbert is guaranteed to serve up a slice of veritable gaming gold. That tradition of flawless output continues with Thimbleweed Park, a pixel art point ‘n’ click adventure that harks back to the glory days of Maniac Mansion while weaving it together with a very modern eye for creativity. It’s basically a murder mystery graphic adventure, where FBI agents Reyes and Ray - who in no way resemble another famous pair of fictional, UFO-chasing member of the Bureau - arrive in a quiet town to investigate a murder most horrid. The way it interlaces together a truly clever story and a cast of unusual yet instantly unforgettable characters is something most games with far larger budgets miss completely. Is it a wonder why it tops our best laptop games list?
You might be turned off by the overwhelming amount of challenge it poses, but we assure you, Cuphead is worth a shot. If you don’t already find its vibrant, whimsical art style delightful, then maybe you’ll be convinced by some backstory of how it was made. Cuphead is from indie developer Studio MDHR (short for Studio Moldenhauer), named after the two brothers who started the project, Chad and Jared Moldenhauer. In fact, the whole company consists of family members and friends who sought out to complete their dream project. Marija Moldenhauer, Chad’s wife, did all of the inking and clean up in this hand-drawn ode to 2D platforming classics like Mega Man and 1930s Fleischer cartoons like Betty Boop. And, if the 19 bosses aren’t enough for you, Cuphead is getting a major DLC next year featuring new bosses, areas and a new playable character.
If you love farming sims (and, considering how well the likes of Farming Simulator and Harvest Moon sell, there’s a few of you out there), then few games are going to get you jumping for agricultural joy more than the bewitching busywork of Stardew Valley. Taking cues from the Harvest Moon games, Stardew Valley's top-down point of view and cutesy characters feel blended together impeccably, making it one of the best laptop games right now. It doesn’t sound very exhilarating, tending to fields, growing produce and raising livestock – but that’s the beauty of it. There’s a unique kind of peace to the mundanity of Stardew Valley’s minutia as you expand your farm, catch some fish down at the river and even head into the village to strike up friendships (and maybe something a little more) with a cast of NPCs. Farming has never been so much fun or addicting.
In a lot of ways, we’re inclined to describe Night in the Woods as Life is Strange meets Bojack Horseman. The interactive dialogue bits remind you of the former while the overarching themes of coping with mental health issues rings true in the latter. Night in The Woods itself was developed in Unity by Infinite Fall, the virtual studio where you’ll find coder and composer Alec Holowka and Twitter jokester slash illustrator and animator Scott Benson. Together, these two have crafted not just a game, but a spectacular world full of relatable characters that you will hopefully resonate with. You take the role of Mae, a cat who dropped out of college and recently returned to her hometown of Possum Springs. It’s an entirely narrative-driven game, as modern point-and-click adventure games are, with very few gameplay hooks that will keep your attention. So, if you’re into Telltale Games or Life is Strange, Night in the Woods may be the best laptop game for you. Best of all, it will run pretty smoothly on integrated graphics, given that it has an appealing, but not highly demanding, art style. Surely, this is a title we’ll be talking about for years and years to come, even if it was snubbed at The Game Awards.
You’d wonder whether Hotline Miami’s neon-drenched ultraviolence would exist if the film Drive had never been made, and while it’s hard to miss just how enthusiastically it doffs its bloody mask at the Gosling classic, the end result is an absolutely brilliant little indie title and among the best laptop games to date. With a pixel art conjuring that top-down look of Grand Theft Auto’s retro years, Hotline Miami indulges in its almost psychedelic violence. The concept is simple: don on a mask (each one is styled on an animal and adds is own buffs, debuffs and unique abilities), enter a stage and coat the walls with the blood of your enemies. Add buckets of neon, a synth soundtrack that’ll have you sewing a scorpion onto the back of a white jacket in no time and one messed up storyline to the mix, and you’ve got a classic in its own right.
While it’s a 2018 title and has a respectably massive following, your laptop’s integrated graphics can still handle Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. It has largely the same forgiving system requirements that its predecessor, so if you are a fan of that game, you should be able to immerse yourself in this best laptop game as well. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire drops players in the Deadfire archipelago and tasks them with hunting down a rogue god. And, much like its predecessor, it features rich storytelling and deep RPG gameplay that harkens to the days of Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights. While all the backgrounds are in 2D and viewed from a top-down perspective, they’re still lovely to behold. Plus, the myriad spell effects will keep you enchanted as you work your way through the intense and tactical combat. And, because it's coming from Obsidian, a studio known for making the best RPGs of all time, you can be confident that you’re getting an adventure that’s worth every penny.
If somebody told you a game about working in a border control office would be one of the most addictive games ever, would you scoff and walk off shaking your head? Well, you might give a little indie gem by the name of Papers, Please a chance. Set in a fictional take on the Eastern Bloc, you’re an immigration clerk tasked with processing refugees from a hostile neighbouring nation. The core concept is simple: check each person’s documents against a clear set of rules, process those who meet the requirements and detain those with false papers. The game is created to test your attention to detail, as well as the strength of your moral compass. Sometimes you’ll have to decide if specific sympathetic characters should be granted asylum, even if it goes against the rules. The twist is good performance effectively feeds you family, while mistakes put their lives in danger. It’s dark, but engrossingly so.
Come on! Do you really need convincing to go out and get a copy of Knights Of The Old Republic? Arguably the greatest Star Wars game ever made (yes, even better than Dark Forces II and Rogue Squadron), KOTOR proved that the most familiar lore ever could feel fresh and thrilling again outside of the silver screen. Hailing from Bioware, the Canadian studio that would go on to produce the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, KOTOR delivers compelling characters, intense action that mixes real-time tactics with turn-based mechanics a galaxy of stories that felt tangible and real. Sure, it’s technically not canon anymore, but it still remains one of the greatest games ever coded – not to mention, the among best laptop games. Get this in your collection now.
Part role-playing game, part bullet hell shooter, Undertale is a game like no other. The fact that this remarkable game is the work of one man is impressive, considering the depth of consequence developer Toby Fox has built into Undertale’s world. In the small boots of a child who’s fallen into a monster-filled world beneath the earth where only the quick thinking survive, you’ll encounter brutal bosses. The fact you can befriend bosses as well as battle them changes the fabric of the story, and shows that it’s not just NPCs that offer crucial moments of dialogue. It’s a game of empathetic reflection, where your actions dictate how a boss or monster reacts to you. Aggression leads to more powerful attacks against you, while avoiding retaliation will soften the blows. Strange and seductive in its own special way, Undertale is a curio definitely worth chasing and one of the best laptop games to play right now.
When it comes to CCGs (collectible card games), Hearthstone does a pretty impressive job of keeping you and your deck of animated cards entertained throughout - but what happens when you want something a little less innocuous? You give a CCG with a unique spin such as Chronicle: RuneScape Legends a gander. Based on the classic lore of Runescape, Chronicle blends card-dealing with the 3D setup of a RPG. Cards represent real characters and enemies that appear across a 3D-rendered pop-up books. Cards are played successively, with player characters facing each one (ranging from foes to curses to stat buffs), before facing off against one another at the end. It’s bizarre, brilliant and categorically worth your time. Hey, it’s even got new single-player content when you don’t want to test your mettle against other users. Not too shabby for a low-spec CCG.
FTL sounds like an ultra-hardcore game when you’re talking about it: a real-time strategic space roguelike. A roguelike is a game that makes you start from scratch when you die. However, FTL is actually perfect for pretty casual laptop gaming. You can even get it for iPad, in fact. You tool up your star ship, recruit your crew and do your best not to get annihilated as you take an important message from one end of the galaxy to the other. Screenshots don't really give FTL justice, as all you see is a blocky graphic of your ship, not really its spacey surroundings. However, it's the best laptop game for public play: nothing on-screen to make you feel too embarrassed or keep fellow passengers glued to your screen, if you play on train journeys.
Few games stay relevant as long as Skyrim. It should feel old and antiquated, but a mod scene has kept it relevant in the past half-decade. Being so old has also meant not as powerful hardware has been able to catch up with its real-life spec requirements. It'll run pretty well on Intel Core-series processors from the last 2-3 years, and even plays pretty well on some recent Atom/Pentium CPUs on its lowest settings. If you have a real dog of a laptop, there's also a mod that'll cut down the settings even more than the game itself allows, called Ultra Low Graphics Mod. Imaginative naming. It’s one of the best laptop games to date, and many agree – in case you've been locked in a cupboard for the past five years, Skyrim is a massive open-world RPG that won countless 'game of the year' awards when it was released back in 2011.
Remember the game that received millions and millions of dollars of funding on Kickstarter back when such things were unheard-of? That's Broken Age, the point 'n' click platform made by one of the people who came up with Monkey Island back in the 90s. It didn't exactly and single-handedly revive the genre. However, it’s still a fun tale that is nowhere near as frustrating as most of the early 90s exploits, most of which are best viewed through a pair of rose-tinted nostalgia specs. From a distance. You play as both male and female characters, skipping between chapters in their respective stories to make sure the narrative doesn't get stale. We're steering clear of spoilers, so we'll let you uncover it on your own.
You might head straight for 2D games when you think of title that'll work with pretty modest hardware. However, some once-fancy 3D games work very well with non-gaming laptops. Valve's Source engine is especially good at working with less powerful GPUs, making classics like Half-life 2 play delightfully on modern integrated graphics hardware. If you're not up for a thinking person's FPS like Half-Life 2, you might want to check out fantastic first-person puzzler Portal 2 instead. It is also based on the Source engine. Portal 2 takes the portal gun from Half-Life 2, which makes teleporting holes in walls, and makes a whole game out of it. It’s possibly one of the best games of all time, actually, and of course, of course among the best laptop games ever.
It's easy to think of Minecraft as retro in some way, but it's actually far more groundbreaking than some of the nay-saying haters would have you believe. It is not just for kids, either. Try it, you might just like it. This world-building classic was never out to wow audiences with its Crysis-style graphics, but its highly scalable visuals let you tweak Minecraft to suit any machine. As well as being able to experiment with the draw distance and the few visual effects the game uses, you can alter the field of view as well. Minecraft is also best-suited for laptop gaming, as you don't need to be very accurate with your cursor. This is handy if you're using a trackpad rather than a mouse.
