Apple : Rugby World Cup 2019 live stream: how to watch every match online free from anywhere |
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| Rugby World Cup 2019 live stream: how to watch every match online free from anywhere Posted: 19 Sep 2019 01:42 PM PDT Can you hear that? The deafening chants of Sweet Chariot, the All Blacks' fearsome Haka, the noise of a full force scrum - that's the noise of the Rugby World Cup 2019 kicking off tomorrow. The first match starts on Friday, September 20, kicking off six weeks of thrilling action. The Rugby World Cup is set to be held for the first time in Japan and twenty teams will be going up against each other across 48 matches. It's shaping up to be the most evenly-contested tournament in its history, and you can watch all the action, no matter where you are, by following our Rugby World Cup live stream guide below. Unsurprisingly, the majority of tipsters are split between New Zealand, their neighbours Australia, and South Africa as to who will win the tournament. Nevertheless, the balance of power in the rugby world has shifted towards the northern hemisphere in recent years, with Wales, Ireland, and England all having been in and around the world number one ranking position, and Scotland not too far behind. Or is this the year that one of the less fashionable nations step up and show what they can do? We all know how dangerous Argentina are, but what of Fiji, Georgia and the hosts themselves? If you want to know where you'll be able to watch every single match, we'll tell you exactly where you can catch it online with a Rugby World Cup live stream and the broadcasters that are showing it absolutely FREE. No matter where on Earth you are, we'll make sure you know where to catch the coverage. How to watch the 2019 Rugby World Cup from outside your countryYou don't have to miss a single minute of the 2019 Rugby World Cup - even if you're abroad and discover that your home broadcaster's online coverage is geo-blocked (we hate it when that happens). If that happens to you and you're desperate to watch your domestic coverage - whether that be in the UK or Australia (where it's free), New Zealand or the US (where it isn't) or anywhere else in the world - there's still a way to get it that doesn't involve putting your security at risk with some dodgy, illegal stream from Reddit. You can simply use a VPN to login back to your country that is broadcasting the actions, and it's really easy to do: How to stream Rugby World Cup 2019 live in the UK for FREELive stream the Rugby World Cup in Australia for FREEHow to watch the Rugby World Cup 2019 in New Zealand FREEHow to watch the 2019 Rugby World Cup: US live stream
Live stream Rugby World Cup 2019 matches in CanadaWhat is the format of the 2019 Rugby World Cup?The Rugby World Cup is a twenty-team tournament. Each country begins in one of four pools that each contain five teams. Each team plays one match against each of the other teams in the same pool. The teams finishing in the top two of each pool advance to the quarter-finals from where the tournament goes into a familiar knockout format. Who are the favourites for the Rugby World Cup?While Ireland go into the tournament as the world’s no.1 ranked team, three-time World Cup winners New Zealand are the clear favourites with Betfair.com to once again lift the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan. What teams are competing in this year's Rugby World Cup?Argentina Australia Canada England Fiji France Georgia Ireland Italy Japan Namibia New Zealand Russia Samoa Scotland South Africa Tonga Uruguay USA Wales 2019 Rugby World Cup fixturesAll times in BST Pool A Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa Match 1 Japan vs Russia Tokyo Stadium Friday, September 20 11.45am Match 2 Ireland vs Scotland International Stadium Yokohama Sunday, September 22 8.45am Match 3 Russia vs Samoa Kumagaya Rugby Stadium Tuesday, September 24 11.15am Match 4 Japan vs Ireland Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa Saturday, September 28 8.15am Match 5 Scotland vs Samoa Kobe Misaki Stadium Monday, September 30 11.15am Match 6 Ireland vs Russia Kobe Misaki Stadium Thursday, October 3 11.15am Match 7 Japan vs Samoa City of Toyota Stadium Saturday, October 5 11.30am Match 8 Scotland vs Russia Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa Wednesday, October 9 8.15am Match 9 Ireland vs Samoa Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium Saturday, October 12 11.45am Match 10 Japan vs Scotland International Stadium Yokohama Sunday, October 13 11.45am Pool B Match 1 New Zealand vs South Africa International Stadium Yokohama Saturday, September 21 10.45am Match 2 Italy vs Namibia Hanazono Rugby Stadium Sunday, September 22 6.15am Match 3 Italy vs Canada Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium Thursday, September 26 8.45am Match 4 South Africa vs Namibia City of Toyota Stadium Saturday, September 28 10.45am Match 5 New Zealand vs Canada Oita Stadium Wednesday, October 2 11.15am Match 6 South Africa vs Italy Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa Friday, October 4 10.45am Match 7 New Zealand vs Namibia Tokyo Stadium Sunday, October 6 5.45am Match 8 South Africa vs Canada Kobe Misaki Stadium Tuesday, October 8 11.15am Match 9 New Zealand vs Italy City of Toyota Stadium Saturday, October 12 5.45am Match 10 Namibia vs Canada Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium Sunday, October 13 4.15am Pool C Match 1 France vs Argentina Tokyo Stadium Saturday, September 21 8.15am Match 2 England vs Tonga Sapporo Dome Sunday, September 22 11.15am Match 3 England vs USA Kobe Misaki Stadium Thursday, September 26 11.45am Match 4 Argentina vs Tonga Hanazono Rugby Stadium Saturday, September 28 5.45am Match 5 France vs USA Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium Wednesday, October 2 8.45am Match 6 England vs Argentina Tokyo Stadium Saturday, October 5 9am Match 7 France vs Tonga Kumamoto Stadium Sunday, October 6 8.45am Match 8 Argentina vs USA Kumagaya Rugby Stadium Wednesday, October 9 5.45am Match 9 England vs France International Stadium Yokohama Saturday, October 12 9.15am Match 10 USA vs Tonga Hanazono Rugby Stadium Sunday, October 13 6.45am Pool D Match 1 Australia vs Fiji Sapporo Dome Saturday, September 21 5.45am Match 2 Wales vs Georgia City of Toyota Stadium Monday, September 23 11.15am Match 3 Fiji vs Uruguay Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium Wednesday, September 25 6.15am Match 4 Georgia vs Uruguay Kumagaya Rugby Stadium Sunday, September 29 6.15am Match 5 Australia vs Wales Tokyo Stadium Sunday, September 29 8.45am Match 6 Georgia vs Fiji Hanazono Rugby Stadium Thursday, October 3 6.15am Match 7 Australia vs Uruguay Oita Stadium Saturday, October 5 6.15am Match 8 Wales vs Fiji Oita Stadium Wednesday, October 9 10.45am Match 9 Australia vs Georgia Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa Friday, October 11 11.15am Match 10 Wales vs Uruguay Kumamoto Stadium Sunday, October 13 9.15am KNOCKOUT STAGES Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Bronze Final The Final This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best iPhone 2019: which Apple phone is the best? Posted: 19 Sep 2019 12:48 PM PDT Our guide to the very best iPhones has looked very similar for the last 12 months, but everything is set to change soon with the introduction of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. These three new premium smartphones will likely take our rankings by storm: the Pro devices have the most impressive specs we've seen in an iPhone so far, and the base iPhone 11 has a really competitive price, so we can't count it out just yet. Currently Apple's 2018 collection of iPhones takes the top few spots of this list, but this'll certainly change soon. We've got our hands on the new iPhones to test them out briefly, but we're not going to add them to our best iPhone list until we've used them for a while. This lets us decide for sure where the smartphones belong in the list. When our full in-depth reviews go live, this list will see some shake-ups though, so expect that in the near future. But the entire slate of top iPhones will benefit from the new iOS 13 update, which is live, adding Dark Mode and other quality-of-life upgrades. The new iPhone range also saw a shake-up in Apple's official iPhone line-up, and now it's got a spectrum of handsets covering all price points – as well as a mounting graveyard of discontinued handsets. You can still pick up the 'discontinued' iPhones at various retailers and carriers, but the 'official' ones will be easy to come by. The best iPhones aren't necessarily the newest, but Apple consistently provides meaty hardware and software upgrades when it introduces brand-new iPhones, so previously we've found newer means better. Naming a best iPhone isn't as simple as looking at plain specifications, because value and usability aren't defined so easily – and even those metrics get changed since the best iPhone deals can sway the value of each device. As such, we've taken the time to use each iPhone extensively in order to compare all the features and functions that new and older iPhones provide. We've snapped with their cameras, played many games, and weighed the value you get for the price. So without further ado, here is our list of the best iPhones on the market right now, bearing in mind that the clock is ticking before this list gets completely overhauled.
Best iPhone: which one should you buy todayThe iPhone 11 isn't the highest-spec Apple phone, but it supersedes the iPhone XR 'budget flagship' in better ways to become the standout phone of its generation in terms of sheer value. True, it misses out on a telephoto lens, but like we found with the Samsung Galaxy S10e, a coupling of main and ultrawide lenses serve most photo needs. While it doesn't get an OLED display, its LCD screen at least allows the phone to keep its best-in-generation battery life crown. And it even gets a bit more RAM - up to 4GB from its predecessor's 3GB. Add in iOS 13 and all the new tweaks coming in the iPhone 11 series and this phone is a lean, mean, photo-taking machine - and all for $699, the cheapest an iPhone has debuted since the iPhone 8. Read our in-depth iPhone 11 review. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is not only a confusing shift in naming convention - it's the biggest, fastest, baddest iPhone out there. It's also the most expensive at $1,099 starting price, which only goes up if you expand storage. Not much has changed from the iPhone XS Max, aside from the upgraded camera suite - but then again, adding an ultrawide lens is a big upgrade. The photo software has been upgraded, too, and switching between zoom levels is far smoother here than in other phones. The battery level has been improved a staggering 4 hours over the iPhone XS Max, according to Apple. And if you can get beyond the truly weird-looking triple-lens rear camera block, this is truly the most powerful iPhone out there. Read our in-depth iPhone 11 Pro Max review. Image credit: TechRadar This is actually the best-selling iPhone from Apple, and for several good reasons. First, we get it, you refuse to budge from the 4.7-inch iPhone screen size and, frankly, we don't blame you. Every time we go back to this iPhone with 'normal' dimensions, we feel like we just went on a smartphone vacation. Second, its price is way more reasonable for a lot a folks than the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus. Just because the size is the same as iPhones of old, doesn't mean the technology behind it is, though. The iPhone 8 features the same A11 Bionic chipset as the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X, and it too debuted wireless charging and fast charging on an Apple smartphone. The camera is still fantastic, even if it doesn't have the dual-lens capabilities that are exclusive to the X and Plus, and you'll dig iOS 11 at this size more so than the even smaller iPhone SE. Read our in-depth iPhone 8 review Image credit: TechRadar The iPhone 8 Plus is the best iPhone if you're not willing to take the plunge into Apple's proposed smartphone future and need that Touch ID fingerprint sensor. It remains popular due to its screen size, cheaper price and physical home button. It does have several key features you'll like, however. It's among the first iPhones to have both wireless charging and fast charging, and the camera has improved. Its dual-lens camera doesn't have OIS in the telephoto lens (a feature saved for the X), but it's still a great way to snap a photo at long distances. It won't turn nearly as many heads with its bezel-heavy design, but the iPhone 8 Plus is the iPhone built for big hands and slightly smaller wallets than the new iPhone X. Read our in-depth iPhone 8 Plus review Image credit: TechRadar The iPhone XR is a great upgrade for the average consumer who doesn't want to pay for the most expensive iPhone money (a lot of money) can buy. This is Apple's 'cheap' iPhone, at least when it comes to recently launched handsets. It's also the best iPhone of the new trio for battery life. It stands out with a variety of iPhone XR colors: Blue, White, Black, Yellow, Coral, Red. This contrasts heavily with the rather muted colors of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Yet it shares the same internal specs: Apple's fast A12 Bionic chipset and a 12MP dual-lens camera with a single lens on back.