Take 90s platform aesthetic, add a roguelike twist, a completely modern random level generator and a few RPG sprinkles to the mix, and you have Rogue Legacy. It's one of the most addictive indie games of the last decade – not to mention, one of the best laptop games. You play as a knight type, leaping right into a castle full of nasties. When you die, and you will die, you return as one of that warrior's descendants. The castle will be different, as will the class of your character. While you have to start from scratch every time, you can unlock bonuses by collecting gold from chests in the castle. This is the bit that makes it more accessible than a true roguelike game, where you really have to start from square one when you die.
Don't Starve is an outrageous little game where you wander around in a somewhat twisted nightmarish world, exploring and picking up supplies to try to survive, day by day. When the sun goes down, awful creatures start prowling in the shadows. If you don't build a fire, you're a goner. You also have to eat to keep yourself healthy, and even your mental health deteriorates if you don't find out ways to pep yourself up. There are some nice visual effects in Don’t Starve, but as a predominantly 2D near-top-down game, it's happy to work with all but the lowest powered laptops.
If you don't mind tempting addiction in your laptop gaming, Hearthstone is a title not to miss. It is a little like nerd classic card battle game (and also video game) Magic: The Gathering, but much better-suited to quick, casual play. Like many other modern casual games, however, you'll likely end up playing for a lot longer than five minutes. And it feels even more "right" on a laptop than a bulky desktop. It's a Valve game and, like most Valve titles, fares extremely well on lower-end hardware. It officially supports the Intel HD 1000 integrated GPU, from way back in the Sandy Bridge generation half a decade ago.
Is Civilization the ultimate "PC" game? Many of us have spent a handful of full days working through Civilization's virtual recap of the ages of man, whether it was back in the 90s, or just last week. Civilization V has more of the laid-back vibe that previous Civ games, but that makes it more accessible if you're looking for something to kill 30 mins, rather than 3 hours. It'll work on almost any Intel Core series laptop from the past five years, but if you find yours still isn't up to the task, don't forget Civilization IV. Despite being old, it still works fine on Windows 10 through Steam.
EA gets a lot of flak. It was rated as the most despised company in America two years in a row, after all. However, it doesn't half know how to court a big audience. And that means making sure games like The Sims 4 work on just about everything. This infamous lifestyle sim even has a "laptop" mode created for systems that can barely make it through the title screen of The Witcher 3. The game itself is very much business as usual: you slog through a virtual life, making bucks and designing living rooms. Or doing your best to torture some poor virtual peon by locking them in an inescapable toilet. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Get a free speed upgrade with TalkTalk's cheap fibre broadband deals Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:30 AM PDT For some, regular fibre speeds just don't quite do it. So what do you do? Pay all of those extra fees to upgrade to a faster fibre package? Or, you could just go with TalkTalk and get a free upgrade to your speed. So what's the catch...? Don't be so cynical, there's no catch! Currently, you can simply get TalkTalk's Faster Fibre broadband for just £23.50 - the price you would normally pay for its slower fibre package. For that price you're getting average speeds of 67Mb, twice as much as most normal fibre broadband deals. And with TalkTalk there is nothing to pay upfront so those £23.50 a month bills are all you have to pay - easy!
TalkTalk's great value fibre broadband deal:
What other broadband deals are there?Until very recently, Vodafone offered a very similar offer to this but unfortunately that has now gone, leaving TalkTalk as the only faster fibre package at this price. However, if you don't mind going for slower speeds, you can get an even cheaper fibre package. The cheapest fibre deal around comes from Onestream. At £18.99 a month, this is an offer nearer to ADSL packages than fibre in price. However, you do only get speeds averaging 17Mb so it isn't anywhere near as fast as most fibre options. Or, if you like your broadband deal accompanied by some vouchers, BT could be the way to go. Offering an £80 BT reward card with its Superfast Fibre package for £28.99, BT is also a strong contender. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best free website builder 2019 Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:28 AM PDT Creating a website used to be the domain (geddit?) of professional designers and coders, but thanks to free website builder applications, these days it's something anyone can tackle. The problem is that there are so many website creation applications and services vying for attention that it can be difficult to know which one to opt for – this is where we can help. We've collated the very best free website builders available, including a mixture of offline software and online tools. It's usually quicker, easier and more efficient to create and edit a site entirely online with a WYSIWYG editor, but if you want complete control over every aspect of your site's design and web hosting, you'll need a desktop-based free website builder. So whether you're looking to create a site for your business, a new blog, or you just fancy creating an online presence for yourself, here are the best free website builder services to help you out.
Wix makes it very easy to design a website, while giving experts plenty of power to customize elements if they need it Wix is a big-name website builder which offers a free plan, enabling you to have the run of this service without having to put your hand in your pocket. And you benefit from one of the most impressive website editors in the business. This editor can be run in ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) mode, which has a very basic interface to keep everything really simple and user-friendly. This is great for beginners, as you can create a basic site without even remotely breaking a sweat (a range of attractive templates are provided, as well). Those who want to get more involved with tweaking the design of their website can step up to the full Wix editor, which boasts powerful functionality, and the ability to really hone your website and get it looking just as you want. Visual previews of page elements make it easy to pick what you need for any particular part of a web page, too. Wix is so polished that putting together your site using the editor feels more like using a native application rather than a website builder, and it also sports excellent support for a diverse range of media, and quality customer support as well, even on the free plan. In addition, Wix Turbo was recently released which improves the performance and speed of all Wix websites. Powerful blogging functionality rounds things off nicely, and you’re getting a truly high quality offering with the free version of this website builder. Constant Contact provides an intelligent website builder and ecommerce store platform, both of which are free to use. Setting up a website is easy using drag-and-drop functionality, allowing you to set up a design simply and easily, and insert the features you need. Settings are automatically optimized for mobile platforms and SEO, and there is a free image library with over 50,000 images included as part of the package. The ecommerce platform allows for online payments through Paypal, Mollie, or Stripe. There are order and inventory features that automatically updates inventory with orders, and sends an email alert when items become out-of-stock. While the basic level website is free, there are paid plans which add more features. Additionally, there is also a paid email marketing option available to allow you to reach new customers. Overall, Constant Contact does a good job of setting up the basics. The free plan is a great way to set up your website, and there is a 60-day free trial if you do upgrade. If you want to create a website as quickly as possible, look no further than Weebly. It's so easy to use, you'll have a great-looking site online in mere minutes Weebly offers you two ways to build your website. Both involve creating it online, and both are as quick and painless as possible. The simplest option is to use the basic editor builder which will guide you through a series of questions before automatically creating a site for you. There is scope for customization, but the focus here is really on fast results for anyone who is terrified of designing websites. A more hands-on approach is available if you decide to use the standard Editor. There are literally hundreds of stylish templates to choose from – and, yes, they are genuinely impressive – which you can tweak and tailor to your needs using a beautiful WYSIWYG editor. Despite being a cloud-based website builder, Weebly gives you a great degree of control over the look of your site and placement of page elements. You can also liven it up using additional features such as a newsletter and live chat. This power and flexibility make Weebly a top-notch website builder. WordPress is the tool of choice for many blog owners. It takes a little getting used to, but once you've mastered it, you'll love its flexibility Causing a slight degree of confusion, there are actually two different versions of WordPress. The more complex variant can be downloaded from wordpress.org, and you will need to upload it to your own web space and install it using the automated online installer. You can then customize the templates and use add-ons to make the site your own. This is the route many bloggers go down, but there is a simpler option for people who don’t want the hassle of fiddling about with scripts and getting dirty with hardcore editing. The hosted version of WordPress lets you create your own site on wordpress.com. You can create everything from a blog or photo site, to a fully fledged online store, and there are a number of templates to choose from. Additionally, Mailchimp users have a benefit of adding a Mailchimp block, which can grow your mailing list among other things. Whether you're creating a static site, or a blog-style site with regularly updated content, the online editor is a joy to use and allows just about anyone to create an impressive, professional-looking site. The only downside is the limited range of plugins and templates compared with the desktop website builder. WebSite X5 makes building a website on your desktop easy, with good-looking templates and an intuitive site builder Incomedia WebSite X5 received an overhaul in April 2019 with new templates, an updated interface, new paid versions and more. The main thing to note is that the service now has a free version for everyone (note that the free version for TechRadar readers is still available to download). There are two paid versions, Evo and Pro, priced at $79.99 and $229 respectively. This is a one time purchase and naturally, both versions come with additional and improved features compared to the free one. There is also a demo version of both paid versions that you can try out. Unlike WordPress and Wix, WebSite X5 is a desktop website builder, which means you can work on your site offline and have more freedom to make your website look exactly the way you want. There's a range of ready-made templates to choose from, or you can create your own design from scratch. Next, build up your site map, showing the hierarchy of your pages and how they connect to one another – a feature you won't find in most web-based site builder apps. Once that's done, you're ready to start building your pages using Website X5's simple drag-and-drop interface, which includes tools for editing both rich text and photos. If you don't want to be tied down to an online site builder, WebSite X5 is the tool for you. CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor isn't a WYSIWYG website builder, but it provides a live preview of your site as you create it CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor is one of a dying breed of web building programs that don't use a CMS (content management system). While not in the same league as the likes of Adobe Dreamweaver, Free HTML Editor packs quite a professional punch. With split screen code/preview views, it's possible to see the effect the changes you make have straight away. To help you get started quickly, there are a number of templates built into the program, and there are some very nice features such as tag and code suggestions as you type. For absolute beginners, the program might seem a little overwhelming to start with, but it's worth sticking with – assuming you have some HTML knowledge. There is one slight issue; a number of features, such as spell-checking and code optimization, are only included in the paid-for version of the program. If you've used WordPress before, you might be interested in the power of Joomla. It's not as easy to use though, so beginners are better off sticking with a simpler option like Wix Joomla is a well-known name in the CMS world. It may not be as popular as WordPress, but it offers the same two options: build a site using the web app at launch.joomla.org and have it hosted on the company's servers, or download the software from joomla.org and host it yourself. If you choose the latter option, you'll notice that the interface is much less approachable than WordPress. It's not completely impenetrable, but there are lots of menus and options to work through and it doesn't feel quite as polished as WordPress. Joomla's online website builder is nearly as complex, but doesn't involve the same setup process, making it a better option for beginners. Its key selling point is a huge collection of themes and extensions, which provide endless ways to customize the way your site looks and works. You might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides:
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| iPadOS release date, features and compatibility details Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:13 AM PDT Apple didn't launch iPadOS as soon as we expected, but the release date is nigh - it's coming September 24. We expected the brand-new iPadOS to be released at Apple's event in early September where it unveiled the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, as well as the Apple Watch 5 and new entry-level iPad. Not so: while iOS 13 came out, we're still waiting on watchOS 6 - but that wait is almost over for iPadOS. That means iPad owners will finally be able to play Apple Arcade, the new gaming subscription service - and enjoy all the new tricks and tweaks coming to Apple tablets. The new operating system is a big change for Apple, which finally committed to splitting the the iPad's software from the iPhone's OS it had run on since the tablet first came out. If you want to get an early look, the public beta for iPadOS has been open for a while, but since we're hours from launch, it might be best to wait. We have a list of the best iPadOS features you'll be able to experience when the new software rolls out. It "builds on the same foundation as iOS," according to Apple, but expect iPadOS to grow more into its own operating system over time. iPadOS brings a variety of critical improvements to the tablet UI. Some of these make better use of screen real estate while others introduce new gesture controls (and even mouse support) for a better tablet experience. In short, iPad users won't just run an upsized iOS any longer. iPadOS release date and public beta timingApple has confirmed through its website that iPadOS will be available to download from September 24 – that's a little later than iOS 13. That means the new iPad Pro, which we're expecting to see launched in mid-October, should come with the operating system pre-installed. The iPadOS public beta release date landed on June 24, and it contains a lot of the features Apple shows us at its WWDC 2019 keynote. Since then, Apple has pushed a new version out to enrolled tablets, with iPadOS public beta 2 made available from July 8. From there we've had the first iPadOS 13.1 public beta, as the new changes move forward ahead of the impending 'full' release. Which iPads will work with iPadOS?Apple has confirmed that the "iPad Air 2 and later, all iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later" will all get the iPadOS update when it releases later this year. So which iPads are missing out this year, after getting iOS 12 in 2018? Well it's the end of the update road for the original iPad Air, iPad Mini 2 and iPad Mini 3. It's unclear if older iPads will be getting iOS 13 or if they've been completely left behind. The following iPads will get an update to iPadOS in (likely) September and October) (As a reminder, it's always best to avoid using the beta version of software on a primary or daily-use device, as there can sometimes be erratic elements within the system - wait until the final version lands in the near future.)
New iPadOS home screenToday View alongside a tighter grid of apps on the new iPadOS home screen. Image credit: Apple The first big change over you'll notice in iPadOS is on the new home screen. The grid of app icons is tighter, allowing you to fit more on the screen and reducing the amount of dead space on the display. With a tighter grid of apps, there's now an option to show Today View alongside them, for a more useful overview screen. It can be added to the Home screen for quick access to widgets with a simple swipe from the left side of the screen, and you can switch out the widgets pinned here to display the ones most relevant to you. Sidecar is a big new changeIf you're wondering what the biggest feature of iPadOS might be, Sidecar is a real contender. It natively bakes in wired (or wireless) support for using your iPad as a Mac second screen, bringing with it a whole host of functionality. This mode effectively turns any iPad into a portable monitor, one with a powerful internal battery, allowing apps and multiple windows to be dragged onto its screen and interacted with using a mouse, keyboard or Apple Pencil. You can't mess around with the resolution just yet, so you can't work in super fine detail and may want to wait a little while until the final software launch appears in late September - but even at this early stage, Apple fans will find they've suddenly got a new screen for their Mac right in another pocket of their backpack. iPadOS has a new way to multitaskSlide Over in iPadOS in action, with a side view of Messages over Safari. Image credit: Apple Multitasking also gets an upgrade on iPadOS is a few ways. First up, you'll be able to use Split View to see two app windows at a time for the same app, or two different apps. iPadOS uses a drag-and-drop interface here, making switching between apps and windows easy. Slide Over lets you quickly pull up an app in a side window, over the top of another app – allowing you to quickly check things such as emails, messages or reminders without having to exit the current app you're using. Dragging up from the bottom of the screen will allow you to move between apps in the Slide Over panel. Apple has also brought the Mac's Exposé feature to iPadOS, allowing you to get an overview of all your open apps – making it easy to jump between them, and close down any you no longer need running in the background. iPadOS gets USB drive and SD card supportUSB drive and SD card support arrives in iPadOS. Image credit: Apple External storage fans rejoice! iPadOS will allow you to plug a USB drive or SD card reader into your iPad, and the Files app will be able to read the plugin and allow you to easily manage data between the iPad's internal storage and the external drive. Files gets a Column View to better take advantage of the iPad's wide screen, and the iCloud Drive allows folder sharing, and will show content from a USB drive or SD card if they're plugged in. There's good news for photographers too, as support is being built into iPadOS to allow you to plug your camera into your iPad and import images directly into editing apps such as Lightroom. iPadOS performance boostYour current iPad could get a performance boost when iPadOS arrives, with Apple claiming that its tablet-specific operating system is quicker than iOS 12. It says Face ID unlocks are up to 30% faster, while apps launch up to twice as fast as on iOS 12 – and apps themselves should be smaller in download size (by up to 50%), taking up less of that precious storage space. Desktop-quality websites and browsing on iPadOSThe Safari web browser is also improved with iPadOS, because it's no longer purely tied to iOS and a mobile ecosystem. That's right: you're no longer just viewing mobile sites, as iPadOS views websites in a modified desktop view that's a bit cleaner and optimized for touch. It doesn't just work with Apple's websites either – the likes of Google Docs and Wordpress web apps will also work better with Safari on iPadOS. Apple's browser will also get a download manager, 30 new keyboard shortcuts, and improved tab management when iPadOS lands later this year. New iPadOS gesturesOne of the bigger features across the whole of iPadOS are the new gestures. The ones we've seen are pretty simple: three-finger pinch to cut, three-finger splay to paste, three-finger swipe to undo. Easy. In some apps, you'll also be able to two-finger-pinch the keyboard to shrink it to iOS mobile size and move it around. Plunk it next to the side of the screen and boom: you can type on it with one thumb. Add to that the new gestures for the home screen and multi-tasking, and there may be a learning curve required to get used to all the new interactions which come with iPadOS. Markup and much more on iPadOSMarkup also gets an update, and you'll be able to mark up entire web pages, documents and emails. A simple swipe up from the corner with your Apple Pencil launches markup and brings up the newly-redesigned tool palette, which can be dragged around and repositioned anywhere on the screen. And speaking of the Pencil, Apple has reduced the latency of its input from 20ms to 9ms, which means you'll get a more natural, pen-like experience when using it. Plenty of new features that are coming to iOS 13 are also headed to iPadOS, like Dark Mode, custom fonts, the new Photos organized by machine learning, and the SwiftKey-like slide-and-type QuickPath keyboard feature. Mouse support for iPadOSiPadOS does supports connecting a mouse to your iPad, though it's not something you'll find front-and-center on the official iPadOS features list. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith initially tweeted out instructions he'd discovered to connect a mouse through new Accessibility settings, and Tom's Guide successfully activated a mouse on an iPad. While it doesn't seem to be the smoothest thing, we're excited for a serious leap in the iPad family's productivity potential and accessibility. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:11 AM PDT Website builders have been around for decades but a new generation now exploit new technologies like responsive and mobile platforms. A website builder can help individuals or businesses build anything from a simple single-page site to a professional web store, even if you've no design or HTML experience at all. Whether you're a sole trader or a multinational corporation, just about every business needs an online presence – in other words, a website. A growing number are adding bells and whistles like an email list or form facility, domain name registration and much more. Even if you don't sell products online a site can help people find you, learn more about your skills and services, and provide a way to share your details with other potential customers. It's like having a permanent, always-on-call personal assistant, ready to answer queries. And website builders can even be free.