You don't get the dual-lens camera like you do on a higher-tier iPhone, so you miss out on telephoto shots. But Smart HDR is the real perk to taking great photos, and that's here. It's cheaper, it's more colorful and it has a big 6.1-inch screen. That's enough for most people, especially those who aren't insistent on an impressive OLED screen. Read our in-depth iPhone XR review Despite the iPhone SE's small size and relatively modest price tag, it's still an upper mid-range phone. It has the same boxy yet premium design as the metal-clad iPhone 5S and the same powerful Apple A9 chipset and rear camera as the iPhone 6S. It lacks the 3D Touch features and higher-resolution front-facing camera of the iPhone 6S and beyond. The screen is also less impressive all round, thanks in large part to a lower contrast ratio. But it compares well to many mid-range handsets. It's also the most powerful 4-inch iPhone you can get, so for fans of compact form factors this is an obvious choice. But the best bit is its price, as it's one of the cheapest iPhones you'll find on the market and it's something of a bargain by Apple standards. Read the iPhone SE review Image credit: TechRadar The iPhone XS Max is the best iPhone you can buy right now. It's Apple's biggest and best iPhone – if your hands and wallets are large enough. It has an expansive 6.5-inch OLED screen with HDR10 support to make colors pop. It's the perfect phone if you want a giant screen. Behind that huge screen is an improved dual-lens 12MP camera. Apple outfitted it with Smart HDR and increased the sensor size to capture larger pixels. Don't let that static 12MP number fool you. The iPhone XS Max (like the XS) has new depth-sensing capabilities for adjustable bokeh (background blur) during and after a shot. The TrueDepth camera returns with faster Face ID recognition, and your 7MP selfies get better depth control and Smart HDR, too. And, of course, Animoji returns with the iOS 12 benefit of having Memoji now. The iPhone XS Max is more expensive than the iPhone X and iPhone XS that replaces the X, of course. But if you're paying for it over the course of two years in a contract (or through the Apple Upgrade Program), it's not that much more month-to-month. Read our in-depth iPhone XS Max review Image credit: TechRadar Believe it or not, the iPhone XS is Apple's best 'small' phone. It has a 5.8-inch screen, so it's more one-hand-friendly than the Max, but still a sizable upgrade for some people. It's an upgrade over last year's iPhone X, our previous best iPhone recommendation, though you'll have to look more closely for the changes – the design isn't different at all. It has a Smart HDR-capable 12MP camera, enhanced TrueDepth front-facing camera, and a fast A12 Bionic chipset, exactly like the larger iPhone XS Max. In fact, this all-screen phone is pretty much the iPhone XS Max in last year's smaller form factor. It does have a smaller battery than the Max and obviously a smaller screen, but you will still capture the same great photos and videos on this device and play the same games. There's no different there. Read our in-depth iPhone XS review Image credit: TechRadar The iPhone X is as impressive as it is expensive, but if you really want the best iPhone today and don't want to wait for the iPhone XI, this is the one to get today. Millions of Apple fans already have since it launched almost seven months ago. It's the future of Apple's smartphone. It has a large all-screen display, except for a notch cutout at the top that houses a new TrueDepth Camera. This takes selfies to another level and can also map your face to an iPhone X-exclusive Animoji. If you don't know what that is by now you probably won't care. The iPhone X is Apple's 10th anniversary smartphone and has just about everything iPhone users have been asking for, from a more forward-leaning design to faster specs and new features. You'll just have to get used to Face ID instead of reaching for that non-existent fingerprint sensor. Read our in-depth iPhone X review Don't fancy the large iPhone 7 Plus above? Why not opt for the iPhone 7, which is a smaller and cheaper alternative. This was one of the first iPhones to lack a headphone jack, but it does come with a water-resistant design that means your phone is likely to survive the odd dip in the sink rather than just being frazzled right away. There's no dual-lens camera on the iPhone 7, but you can still take some absolutely incredible photography with the 12MP sensor. If you own an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6S, you may not see much difference with the this phone but the newer processor and camera tech may be enough to entice you to buy it if you can't stomach the high price of the iPhone 8. Read the full iPhone 7 review Back in 2016 the iPhone 7 Plus was the best phone Apple had ever made, and it remains a winner for its longevity and price. It's larger than the iPhone X though despite its smaller display, so if you're after a smaller phone with a bigger screen, this won't be the best choice for you with its 5.5-inch 1080p display. The big upgrades over older iPhones are the waterproof design and a new dual-lens camera that allows you to snap with two 12MP lenses at the same time. It allows for better optical zoom as well as a bokeh mode to blur the background of your photos and put the main focus on the foreground. Battery life on the iPhone 7 Plus is much improved upon the iPhone 6S Plus, and while it's still a costly option it's much cheaper than it was at launch, making it one of the best iPhone choices for people looking for a deal. Read the full iPhone 7 Plus review The iPhone 6S, as you probably know, is Apple's flagship from 2015. The Apple A9 chipset and a chunky 2GB of RAM, up from 1GB on the previous model, make it far superior in raw power to 2014's model and still reasonably speedy by today's standards, and it's got some other tricks too. It has a 12MP rear camera and a tried-and-tested 8MP front-facing camera, which at the time was the best selfie shooter Apple had on a phone. It does sport largely the same design and screen as the iPhone 6 though and the latter in particular is starting to feel a bit dated in the face of super sharp QHD screens from rivals - and from the newer iPhone X. This was the first iPhone to sport 3D Touch though, which makes the screen pressure-sensitive and offers new tricks for enhanced emailing and shortcuts around the home screen. Read the full iPhone 6S review
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| iOS 12.4.1 release date and all iOS 12 features explained Posted: 19 Sep 2019 12:29 PM PDT The iOS 12.4.1 update is live, and is the last one for some older iPhones and iPads that won't upgrade to iOS 13 or iPadOS, respectively. We've also got a full list of all the iOS 12 features added from its launch last September to today. iOS 12.4.1 is the last stable version of the mobile operating system before the jump to iOS 13, and was a simple fix for an exploit. While iOS 12.3.1 just introduced a few bug fixes, iOS 12.3 added a redesigned Apple TV app (making way for Apple TV Plus) and some behind-the-scenes bug tweaks, and before that iOS 12.2 gave us the Apple News Plus subscriptions and four additional Animoji. We've seen 70 new emojis, eSIM support and Group FaceTime in iOS 12.1 at the iPad Pro 11 launch last October. These are all stopgaps between last September's iOS 12 and the next major numbered revision, and a way to solve any iOS 12 problems, like that FaceTime glitch earlier this year. Apple's iOS releases have made its software stable and competitive in 2019 in the wake of the Google Android Q beta and increasingly great Google Pixel 3 camera. With iPhone sales still falling, that's increasingly important. Downloading iOS 12.3.1 right now or wondering if it's worth it? Here's everything that's gone into the software revision. Also, be sure to note our updated best iPhone guide (the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or iPhone XR are at the top of the line) or, if you're waiting, our iPhone 11 leaks page. What's the difference between the latest phones showcasing iOS? Watch our handy explainer to find out: iOS 12.4 release date
The Apple Card is coming soon, and it may be ushered in with the iOS 12.4 update. So far no changes have been reported in the beta software, even though Apple is up to iOS 12.4 beta 3 for developers as of today. When is the iOS 12.4 release date? No one knows for sure, and the WWDC 2019 keynote came and went on Monday, June 3 without a new version of iOS announced. Of course, iOS 13 got a lot of stage time with a bunch of new features, but we're still looking forward to whatever comes along with the interim upgrades in iOS 12.4, but it's anyone's guess when that will come. iOS 12.3.1 bug fixesShortly before WWDC 2019, Apple released iOS 12.3.1 - which was signal enough that we weren't getting a full-featured update any time soon. The interim version included mostly bug fixes. These included fixing issues that blocked Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and a couple Messages kerfuffles. The first let some messages reach you even if you'd enabled Filter Unknown Senders, which should be fixed, while the broken link to report those erroneous junk messages should be fixed. iOS 12.3 offers minor changes
Before iOS 12.4, we had a very minor iOS 12.3 update that solely focused on Apple TV. It changed up the layout and threw in some new 'Apple TV Channels' that so far include streaming extras HBO, Showtime and Starz in the US, in case you want to subscribe through the iOS ecosystem instead of into it separately. Under-the-hood are fixes minor, but annoying iOS 12 bugs, specifically if you were having trouble with VoLTE calls and iMessage filters. iOS 12.2 update features list
Apple gave us something we didn't expect from the iOS 12.2 beta: Apple News+, an enhanced version of the Apple News app that includes magazine and newspapers. Apple News+ access includes access to over 300 publications, but requires iOS 12.2 and a $9.99 per month fee (good news, you can share it with your entire family). The first month of access is free, so Apple is hoping to lure iPhone, iPad and Mac users in like it did with Apple Music. The other big change to iOS 12.2 is the addition of four new Animoji:
With these four, there are now a total of 24 Animoji, not counting all of the customizable Memoji characters you can make. As of iOS 12.2, you can ask Siri to play videos from your iOS device on your Apple TV, according to Apple's official release dates. Most of the other minor design changes happen within Control Center. For example, you'll notice that the Screen Mirroring button is no longer represented by a triangle with a floating rectangular box on top of it. It now shows two rectangles overlapping each other. It makes a lot more sense. More useful is the fact that the Apple TV shortcut button in Control Center leads to a virtual remote that takes up the entire length of the screen. That's helpful if you have an Apple TV or Apple TV 4K, or have an AirPlay 2 compatible 4KTV and lost your remote. iOS 12.1 and iOS 12.1.4
While the newest iOS 12.1.4 update is the stable version you should download, the last time we got front-facing features was with iOS 12.1. It launched on October 30, the same day the iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9 were unveiled. There are four important iOS 12.1 changes: 70+ new emoji Group FaceTime Portrait Mode bokeh effects eSIM support – kind of iOS 12.1 fixes bugs The top iOS 12 features1. iOS 12 makes your old iPhone and iPad faster
iOS 12 focuses on reliability and performance with this update, and it supports all of the same iPhones and iPads that iOS 11 worked with. Apple highlights the iPhone 6 Plus, specifically, saying iOS 12 makes this phone 40% faster at launching apps, 70% faster at launching the camera app, and 50% faster at displaying the keyboard. Keyboard typing and other routine features on older iPhones can slow down with every new iOS update, and Apple is looking to change these pain points with iOS 12. This makes your existing iPhone and iPad more reliable, and your older devices can be used by family members, or will be more sellable – they don't have to sit in a drawer because they're too slow. 2. Grouped notifications
Grouped notifications are a part of iOS 12. This is a small, but very important tweak (maybe the most important in the iOS 12 update) because it changes the lock screen alerts you see each and every day. It binds together notifications by message threads and topics, making it easier to see everything at a glance. Right now, individual notifications in the morning are a big pain to check as they pile up. 3. Memoji and changes to Animoji
Memoji is a customizable mask that can look like you – or the real you, according to Apple. It still resides in Messages. You can select hairstyles, eye color and accessories like earrings and sunglasses. Like Animoji, this is a feature for newer iPhones in the X lineup as it requires Apple's TrueDepth front-facing camera. Animoji is expanded, not just with new masks, but with tongue detection and wink detection. Ghost, Koala, Tiger, and T-Rex will be joining the cast of Animoji masks. 4. Automatically enter those pesky security codesTwo-factor authentication is great, except the annoying task of entering six-digital security codes sent to you via text feels like a chore. iOS 12 fixes this issue. As soon as a security code is sent to your device as a text, it'll automatically pop up within the suggested words in the keyboard interface. All you have to do is tap it. It makes life just a little easier when you're locked out of Dropbox. 5. iOS 12 allows for more than one Face ID faceFace ID on iOS 12 supports more than one face within the Setting menu labeled 'Face ID & Passcode.' Look for the 'Set up an Alternative Appearance' sub-menu to add a second look. This is helpful for two reasons: You can either allow a partner to have access to your iPhone or iPad with Face ID, or you can add your alter ego to make sure Face ID unlocks your phone no matter what you look like today, tomorrow or the next day. 6. Siri Shortcuts can find your lost keys, more
Siri is smarter. If you set up Siri Shortcuts, a brand new app, It‘ll know that “I lost my keys” means to ring your Tile tracker. Sure, Tile is a handy gadget, but getting to the slow app is a pain when you've lost your keys. An integrated Siri is a game-changer for both Tile and our peace of mind. Siri Shortcuts go far beyond this example. Apple allows for all sorts of formulas. The app can suggests coffee orders from the place you always order from, and nudge you to message contacts to tell them you're running late. There's also Kayak-based flight information you can call up via voice. By pressing the add to Siri button, you can then say “Travel plans” and Siri will read back information such as your hotel address. Apple's IFTTT-like Siri Shortcuts app launched alongside the final iOS 12 software. However, not all shortcuts will be found in the new app. Some companies, like the aforementioned Tile, will host shortcuts within their own app, so look out for that. 7. Group FaceTime (now launching later)
Group FaceTime is coming to iOS 12 with up to 32 participants, and you go directly from a group chat to a group FaceTime in the Messages app. Update: Apple has delayed the launch of iOS 12 Group Notifications, according to release notes indicating that it'll come out this 'fall'. To us, that sounds like an iOS 12.1 launch – like Apple Pay, Apple Cash, AirPlay 2 and other features didn't make it live on day one in previous operating system updates. People can drop in and drop out at any time. The interface is filled with tiles that can expand, and 'the roster' along the bottom for everyone else in the Group FaceTime chat. When people start to speak, their window gets bigger, even if they're in the bottom roster of participants. It works on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and you can even answer on the Apple Watch and HomePod with just audio. Animoji is coming to FaceTime and Group FaceTime. You'll of course need to update to iOS 12 and an iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or an iPhone XR to make that magic happen. 8. Screen time – using your iPhone less
Screen time is Apple's way of limiting your iPhone usage – calculating how much time you're spending on apps, which apps you use the most, and which apps are sending you the most notifications. Screen time doesn't lie. For those without self-control, Apple has created app limits. You can set your own limit, with a notification letting you know when time is almost up. A 'Time is up' message will display when you've reached your self-imposed-Siri-assisted limit. Parents can create limits for kids with Allowances, time-of-day-based downtime controls, and category controls. Education and essential message apps can also be greenlit thanks to an always-allowed settings. The best part? Setting limits for your kids uses Family Sharing, so you can manage it all remotely from your parental device – no need to get hold of your 12-year-old kid's phone to execute on these new iOS 12 controls. 9. Do Not Disturb goes visual in iOS 12
Apple has expanding its Do Not Disturb capabilities with a cleaner 'Do Not Disturb During Bedtime' mode. It'll silence not just the notification delivery sounds, but also the visual notifications clutter that can distract you when you're trying to sleep. The lock screen remains clear until you unlock your iPhone in the morning. You can allow certain apps to break through, just like with DND mode right now. Apple refers to these as critical alerts, and they're opt-in. We really like the solo DND notification hanging out on the lock screen. It's peaceful without distracting visual clutter at night and it reminds us that DND mode is on. All notched iPhones don't have the DND icon at the top, so it was always hard to tell before iOS 12. 10. Instant Tuning for axing notifications
Instant Tuning is an iOS 12 feature you'll love if you've ever gotten a notification from an app you always seem to dismiss (HQ trivia, breaking news alerts, etc), but don't have time to turn off future notifications in the many submenus of Settings. Apple is allowing you to control individual app notification profiles right from the lockscreen, without making you leave what you're doing. Deliver Quietly is an option within Instant Tuning, and it'll allow you to choose to have notifications delivered silently Notification Center by default so you’re not interrupted by alerts on the lockscreen. It's a nice in between option. Siri helps clean up your messy lock screen with notification delivery suggestions based on how you interact with notifications. Siri will understand which notifications it should deliver prominently and which ones to send to Notification Center. It's like iOS 12's version of 'clean up your desktop' system nudges. 11. New 'Measure' app and USDZ file format
'Measure' is getting its own AR app. It uses the iPhone's and iPad's sensors to measure objects in front of you, including suitcases, as shown in the first iOS 12 demo. All it takes it just tap-and-drag along the edges of the object on the screen. It also automatically detects the approximate dimensions of a photo – we've used it to buy a photo frame when we couldn't find the old-fashioned tape measure. iOS 12 to the rescue. For AR developers, Apple has created a new file type called 'USDZ.' The company worked on USDZ with Pixar, and Adobe is supporting it, too. The file format can be shared across FIles, Mail, Messages and Safari. This is an important step forward for developers working on AR apps. 12. Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos and CarPlay
Apps are indeed getting updates with iOS 12, starting with Apple News. There’s a new Browse tab and a sidebar for better navigation. Stocks is finally being rebuilt with a helpful news design, complete with charts and Apple news headline integrated into into stocks. The top stories will be business news curated by Apple News editors. Voice Memos has come to iPad (as well as macOS), and it’ll get iCloud support, long overdue changes. Now you won't have to AirDrop conversations between devices in order to listen back. It'll also be easier to assign names to voice clips thanks to an overhauled Voice Memos redesign. Apple Books is the new name for iBooks, allowing you to pick up reading where you left off and a new store interface to browse buy ebooks and audio books. CarPlay now support third-party applications, with Waze and Google Maps appearing on-screen. Apple didn’t call out the Google-owned apps by name, but they were there on the screen. This was a major highlight of iOS 12. 13. Some NFC features work even with a dead batteryApple delivers a clever trick with NFC, allowing you to use a metro pass or student ID in the Wallet app, even if your iPhone has a depleted battery. Express Cards with power reserve ensures you're not stranded outside of a train station or a dorm room because there's still some low-level power in your phone. This is one of our biggest fears for users who routinely rly on NFC. Apple solves this, and though there's not enough power to give you visual feedback, when you touch your dead iPhone to an NFC-equipped terminal and you'll get a haptic response. And like magic, it works. Just don't expect this new feature to work with Apple Pay. That requires Face ID, so you're going to have to possess a powered-on smartphone for that to work. 14. Closing apps in multitasking mode is easierFor 12 and 13, iOS 12 fixes some irksome features we hated about iOS 11. They're the kind of problems only first-year iPhone X users will know about. Closing open app windows in iOS 12 is easier. All you have to do is slide up on an open app to dismiss it from the multitasking menu. iOS 11 had us press down on the app until a bunch of red close icons appeared over top of each app, and then to tap those little red icons to dismiss the app. That was unpleasant. 15. Accidental screenshots are less commonWhenever we picked up our iPhone X, we'd always press the volume up and power button accidentally, which is the new 'take a screenshot' button combination on iPhone X. Apple has disabled this action whenever the phone screen is off. Our iOS 12 Photos app is no longer going to be filled with errant screenshots on the daily. 16. ARKit 2 and multiplayer gaming
iOS 12 cements Apple as a leader in augmented reality (AR) with the arrival of groundbreaking multiplayer capabilities it calls Shared Experiences in ARKit 2. These multi-user virtual environments allow for multiplayer gaming and experiences through iPhones and iPads. iOS 12 creates a more collaborative (and competitive) way of experiencing AR. Lego demoed a four-player game at WWDC in June, pledging that it was in when it came to Apple's “creative play possibilities.” Players were involved in building up an AR town. It was like The Sims was reimagined for the future. ARKit 2 opens up AR to hundreds of millions of users, according to Apple, and that makes iOS 12 the broadest AR platform in the world. We got a taste of AR last year, but multi-user virtual environments bring more advanced tools and gameplay. 17. Camera app changesSmart DHR is reserved for the A12 chip-equipped iPhone XS and iPhone XR phones, but iOS 12 also tweaks the default camera app on older devices with new tricks. First, the Portrait Lighting mode (on newer iPhones with dual-lens cameras) looks more natural. The software will be able to define crisper edges by more effectively separating a person from a background scene. Apple is also allowing third-party apps to use the software to separate the foreground and background. Second, it's the end of an era for our how to scan a QR code from your iPhone and iPad guide. The default camera in iOS 12 makes QR code reading automatic. Third, while not part of the camera app, RAW photos can be imported and managed on an iPhone and iPad, with the bonus ability of editing RAW photos on an iPad Pro. 18. Photos app is now smarter with iOS 12
The Photos app expands its search capabilities in an effort to compete with Google Photos. It recognizes photos by event now and indexes them accordingly. Apple says it takes into account over four million events, citing the Aspen Ideas Festival as a very niche example. This lets you search by event without any thankless manual tagging. Searching by event joins other smart suggestions, including filtering by people, places, and relative dates (searching via Siri works with all of these and is quite handy in our experience). The iOS 12 Photos search capabilities have also been broadened to let you use multiple search terms at once. Seeking "dog, animal" should weed out all of your gourmet hotdog results (this is a real problem we just tested at TechRadar). A new tab 'For you' is a part of the iOS 12 Photos app, and it's filled with personalized suggestions on how to improve and share your pictures. Sharing has gotten smarter, letting you share at full-resolution and suggesting who to share these photos with. Share back suggestions is a neat feature that lets you send photos to a friend, and it uses machine learning to poke them to send photos they took to you. Bonus: iOS 12’s photo sharing features uses iMessage's end-to-end encryption. 19. iPad switches to iPhone-like gesturesIt's confusing owning both an iPad and a new iPhone X right now because returning to the home screen and opening Control Center are executed by different gestures. The iPad takes cues from the iPhone X with the iOS 12 update: swipe up from the bottom to return home and check Control Center by pulling down from the top right-hand corner. This may be a prelude to the iPad Pro 2018 that's rumored to include Apple's TrueDepth camera for Face ID, Animoji, and Memoji. 20. Siri translates new languages, learns motorsport scores
Try asking Siri to translate something into Spanish. It works, and with iOS 12 it'll be even more robust with over 40 language pairs to aid your international travels. So far, Siri will translate English (US) into Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish. We really hope Siri will be able to translate foreign words into English. That may have to wait for iOS 13. Siri will also learn the language of motorsports, per se. Asking for Formula One and NASCAR information will have Siri recite live standings, schedule, roster and stat info. Food knowledge and celebrity facts are also part the Siri update. Right now, asking "How healthy is fish" gives a smatter of search results and requires opening up Siri. In the future, a specific answers about food will come from the USDA database, citing calories, vitamins, and how healthy the food is overall. Password hunting is now within Siri's grasp, letting you search any saved passwords, according to Apple. This applies to both apps and websites. 21. Pinpoints 911 calls in the USYou won't have to worry about reciting your exact location when calling 911 in the US thanks to iOS 12. It'll pinpoint your whereabouts during emergency calls. Apple says it'll "automatically and securely" share your iPhone location with first responders, but only with them and only during such emergencies. It's an effort to reduce response time, yet maintain your privacy. 22. iOS 12 compatibility
iOS 12 will run on all devices that have its 64-bit chipset. It'll work on the iPhone 5S and newer, while the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 are the oldest iPads that are compatible with iOS 12. That's means this update is supporting 11 different iPhones, 10 different iPads, and the sole iPod touch 6th generation, still clinging to life. It’s the broadest support for a software update Apple has ever offered, and this is one of the biggest advantages Apple has over Android phones. 23. Weather app warns unhealthy air qualityApple's official weather app contains new messaging that indicates air quality in cities. This is where Sunny, Cloudy, and Partly Cloudy messaging usually sits. iOS 12 puts it in a spot where you'll see it more regularly, as opposed to a separate air quality app. The forecast New York City as of writing this, for example, tells us that the area has 'Unhealthy Air Quality for Sensitive Groups'. People with asthma therefore may want to stay indoors. When did iOS 12 launch?
iOS 12 released on Monday, September 17 following the iPhone XS launch event, where Apple announced the official launch date. You can now download it. There were actually three phases to the iOS 12 launch: one for developers, one for public beta testers, and one final version launching in mid-September. First, the developer beta launched at WWDC and got more frequent refreshes, but it was early software. You have to be a registered Apple developer, which costs $99 for the annual membership. It's for people who like to tinker with Xcode and make apps. Second, iOS 12 public beta launched on June 25 and was completely free. It was less problematic than the developer beta. The downside? It was always one step behind what the developers have access to. Third, the final software, meant for everyone, launched on September 17. There's no need to jump through hoops to enroll in a beta. iOS 12 is now here in its final form, right in time for the iPhone XS release date. That's a wrap for new iOS 12 features. The two biggest highlights were Grouped notifications and Group FaceTime with Memoji. Of course, Group FaceTime is not due to launch just yet, which means an inevitable iOS 12.1 and more updates for us to write about. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Huawei goes all-in on cloud computing Posted: 19 Sep 2019 11:30 AM PDT Huawei is preparing to enter the cloud computing market in a big way with the unveiling of the world's fastest AI computing chipset center and a pledge to spend $1.5bn as it looks to recruit more software developers. The Chinese tech giant's new venture will compete with local rivals such as Alibaba and Tencent as well as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other US cloud computing companies. While Huawei is the world's largest telecom equipment maker and the second-largest smartphone manufacturer, the company is still a newcomer to the cloud computing business which it entered just two years ago. Huawei's rotating chairman, Ken Hu said that the company will spend $1.5bn over the next five years as it aims to expand its base of developers from its current 1.4m to 5m. Hu provided further insight on the company's cloud computing plans in a press release, saying:
"The future of computing is a massive market worth more than two trillion US dollars. We'll keep investing with a strategy that focuses on four key areas. We will push the boundaries of architecture, invest in processors for all scenarios, keep clear business boundaries, and build an open ecosystem." Atlas 900Huawei also unveiled what it claims is the world's fastest AI training cluster, the Atlas 900. The Atlas 900 is actually comprised of thousands of the firm's Ascend processors which is why it is so powerful. To give a better idea of just how powerful the Atlas 900 is, Huawei said that it takes the AI training cluster only 59.8 seconds to train ResNet-50 which is the gold standard for measuring AI training performance. Atlas 900's time is also 10 seconds faster than the previous world record. According to Huawei, Atlas 900 will bring new possibilities to different fields of scientific research and business innovation including astronomy, weather forecasting, autonomous driving and oil exploration. The company has also deployed its new AI training cluster on Huawei Cloud as a cluster service to help make extraordinary computing power more broadly accessible to its customers across different industries. "This is a new age of exploration. An ocean of boundless potential is waiting, but just one ship won't cut it. Today we launch a thousand ships. Let's work together, seize this historic opportunity, and advance intelligence to new heights," Hue said as he concluded his speech at Huawei Connect 2019.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| iOS 13 release date, features and everything you need to know Posted: 19 Sep 2019 10:30 AM PDT iOS 13 is here, and right now you don't have time to pore through each and every new feature... you just want to grab it and you can do that with our easy how to download iOS 13 guide (unless you're buying an iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, in which case it's pre-installed). There are loads of new features in this iOS 13 release, so here's a quick summary of the things you should really care about (and then come back when you've got time to go through the new upgrades in detail as we've been using the new OS for a while, and on the new iPhone 11 Pro Max). Everthing you need to know about iOS 13 in two minutesDark Mode: Made to help improve the battery life, this mode darkens nearly all of your phone (apart from some third-party apps). It's more impactful and saves your eyesight at night - even the wallpapers get dimmed to match. Plus, you can schedule it to turn on and off at particular times. Compatibility: iOS 13 is compatible with a lot of iPhones – as long you have the iPhone 6S or iPhone SE or newer. iPadOS begins at iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4. That means owners of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 are plumb out of luck this time around. Time to upgrade. Dark mode makes everything, well, darker. In a good way. FaceTime correction: You know that thing in a FaceTime call where you look at your screen and therefore aren't looking at the camera? Apple will use AI to move the direction of your gaze. A bit creepy in principle, but hugely useful. Face ID is much better: We love this feature - the field of view for unlocking your phone with your face is wider, so looking at the phone on the desk will open your iPhone up without needing to lift the handset. iOS 13 is not coming to the iPad: Tricked you. iOS 13 is strictly for the iPhone (and iPod Touch). iPadOS is debuting for iPad with exclusive productivity features for the bigger tablet screen on September 30. A new QuickPath keyboard: Want to swipe on the keyboard rather than tap? It's now in there. There's no line that follows your finger's movement, and it's a little tricky to get used to at first, but persevere and we think you'll enjoy it. Photo editing tools are more advanced: Now you can change things like the highlights, contrast and shadows, make these adjustments to video too, and not destroy your Live Photo video... all right from the native Photos app. The QuickPath keyboard is slick to use in our testing. 'Find my iPhone' and 'Find my Friends' are fused: The two apps are now in one 'Find My' app, and Apple's added in functionality that can find offline devices from other iPhones or iPads. iOS 13 improves battery life: By that we mean 'lifetime of the battery' not 'time between charges' - the new iOS 13 platform is smarter at charging and will curtail the power input at the right times. Reminders gets a huge (and useful) overhaul: A clear new design, Reminders now allows for attachments and better sorting. Might not sound massive, but a big jump for those that use it. The camera is getting a big upgrade: Portrait mode (if your phone supports it) will offer more customizable lighting and a new 'High Key Mono' mode for when you want to look like you're in a Calvin Klein advert. Siri sounds better: A refined voice with more natural diction, Siri is much nicer to talk to now. All new Memoji to play with: You can add make-up, throw in Memoji stickers from the keyboard - if you're into your own cartoon face there's a lot to try here. Look for this logo to get a secret email address. Sign in with Apple makes the internet safer: When you see this icon, you can sign in with your Apple ID and have your user details hidden from third parties. Maps gets revamped: Easier to look around at street level? Check. More accurate maps? Check. Real time transit updates (in some cities)?: Check. Control Wi-Fi and Bluetooth more simply: We love this: long-press (or 3D Touch for certain iPhone models) on the Wi-Fi / Bluetooth buttons in the Control Center and you can access all your connections in one simple place. Use your PS4 or Xbox One controller on your phone: Does what it says... now you can pair your console controller to play games in a more immersive way. Perfect for Apple Arcade, right? OK,that's the key stuff out of the way - but if you want to know more about the smaller features, or just a bit more depth on what your iPhone or iPad can do, read on:
Video: How to download iOS 13 right now (without having to wait): iOS 13 release date and time
Well, you've probably already noticed, but the iOS 13 release date is here. Simply head into your settings menu to see if there's an upgrade option, connect to power and off you go. However, iOS 13 has been available in various beta (and buggy) forms since June - here's how it played out. 1. iOS 13 developer beta: First launched at WWDC 2019, this a version restricted to paid Apple developers and, simply put, was not meant for average consumers but for serious app developers. 2. iOS 13 public beta: Apple's larger-scale features test began on June 24, and has gone through 8 versions, culminating, oddly, with a beta for iOS 13.1 (before iOS 13 is even out). 3. iOS 13 golden master: The final version of the iOS 13 software for beta testers that's more stable and launched early in September to give app developers time to tweak. 4. iOS 13 lands for all: On Thursday September 19, the new software landed globally. It's always a bit of jam to get through the servers, but if you're desperate for it - keep trying. Video: The best iOS 13 features we've tested so far: iOS 13 compatibility list
iOS 13 compatibility requires an iPhone or iPad from the last four years (depending on the device category). That means phones like the iPhone 6 won't be getting iOS 13 – if you've got one of those devices you'll be stuck with iOS 12 forever. iOS 13 sheds several old devices (Image credit: Apple) You'll need an iPhone 6S or later, the iPad Air 2 or later, and the new iPad mini 4 or later, or the iPod touch 7th generation. No surprise, the new iPod Touch 7th gen is the only devices of its class that gets iOS 13 support. The iPhone SE fits into an odd category, as it has iPhone 6 era specs, but came out after the iPhone 6S. Don't worry, everyone's favorite little iPhone will get iOS 13. iOS 13 Dark Mode