More experienced users can customize and fine-tune the design to suit their own needs, or perhaps install a more traditional web design package that allows them to build the perfect site from scratch. There are free options, but these often have major restrictions, including limits on the size of the site and the lack of any ability to use your own domain. Fortunately, the commercial options are very reasonably priced, from around £5/$5 to £10/$10 a month, with hosting included. To help you decide which option is best for your needs, we’ve picked out the cream of the crop: these are the five top players in the website building world right now. Wix has more than 100 million registered users Wix is one of the most popular online website creators, offering a range of plans and products. The free version has Wix branding, limited storage space (500MB) and bandwidth, but move up to the most popular plan (unlimited) and there’s no Wix ads. You get unlimited bandwidth (hence its name) and 10GB storage, along with a free domain, Google Ad vouchers and much more. The e-commerce plans start with the "Business Basic" plan with a price of $17 (£13.30) per month. An excellent collection of 500 plus templates gets the design process off to a quick start. The drag-and-drop editor gives you all kinds of tools and features to explore – an image editor, video backgrounds, animations, social buttons, an integrated site blog – and just about everything can be tweaked, tuned and restyled. Furthermore, as of recently, Wix introduced Wix Turbo, which increases the speed and performance of websites substantially. All the core editing functions are really smartly designed, and operate more like a native app than your average website builder. Wix does have some weaknesses, with tech support seeming a little sluggish and limited in some respects. But there’s no denying that the superb editor and range of top-notch templates make it easy for web building novices to create something impressive. 1&1 IONOS is one of the biggest web hosting companies in the world There’s a lot to like here in terms of a powerful drag-and-drop editor bristling with professional features and highly customizable templates, but at the outset, let’s make it clear that this isn’t the cheapest service around. There’s no free plan (or indeed trial – although there is a 30-day money-back guarantee), and the most basic plan is priced at $1 (£1 for UK) a month for first six months, rising to $7 (£7 for UK) afterwards. That gives you unlimited pages and web space, a simple integrated blog, limited SEO settings, plus website backup and restore, so it’s a touch pricey for what you get. That said, 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite offers a wide range of responsive templates, and an editor which provides loads of potential adjustments and tweaks, all with plenty of visual feedback and context-sensitive menus to help streamline the whole process. What’s clever here is that the top-level stuff is easy to use and understand for beginners, yet expert users can dive more deeply into the menus to really play around and customize elements. You also get your own personal consultant free of charge. Other highly useful features include the ability to point to your old website in order to import media content from there straight into your new site. This could be a huge timesaver for some. There also an e-commerce plan starting at $1 – (£1 for UK) – a month for the first six months, rising to $25 - (£25 for UK) a month). Weebly is one of the few website builders that offer a free hosting tier. Weebly is another big name in the website building world which offers a powerful editor and capable set of features. There’s a free plan, which like Wix limits space to 500MB and imposes ads on your site. However, if you move up to the Professional plan – at $12 (£9.5) a month – the ads and storage limit are dropped, plus you get a free domain, and even support for a web store containing up to 25 products. The supercharged Business plan lets you create sites with unlimited web store products and high-end store features like product reviews and discount coupons, retailing at $25 (£19) a month. The service offers hundreds of professionally-designed web templates, covering just about any site type. The drag-and-drop editor is neatly designed, although you don’t get full control over where you can position elements on the page, and the interface can seem a little cluttered. A further niggle is that there is no global Undo feature. Like Wix, we found tech support was a little wobbly in terms of sluggish responses, but Weebly offers a host of powerful features, some very stylish templates, and easy access to free images for your site is another definite boon. As we’ve seen, many a website builder pitch themselves towards novices and making life easy for the less site-savvy out there, but what about experts who want powerful low-level control? Those are the users Voog has in mind. So you don’t get many templates here, for example, and there’s the bare minimum of media support – but what you do get is a compact drag-and-drop editor which does its best to stay out of your way. There are weaknesses here, and the interface is somewhat clunky in respects – and it’s another which lacks a global Undo function – but it has some real power you can drill down into. For example, clicking a text box gives you the option to use bullet-point lists, insert tables or videos, or even edit the HTML source to customize effects. Voog also lets multiple users easily collaborate on a site project, and if you’re after nifty, unusual features like these, you won’t see them elsewhere. The entry-level Starter plan is priced at $7.40 (£5.30) per month (billed annually) and gives you 2GB storage, and all the core features you’ll need, including SSL security (although it’s limited to 30 pages). If you know what you’re doing in terms of website design, and want some true power and customization capabilities, there is a 30-day trial you can check out (no credit card details needed). Jimdo is a somewhat quirky website builder targeted largely at novice users, but it’s well worth your attention for a number of reasons, not the least of which is a free plan which boasts more than the average offering. Yes, there are the usual limitations including adverts, a 500MB storage limit, no custom domain, and very limited SEO. But there are a few features you won't get in other free plans, like a password protected area, for example. The site editor itself is simple and consistent, even if it’s somewhat unconventional in terms of its design. Also, the editor doesn’t have as many functions and features as some rivals. For example, there aren’t that many templates, and the widgets on offer aren’t as plentiful as you might find elsewhere – plus there’s no global Undo (although Jimdo isn’t alone in this respect). Another neat touch is a good web knowledgebase which means help is generally close at hand when it comes to troubleshooting. Overall, this is a compelling product, that is well worth giving a whirl. You might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides:
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| OnePlus 7T release date, price, news and leaks Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:08 AM PDT The OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro have only been out a few months, but OnePlus typically refreshes the range with a ‘T’ model later in the year and we’re expecting the same to happen before the end of 2019. That might surprise you – after all, the Pro model is a new part of the range so could easily have replaced the expected late-year T update. But rumors of a OnePlus 7T are starting to roll in, so it seems there’s no real change in the company’s release strategy. Coming so soon after the OnePlus 7 Pro, we wouldn’t expect many massive changes, but there are a number of things we’re hoping to see, which we've listed below. We’ve also highlighted all the key news and leaks surrounding the OnePlus 7T, so read on for those first. Latest news: TechRadar exclusively learned from OnePlus CEO Peter Lau himself that the 7T will recharge 23% faster thanks to new internal tech. Cut to the chase
OnePlus 7T release date and priceThe main release date rumor so far for the OnePlus 7T points to a September 26 announcement, but oddly only for India. That will apparently be followed up by an October 10 announcement for the US and Europe, and an October 15 sale date (though the source doesn't specify whether that's a worldwide on-sale date or just for some regions). We've since heard those two October dates put forward again. If that October 15 date sounds familiar it's because an earlier unclear tweet from the same source also pointed to October 15. TechRadar later received confirmation from a source close to the matter that this date was wrong, but at that time it was assumed that October 15 was being put forward as the announcement date, not the date the phone would go on sale. These dates would also more or less line up with past releases. The OnePlus 6T was announced in October 2018 then hit stores in November, while the OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 3T were both announced and went on sale in November of their respective years, so an October or November announcement looks very likely. The OnePlus 7 undercuts most comparable phones As for what it will cost, it’s first worth noting that we might get two new phones – a OnePlus 7T and a OnePlus 7T Pro. But in any case, based on past form we wouldn’t expect prices to be much different to the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro, though they may rise a bit. That would mean a likely starting price of at least £499 (around $600/AU$890) for the OnePlus 7T and at least $669 / £649 (around AU$990) for the OnePlus 7T Pro, assuming both phones launch. However, it’s worth noting that the standard OnePlus 7 isn’t officially available in the US and neither model came to Australia. OnePlus 7T design and screenSince OnePlus CEO Pete Lau shared a picture of the OnePlus 7T rear, we know a lot about the design of the upcoming device. The key take-away is its rear camera bump, which is a design choice we haven't seen on a previous OnePlus phone. We'd expected that, thanks to a series of leaks that suggested as such. It also looks set to be a little larger than the OnePlus 7, judging on the shared picture, but we've no idea just how large it'll be. Two separate leaks have now possibly shown the OnePlus 7T Pro. One set of images was shared on Weibo (a Chinese social network) and shows the alleged OnePlus 7T Pro from both the front and back. However, it’s in a case, so many details are obscured, and what we can see looks basically identical to the OnePlus 7 Pro. That includes a curved bezel-free screen, and three rear cameras in the same arrangement. The only possible difference is that the speaker grille above the screen looks as though it might be more prominent, which could suggest an audio upgrade. The same design can also be seen in the leak below, albeit only the front of the phone this time. That said, IBTimes India claims to have received confirmation from OnePlus that this second set of images actually just shows the OnePlus 7 Pro. That’s interesting because the speaker again seems to stand out more here than on the 7 Pro, but it could just be the design of the case emphasizing it. In any case, it seems these images are likely fake, which also makes us seriously question the images further up in this article, since the design is the same. It would make sense for the design to stay much the same though, since ‘T’ models tend to look similar, just with a few spec upgrades. Having said that, an alternate design has also been leaked. First seen in the photo above back in December 2018, and then more recently leaked in the render and sketches below. As for the screen specs, a leak suggests that the standard OnePlus 7T will have a 6.55-inch 1080 x 2400 screen, while the OnePlus 7T Pro will have a 6.65-inch 1440 x 3100 one, but both apparently use AMOLED, have a 90Hz refresh rate and support HDR10+. OnePlus 7T specs and cameraOnePlus's CEO has confirmed that a new OnePlus phone with 5G will be launching by the end of the year - so this will almost certainly be some version of the OnePlus 7T. We know that the OnePlus 7T will have three rear cameras, thanks to the aforementioned picture shared by Pete Lau, but we don't know what specs these snappers pack. We've also seen a huge info-dump in the form of leaked specs for both the OnePlus 7T and One Plus 7T Pro. It suggests both handsets will use the new Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, have 8GB of RAM, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and a 16MP front camera. There are of course plenty of differences listed though. The OnePlus 7T Pro supposedly has a 4,085mAh battery, 256GB of storage, and a triple-lens rear camera, with a 48MP f/1.6 main lens, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens with a 120-degree field of view. The OnePlus 7T meanwhile is said to have a 3,800mAh battery, and a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage. It also has two of the same rear cameras, but the 7T Pro's telephoto one is apparently replaced by one with slightly different specs here, namely a 12MP one with 2x optical zoom. Based on all the leaks so far, it sounds like the OnePlus 7T Pro will only be a very slight improvement on the OnePlus 7 Pro, but that the OnePlus 7T could be a big upgrade on the OnePlus 7. OnePlus 7T battery and performanceHere's something that isn't rumor - TechRadar heard it directly from OnePlus CEO Peter Lau himself: the OnePlus 7T will charge 23% faster than the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro. This isn't due to a new charger - the OnePlus 7T still uses the Warp Charge 30W power brick that came in its predecessor. Instead, new internal technology, called Warp Charge 30T, juices up the phone at a faster rate. In our internal tests, the OnePlus 7 Pro charged up from 0% to 100% in one hour 23 minutes, so we're excited to see how much faster the OnePlus 7T goes. What we want to seeThe OnePlus 7 and especially the OnePlus 7 Pro were impressive phones, but they could be even better with these upgrades. 1. A class-leading cameraThe OnePlus 7 Pro has lots of lenses but they could use work While the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro both have decent cameras, they’re not among the best around, and given that the OnePlus 7 Pro is essentially a flagship, it’s not unrealistic to ask for it to have a truly top camera. So we hope that the OnePlus 7T and/or OnePlus 7T Pro does. We’d particularly like to see low-light photo quality improved, along with the ability to zoom in further. 2. An IP ratingWhile OnePlus claims that the OnePlus 7 range does have some water resistance, there’s no official IP rating, meaning no certainty as to how water resistant the phones are. The lack of an IP rating was apparently to save money – since it costs money to get the phones certified, and since even with such a certification most brands don’t cover water damage as part of the warranty. It’s a reasonable argument, but for the OnePlus 7T we’d still like the reassurance that an IP rating provides, and ideally improved water resistance too, since various third-party tests suggest the OnePlus 7 range isn’t quite as water resistant as most flagships. 3. An in-screen cameraThe OnePlus 7 Pro's pop-up camera is cool, but not without problems The standard OnePlus 7 has a teardrop notch for its front-facing camera, which almost feels dated in 2019. The OnePlus 7 Pro meanwhile has a pop-up camera, which is more modern and allows for an all-screen design, but also makes the camera feel more vulnerable. Not only that, it also makes facial recognition less appealing, since you have to wait for the camera to pop up, and since doing that dozens of times a day to unlock your phone could wear the mechanism out. So for the OnePlus 7T we’d love to see an in-screen camera. That would allow the phone to retain the OnePlus 7 Pro’s all-screen design, without any of the problems that come with a pop-up camera. We should note that this is unlikely to happen. While the tech exists, it’s not yet available on any handsets, and with the T model likely to be a minor upgrade we wouldn’t particularly expect it, but you never know. 4. Wireless chargingOne small feature that OnePlus hasn’t yet embraced is wireless charging. This probably isn’t a huge deal for most people, but it is a standard flagship feature, so it’s something we’d like to see, especially with the OnePlus 7 Pro being more of a real flagship, rather than the usual more affordable alternatives that OnePlus offers. 5. A slimmer, lighter, smaller buildThe OnePlus 7 Pro is a substantial handset The OnePlus 7 Pro in particular is a big, heavy and fairly thick thing, so we’d love to see the OnePlus 7T get shrunk down slightly, and be a bit lighter. There will be limits to what can be done here while still offering a big screen and battery, but we reckon that refinements are possible. And the screen doesn’t really need to be quite as big as the OnePlus 7 Pro’s mammoth 6.67-inch one anyway. 6. A bigger battery with better lifeThe OnePlus 7 has a 3,700mAh battery and the OnePlus 7 Pro has a 4,000mAh one. Those are both respectable sizes, but not the biggest around, and neither phone delivers particularly brilliant life. So we’d like to see a bigger battery in the OnePlus 7T, and beyond that possibly some software or hardware optimizations to help it last longer. Though in the case of software optimizations, we don’t want the company to take the sort of approach that could interfere with the functionality of apps. 7. Fast charging from third-party chargersThe OnePlus 7 range charges very fast, but only if you use an official OnePlus charger. That’s not a huge problem as one comes in the box, but if you ever need a replacement or a spare, they’re expensive. This also means that if you borrow someone else’s charger you won’t get fast speeds (unless they happen to have a OnePlus one) and nor will you get fast charging from portable chargers/power banks. So we’d like to see this addressed for the OnePlus 7T.
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| Best upcoming games 2019: most anticipated titles for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:01 AM PDT We're rapidly approaching the end of 2019 already and, while we've already seen some great releases, there's still a host of exciting new games on the way to feed your gaming fix. Whether you're looking for boot-shaking scares, heart-racing thrills or some wholesome narrative, we've got you covered. Here at TechRadar we've gathered together a list of the best upcoming games coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in 2019 (and a few releasing in 2020). We'll be updating this list as titles release and others are announced, so watch this space. So without further ado, buckle up and get ready to update your wishlist with the best upcoming games in 2019... Shenmue 3Shenmue 3 (Image credit: YS Net) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? We aren't quite sure what to expect with Shenmue III, especially considering it's not being made by Sega, but hopefully the wait was worth it... Call of Duty: Modern WarfareWhen's it out? What platform? What's it about? It’s all about the gritty realities of war this time out, with the ‘modern’ of the ‘Modern Warfare’ title referring to the high-tech gear of today, the cutting-edge killing machines employed in combat right now in places like the Middle East and Russia, rather than the far-flung fantasies of science fiction. Check out what we thought of Call of Duty Modern Warfare's new Gunfight mode. Pokémon Sword and ShieldPokémon Sword and Shield (Image credit: Nintendo) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? The new games will be based in the Galar region, which is essentially the Nintendo version of Great Britain - including soccer stadiums and quaint countryside. Expect a whole host of new Pokémon to swoon over too, including the adorable Wooloo and melancholy Sobble. Check out our hands on: Pokémon Sword and Shield review. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Image credit: Respawn Entertainment) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? While the official reveal only gave us a glimpse at a story trailer, it was more than enough to get us hyped for the upcoming game. E3 2019 gave us a far more meaty look at the game - including some lightsaber-fueled gameplay. While fans of the galactic franchise have seen official tie-ins in the form of Star Wars Battlefront I and II, the new entry takes on a different tack, focusing on a single-player experience more in line with 2008's The Force Unleashed - we just hope it's as good as it looks. The Outer WorldsThe Outer Worlds (Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? If you were disappointed by Fallout 76 then The Outer Worlds could be one to watch. Make sure to check out The Outer Worlds doesn't shy away from its Fallout roots - and that's great. Doom EternalDoom Eternal (Image credit: iD Software) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Doom Eternal is aiming to go bigger and better than ever before, introducing an enhanced Doom slayer and a host of new demons - and this time the invasion has spread further than Mars. Check out our hands on: Doom Eternal review. Death StrandingDeath Stranding (Image credit: Kojima Productions) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Despite having a firm release date (and various strange trailers), we are still confused about Death Stranding and don't think we'll really have a grasp on its story until we get our hands on it. Cyberpunk 2077Cyberpunk 2077 (Image credit: CD Projekt Red) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Cyberpunk 2077 is an dystopian RPG from The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red, set in a gritty, science fiction world metropolis. It's based off the pen-and-paper RPG of the same name and promises to be a game-changer when it releases next year. If that's not enough for you, then the announcement that Keanu Reeves plays a major role in the game should hopefully get you excited. Final Fantasy 7 RemakeFinal Fantasy 7 Remake (Image credit: Square Enix) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? The development road for Final Fantasy 7 Remake hasn't exactly been smooth. The game was initially announced back at E3 2015, but won't release until March 3, 2020. Regardless, we're still extremely excited to get our hands Square Enix's reimagining of the classic Final Fantasy game. Here's what it's like to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake if you never played the original Watch Dogs: LegionWhen's it out? What platform? What's it about? What's interesting about Legion is that you play as more than one character (a whole host actually), with permadeath wiping out the one you're playing if you happen to end up on the wrong end of an electric bullet. You can apparently play as anyone - with every Londoner being recruitable and fully simulated. Animal Crossing: New HorizonsAnimal Crossing (Image credit: Nintendo) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? We're expecting Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch to offer the same charm and wholesome atmosphere of previous Animal Crossing titles, while hopefully adding some new characters, more furniture and more areas to explore. Marvel's AvengersMarvel's Avengers (Image credit: Crystal Dynamics) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Officially announced at E3 2019, the game will have a multiplayer component alongside a single-player campaign, though it wasn't shown off during the event. What we've heard from Crystal Dynamics in a closed-door briefing is that you'll assemble into teams of four online, customize your characters and fight online together through new scenarios. Crystal Dynamics says this content will be free and will come at a constant clip. Check out our hands on: Marvel's Avengers review. Halo InfiniteHalo Infinite (Image credit: 343 Industries) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? While we don't know much about what to expect from Halo Infinite, we do know that Master Chief is back and he looks stunning on next-generation hardware (we;;, from the trailers). Ghost of TsushimaGhost of Tsushima (Image credit: Sucker Punch Productions) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Ghost of Tsushima is set in 1274 Japan - during the first Mongolian invasion - and sees you take on the role of last samurai on Tsushima Island, determined to defend his home and traditions. Dragon Age 4Dragon Age (Image credit: BioWare) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? It'll no doubt be a couple of years before we see the fourth instalation in the popular RPG franchise Dragon Age, but we're expecting a bigger open-world, further exploration of that cliffhanger and even more characters to swoon over and seduce. The Elder Scrolls 6The Elder Scrolls 6 (Image credit: Bethesda) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? The Last of Us Part 2The Last of Us Part 2 (Image credit: Naughty Dog) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? We don't know much about the story so far but Joel hasn't appeared in the footage we've seen yet, although we do know Troy Baker is involved so he's definitely going to show up eventually. Metroid Prime 4Metroid Prime 4 (Image credit: Nintendo) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? Due to development problems, we don't know much about what Metroid Prime 4 will involve, or when we will see it, but we can't help but be excited. StarfieldStarfield (Image credit: Bethesda) When's it out? What platform? What's it about? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| PS5: all the games, specs, news, and rumors for Sony’s Playstation 5 Posted: 23 Sep 2019 08:52 AM PDT We may not have an official name for it yet, but the next PlayStation console is definitely on its way, and it's set to a bigger, better and more powerful gaming machine than any PlayStation before it. Whether it ends up being called the PS5, PlayStation 5, or otherwise is anyone's guess – but now we know for sure that a next-generation PlayStation console is coming. We heard from Mark Cerny, the chief architect on Sony's next console, that Sony is working on the successor to the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro, with a few choice details about what we could expect from its hardware. The PS5 will still play discs, for one – but as to the exact hardware specifications, and how it will link up with Sony and Microsoft's plans for game streaming, we're still largely in the dark. We've had some surprising leaks, in the form of a Sony-registered patent that seems to show off the PS5's general shape, button inputs, and cooling vents – though even an authentic design outline could change between now and the PlayStation 5's launch. Sony made the tactical decision to skip out on E3 2019 this year, with no big announcements at Gamescom 2019 later in the year either. Microsoft has been keener to show off its Xbox Project Scarlett console – which we know is landing at the end of 2020 – but these early days make the inevitable PS5 vs Xbox Project Scarlett battle still a hazy question to consider. But with 2020 creeping closer, Sony can only keep the finer details of the next-generation PlayStation so secret – and between the rumored specs, likely next-gen titles, and official features we are aware of, there's plenty to keep us busy for now. Here's everything we know about the PS5 so far, and what we hope will be revealed the closer we get to launch. [Update: The PS5 could be Sony's most eco-friendly console yet. Read on to find out more.] PS5 FAQ: quick questions answered