Dark Mode in iOS 13 a system-wide, meaning it changes the hues from bright white and light grey to black and dark gray on all supported apps. It's a nice feature when you're using your iPhone at night and want to avoid bright white hues shining in your face. It may also save battery life on the OLED-equipped iPhones, from the iPhone X onward. Apple didn't talk about this at all, but we know that OLED displays essentially 'turn off' pixels when rendering blacks. Turning on iOS 13 Dark Mode can be done in Control Center inside the Display slider (right next to the Night Shift and True Tone toggle), according to Apple, or you can set it automatically to turn on at night through a schedule or custom time. The yellow-tinting Night Shift mode finally gets a bright-light dimming companion, and a lot of people couldn't be happier. iOS 13 offers 'FaceTime attention correction'This is an interesting one. There's now an option for FaceTime Attention Correction, and it's as wild as it sounds. What does it do exactly? It makes it so that it appears as if you're looking straight into the front-facing camera during a FaceTime video call, when you're actually looking at the adjacent screen. That distracted look could be a thing of the past soon. iOS 13 on iPad is iPadOS, and it's a big changeSome of the biggest changes for iOS 13 on the iPad are actually coming in an update called iPadOS. Apple is signaling that the iPad needs its own platform. That means big improvements to your iPad workflow, starting with the home screen redesign. Pinned Widgets, as we predicted in our iOS 13 rumors roundup, lets you add widgets from the Today View screen (that left-mode screen on your iPhone and iPad). So far, it's iPad-exclusive, and not coming to iOS13 for the iPhone. Slide Over lets you have multiple apps open and cycle through them like rolodex. You can also fan to preview them all at once with a swipe gesture, kind of like the recents menu on many phones and tablets. It's multi-tasking made easier. Split View has been enhanced to let you open one app on both sides of the screen (it wasn't possible before), and Apple demoed this by showing Notes side-by-side with Notes. You can also pair an app with more than one app – so now Safari can be paired with Pages in one space and Safari can be paired with Mail in another. App Expose is new to the iPad software, letting you see all of the space you have open. There's an App Expose icon on the Dock, requiring only a single press to get into the convenient overview mode. New copy, paste and undo gestures are coming to iPadOS. Three fingers scrunched down was shown to copy text, three fingers expanding (in the opposite direction) dropped the text on the page, and sliding three fingers across the screen undid the last action. We'll have to see how this performs when the software lands. Apple's keyboard can float around the screen in a smaller form, and it's debuting a swiping gesture keyboard, which it calls QuickPath Typing. There are also more keyboard shortcuts (a lack of shortcuts was a complaint we had about previous iOS versions). There are actually too many iPadOS changes to detail here in the iOS 13 explainer, so we've spun the full rundown off into a separate iPadOS release date, news and features article. iOS 13 features a QuickPath keyboardWith iOS 13, Apple's default QuickType keyboard will be incorporating swipe-to-type, a popular way of sliding across the keyboard to form words. We've used this in prior iOS keyboard extensions like Google's Gboard and SwiftKey. Here's QuickPath keyboard in action (Image credit: Apple) You can use the QuickType and QuickPath methods of typing interchangeably, and so far supported languages include English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese is now included. iOS 13 debuts new 'Find My' appApple combined Find My Friends and Find My iPhone in iOS 13, and the union lets you locate your friends and missing gadgets with a faster, easier-to-use interface. Find My iPhone and Find My Friends come together in one app (Image credit: Apple) What's really neat is that it use a crowd-sourced encrypted Bluetooth signal to help you track down devices that aren't connected to Wi-Fi or cellular. That's mostly a big help for Macs, but it could also help with an iPhone in rare cases, too. Best of all, while Find My Friends didn't always work for us, Apple seems to be making a bigger push to get location tracking right with this new iOS 13 app now in the limelight. iOS 13 makes your old iPhone faster, last longerMore people are holding onto their iPhones for longer, and that's something Apple seems to recognize – and the company is speeding up iOS 13 to accommodate them. The most important iOS 13 stats: app launch speed is up to twice as fast according to Apple, and Face ID unlocking will be 30% faster than before. Apple also found a way to make app downloads smaller, up to 60% on average; iOS 12 gave us a faster update, and iOS 13 looks to build upon that. Battery life is also something Apple is tackling this year. Its aim is to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your iPhone spends fully charged. iOS 13 is supposed to learn from your daily charging routine so it can wait to finish charging past 80% until you need to use it. Reminders gets a big overhaulOf all the built-in apps, Reminders has gotten the biggest iOS revamp. It's better organized, and includes shortcuts that make it easier to add reminders. Reminders has gotten the freshest reimagining among iOS 13 apps (Image credit: Apple) Big, color-coded buttons for Today, Scheduled, All and Flagged categories offer you a better oversight of your pressing tasks, while the keyboard when you're in this app has a top-line Quick Toolbar that acts as a shortcut to easily add times, dates, locations, flags, photos and scanned documents. Making plans in Messages? Siri will step in to suggest reminders that can be created, like a personal assistant who chimes in at all the right times. Camera and Portrait Mode changesThe iOS 13 offers important changes to camera features, starting with enabling you to change the intensity of light in Portrait Mode, which is something we've wanted for a while. Portrait mode is also getting a new monochromatic effect called High‑Key Mono. The new Photos tab in the iOS 13 Photos app – Apple sees it as becoming your photo diary (Image credit: Apple) The Photos gallery is becoming what Apple called "a diary of your life", with a new tab designed to document your best photos by day, month and year. You'll also have more pinch controls to zoom in and out of the Photos gallery. You can now do something that most people have been crying out for on an iPhone - change the aspect ratio of the picture you take in the camera app. That means square options, or 16:9 even, are there in the settings - although when you export the pictures off the phone the files are still in the original 4:3 format. Photo editing is refined with iOS 13, adding adjustment controls and filters, while the video editing portion mirrors this almost entirely: nearly every photo tool and effect – including filters, rotating and cropping – makes it over to video. If you're not good at tinkering with video, there'll even be an 'Auto' adjustment button. New Siri voice sounds more naturalA new Siri voice debuts with iOS 13, and it sounds more natural than before – we've heard a sample and the tone is the same, but it sounds less robotic. It uses advanced neural text‑to‑speech technology, according to Apple, and you'll particularly notice this when Siri says longer phrases, like reading the Apple News aloud or answering knowledge questions. The timing is good, because Siri can also do a lot more talking if you wear AirPods – Siri can read incoming messages and pipe them through the buds, which is convenient. One more new Siri perk: your voice assistant on HomePod will understand the voices of the various family members in your home. This should mean, for example, that asking "What's on my Calendar?" won't bring up someone else's irrelevant information. Memoji gets makeup, Messages gets info sharingApple has put more of 'Me' in Memoji, allowing one trillion configurations: new hairstyles, headwear, makeup, and piercings to name a few categories. Examples on the WWDC stage showed that these personalized Animoji masks allow for such granular accessory detail as eyeshadow, braces and even AirPods. Memoji gets better in year two (Image credit: Apple) Memoji Stickers are something entirely new – iOS 13 brings more iPhone and iPad users into the Memoji fold, TrueDepth camera or not. You can customize a Memoji and iOS 13 will automatically create a fun-looking sticker pack that lives in a sub-menu on the keyboard, which you can use in Messages, Mail, and third‑party apps. You can share your personalized Memoji with contacts through iMessages, but only when you grant them access. The same applies to sharing your name and photo with contacts, so you can chose how people see your name, for example. According to Apple, you can decide whether you want your profile shared with everyone, with only your contacts, or just once. New HomePod featuresYou might not know this, but the HomePod is part of the iOS family, and it has gotten iOS 13 updates too. First, you can transfer songs from your iPhone by simply holding your phone closer to the HomePod speaker. Previously, you had to tell Siri to do this, but now this hand-off feature is a bit easier, and you don't have to talk to do it. The HomePod also introduce Live Radio – you can ask Siri to play 100,000 stations from all around the world. And HomePod will allow you to recognize who in your family is talking, and personalize the response – great with Apple Music, where selections will be based on your taste and history. It goes beyond Music, Messages, Notes, Reminders, and more. Sign-in with AppleApple wants app developers and sites to use its sign-in feature, and there are some perks for user privacy, too (Image credit: Apple) Apple is taking on Facebook Connect, Google and other platforms that allow you to conveniently sign in to third-party accounts. Sign-in with Apple is poised to protect your privacy more than Facebook and Google do. What's neat is that if you don't want to fork over your email to an app developer or website, Apple will create a unique random email for you, and the email will be unique to that site or app. We're still waiting for this to roll out through developers, but over time you'll start seeing it more regularly. Maps get revampediOS 13 Maps looks a lot better, even if everyone likes to hate on it. Will it ever be better than Google Maps? No, probably not. But for people who want Apple's pre-loaded maps app on iOS 13, it's much better. 360-degree city tours are coming to Apple Maps (Image credit: Apple) There's way more detail here by way of Apple rebuilding maps from the ground up. There's more realistic detail for roads, beaches, parks, and buildings, and you can now explore cities with a 3D 360-degree experience. Favorites were a part of Maps before, but iOS 13 makes these saved locations easier to navigate to with one tap – they appear at the very top of a search menu. Sometimes Google Maps on iOS doesn't get this right (but does better on Android). That's one reason to keep Apple Maps installed, even if you're a Google Maps person. Text formatting in MailMail is getting some changes when it comes to writing out properly formatted email. You'll have more control over font style, size, color, alignment, indenting and outdenting text, and numbered and bulleted lists. What we're really hoping to see one day in iOS 13.1 or iOS 14 is the ability to insert a hyperlink into some text in an email. On both iOS and Android devices, that's just not possible in their default mail clients (that we've seen) – you have to paste long URLs, and that's not a computer, no matter what you call your operating system. Connect to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from Control CenterThis is huge – and we've been asking for it for several years. You can now select Wi‑Fi networks and Bluetooth accessories right from Control Center. Android has had this for years, and it was always convenient to connect to new Wi-Fi networks or Bluetooth earbuds without having to navigate away from your current app and dive into five Settings submenus. Apple is finally coming around in iOS 13. Xbox One and PS4 game controller supportIf you're going to play games on your phone, you might as well do it with one of the two best controllers available (and maybe something you already own). Enter PS4 and Xbox One game controller support for iOS 13. Apple didn't say if all games will support this or if it'll be limited to Apple Arcade, but whatever the case may be, we're happy to be able to put our PS4 controller to use everywhere we roam. Silence Unknown CallsNuisance spam calls drive us crazy every day, and iOS 13 wants to fix the issue with the help of Siri, which scans your Contacts, Mail and Messages to see if you've previously been in contact with the caller. Silence Unknown Calls sounds fairly smart, if you're not expecting business numbers cold-calling you for work. Those that do call you and aren't on your personal 'VIP list' will go straight to voicemail. iOS 13 features exclusive to iPhone 11 phones
We thought we knew all about iOS 13 in June, but it turns out there were a few new features geared toward the newly announced iPhone 11 phones. Since the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are almost all about the new cameras, the iOS 13 software lends itself to the new ultra-wide lens and special night mode. Switching between the cameras lenses (two lenses on the iPhone 11 and three on the iPhone 11 Pro series) is supposed to be seamless, with quick taps or a wheel to transition between zoomed-in and zoomed-out perspectives. Holding down on the familiar shutter button in iOS 13 start recording video, akin to the Snapchat and Instagram UI. Apple claims it's new handsets offer the highest-quality video ever in a smartphone, so it's putting a big emphasis on how easy it is to shoot video. On any other iPhone running iOS 13, holding down the same shutter button captures burst photos. The front TrueDepth camera on a iPhone 11 phones can capture wide-angle selfies when held in the landscape orientation, and record up to 4K60fps video. Before, we were all deprived with 1080p60fps selfie videos. Sure to be the ire of everyone older than millennial age, you're going to starting to see 'Slofies'. Love it or hate it (because of the name), this iPhone 11-exclusive iOS 13 feature captures epic-looking slo-mo video from the front camera. It works best when you have long hair to capture in motion. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Three boosts 4G network with 1400MHz L-band spectrum Posted: 19 Sep 2019 09:58 AM PDT Three has started rolling out L-band spectrum across its infrastructure in a move that will improve the performance of its 4G network. The frequencies, acquired from Qualcomm in 2015, will be deployed at 6,000 of Three’s busiest sites, which charry 80 per cent of the traffic sent over its network. Those with a compatible handset will see performance improve by 150 per cent, while those without will still see a bump of 50 per cent.
Three L-band spectrumThe rollout will take place over the next four years and will run simultaneously with its 5G rollout. Three currently offers fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband in central London, and will launch mobile data services later this year. The average data consumption per user on Three has risen above 10GB a month for the first time, meaning the operator can ill-afford to ignore its 4G customer. Many of the 5G enhancements – such as the migration to a cloud-based core network – will benefit 4G users too, but new spectrum will help bridge the gap. In addition to deploying new spectrum, Three is reframing 3G spectrum. Nearly 12,500 sites will benefit from this process. “While we are investing heavily in 5G, 4G is still very important for our mobile and home broadband services,” said Three CEO David Dyson. “These upgrades will ensure our data hungry customers are getting the best possible 4G experience as 5G rolls out.” Three has been very vocal about its spectrum holdings, claiming its 100MHz of contiguous 3.4GHz spectrum will mean it is the only UK operator capable of providing “true 5G.”
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| Avira honeypot discovers the most insecure password combination Posted: 19 Sep 2019 09:35 AM PDT While searching for new smart device threats an Avira honeypot has discovered a password even more insecure than “admin” or “12345”. “The most commonly used credential is blank, which means that the attackers just enter an empty username and password. This is even more common than admin,” explained Avira threat analyst Hamidreza Ebtehaj in a blog post. In this case, credentials are a two-part combination of the username and password hackers enter into the company's smart device honeypot while attacking it. Attacks with blank or empty credential slots made up 25.6 percent of all credentials entered and vastly outnumber the other top username and password combinations.
Blank credentials even exceeded other default IoT credentials such as “admin/QWestModem” and admin/airlive” (24%) and the collection of general default credentials (23.4%) such as “admin/admin”, “support/support” and “root/root”. Avira's research also found that the top credential pairs were “root/xc3511” and “default/S2fGqNFs” as they belong to two internet connected web cams which are available under a number of different names. Smart device securityThe honeypot set up by Avira mimics the features and behaviors of connected devices such as routers and smart IoT devices in an effort to draw in hackers. As the honeypot makes itself visible and seemingly vulnerable online, it uses the Telnet, Secure Shell and Android Debug Bridge protocols which are most commonly used with smart devices. Smart device attacks are made up of two largely automated phases. During the first phase a target is selected and this is done by IP/port scanning. The second phase is when the hackers work to infect the identified device and here Avira's honeypot plays a critical role. In addition to recording the credentials used by hackers during the attack, the honeypot also collects data on infection vectors, malicious scripts and malware. While smart devices are often criticized for their insecurity and the fact that many users do not change their default passwords, Hamidreza explained that much of the blame rests on device manufacturers and developers, saying: “Common users have no knowledge of these protocols and they are not even aware that their devices might be accessible by hackers. We can’t expect users to log into a terminal and change the configuration of the protocols they have not even heard of.” To avoid falling victim to a smart device attack, Avira recommends doing a search online for any reported potential vulnerabilities in a device before purchasing it, checking devices for firmware updates to patch any known vulnerabilities or issues and scanning your network for open ports that could be inviting hackers in.