PS5 confirmed specs: things we know for sureGhost of Tsushima (Image Credit: SuckerPunch) A bespoke 8-core AMD chipset based on third generation Ryzen architecture, with a GPU taking the best bits of the Radeon Navi GPU family; a built-for-purpose SSD storage system; 3D audio; backwards compatibility with PS4 games and PSVR hardware; 8K TV support. It's all been revealed by PlayStation top-dog Mark Cerny, the man behind the construction of the PS4, and now in charge of the next-gen console's development. While the look of the console remains a mystery, its internals are coming into focus, and they're very promising. That AMD one-two-punch of CPU and GPU unlocks the powers of ray tracing, an advanced lighting technique that can bring next-level immersion to gaming visuals. It's a Hollywood technique that's used in big-budget CGI spectacles, putting into context the level of visual fidelity you can expect. With 8K TV support comes far more detailed textures, and much larger ones at that. The news of a bespoke SSD drive will be heartening then – just because the games will be becoming more complex, that doesn't mean they'll be slower to load too. It's estimated that the new SSD is 19 times faster than traditional SSD storage methods. Audio will reach a new "gold standard" on PS5 too, according to Cerny, thanks to a new audio engine that will deliver immersive sound – particularly if you're using headphones. While the details remain unclear, expect something resembling the experience seen with a Dolby Atmos set-up. Sony's PS5 next-generation console will also offer improved cloud gaming performance and "dramatically improved graphics rendering" power. That's the word straight from the company itself, as it showed off a sneak peak during a corporate strategy presentation. In a statement sent out following the presentation, Sony said the "two keywords for the future direction of PlayStation are 'immersive' and 'seamless'", with the 'immersive' experience "created by dramatically increased graphics rendering speeds, achieved through the employment of further improved computational power and a customized ultra-fast, broadband SSD". The company also reinforced the importance of its cloud-gaming plans with Playstation Now, and somewhat surprisingly doubled down on its underused Remote Play feature, saying the "evolution" of this would in the future "provide a seamless game experience anytime, anywhere". Remote Play is already available as part of the PS4 package, enabling you to stream a game direct from the console to a computer, smartphone, tablet or PS Vita handheld console. But Sony says that going forward it will be "leveraging the latest computing, streaming, cloud, and 5G technologies" to allow it, and the performance of PlayStation Now, to improve. Sony also showed off a demo of the custom SSD storage system that will be employed in its next-gen machine, again hammering home how it expects super-fast load times to improve the player experience: It appears to be the same demo that PlayStation hardware architect Mark Cerny revealed back in April, with Sony suggesting then that the SSD in use is 19 times faster than a standard issue one. In fact, a patent from Sony describes a type of loading software designed to essentially do away with loading screens altogether. The meeting comes off the back of two key pieces of the puzzle for the PS5 being revealed – firstly, that the next-gen machine will make use of a third-generation, 8-core AMD Ryzen CPU built with 7-nanometer Zen 2 microarchitecture, alongside a customized Radeon Navi GPU capable of ray tracing, and a surprising partnership with Microsoft to bolster the PlayStation Now cloud infrastructure. Sony has also confirmed the PS5's 'incredibly powerful' backwards compatibility will let you play online with PS4 players. There have also been rumors that the PS5 could be backwards compatible with the PS4, PS3, PS2, and original PlayStation, meaning its games library could stretch right back to the glory days of the mid 90s. The PS4 element of that rumor is now confirmed, as well as PSVR support. Sony has also confirmed that PS5 players will be able to play online with PS4 players thanks to this powerful backwards compatibility. When it comes to the rest of Sony's vintage catalog? That remains to be seen. Despite releasing some details on specs and features, Sony remains tight-lipped about some specific plans for the PS5: the PlayStation 5 release date remains a mystery, for instance. 2019 has been ruled out, but it will definitely be revealed in the coming months, thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment's President and CEO Shawn Layden confirming as much in an interview with Golem.de. In addition, Sony president Kenichiro Yoshida had also previously confirmed the company is working on a next-generation console in an interview with the Financial Times. It's been four years in the making already. Back in May, Sony Interactive CEO John Kodera revealed to the Wall Street Journal that the PlayStation 5 would not be releasing until at least 2021. That now seems a reasonable guess, debuking a report from Ace Securities that claimed the PS5 could release as soon as Christmas 2019 - earlier than the Xbox Two. PS5 release dateUncharted 4: A Thief's End (Image Credit: Naughty Dog) With no official word yet on a PlayStation 5 release date it's difficult to pin down exactly when we might get to see a PS5 console. Some analysts are predicting the PlayStation 5 release date could be around 2020 or 2021, for example, while others say 2019 – so just the three-year window, then. With 2019 now ruled out by the Wired interview, 2020 seemed the most realistic launch window. However Tech reporter Takahishi Mochizuki revealed details of a transcribed conversation during Sony's latest earnings call, which specified that "no next-gen PlayStation [would] launch over next 12 months." That means we won't be seeing the console before mid-2020. That rules out the rest of 2019 and the first half of 2020, with the usual holiday-schedule release for Sony's console systems (October / November) making late 2020 the most likely bet - putting the PS5 in direct competition with Microsoft's Xbox Project Scarlett (which will release in Holiday 2020). According to a 'leaked internal email' from Sony (and posted to NeoGaf), the PS5 will be unveiled at a "PlayStation Meeting 2020" launch event on February 12, 2020. This meeting, according to the rumor, aims to showcase "the future of Sony PlayStation to the whole world". In response to a request for comment, a Sony spokesperson stated: "We don’t comment on rumour and speculation". PS5 competitionPS4 dashboard (Image credit: Sony) Although we're hideously impatient for news of a PlayStation 5 release date, we can't fault Sony for taking another few years to really milk the last of the PS4, given its huge and loyal player base. After all, the PS4 Pro is still relatively new to the market and its direct competitor, the Microsoft's Xbox One X, is an even more recent release. It looks like Microsoft will release its next-generation console before Sony, which will give the next Xbox the edge on its competition. However, Sony taking longer to develop the PS5 may result in it being more successful long-term. However, if Sony chooses to release the PS5 at the end of 2020 then it puts the console in direct competition with Xbox Project Scarlett. In addition to the next Xbox, the PS5 will also have to contend with the Google Stadia – a streaming-focused gaming service from the kings of the internet. With streaming undoubtedly set to be a key component of any console going forward (and Sony's cloud streaming patent already being leaked), Google's expertise in internet infrastructure could make them a dark horse entrant into the gaming race. But Sony and Microsoft may end up eating their own offerings if appetite for streaming renders powerful home consoles somewhat redundant.
PS5 news and rumorsSolid news on the PlayStation 5 is starting to come into shape, but as always, we do have rumors about what could be coming down the line – and we've collected and assessed them right here. Most eco-friendly console to date Jim Ryan, Sony president and CEO, announced in a post on the PlayStation Blog that the PS5 has a gameplay suspension feature that uses less energy than the PS4 - with Ryan estimating that the PS5's consumption can be achieved at 0.5 watts. "The next-generation PlayStation console will include the possibility to suspend gameplay with much lower power consumption than PS4," Ryan wrote in the blog. "If just one million users enable this feature, it would save equivalent to the average electricity use of 1,000 US homes." PlayStation 5 Pro could launch alongside standard model As spotted by Wccftech, noted Japanese games journalist Zenji Nishikawa made the claim in a new video on his YouTube channel, and while that kind of thing normally wouldn't be considered a rock-solid lead, Nishikawa has proven accurate in the past with his predictions of the PS4 Pro and Switch Lite. According to Nishikawa, the PS5 Pro will cost around $100-$150 more than the basic PS5 console. The report states that Sony is taking this approach because it has "acknowledged the interest in a high-end model and wants to give players what they want right from the beginning of the generation". PS5 patent leak – with a lot of cooling vents The V-shaped design also makes sense as a reference to the Roman numeral 'V', meaning '5'. You can also see USB ports for DualShock controllers and a thin line seeming to designate a disc drive. This could be a placeholder image, or a design outline open to change over the coming months, but it's given us our first good idea of what the PS5 could actually look like. Leaked reveal date? It's worth taking this rumor with a huge pinch of salt as it hasn't been verified that this is an official internal email. In response to a request for comment, a Sony spokesperson stated: "We don’t comment on rumour and speculation". Ghost of Tsushima PS5 launch exclusive? God of War (Image credit: SIE Santa Monica Studio) PS5 could mark the end of loading screens after Sony patent Sony's patent, 'System and method for dynamically loading game software for smooth game play' outlines a technology that tracks the player's movement through their environment, loading relevant assets as you move into certain areas. The patent describes the process as follows: “A system and method are disclosed for dynamically loading game software for smooth game play. A load boundary associated with a game environment is identified. A position of a character in the game environment is then monitored. Instructions corresponding to a next game environment are loaded into a memory when the character crosses the load boundary, such that game play is not interrupted." Technically this patent is a continuation of a previous patent filed in 2012, but with added functions for when a player / character passes the aforesaid "load boundary". Those might be additional events triggered when passing certain points, certain sections of game environments being visible despite not being adjacent areas, or previous areas being loaded again when back-tracking through the boundary. This seems like a version of the technology used in games like God of War, which famously achieved a continuous camera shot throughout the whole game, without loading screens. Using dynamic ways to load or remove sections of levels, including the kinds of character, creature or enemy assets found there, is going to be increasingly crucial for ensuring an immersive experience that isn't regularly interrupted – ensuring that loading is something that happens dynamically in the background of your games rather than at set points that render the game unable to do anything else. Marvel's Spider-Man (Image credit: Insomniac Games) PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games The comments were reportedly made by Sony Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida at a strategy meeting according to The Wall Street Journal. According to Yoshida, instead of prioritizing indie developers, Sony will instead prioritize marketing for AAA content which will likely be key for the company to maintain its momentum after outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One two-to-one over the last five years. Sony's cloud streaming patent In other words, a cloud gaming service which could rival the Google Stadia (or a cloud streaming new Xbox) and could potentially launch with the PS5. Players would be able to stream a game through a hosting server. So if you have a device that connects to the internet, be that a mobile device, console, or PC, you can connect to that server and the game you're wanting to play will be streamed to your monitor or screen, allowing can play using your preferred input device. Imagine Netflix for gaming. Rather than downloading a game, it is instead streamed directly to your device and you would play real-time, cutting the need to delete games to make storage room on your device and reducing the hardware requirements - although you wouldn't technically own the title. A diagram illustrating how the streaming service would work, included in Sony's patent (Image credit: Sony/ United States Patent and Trademark Office) Sony also points out that this cloud gaming service would benefit game developers as the service would prevent piracy (as the games exist only on the server) and developers would be able to design games to specifically utilize the service's capabilities. But how would player's pay for this service? Sony details two particular models in its patent. The first would see Sony itself collecting a subscription fee from users, then paying royalties to the developers. The second sees the developers themselves collecting a subscription fee from players, then paying Sony a fee for using the hosting service. However, neither model specified a price range. We expect Sony would implement this cloud gaming service alongside the PlayStation 5, although the company hasn't specified if this is the case. The next Xbox will be more powerful than the PS5 – say industry insiders Check out the tweet below: Bowden's claim hasn't been confirmed but, from the Xbox Project Scarlett specs we've seen so far, it looks likely. The Last of Us: Part 2 (Image credit: Naughty Dog) Patent suggests backwards compatibility – now confirmed Kenichiro Yoshida confirms next-gen PS5 game development is in full swing John Kodera talks life cycles During the meeting, Kodera made it clear that Sony is still very much behind the console but warned that sales are expected to slow, in line with expectations as market saturation approaches. As a console gets to this point in its lifecycle, it's natural to start looking forward to the next iteration. Kodera stated that the time passing from now until 2021 would be a period where Sony would hunker down – which suggests that a new big idea could be around the corner. Perhaps 2021 will be the time to expect the PS5? No E3 2018 or 2019 appearance Cyberpunk 2077 (Image credit: CD Projekt Red) Andrew House talks the next generation In other markets, however, he thinks that streaming games will be a big part of the next generation of consoles - something which looks to be true considering Sony's leaked cloud gaming patent and the Google Stadia. House also stated that he thinks the PS4 and the PS4 Pro still have a long life in them yet. With the PS5 confirmed to be backwards-compatible with PS4 then the PS4 generation will remain relevant long into the lifecycle of the PS5. The SemiAcccurate report In addition to this, SemiAccurate also reports that Sony will use this console to push its VR efforts even further, with VR-tech baked in at the Silicon level, and will sport a GPU based on AMD's Navi architecture with a CPU that's potentially a custom item from AMD's Zen line. The Navi rumors have since been confirmed by Cerny, with the Sony guru also confirming that PSVR will work with the new machine. PS4 on stage (Image credit: TechRadar) The PlayStation Plus news This is, of course, pure speculation but it's interesting that Sony would be willing to reduce its game offering to only two games (as it informed Polygon) without any other excuse than wishing to focus on titles for an already highly successful console. Whether Sony is truly making way for the PS5 or whether it's going to offer a higher quality of PS4 game is unclear and it seems we'll have to wait a while to find out what the final plan for PS Plus is. What the analyst says...DualShock 4 controller (Image credit: Sony) We spoke to Matias Rodriguez, VP of technology for the Gaming Studio at Globant, about what it will take for Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles to get the lead on the competition and, at this point, whether the next Xbox or PS5 looks to be more powerful. He told us: “While hardware advantages such as CPU and GPU are often criteria people look at when it comes to the business and sales performance of a console, more telling signs of the performance of a console include software SDKs, bindings to game engines (such as Unity and Unreal), and, most importantly, the toolchain that allows gaming studios and publishers to build content for the console’s platform. “Given this, and how statistically speaking, Xbox and PlayStation have taken turns being the reigning-supreme console, I predict Microsoft will take the lead this time.” But what are the key factors in the next-gen console war? Rodriguez gave us a rundown of the attributes he believes will sway players’ preferences when it comes to picking up one of the consoles. God of War (Image Credit: SIE) Exclusives “His crusade proved successful with the addition of Obsidian and Ninja Theory studio – preparing Microsoft for next-gen consoles. It was also revealed that Microsoft will be delivering the new Halo game, Halo Infinite, which is expected to outperform and replace the current Halo that is on the esports ecosystem.” Currently Halo Infinite is one of the only first-party titles from Microsoft that we're expecting on the next Xbox (apart from perhaps Gears 5), and, while the series is definitely a huge draw to fans, it may not be enough to sway PlayStation players towards the next Xbox. Meanwhile the PS5 is offering the possibility of The Last of Us: Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding as exclusives on its next-generation console. When it comes to exclusives, Sony seems to have the edge. Death Stranding (Image credit: Kojima Productions) Backwards compatibility “Microsoft already has the current functionality for back compatibility, and seems to be partnering with Nintendo to deliver Xbox content to the Switch platform, which is assumed to be streamed.” Microsoft definitely has the upper hand when it comes to backwards compatibility. As Rodriguez points out, Microsoft already has backwards compatibility integrated, allowing Xbox players to play select Xbox 360 titles, and will no doubt implement the same strategy in making the next Xbox compatible with Xbox One titles. While Sony has said the PS5 will be backwards-compatible with the PS4, it still lacks the ability (as far as we know) to let us play PlayStation or PlayStation 2 titles – something which would go down a treat with players. Whether this is something Sony plans on allowing in the future is unclear, but it doesn’t seem likely right now. Cross-platform / progression It’s no secret that Sony isn’t a fan of cross-platform – the only titles which actually allow for full cross-platform play between PlayStation and other consoles are Rocket League and Fortnite. Despite Sony claiming it’s “open for business”, some developers have accused Sony of “playing favorites” (via Kotaku). Whether or not Sony is going to ease up on its cross-play restrictions isn’t clear, but mounting pressure from fans and developers may sway the company in the right direction. Meanwhile, Microsoft is pretty open to cross-platform play, allowing play between Xbox One and PC, Switch and even mobile in some cases. For players who love playing online with friends (without the restrictions of which platform that friend may be playing on) then cross-platform could be an important factor in choosing a next-generation console. Get with the times, Sony. Th evolution of Tomb Raider (Image credit: Sony) Cloud game streaming While Microsoft does seem to be going digital with its disc-less Xbox One S All-Digital (and rumors of a disc-less next-gen console), Sony has just had a patent approved for a cloud gaming service that could rival both the Google Stadia and next Xbox. We don’t know much more about this streaming service from Sony (or whether it’ll launch alongside the PS5) but if it does then it will be a game-changer, and will potentially prevent the Stadia having the edge over its competition. Developer relationship / dev environment Arguably, Microsoft is the most friendly of the gaming giants when it comes to indie titles. The ID@Xbox program allows indie developers to self-publish titles for Windows and the Xbox One, and it’s likely the program will continue into the next-generation (or some form of it at least). In addition, Microsoft titles tend to run across both PC and Xbox One, making life easier for devs. If Sony can kick it up a notch and get the PS5 onto a PC level (which seems to be the case), then the platform may become more hospitable to devs and players alike. PS5: Can we have proper 4K gaming?PS4 games (Image credit: Sony) The PS4 Pro offers a tantalizing hint of what 4K gaming could be like. But the stark fact remains: it still doesn’t have the grunt to do native 4K consistently. Its “checkerboard” technique of taking single pixels and using each to render four pixels in 4K resolution is clever, and it can do native 4K output, but it often has to sacrifice resolution to keep performance consistent. Chris Kingsley, CTO and co-founder of developer Rebellion, dangles an even more ambitious technological carrot in front of a putative PS5: “Obviously new hardware should be able to support 4K TVs and possibly even 8K TVs at a push!” Native 4K support will be a basic requirement of the PlayStation 5. And, thanks to the Mark Cerny's confirmation, 8K will be supported in some form too. But 4K base-line visuals won't be all – it's been confirmed that the new console will support ray-tracing graphical capabilities. The past two GDC events gave us a glimpse of what the next generation of games might look like using the technology, and it's left us extremely excited for the PS5. Real-time ray tracing was revealed to be the next big thing in rendering while Epic Games gave us a taste of how it might be used to create the most lifelike characters ever. Using its capture technology, the Unreal Engine creator displayed a future with character models so realistic they bring us close to crossing the uncanny valley. Watch a performance from Andy Serkis below to see just how capable these new development technologies are: “Honestly, between five and ten years from now, I don't think you're going to be able to tell the difference between the real and the virtual world,” Epic CTO Kim Libreri told GamesIndustry.biz, “You'll see hardware that can support these kinds of capabilities pretty shortly, and then, finally, the greatest blockbuster with the most complicated effects, within ten years, you'll be able to do that in real-time.” PS5: The VR effectSony became the first console manufacturer to embrace virtual reality, thanks to the PlayStation VR, but if you examine PlayStation VR closely – and observe how it operates on the PS4 Pro – it invites speculation about how a PlayStation 5 console might take VR to a new level. Sony's Mark Cerny has confirmed that existing PSVR headsets will work with the next-generation PlayStation console, but wouldn't be drawn into confirming a PSVR 2 release just yet. Currently, PlayStation VR operates at lower resolution than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive – but, as it stands, even its current incarnation almost pushes the base PlayStation 4 beyond its limits. Running a PlayStation VR on a PS4 Pro brings improved frame-rates, which are very handy indeed in terms of the overall VR experience, but even the PS4 Pro can’t overcome the resolution constraints set by the PlayStation VR headset.