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| Get £50 off your next holiday with Now Broadband's affordable broadband deals Posted: 19 Sep 2019 09:35 AM PDT Sorting your internet plan, its a stressful experience by all accounts and one that should be rewarded with a break...a holiday in fact. Luckily, to help support your post-internet purchase vacation plans, Now Broadband will help you pay for your trip. Well, to be a bit more exact, when you invest in one of Now's broadband deals, they will give you a £50 voucher to use on the website 'Last Minute'. Considering Now has some pretty affordable plans, this is a nice added bonus to an already strong internet deal. However, like all good things in life, there are a few catches you have to abide by. The holiday package has to cost at least £200 and must be used in conjunction with a 'flight + hotel' deal. Finally, you have to sign up for Now before September 30. You can see the broadband deals this promotion is available with down below. Or, if a trip abroad away from English weather doesn't convince you, check out our fibre broadband deals guide to see your other options.
Now Broadband deals + Lastminute voucher in full:This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Europa League 2019-20 live stream: how to watch the football online from anywhere Posted: 19 Sep 2019 09:33 AM PDT Forty-eight clubs from across the continent have set out on the long road to UEFA Europa League glory. And this year's tournament is blessed with a number of big name teams that would usually find their place in the Champions League. It should be a cracking cup competition, and you can see every game - no matter where you are - by following this Europa League live stream guide. Hoping to replicate Chelsea’s exploits in the competition last year will be Premier League clubs Manchester United, Arsenal (last season's losing finalists) and Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Scotland will have both Old Firm side’s taking part, with Celtic placed in Group E and Rangers appearing in Group G. Indeed, Steven Gerrard's side arguably have the toughest task of all the British teams, having been placed in an opening pool that also includes Porto, Feyenoord and Young Boys of Switzerland. Other European glamour clubs involved the competition this year include Roma, Lazio, Dynamo Kiev, PSV Eindhoven and Sporting Lisbon. Scroll down for your guide to getting a live stream of all the UEFA Europa League matches you want to see, no matter where you are in the world.
Use a VPN to watch Europa League football when away from homeScroll down to find out your football viewing options in some of the major Europa League watching countries around the world. And if you're out of the country for this game week and are worried that you won't catch the game, don't sweat. With the option of using a VPN service, you can tune into those fixtures no matter where you are in the world. And best of all, it's really easy to do. Stream every Europa League game live in the UKHow to live stream UEFA Europa League in the US
How to live stream Europa League in Canada for FREEHow to live stream Europa League soccer in AustraliaHow to watch Europa League football in New ZealandHow to live stream UEFA Europa League football in IndiaThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| We tested Borderlands 3 performance on all the best graphics cards Posted: 19 Sep 2019 08:58 AM PDT Borderlands 3 has finally arrived, and for all intents and purposes it's pretty good, at least according to our review. But, because this game will be played for a long time by people with all kinds of graphics cards, we thought it would be a good idea to get a good idea of how it performs across the board on PC. Naturally, we tested Borderlands 3 performance on seven graphics cards, both at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. Needless to say we don't feel the urge to start this game from the beginning any time soon. Anyway, after diving into some background information about the PC version of the game, we'll break down performance, and give some recommendations about the best PC build for Borderlands 3. We did all testing as Amara in Borderlands 3. Borderlands 3 on PCBorderlands 3 is apparently the most popular entry in the series on PC, even if developer Gearbox made the unpopular decision to launch exclusively on the Epic Games Store. It's not terribly hard to see why, as the PC version is generally pretty great. There are plenty of graphical settings you can mess around with to fine tune the image quality and performance of the game from Volumetric Fog to AMD's FidelityFX Sharpening. Plus, thankfully, this game has a FoV slider, which should help anyone prone to motion sickness. Now, AMD's technology being present does mean that this game is optimized for AMD hardware, and we do see that reflected in our benchmarks. Beyond the Fidelity FX sharpening – which you can enable on Nvidia hardware – Borderlands 3 uses asynchronous compute, which uses multi-threading on Radeon graphics cards to boost performance. And, when paired with a Ryzen processor, Borderlands 3 optimizes the communication between the CPU and GPU for better performance and lower latency. AMD's optimization did result in better frame rates – the Radeon RX 5700 XT performed about 2% better than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super at 1440p. However, we did run into an issue where the game would bug out when running in full screen at lower than native resolutions – but we don't expect this will be a problem for many people. Then, at home, we ran into an issue on a 21:9 display, where the cut scenes rendered in an odd resolution, cutting off a good portion of the scene. This included character names, and was generally an unpleasant experience. Keep in mind that Gearbox will likely fix these issues in an upcoming patch, but these are issues to be aware of at the time of writing. Borderlands 3 PC performanceWhen it comes to raw numbers, Borderlands 3 seems to be extremely well optimized. We tested the game both at 1440p and 1080p on seven of the best graphics cards around right now – from the AMD Radeon RX 5700 to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Even at 1440p, most mainstream graphics cards will produce playable frame rates. Even the GTX 1660 Ti is able to hit an average of 50 frames per second (fps) at ultra settings. Turn those settings down to High and you'll likely be able to get 60 fps there, too. And, of course, if you have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or 2080 Super, you can expect more than 100 fps at 1440p. Though, it is important to note that the game dipped to as low as 71.3 fps, even with the beastly RTX 2080 Ti, at this resolution. The game still felt incredibly smooth regardless of the hardware, though. At 1080p, though, every card in our testing lineup absolutely chews through Borderlands 3. If you have a high frame-rate 1080p gaming monitor, you should be able to break 120 fps with the RTX 2070 Super and higher. Plus, with an average of 99 fps, both the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT and RTX 2060 Super both qualify as high-frame-rate gaming here. And, while the GTX 1660 Ti is at the bottom of the pile, an average fps of 77 with a minimum of 62.9 is nothing to scoff at. Note the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 2080 Super performance at 1080p, though - they're virtually identical. Even with the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, the RTX 2080 Ti was bottlenecked at this resolution, proving once again that you shouldn't drop more than a grand on a graphics card if you have a 1080p screen. AMD graphics cards work wonders here. The best PC for Borderlands 3So, all these numbers are cool and all, but what is the best PC hardware for Borderlands 3? Well, right off the bat, we'll go ahead and list the recommended specs from the publisher:
And, based on our experiences testing Borderlands 3 PC performance, these recommended system specs check out. We noticed up to 12GB of system memory being used, so we would actually recommend 16GB of RAM. Plus, despite the game being optimized for AMD hardware, we didn't notice the game chewing through our CPU too much, only ever pinning 2-4 cores. So, the Ryzen 5 2600 is actually an excellent choice, though an Intel Core i5 processor should be more than enough to handle this game. We don't know why Gearbox is pushing the Intel Core i7-4770. At the end of the day, even if you're rocking an older system, you should have no problem running Borderlands 3, especially if you're willing to turn some settings down. If you don't have 16GB of RAM, you might run into some stuttering, but as long as you have the minimum 8GB, you should have a good enough experience. If you're looking to build a PC to play Borderlands 3, we went ahead and gathered up the best PC components for the game down below, using our exclusive price comparison system to find you the best deals on each part. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sony's next State of Play teases 'new game reveals' – but don't expect PS5 news Posted: 19 Sep 2019 08:50 AM PDT Sony has announced its next State of Play live stream will air on September 24, with the company teasing "new game reveals" and "great news to share". But don't expect any news on the next-generation PS5, as Sony has explicitly said it won't be sharing any during the broadcast.
"We’re preparing a pretty hefty show, weighing in at around 20 minutes and sporting a fresh new look," Sony wrote on the official PlayStation blog. "And we’ll have some great news to share with you, including new game reveals, new content from PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios, and a host of other updates." We're hoping this 'hefty' showing means we will be getting updates on the likes of Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us: Part 2, alongside the promised new titles. We may even get news on what Insomniac Games is working on since being acquired by the company. Sony has been pretty tight-lipped since the announcement of the PS5 earlier this year, even skipping E3 2019. So we're hoping there's something good in store for this State of Play – even if it's not news on next generation hardware. How to watchSony's State of Play will be livestreamed on September 24 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST or September 25 at 6am AEST. According to Sony, you can catch the stream on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
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| Get an extra £50 off the Galaxy Tab S6 with Currys tablet trade-in deal Posted: 19 Sep 2019 08:24 AM PDT Samsung has released the Galaxy Tab S6 and many tech critics are already calling it the best Android tablet ever. We think it’s the top alternative to an iPad Pro. It's more affordable too. The latest Currys deal makes the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 even easier on your bank balance. Trade in your old tablet or laptop and you'll get an extra £50 on top of the trade-in value to put towards your new S6. How does it work? Head to the Currys trade-in website to see how much your tablet or laptop is worth then take it into a Currys or Carphone Warehouse store to get your credit voucher and the £50 bonus. And we think there are many reasons to get more than a little excited about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6… The best Android tablet yet?It’s the high-performance Android tablet we've been waiting for. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 has a super-powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, only usually found in the very top-end Android phones. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 also has a charming ultra-slim metal design and a quad speaker array by AKG that delivers volume and bass you wouldn't have thought possible from a 5.7mm-thick tablet. Add the huge 7040mAh battery and beautiful 10.5-inch high-resolution Super AMOLED screen, and you have the perfect partner for entertainment on-the-go or at home. And with 128GB or 256GB storage, the Galaxy Tab S6 is prepared for a huge library of downloaded movies or a mobile gaming obsession. You can even add a microSD card for more room. The artist's choiceIt's the S-Pen stylus that makes the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 extra-special, though. This digital pen, made just for the Galaxy Tab S6, fits neatly into a magnetic indent on the tablet’s back. When in place the S-Pen charges wirelessly. Having a home also helps you avoid losing it. The S-Pen is a doodler's dream. The specially designed tip feels just like a real pencil or pen on the screen, and an amazing 4,096 pressure level sensitivity provides the same level of fidelity as some dedicated graphics tablets made for the pros. Samsung pre-installs the fun Pen Up drawing application on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, but if you want a more "pro" feel, there are lots of amazing Android art apps available in the Google Play store. Who needs a laptop?The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is a lot of fun, but it is ready for the serious stuff too. Buy the Galaxy Tab S6 Keyboard Folio Case and you get not only protection and a laptop-grade keyboard, but a brilliant trackpad too. Think Android isn't quite up to the job of replacing Windows 10 or MacOS? DeX solves that problem. This is a Samsung interface that makes the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 software look much more like that of a normal laptop. You can run multiple apps in scalable windows, the homescreen fits in loads more controls and shortcuts. The whole scale of DeX is different. It’s a brilliant feature that makes this tablet ready for life as a laptop. Are you convinced? You can buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 today for £619. There's a choice of Mountain Grey and Rose Blush finishes, and upgrades to 256GB and 4G connectivity are all available at Currys. Don't forget to make use of the great £50 bonus trade-in offer if you have an old tablet or laptop at home. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best TV 2019: which TV should you buy for big screen action? Posted: 19 Sep 2019 08:24 AM PDT Welcome to the Best TV Buying Guide: Get ready for TechRadar’s round-up of the best TV sets for your home in 2019. The age-old question: when you're on the market for a new television, what really is the best TV out there? With so many sets appearing every year, each building on the improvements of its predecessors, even the best TVs are always under threat by new releases – and as high-resolution screens and advanced picture processing becomes the norm, it's harder than ever to suss out which sets really do have the upper hand. That's good news for you: there are plenty of options for a high-performing television, and when you get to the very best of the best, it's hard to go wrong with choosing one over the other. But the best TV isn't just the one with the most powerful specs or flashiest design: it's whatever set is going to suit your needs best. You're going to clock up a lot of hours – and likely spend a considerable sum – on your new screen, so you'll want to make sure it's the right one for your home. If you're feeling confused, our guide to the best TVs available will help you separate bargain-buy panels from the best 4K screens. We'll help you find an awesome flatscreen without wasting hours of research comparing spec sheets – after all, we've done the research already. If you're looking for a buying guide that deals with TVs that only support the new Ultra HD resolution, check out our page on the best 4K TVs. Or if getting a flatscreen on the cheap is your main concern, check out the best 4K TV deals. Anyone after a TV that won't dominate their home, too, can check out the best small TVs. But, if you're looking for the best-of-the-best TV out there today without limits or stipulations, this is the place for you. "So, should I buy a TV now or wait it out?"This is a question we're asked a lot. Like most technology, TVs are getting incrementally better all the time – which means, yes, if you wait a year there will probably be a bigger, flashier TV out there for less money. But, that said, there has recently been a huge flurry of progress as manufacturers have rushed to embrace new display standards including Ultra HD, Wide Colour Gamut and HDR. The majority of smart TV manufacturers now support these next generation of features, but you'll have to check the small print in a few cases. So long as your next TV purchase supports these technologies (looking for an Ultra HD Premium certification is a good way to go), we reckon you won't be kicking yourself in six months' time when the next batch of sets arrive. If you do want to future-proof against the next wave of hardware specifications, though, the new HDMI 2.1 standard is going to prove crucial for serious gaming setups: allowing support for 8K resolution at 60 frames per second, 4K at 120, alongside a range of new gaming features that will be supported over HDMI. It's cool technology for sure, but unless you're seriously into your gaming then we reckon you're safe making a purchase now.