So it’s a good bet that, seeing as PlayStation VR has proved incredibly successful, Sony will want to return to the market with a second, markedly higher-tech iteration: which would provide an obvious selling point for the PlayStation 5. And if a PlayStation VR 2 headset could be sold without an external black box, it should be markedly cheaper, further accelerating VR’s march into the mainstream. A report from SemiAcccurate, which claims that the PS5 will have virtual reality capabilities built-in at silicon level, suggests this will indeed be the case – a feature that was hinted at by Cerny, too. PlayStation VR (Image credit: Sony) Rebellion’s Kingsley makes another good point about second-generation VR. “Anything that reduces the leads has to be a good thing,” he says. The umbilical cord which currently attaches VR headset-wearers to their consoles or PCs obviously goes against VR’s entire immersive nature, and we’re already beginning to see, for example, a third-party implementation for the HTC Vive that renders it wireless. Oculus is pushing the wire-free space forward to with its Oculus Go and Oculus Quest hardware. It’s a safe bet that the capacity for running a wireless PlayStation VR 2 will be built into the PS5. But Kingsley’s PlayStation VR 2 wish-list goes further: “Wide vertical and horizontal field-of-view would be top of my list, and of course, that would require 4K resolution per eye, and high dynamic range would be great too.” HDR and wider fields of view should be achievable but sadly, we don’t reckon full 4K VR is likely to be a possibility even for the PS5. As Kingsley points out, that would require 4K rendering per eye, which equates to 8K rendering overall, which we expect to be beyond the PS5’s capabilities. That said, perhaps Sony will find some clever technological bodge to get around that before it releases its fifth PlayStation console. Foveated rendering techniques, using eye tracking to render only the items you're focusing on in high definition while other elements are reduced in quality, could be one potential technique used. In addition, according to published patent (spotted by Upload VR), Sony is working on "prescription glasses with eye gaze tracking and electro optical signaling to a HMD". These Sony developed prescription glasses would be custom-designed for the wearer and gaze would be able to be detected by the VR headset via an encoded sensor. In other words, glasses-wearers could use VR much easier. We don't expect these glasses to come cheap, but the implementation of eye gaze software does mean we can probably expect it to arrive in the PSVR 2... Gran Turismo Sport (Image credit: Polyphony Digital) While most of what we 'know' about Sony's next-generation VR is speculation and rumor, we do know that one developer is already thinking about what it would do with the power of PS5 VR. In a roundable interview with GT Planet, Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi revealed that, when it comes to harnessing the power of next-gen consoles, developer Polyphony Digital's focus is primarily on VR. “The first thing that’s going to be affected by more power is VR,” Yamauchi told GT Planet. “I don’t think that there’s anything else that requires that much processing power. I really like VR; I’m one to believe in the possibilities of it, and it’s very suited for a driving game.” As Gran Turismo is a PlayStation exclusive series, it's likely that the future of the racing franchise will be fuelled by PlayStation VR and its likely successor: PlayStation VR 2. While Sony hasn't officially confirmed that PSVR 2 is in development, Yamauchi's comments suggest that the company will be leaning into VR in a big way when it comes to the upcoming PS5. “VR is something that really depends on the evolution of GPU power, and the hardware for it, like display devices even," Yamauchi continued. "It’s something where you can never have enough computing power; there’s always going to be that hardware limit, and that limit is never going to be high enough for us! Obviously that’s going to gradually improve over time and we’ll make sure to follow that.” Ratchet and Clank (Image credit: Sony) What form will the PS5 take?It has been suggested that future consoles like the PlayStation 5 could take radically different forms to current ones, thanks to advances in cloud computing and game streaming, doing away with the components that make today's devices so bulky. However, we reckon it's unlikely that Sony will take a more Nintendo-like approach and put the PS5 in a tiny box. One reason for that is that with the PS4, Sony has only just committed to using what are basically the innards of a PC – the first three PlayStation variants used proprietary components (and which in the PS3 impacted sales). Developers, certainly, were massively relieved that the PS4 took the PC route.
“Developers want the ability to make the best games using the minimum amount of effort. We want to focus on being creative and getting things to just work,” Kingsley says. “So the hardware should be based around current console hardware, which is in turn based on PC hardware. We always want fast CPUs and GPUs, but lots of fast RAM is also very important – it’s no use having fast processors if they are starved of data.” All the above are achievable, but will the PS5 still have a hard disk? It certainly will – but not the sort that you know currently. Sony has confirmed it will be employing a bespoke solid state drive in each PS5, allowing it to decrease loading times by an estimated 19 times compared to existing SSD technology. PlayStation Now (Image credit: Sony) PS5 and streaming gamesOf course, if games were just streamed to the PS5 that high-res texture storage problem would disappear entirely, and Sony already has a game-streaming service in the form of PlayStation Now. However, we do know that Sony has a patent for a "system for combining recorded application state with application streaming interactive video output" (aka a cloud gaming service).
One of the biggest issues here remains around broadband speeds. Even 4K TV requires a minimum of 25Mbps broadband in order to provide satisfactory streaming, and it’s doubtful whether 4K game streaming – with extra information on top of the visual side – would even work reliably at such speeds. There would be nothing to stop Sony launching a small form-factor cloud-based version of the PS5 console for those with mega-fast broadband, perhaps with a mobile phone-style subscription model that has an upfront hardware costs (something Microsoft is thinking about). But for the PS5 to sell anything like its predecessors, there would have to be a conventional version with similar innards to the PS4, which going from the Cerny interview appears to be the case. Uncharted (Image credit: Naughty Dog) PS5: optical discs or not?The rise of downloadable games, which continue to eat into the physical disc market, means that pundits have been predicting that consoles will go discless for about a decade now. However, PS5 won’t be the first system to risk venturing down that road, with physical media still confirmed to be supported. Sony has taken a lot of (justifiable) flak for not putting a 4K Blu-ray drive in the PS4 Pro – making it a less attractive purchase for film and TV buffs than the Xbox One S or the Xbox One X. Surveys continue to show that gamers are still attached to the possibility of buying games on physical discs – not least because they can then sell them (a practice that the games industry hates), and keep hard disk space usage at a manageable level. If Sony were to axe the Blu-ray drive from the PS5, gamers would expect several terabytes of storage in compensation. Kingsley gives a developer’s view on the topic: “I think the days of delivering films and games via disc are on the decline, as most people are going digital; however, some people like physical discs, so who knows whether that decline will level out and remain present but at a lower level than now?” Download figures have been on the rise over the last year but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen has said that he thinks consoles and disc drives will continue to stick around. “Consoles and disc drives probably stay around for a long period of time [...] I think it's the consumer deciding what's the easiest way for them to buy a game. “And it may mean they no longer have a store down the street from them so they decide to buy it [digitally] maybe it's easier for them to do.” PlayStation 4 hardware (Image credit: TechRadar) What games can we expect to see on PS5?The entire PS4 library, including PSVR games, will be supported by the PS5. That much is known. But there are now games being developed specifically for this new PlayStation 5 console generation and the extra power it's likely to offer. Already we've seen CD Projekt Red mention that it's developing for this generation as well as the next, and alongside the rumors that there are already developers kits out in the open, we think there's a good chance that Cyberpunk 2077 will be one of the early PS5 titles. Likewise, a knowing glance from Cerny during his Wired interview pointed towards Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding being a cross-generation title, too. At this point, any first-party PS4 game in the pipeline – from Ghost of Tsushima to The Last of Us 2, would be prime candidates for PS5 cross-gen upgrades. We've also heard enough chatter around a Horizon Zero Dawn sequel and new God of War game to assume we'll be seeing both land on the PS5 console. Sony has also confirmed the PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games in an effort to focus on "serious gamers".
Check out our PS4 vs PS4:PSVR compared and explained video below.
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| A Reddit user charted just how much AMD is beating Intel right now Posted: 23 Sep 2019 08:47 AM PDT It's no secret that AMD is experiencing a surge in both popularity and sales, but we've just seen some analysis that really puts AMD's recent victories into perspective. Recently through the German retailer, both the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Ryzen 5 3600 have outsold Intel's entire product range – and this isn't exactly a new occurrence. That alone would be enough to assert AMD's dominance, but Reddit user ingebor gathered up a whole bunch of sales data from Mindfactory that illustrates just how far AMD has come in the last decade.
According to this data, AMD has been beating Intel in the amount of processors sold since the tail end of 2018, but that didn't exactly result in AMD collecting more cash. This is probably because Intel charges much more for its processors on average. Reddit user ingebor included a graph recording the average selling price for each processor, and Intel has been much higher for years now. So, even if AMD sells more processors, that doesn't result in more revenue. Until recently, that is. According to the revenue graph, AMD has recently experienced a massive spike in revenue (and in the average selling price of its processors). The graph isn't labeled by month, but it looks like this spike occurred right around when AMD launched its Ryzen 3rd Generation lineup, spearheaded by the Ryzen 9 3900X. From the way things are looking now, it doesn't look like Intel will be taking back its leader position in the desktop CPU market, at least until Team Blue puts out its 10th gen desktop lineup. We've seen some rumors that it would be putting out some 10th-gen Cascade Lake-X processors, but it's unlikely that HEDT chips like that will regain Intel's market dominance. Why is AMD doing so well?AMD launched its first generation of Ryzen processors in early 2017, and that's right when we see the first spike of that red line on all three graphs. Before that, AMD had relied on its struggling Bulldozer CPU architecture, which allowed Intel to dominate the desktop CPU market with little to no competition. AMD Ryzen could have easily been a fluke, but Intel kept releasing more and more optimizations of Skylake, rather than innovating, which helped AMD's Zen architecture take over. With each AMD Ryzen release, we see AMD gaining market share – with another spike in 2018 with Ryzen 2nd generation, and than an absolutely meteoric rise this year with AMD Ryzen 3rd generation. Intel will be putting out a new Coffee Lake Refresh chip with the Intel Core i9-9900KS, and while it will probably sell – 5.0GHz on all cores means it will be a speedy little piece of silicon – but we really don't think it will be enough to reverse the trend. However, if Intel is able to bring some of the efficiency and AI features in Ice Lake to the desktop audience without significantly raising the price of its silicon, we might see Team Blue start to claw its way back to dominance. And, honestly, we hope something actually happens. It's nice to see AMD give Intel some long-awaited competition, but the last thing we want to see is AMD fall into complacency like Intel did. When the PC components marketplace is competitive, everyone wins, so we want nothing more than for Intel to put out some killer processors. Now all we have to do is sit and wait to see what the 10th generation has in store. Via Tom's Hardware
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