For more, watch our TV buying guide video below: The best TVs of 2019Samsung Q90 QLED TV. Image Credit: Samsung. Last year the Samsung Q9FN won plaudits galore for its features and image quality. But it's now been replaced on our list of the best 4K TVs by the Q90 QLED TV. The Q9FN wasn't perfect and there were legitimate complaints about viewing angles and an over-aggressive local dimming system that crushed detail just above black. Samsung has clearly taken these criticisms to heart, and directly addressed them in the Q90. The new model has a visibly superior viewing angle that holds its own against an OLED TV, and the local dimming delivers deep blacks without losing shadow detail. To that end, the new Ultra Black Elite filter is nothing short of a revelation, rejecting ambient light in a way that just staggers belief. It's not too much of a leap to say that the Samsung Q90 is the most impressive QLED we have reviewed to date, incorporating comprehensive features and cutting-edge picture innovations. As a result, this TV can deliver a performance that is capable of competing with and often surpassing even the best OLEDs. Read the full review: Samsung Q90 QLED TV review Image Credit: LG Replacing the LG C8 model from last year, and vying for the top spot against the Q90 above, the LG C9 OLED is a stunning evolution of the TV-maker's OLED technology. Combining a stunning display with an immense amount of features and formats – with LG's brilliant webOS smart platform – this is undoubtedly one of the best 4K TVs ever made. There aren't huge differences with last year's model, but the addition of the 2nd Gen a9 processor means the picture processing is truly top-notch. While it's not as bright as an LCD TV, those deep blacks make a huge difference to the dynamic range of the image. It’s also capable of vibrant and gorgeous colours, not to mention an astounding level of detail with native 4K content. There are more expensive LG models in the range: notable the W9 and E9 OLEDs, though you're mainly paying for the fancier form factor and bigger audio output. For an OLED TV this year – or any TV, really – that performs for the price, you should really be considering the C9. Read the full review: LG C9 OLED (OLED55C9, OLED65C9, OLED77C9) Samsung Q900R QLED TV. Image Credit: Samsung. The 8K television we've been waiting for? With only so much 4K content out there, you'd be forgiven for thinking Samsung may have jumped the gun slightly on this one. But this is still the world's first true 8K TV, and while it's easy to be critical about the Samsung Q900R, it truly does usher in a new era of TV picture quality. The native 8K pictures are incredible, looking just like the real world – only better. But even more crucially given the dearth of true 8K content for the foreseeable future, the 85Q900R makes all today’s lower resolution sources look better than they do anywhere else, too. Whether 8K delivers the same impact on smaller screens remains to be seen, but if you have a big enough room and budget, the Q900R is a vision of the future that’s spectacularly worth buying. In the UK you can find 65, 75, and 85-inch models, ranging from £4,999 to £14,999 – not quite for any budget, but with a few options for those weighing up the cost. Read our full review: Samsung Q900R 8K QLED TV The update to last year’s A9F OLED does not disappoint, with best-in-class upscaling to ensure all those SD and HD images look startlingly detailed on the A9G’s 4K display, and the OLED panel to draw out incredible color and contrast performance. Sony’s premium Acoustic Surface+ Audio technology also means you’re getting sound that vibrates out of the panel itself, for an immersive sound that isn’t limited to specific downward-firing drivers; there’s a two-channel audio system here, rather than the previous model’s 3.2 channel output. There are some specific flaws worth noting, including the lack of Freeview Play, the on demand service for British broadcasters. While you get premium Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos formats, there’s also no HDR10+, which may be an issue depending on which streaming services and HDR sources you use. The A9G is, however, IMAX Enhanced certified for those keen on the cinematic aspect ratio and DTS-mixed audio that affords. Coming in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch sizes, there’s a lot of screen on show too – though you’re starting at £2,899 for the smallest size, with a considerable price tag for a television in your home. Read the full review: Sony A9G Master Series OLED Panasonic has really impressed with its OLED TVs this year, with all of its 2019 OLED models garnering 4.5 or 5-star reviews from our team. The whole OLED range packs in every HDR format you could think of, including both competing Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats that we so often end up having to choose between. Add to that Dolby Atmos, HLG, and of course the standard HDR10, and it’s clear you’ll never be cursing your purchase over an incompatible 4K Blu-ray, Netflix movie or TV broadcast. The GZ1500 stands out though for its built-in soundbar, with an expansive soundstage and the ability to lock vocals to their sources onscreen – something you won’t get the Sony A9G’s vibrating panel. The only place it really falls is its lack of more advanced smart features, while the output isn’t quite as bright as some other OLEDs. Be assured, though, this is still one of the best TVs released in 2019. Read the full review: Panasonic GZ1500 4K OLED TV The LG E9 OLED certainly has the design chops. Its slim glass display does without any fiddly legs or rim around the screen's edge, and the effect is startling. LG's new a9 Gen 2 processor is hard at work here too, ensuring crisp detail and smooth motion throughout – with the typically deep blacks and rich, vibrant colors expected of an OLED display. We're still sad about the absence of the E7's integrated soundbar – both the E8 and E9 opted for a thinner speaker band instead – but the 4.2 channel audio and Dolby Atmos support still make for a dynamic soundscape far beyond your average television. When all's said and done, it's hard to justify the E9 over the C9, given the similar picture processing and same outstanding smart TV platform, webOS – now with Alexa integration and an upgraded menu system for easier navigation. But if you want an OLED set with the looks to match, and a boost to audio, the E9 will be a stunning addition to your living room. Read the full review: LG OLED E9 Philips OLED 803 is a beautiful OLED television, if you can get past some minor issues. The main draw here is Philips second-generation P5 processor, which manages to double the processing power of the chip seen in the 803's predecessors. The results are stunning, with a Perfect Natural Reality function that algorithmically tweaks contrast, brightness, and definition to optimize your picture on the fly. The effect of Philips' P5 engine may sometimes be subtle with real-world content, but it gives this set an edge when it comes to playing in SDR 4K or HD. You're also getting Philip's unique Ambilight technology, which throws onscreen colors onto the wall behind your television, giving a sense of real atmosphere. The 803 is technically second-in-line to Philips' OLED, after the OLED 903+, but the only real difference is the latter's integrated Bowers & Wilkins soundbar – an improvement on sound, sure, but you'll save a neat £500 by going after the 803 and sticking with your current sound system instead. There's some input lag, so this isn't as well-suited a TV to gaming as some of the others on this list – and the Android TV interface isn't the most seamless. Not to mention the exclusion of the Freeview Play catch-up service, which is increasingly expected as standard for UK viewers. But the 803 is no doubt the most tempting OLED Philips has produced, and the competitive price compared to the 903+ just nabs it a place on this list. Read our full review: Philips OLED 803 As ever, Hisense’s contribution is a good deal cheaper than others on this list, though the budget TV maker also offers a lot for the price. The Hisense U8B ULED goes for bigscreen home entertainment, with 55- and 65-inch sizes that only go up to £999 for the larger model. The Vidaa U 3.0 smart platform is straightforward, connectivity with other devices doesn’t disappoint, and overall the picture performs well – even if poor local dimming leads to a lot of light blooming. The sound system packed into the U8B’s thin panel is also impressive. The ‘ULED’ labelling isn’t too important, and refers to a set of internal criteria for Hisense’s more premium LED TVs – much like Samsung’s QLED displays. But you’re certainly getting a TV beyond the average LED, and with a more consistent performance than the Hisense O8B OLED TV. Given its price, the U8B just manages to nab a place on this list. Read the full review: Hisense U8B ULED Continue on to page two to read about what to look for when buying a TV!
What TV technology is best? Which is the best LCD TV? Which screen size is best for your living room? What's the difference between LCD and LED TVs? The answers aren't always obvious. In fact, buying a new TV can be stressful even for the tech-savvy - there are so many brands, so many features, so many screen sizes, colors, technologies and flavors to choose from. So which one is right for you, your family and your living space? In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about buying a new TV. What types of TV are there out there?There are a lot of different screen types out there, all working in different ways to produce the same results. Each technology has its own unique strengths and weaknesses so here are some basics to consider: LCD TV: CCFL LED TV: Direct LED LED TV: Edge LED OLED TV Quantum Dot Plasma TV Curved TV What resolution tech should I go for?HD Ultra HD and 4K HDR What else should I consider?Buying a flatscreen television is a major investment and one that you can't afford to take lightly. Just popping into the closest store and grabbing the first plasma or LCD you see won't get you the best deal, the screen that suits your needs, or the gear you require to make the most of your new purchase. Size matters People tend to pick the size of their flat TV based on the amount of space they have for it, this isn't necessarily wise. Flat TVs take up much less space than you might think, so your new TV may end up a foot or two further away from your viewing position, making the picture appear smaller. Also, with hi-def, you can have a bigger screen and the same viewing distance without worrying about seeing blemishes inherent to the source. HDTV's lack of noise means that the ideal distance to sit from the screen is three to four times the height of the TV. How to calculate the right size HD TV:The trick here is to ensure that your TV is big enough to fill your line of vision, but small enough to be sharp and clear. Remember, if you intend to only watch standard-definition sources, the bigger the screen gets, the worse the image will look. The ideal screen size can be calculated by multiplying the distance that you intend to sit away from it by 0.535 and then rounding this up to the nearest size. So, if you sit 80in away from your TV, the ideal size is 42-inch (80 x 0.535= 42.8). What features should I look out for?Features are too numerous to go into here, but here are some things you should consider. Photo viewing: If you have a digital camera, a TV that has a slot for memory cards or a USB socket for a card reader will let you view your photos onscreen. Here are some of the things we look for when we review a screen, so you should, too... Contrast: Bright whites shouldn't have any signs of green, pink or blue in them, while blacks should look solid and not washed out, grey, green or blue. Colours: Look at how bright and solid they are; how noiseless their edges are; how 'dotty' richly saturated areas are and how natural skin looks, especially in dim scenes. Fine detail: How much texture does the screen give? Does a tree look like a green lump, or can you see the individual leaves Edges: Check for ghosting, bright halos and jaggedness, especially around curves. Motion: Check moving objects and quick camera pans for smearing or blurring, trailing, jerkiness and fizzing dotty noise. Image artefacts: Look for blockiness, colour bands, grain, smearing, dot crawl: anything that looks like it's added by the TV picture processing or a weak TV tuner. Tinker with a TV's picture settings before making a final decision. Factory settings are rarely good for everyday viewing. What about sound?To provide the best audio to complement the pictures, your TV should be hooked up to a surround sound system, but this isn't always an option. So, here's what we listen for when testing a TV's speakers: Bass: Deep, rounded rumbles that don't cause the set to rattle or speakers to distort, cramp or overwhelm the rest of the sound; but that expand when needed. Vocals: Voices should sound open, rich and clear, not boxed in, nasal or thin. Trebles: Treble effects should sound clean, rounded and smooth in loud scenes and shouldn't dominate the soundstage. Soundstage width/depth: A good TV should throw the sound away from the TV, to the sides, forward and back, to give an extra dimension to what's on screen, without losing any coherence. Questions to ask before you buyTaking the time to consider these questions will make choosing the best TV easier... HD or 4K?4K TVs are stunning and even though there is currently little native 4K content to enjoy, the good ones are able to upscale HD to 4K very well. That being said, unless you're buying a very large TV - we're talking 65-inches plus - full HD should be adequate. What size do I need?This is dictated by the dimensions of the room where the TV is going and the amount of cash you're prepared to spend. As a general rule of thumb, work out how far from the set you'll be sitting (in inches), multiply that distance by 0.535 and then round up the result to the nearest screen size. Bear in mind that a decent smaller telly is often a more sensible investment than a larger, less accomplished one. And if you're going to buy a 4K TV, you can sit much closer because of the higher resolution. How many HDMI sockets do I need?For a living room TV you should be looking for a minimum of 3 HDMI inputs. If you want to attach a set-top box as well as games consoles etc, those HDMI ports will fill up fast. Can I connect my older, analogue kit?Most new sets carry no more than two composite connections, while S-video is fast approaching obsolescence. Check that your new TV can hook up to older digiboxes, VCRs or DVD decks that you might want to plug into it. Do I want to hang my TV on the wall?First off, you'll need to consult a construction expert to check that the wall in question is strong enough to support a flatscreen. Then find out if the set you want is designed to be wall-mounted and, if so, ask if the relevant bracket is included in the basic package or as an optional extra. Will I be connecting it to a home cinema?If the answer is no, you might want to think more carefully about your set's audio performance. Look for a screen that can go as loud as you'll need without distortion or cabinet rattle. Consider how dialogue sounds and how much low-end rumble the bass is capable of. Conversely, it's pointless paying out more cash for exceptional built-in speakers if you already have a decent home cinema system. Happy shopping! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| A High-End Smartphone Without The High-End Price Tag Posted: 19 Sep 2019 08:12 AM PDT It’s not often that a smartphone comes along that packs in all the bells and whistles we’ve come to know and love - err demand - in a smart device, that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. But, that’s exactly what the Axon 10 Pro - the latest flagship smartphone from ZTE - does! The Axon 10 Pro features a sleek, elegant design and brilliant display. It has a 3D-curved Corning Gorilla Glass display on the front and back and is encased in a high-strength aluminum alloy frame. There’s a triple rear camera, and the whole device measures just under 8mm thick. The 6.47” screen is the first smartphone to integrate AMOLED and touchscreen into a quad-curved display. They’ve also - very smartly - integrated Chip on Pi into the device, which has helped to reduce the bottom bezel allowing the device to have a larger screen and provides more antenna room under the display for a stronger network signal. The Axon 10 Pro screen has an in-display fingerprint sensor, front camera facial recognition and an RBG sensor to adjust the temperature of the screen when inside, outside, or in reading mode. On the inside, you’ll find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor, which as it happens is the same processor you’ll find in the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10. What that means is you’re going to get a fast phone that has smooth multitasking and provides a great user experience. It comes with 8GB of RAM, or you can upgrade to the 12GB model, and 256GB of memory. There’s also a MicroSD slot that can hold up to 2TB of additional data! The Axon 10 Pro has a large 4,000mAh battery and uniquely customizable battery software, which means you’re not going to lose juice! Supporting the F2FS file system, combined with the smarts to learn your behaviors, this highly intelligent device will get smarter over time. It’s ready to launch with Android P OS and ZTE is promising it will provide an update to the next major release of Android before the end of the calendar year. Today’s smartphones are known more for their stunning picture quality and ability to take amazing video. Good for us, ZTE thought of that too. With AI Portrait Lighting Adjustment, AI Motion Capture and AI scene recognition, the Axon 10 Pro brings all the benefits of AI to picture-taking. And with optical and digital zoom, 20x smart tracking, new portrait types and other modes all optimized by artificial intelligence - your selfie game will be on point. As if that wasn’t enough, it also features DTS:X Ultra 3D sound, which provides a stunning on-the-go concert experience through the in-ear headphones included in the box. Alternatively, you can hear and optimize the sound through its dual speakers, for a center-stage experience in the comfort of your own home. Either way the Axon 10 Pro offers exceptional sound quality for videos and music. It’s also been optimized to enhance your gaming experience, ensuring games load quickly and play smoothly. The Axon 10 Pro is the ideal device for those of us who are increasingly frustrated by the rising cost of smartphones that feature only minor performance enhancements. And when it comes to what really matters in a smartphone: speed, performance, memory, clarity and camera - you can’t deny you’re getting the best bang for your buck. The Axon 10 Pro is available for preorder in the US now! Get yours online at zteusa.com and through participating retailers Newegg Inc. and B&H Photo. And the best part, the 8GB model is only $549 while the 12GB versions is $599. That’s a fraction of the cost of what other smartphone manufacturers are charging! ZTE may be onto something with the new Axon 10 Pro. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Best website builders for portfolios of 2019 Posted: 19 Sep 2019 08:05 AM PDT Creating a new website is a lot easier than it used to be – rather than learning HTML and CSS, you can just click and drag with your mouse and have something very professional-looking on the internet in minutes. The wealth of website builders means you've got a great selection of tools to choose from, but it can be difficult to pick out the best from a crowd of so many. To help you narrow down your choice, we've picked five website makers that are particularly well-suited to portfolio work and offer a good balance of price points and features.
All of these site builders offer simple ways of customizing your pages once they're online, so you can regularly change the look of your work, and make sure your talents are always being well promoted on the web. Weebly Weebly was first set up with the intention of making it easy to set up a portfolio of work online, and those origins stand it in good stead today, even as it has broadened its horizons to become more of a general website builder. If you don't mind a Weebly subdomain, some ads on your site, and a limit of 500MB storage, you can actually use it for free. While the choice of themes is relatively small, they're all fully customizable, and they all work on any size of screen, automatically reformatting to suit the display dimensions. Weebly has one of the most elegant and user-friendly website editor interfaces we've seen, so you can tweak your portfolio in exactly the way you want. One of the many areas where Weebly excels is in the way it calmly handles a lot of technical stuff quietly in the background: it gives you enhanced SSL security by default, and (on the paid options) advanced analytics for your website, plus the option to transfer over a domain name. If you want to get up and running quickly, would like to spend some – but not a lot – of time customizing your site, and need something that's going to be reliable and comprehensive, Weebly fits the bill. The fact that you can get started for free to see if you like it is an added bonus. Cargo There's a lot that appeals to us about the website builder Cargo: the unconventional and varied choice of templates, the intuitive page tweaking interface you can edit them with, and the way that you can build up an entire site without paying a penny (you won't be charged until the site goes live). It's certainly got more of an edge than other comparable website builders, which might be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. The templates available are all eye-catching and bold, and will work best for people wanting to stand out from the crowd, whether that's with photography or writing. Every template is responsive and works on a variety of screens, while Cargo also offers some cool animated image effects you can play around with too. On top of that, the site builder is to be commended for its wide choice of fonts as well, plus, even more fonts are being added from time to time. Besides all of the features on the surface – including an online template editor that hits a nice balance between simplicity and customization – you get 6GB of cloud storage, unlimited pages, unlimited bandwidth, the option to transfer over a domain name if you need to, and a ton of help and support (including tutorial videos). IM Creator Built on the latest HTML5 technology and with useful extras like e-commerce and domain name support included, IM Creator is going to be too advanced and in-depth for some, but will suit other portfolio builders perfectly. That's not to say it's difficult to use – there's just more going on. You don't need to know a shred of code to get started, there are plenty of different themes and looks to choose from, and we like the way the themes are already pre-populated with content. That means you can just edit the sample material that's already there rather than starting from scratch, which can be more daunting. If you want to go deeper into your website building and customizations, then IM Creator makes this possible. The site editor includes a variety of gallery and slideshow options, plus image effects to drop over your uploaded pictures, and the option to change everything from the fonts used to the page margins. We'd recommend IM Creator if you're looking to stand out from the pack – it has a wide choice of templates and some detailed editing options too. On the other hand, it does need a bit more of a time and effort investment than other site builders. Krop Krop is a creative jobs site and a portfolio builder rolled into one, so you know that its services are trusted by people in the same industry as you (or the same industry that you're trying to break into). What's more, its template options are some of the most well-designed that we've seen. The website builder ticks all of the boxes that you should be looking for. Setting a site up is quick and easy, you can register a custom domain if you want to, and making tweaks to the design and layout of your pages is very straightforward too. On top of that, you get neat extras like Dropbox and Instagram syncing, and Google Analytics integration. If you do know some CSS, then you can take more control over the way your site is designed. If not, you can just use the simple site editor instead – picking colors and fonts is as easy as clicking on a side panel. Those of you who are looking to get a gig at the same time as building your website can of course switch straight over to the job section of the Krop site to find work – there are some big-name employers on the portal. You can try out the service with a free 14-day trial. Adobe Portfolio Considering Adobe makes some of the best creative software in the business, you would hope it knows what it's doing in terms of displaying portfolios on the web – and we're glad to report that is indeed the case. This is slightly different to the other services we've mentioned here, because it's a free add-on to the Creative Cloud suite developed by Adobe. If you don't already pay for the programs then Portfolio is unlikely to tempt you to part with your cash, but if you are a CC subscriber, it's worth looking at this before venturing anywhere else. While it doesn't offer as many customization and layout options as some of the other site builders we've mentioned here (although, the popular feature request - video backgrounds, has been added), Adobe Portfolio does make the process of getting your work online simple and fun. Of course there's also the tight integration with Adobe's apps, so you can easily share your work straight from Lightroom to the web. You can also purchase and connect a domain if you wish. Pages are optimized for any device and certain ones can be password-protected if needed, and there's also the option to bring over a domain name you already own. For a simple portfolio maker that plugs right into the apps you already use (assuming that's the case), it's ideal.
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| Dyson vacuum sale: the Dyson V8 Absolute gets a $120 price cut Posted: 19 Sep 2019 08:04 AM PDT If you're in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, then you've come to the right place. Dyson, a brand known for top-of-the-line vacuums, has slashed the price on some of their most popular models. The Dyson Vacuum sale includes the best-selling V8 Absolute discounted down to $329.99. That's a $120 discount and the best price we've found for the powerful cord-free vacuum. Dyson also has the cord-free V7 Allergy vacuum on sale for $189.99. Dyson vacuum deals:If you want to shop other Dyson vacuum sales, see our best cheap Dyson deals and offers that are currently available. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Pokémon Sword and Shield release date, trailers, and brand new features Posted: 19 Sep 2019 07:46 AM PDT After releasing some of the best games in franchise history on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo and Game Freak are finally ready to bring the main Pokémon games to the Nintendo Switch – the first of which are called Pokémon Sword and Shield. The games will release globally on Nintendo Switch this November and will bring with them a brand-new region, features and Pokémon for trainers to swoon over. The official Pokémon YouTube channel has been dripping feeding us with snippets of gameplay and Pokémon designs too – though not everyone is happy with what's been shown so far (more on this below). The Sword and Shield games will be set in the Galar Region (basically, a Pokémon-ified version of the United Kingdom) and will include a number of creatures including three new starting Pokémon, Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey. We'll also see a new mechanic called Dynamaxing that will replace Z-Moves and Mega-Evolutions – and apparently even Poké Jobs that help your Pokémon gain experience. So how does Sword and Shield stack up to Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee on Switch? Those games acted as a sort of reboot of the original Red and Blue titles for the Nintendo Gameboy, and for many didn't count as a 'core' Pokémon experience. Players will be looking to Pokémon Sword and Shield to bring the true Pokémon experience to Nintendo Switch, and expectations are much, much higher. So what do we know, and what are we hoping to see when Pokémon Sword and Shield launch this year? Read on to find out. [Update: Farfetch’d that inhabit the Galar region can evolve into Sirfetch’d. Read on to find out more about the leek-wielding Pokémon.]
Cut to the chase
Image credit: Nintendo Pokémon Sword and Shield release dateDuring a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5, Nintendo revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will release globally on November 15, 2019. In addition, Nintendo announced pre-orders for a double-pack edition of the games will be available soon. Pokémon Sword and Shield trailersWondering what towns in the Galar region might look like? A brand new trailer dropped during Gamescom will give you a better idea. Rolling verdant hills, quaint train stations and the ever-familiar comfort of the Pokémon Center. Check out the new footage below: Pokémon Sword and Shield will made battling bigger and better than ever, and we mean the former quite literally. In a trailer released in August 2019, some new battle mechanics are explored. Watch the trailer below to see new Hidden Abilities, moves, items and some more details about Dynamaxing. A new day, a new trailer. We were expecting possibly more of an in-depth Pokémon Direct, but this two-minute clip does give us a look at some new Pokémon designs – as well as some 'rivals' you'll be facing off against in the game. Check out the video below: Another recent Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer gave us a closer look at Dynamaxing, new Pokémon and the Galar Pokémon League. Check it out below: The best glimpse we've had of Pokémon Sword and Shield was during a special Nintendo Direct in June. The Nintendo Direct shed a lot of light on what new features we can expect alongside some new Pokémon pals. Check out the video below: The first Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer didn't give too much away, but you can see the first glimpse of the environments and art style. You also get a first look at three new starter Pokémon: the fire-rabbit Scorbunny, twig-monkey Grookey, and a sad-looking tadpole (sadpole?) called Sobble. Check the trailer out below: The last video, released right around the time of E3 2019, highlighted some of the geographical features of the Galar Region and introduced us to raid battles – a mechanic taken from the Pokémon Go mobile game. Pokémon Sword and Shield screenshotsPokémon Sword and Shield news and featuresMeet Sirfetch’d Check out the reveal trailer for the leek-wielding Pokémon below: Autosaves? Could we finally see autosaves make an appearance in a mainline Pokémon game with Sword and Shield? Perhaps. A while after that Nintendo Direct it's now come to the attention of some eagle-eyed fans (via Eurogamer) that during the trailer "Now Saving..." briefly appeared during gameplay. This could, of course, just be the aftermath of a manual save but it looks like it could easily be marking the introduction of an autosave that is instigated by reaching certain points or crossing certain thresholds in the game. We won't know for sure, however, until it's confirmed or denied by Nintendo. Nintendo Direct September 2019 Nintendo dropped a Direct in early September with some brand new details on Pokémon Sword and Shield. First up, as we already knew character customisation is making a return but it's going to be more wide-ranging than ever before. Now in addition to changing tops and bottoms, you can change hairstyles, apply make up and pull some stylish outerwear. Catching Pokémon in a leather jacket? You betcha. There's also Pokémon Camp which allows you to pitch up a tent during your journeys and play with your Pokémon. This will improve their performance in battle and you can even take your Pokémon to visit the camps of other players online. Camping also means cooking. Now you can lovingly create dishes of curry and rice for you and your Pokémon with more than 100 variations to enjoy. To keep track of your recipes you'll be using the Currydex (yes, seriously). Of course, there are also some new Pokémon. The Direct introduced us to flying-water-type Cramorant and ghost-type Polteagiest. Gamescom 2019 Gamescom 2019 is here and despite that fact that Nintendo dropped a new Pokémon trailer merely days before the event, more new footage has been shown. Aren't we spoiled. The new footage gives a good look at an as-yet-unnamed town in the Galar region. This footage reveals that in addition to the previously revealed flying taxi service in the game, players will also be able to travel by train. Hopefully the attempt to reflect the UK will only be surface level or we'll get nowhere by rail. Towns will also have, as expected, Pokémon Centers, grocery stores and clothing stores to have a look around and spend some money. New battle mechanics In a recent trailer, some brand new battle details have been confirmed. Corviknight is shown to have a Hidden Ability called Mirror Armor which will allow it to reflect any stat-lowering effects back at its opponents. Hidden Abilities, it’s been confirmed in a blog post, are slightly more special than standard abilities as they’ll only feature in Pokémon that have been caught in Max Raid Battles (so a Corviknight you catch from a normal encounter won't have the Mirror Armor ability). These Max Raid Battles, coincidentally, are the way to encounter another kind of special Pokémon: one that's capable of Gigantamaxing. If you’re really lucky you might go into a Max Raid Battle and come away with a Pokémon that can Gigantamax and has a Hidden Ability but that’ll be a very rare event and you’ll have to take part in a lot of Raids. New items will also be introduced to the game. One of these is Room Service, which will lower the speed of the Pokémon holding it during Trick Room. The other is Eject Pack which will switch the holding Pokémon out of battle if its stats are lowered, allowing you to replace it with another from your team. Battling online A few more details on the Online Battle Stadium have been confirmed. Players with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription will be able to connect over the internet and compete in single or double battles. These battles can be ranked or casual, with the former involving facing trainers of similar ranks to try and earn points to move up, while the latter is, well, just for fun. With things working through the Nintendo Switch Online service, that means Pokémon Global Link is not supported. Pokémon have jobs now An official listing on the Pokémon Sword and Shield's website shows a way of earning experience points by freelancing your Pokémon out to random employers. Exploitation, or a fun summer job? At the very least it's a great way of ensuring your boxed Pokémon aren't languishing while you take your main team on your adventure as can sometimes happen. It seems something of a shame that you can't go along with your Pokémon and take part in a mini game for some jobs but either way it's a great way to keep your Pokémon training and to bring in some special items as rewards. Region variants Regional variations of familiar Pokémon always make exploring new areas even more fun. The region variants for the Galarian region really play up that U.K inspiration. There’s Galarian Weezing which is clearly drawing heavily on the Industrial Revolution with its chimney pipe hat and Victorian factory-owner vibe. Meanwhile Zigzagoon and Linoon have taken on a more badger-like appearance. There’s also an entirely new Pokémon confirmed for the Galar region: Morpeko. This little hamster-like creature is adorable until It gets hungry. In perhaps the most relatable Pokémon behaviour ever, when Morpeko enters hangry mode, it goes from electric type to dark type and looks utterly merciless. The bad guys Pokémon grunt organisations are very rarely subtle and Team Yell are continuing that trend with their name, their fashion and their utter adoration of Marnie. Marnie is one of your main rivals in Sword and Shield and she’s hell bent on becoming a champion. Team Yell are her followers who will get in your way in order to help her get there. Bede is your other rival. He’s a little more mysterious than Marnie (and looks a little more like a grandmother too). While he’s also aiming to become champion, he’s got other motives you’ll be aiming to uncover. Brand new models The Pokémon Sword and Shield development team has been facing ire from fans following the news that every single Pokémon ever won’t be available to catch in the new games with the latest rumors suggesting that Game Freak has been utilising old 3DS creature models for the Switch game in order to cut costs. This theory has been shot down by an older Famitsu interview with Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori (via Polygon) in which it’s stated that the models for the new game have been created from scratch. It was also said that the more intensive graphics of the Switch has lengthened the time needed to render Pokémon so the limited Pokédex would have come at some point. Version-exclusive Gym Leaders Pokémon Sword and Shield will have version-exclusive Gym Leaders. In Pokémon Sword you will battle karate prodigy Bea, while in Pokémon Shield, you take on emo king Allister. Gigantamaxing Previously we had heard of the Dynamax feature that allows Pokémon to become super-sized during battles, however Nintendo has now revealed the "phenomenon" of Gigantamaxing. While Dynamaxing can only occur in specific areas of the Galar region, and is a common occurrence for Pokémon from the region, Gigantaxmaxing is only specific to certain species of Pokémon and kicks things up a notch by not only increasing a Pokémon's size but also its appearance. In addition, Gigantamaxing boosts the power of the Pokémon and allows it to use a unique move known as a G-Max Move - each G-Max Move is particular to a specific species of Gigantamax Pokémon. More new Pokémon In a recent trailer Nintendo introduced us to some more new Pokémon we'll be encountering in Galar, including the walking ice-cream sundae Alcremie, adorable puppy Yamper, coal chunk Rolycoly and steel dragon Duraludon. Image credit: Nintendo Doubling Down Pokémon producer Junichi Masuda has reiterated the news that not all Pokémon would be available to catch in Sword and Shield in a statement to fans on the official Pokémon site. In the statement, Masuda thanked fans for their love of the Pokémon series but reaffirmed the decision to limit Pokémon in the game to those within the Galar region. He did, however, add that "even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games." Fan backlash against the news has been severe but it seems that Game Freak is sticking to its guns. Masuda added in his statement that the Galar region will see “the world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.“ Can't catch 'em all It's been confirmed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will not feature every Pokémon from the franchise so far, making them the first mainline games to do so. Given there are now more than 800 species of Pokémon this is, perhaps, not all that surprising. The reason, according to Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda (via Famitsu), is that on reaching generation eight there will be more than a thousand Pokémon in the Pokédex. Such a large number means "it has become extremely difficult to make Pokémon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility" as well as to make sure they'll all be balanced in battle. Not only that, it would be too difficult to have so many in-game models with a high enough graphical quality. Though the choice saddens Masuda, he says that it's a decision he "had to make some day" and that he's opting to "choose the quality". Poké Ball Plus Pokémon Ball Plus We didn't hear much about Pokémon Sword and Shield during Nintendo Direct at E3 2019, but it was teased that the Pokémon Ball Plus can be used to take your in-game Pokémon for "a stroll". However, the ball cannot be used as a controller. In addition, it was teased that "good things" will happen if you build up a strong connection to one Pokémon in particular. Release date revealed Nintendo held a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5 that revealed both games will release globally on November 15, 2019. Max Raid Battles Much like Pokémon Go, Sword and Shield has a feature which allows trainers to team up with up to three others online to take on more powerful Pokémon. Legendaries Pokémon Sword and Shield's wolf-like Legendary Pokémon are Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (shield). Dynamax Mode This new mode allows trainers to make their Pokémon giant and super-powered. This mode can only be activated once during a battle and lasts three turns before a Pokémon reverts to normal size. Image credit: Nintendo More new Pokémon Alongside the starter Pokémon, Nintendo has also revealed a few more new Pokémon joining Sword and Shield: Wooloo (sheep Pokémon), Gossifleur (a fancy lady Pokémon that evolves into Eldegoss), Drednaw (who resembles a snapping turtle) and Corviknight (a raven and glorified taxi service for the Galar region). Wild Area Galar features a Wild Area where trainers can explore, battle and capture Pokémon. Which Pokémon appear depends on the environment and weather. Stadiums Trainers will battle Pokémon leaders in Stadiums rather than the usual gyms. These stadiums are huge and packed with a cheering audience. New characters Nintendo revealed your new rival is Hop, whose older brother is the Pokémon champion of Galar. Meanwhile Professor Magnolia and her assistant Sonia will act as your guides. Image credit: Nintendo Trainer outfit customization will be a feature While it's not a brand new feature, trainer outfit customization has been popular with Pokémon players since it was introduced in X and Y. And it's a feature which a recent Uniqlo competition has confirmed will be in Pokémon Sword and Shield. In a collaboration with The Pokémon Company, the clothing brand asked fans to design a top which would then be sold in stores. Now that the winning entry has been chosen (a design featuring Magikarp and Gyrados) it's been revealed that the top will also be wearable in Pokémon Sword and Shield as a trainer outfit. Just how many more outfit options there'll be in the games isn't known yet, but we're hoping to catch a glimpse of some more if Nintendo shows us some new Sword and Shield footage during its E3 conference this year. Made for handheld While the Pokémon Let's Go games were developed with TV mode in mind, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that Pokémon Sword and Shield will "emphasize the fun of playing Nintendo Switch in handheld mode." Furukawa made the comments during Nintendo's March 2019 Financial Results Briefing (via Nintendo Life). Image credit: Nintendo A whole new world We know the game is set in a brand new region of Galar, rather than a rehash of Kanto or a previously visited territory. Galar seems to be loosely inspired by England's cities and countryside, with rolling hills and brickwork cities to explore. The trailer also showed glimpses of jewel-encrusted mines and what might even be a football stadium (see the kit below), though we're waiting to see whether competing in a Pokémon-themed Football World Cup will be possible for players. Brand new Pokémon Yup, this is a new generation of Pokémon, meaning you'll be seeing a lot of new faces – as well as a lot of old ones. The trailer gave us a mix of familiar Pokémon like Pikachu and Hoothoot along the new starters, and we're hoping Game Freak manage to keep the new designs interesting (no ice cream or candelabra Pokémon, please.) Modern to the core Sword and Shield look to retain the look and 3D animation style of the Pokeémon Let's Go games that launched on Nintendo Switch last year. Pokémon games haven't been flat 2D games in years, and has increasingly been moving towards full-size avatars and 3D environments. Some may miss the old-school pixel charm of the earlier games – and find the 3D creature models a bit bland – but for better or worse this is what we're getting. Pokémon Stars what? What still confuses us is that we've been waiting for the long-rumored Pokémon Stars game for over two years now, Eurogamer. published a report in late 2016 that said multiple sources had confirmed a new version of Pokémon Sun and Moon was being developed for the Switch under the code named Pokémon Stars. While it never materialized, 'Stars' could well have been a code-name for what eventually became the Let's Go games, or could still prove a Switch port for the Sun and Moon games.
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| watchOS 6 update release date, compatibility, news and features Posted: 19 Sep 2019 07:42 AM PDT Apple's watchOS 6 - the next version of the software powering your Apple Watch - is officially live today, September 19, a day before the brand new Apple Watch 5 goes on sale. The release date was announced on September 10 alongside the launch of the iPhone 11, which is getting iOS 13 - which is out today. This isn't just a processing speed or battery life refresh either: watchOS 6 is set to have some major upgrades, like the ability to access the App Store straight from your wrist, instead of having to install apps through your iPhone. Below we'll talk you through all of the other main features Apple described on stage at WWDC 2019 when it first introduced the update, along with everything detailed since. We'll also list which watches will be compatible and which specific features the update will bring to your device. Cut to the chase
watchOS 6 release date and compatibilityAs expected, watchOS 6 was unveiled at WWDC 2019, and the full version came out on September 19 - meaning it's available now. Like all previous watchOS updates, the next version will be free to download, and will be compatible with the Apple Watch 4, Apple Watch 3, Apple Watch 2 and the Apple Watch Series 1. Like watchOS 5, the original Apple Watch won't be compatible with the software. That means if your Apple Watch has received watchOS 5, it will still receive this update too. It'll likely be the software featured on the inevitable Apple Watch 5 too. watchOS 6 App StoreImage Credit: Apple The biggest upgrade coming to your Apple Watch will be the inclusion of an App Store. Previously you've had to download apps to your iPhone in order to be able to use them on your wearable, but that's all set to change with watchOS 6. You'll be able to search the App Store directly from your wrist using your voice, with Scribble or via Siri. It'll show you a variety of details for apps you're thinking of installing, such as screenshots on the watch's display, and you'll be able to install them there and then. It should mean you're able to download and install apps directly onto your wrist on devices like the LTE version of the Apple Watch 4, without having to have your iPhone with you. It'll also free up space on your iPhone, as you'll be able to limit the services you only use on your wrist to your Watch, rather than duplicating apps across two devices. This will likely be a major boon for app developers too, as it'll be easier to download titles directly to your watch. Whether that means we'll see more apps on your Apple Watch... only time will tell. Image Credit: Apple watchOS 6 will introduce at least three new apps to your wrist. The first of those is Apple Books, which will allow you to listen to audiobooks using Bluetooth headphones rather than you reading a hefty tome on your wrist. Voice Memos will also be coming to your wrist, so you'll be able to speak into your wrist to make notes rather than whipping out your iPhone. There's also a Calculator app coming to watchOS for the very first time. There have always been third-party options on Apple Watch, but this is the first time the official Apple application has been included. Another new feature in the Apple Watch app will be a tool that enables you to calculate tips or your share of the bill easily. The best news of all of this? You'll be able to delete any of these, or any of the other existing default Apple Watch apps. According to people familiar with the software, TechCrunch has reported that watchOS 6 will allow you to delete any of the core Apple apps from your wearable. watchOS 6 is also set to allow you to get 2-factor authentication codes through to your Apple Watch to allow for signing in to platforms on your other Apple devices easier than ever too. watchOS 6 streaming audioA new API is coming with watchOS 6, that will allow your Apple Watch to directly stream audio away from your iPhone. We don't currently know what apps will include this feature, but it may allow for more audio-based apps to be introduced on the Apple Watch that will work without you having to keep your iPhone with you – think radio, podcasts or your favorite music streaming platform. watchOS 6 hearing healthEver worry about your hearing when you're in loud environments? watchOS 6 will debut a feature that can listen to what you're hearing and let you know if the decibel levels are getting too high. The World Health Organization says four hours a week of more than 90 decibels can impact hearing over time. This new feature will monitor the sound in your environment and let you know when you're nearing a level that is bad for your health. Apple has said that it won't record the exact sounds it can hear, and instead will just monitor the decibels so it won't be a concern for your privacy. watchOS 6 watch facesThe update is confirmed to bring new watch faces to your Apple Watch too. These are called Modular Compact, Solar Dial, California, Gradient and Numerals face, plus you can see a collection of them above. A new complication for watch faces also allows you to monitor the volume level in a room you're in, so you'll be able to check if there's any risk of damaging your hearing. Another update includes a feature called taptic chimes, which can be included on all watch faces. This will silently tap your wrist every hour on the hour to help you keep track of the time, and if the sound is on you’ll hear an audible chime. watchOS 6 healthAn example of how Activity Trends looks. Image Credit: Apple In terms of new health features, there's something called Activity Trends. It's a way to show you your historic fitness data, and give you a picture of how your last 90 days compares to the previous year. Apple says this will enable you to monitor "nine key metrics", although it wasn't specific about what those are. If your activity levels begin to fall over time, the watch will be able to give you advice on what you can do to get back on track. How Cycle Tracking will look on watchOS 6. Image Credit: TechRadar Cycle Tracking will allow women to track their menstrual cycle on their watch, and the same functionality is coming to the Health app on iPhone. It's a big feature on products from the likes of Fitbit and Garmin, and will likely be welcomed by women around the world. It'll give you notifications when fertility windows are about to begin or your period is likely to start. GymKit compatibility is also extending to Woodway, Octane Fitness and TRUE Fitness equipment in the near future too. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 19 Sep 2019 07:38 AM PDT Content plays a major role in the journey of building your online presence and brand. Without it, you're going to struggle in today’s ruthless business world. In fact, digital marketing is arguably one of the most important areas of commerce, although it’s often neglected. To maximise your operation's potential, you need a reliable content management system (CMS). You’ll find plenty of them out there, and they all allow you to create and manage your own content, website and blogs. But some are more effective than others - and that's where we can help. With the written word and media, you have a potential way to become a key influencer in your industry, and to connect with your customers on top of offering them quality products. So in this article, we’ll highlight the best systems, which cater for different needs and budgets.
WordPress If there’s one CMS most people have heard of, it’s WordPress. The platform was launched in 2003 and has become a major part of the internet since. Based on PHP and MySQL, it provides you with tools to create a feature-packed website or blog using written content, videos, images and more. You also have the ability to install a mixture of pre-made and third-party themes to personalise your website. They cater for all sorts of industries, from retail to hospitality. Although you can download the software for free from Wordpress.org and install it on your server, there’s also the option to get a domain and hosting with WordPress. The business plan costs $25 a month (around £19, AU$34) and gives you full access to the theme store, unlimited storage space and a custom domain. That’s not a bad investment if you want to create a website and maintain it going forward. Squarespace Squarespace is another popular CMS platform (largely thanks to its omnipresent podcast advertising!), and it started out at around the same time as WordPress. The main difference is that it isn’t open-source – so you can’t download the software and install it on your own server. Instead, it’s an integrated website builder, blogging platform and hosting service. The premise is that you sign up for a subscription and Squarespace makes it easy to build a website from scratch, which is obviously handy if you don’t have any previous web development experience, or if you need to get a site up and running in a short space of time. Like WordPress, you can install different themes and build a website using text, images and videos. There’s also a commerce platform available. It lets you build and manage your own online store, without having to pay a hefty sum for a tech pro to do it for you. Again, there’s the option to go for a business-ready package. For $18 per month (around £14, AU$24) you get your own domain, unlimited bandwidth and storage, SSL security, Zapier - an automation tool, and Google AdWords credit. Magnolia One of the main attractions of content management systems is that they’re often easy to set up and use. If you’re running a business, you’ll want to have a website to promote your products and services, but you may not have the technical know-how to build one yourself. The java-based Magnolia CMS is targeted specifically at companies that need websites which can do pretty much everything. It sports a hub integrating areas such as e-commerce, analytics, marketing automation, social media, CRM and ERP. The beauty here is that you can add these functions as time goes on and your business develops. Security is at the heart of the system, too, as it employs an architecture that separates your website’s public and private elements to help combat attacks. You can even define what users and admins are able to do, so you’ll always know who can write, edit, view and publish certain content. Prices are tailored to business needs. Weebly Similar to WordPress, Weebly may well be a name that you’re familiar with. It’s an easy-to-use content management system that lets you set up a simple website within a matter of minutes. The platform uses a drag-and-drop format, so you can add features and media to your website easily. And by the same token, you can swiftly remove anything whenever you want. There are a load of pricing options to choose from, all based on different business and personal needs. After the basic, free option, the cheapest plan is $12 a month (around £9.4, AU$17), which provides you with unlimited storage, a domain name and Google Ads credit. There is a small business option, and that’ll set you back $25 a month (around £19, AU$34). For that, you get all the usual features, as well as handy tools like password protection and tax calculators. Wix Wix is a cloud-based web development platform which lets you create HTML5 and mobile-optimised websites easily. The platform offers a drag-and-drop system, and you can add more functionality by installing plugins. Wix caters for elements including email marketing, e-commerce, contact forms and community forums. As is normal for CMS platforms, you have the option to remove adverts, use your own domain name and get increased bandwidth by going for a premium plan. In February, Wix Turbo was released, which noticeably increases the performance and speed of websites. Prices start at $4.50 a month (around £3, AU$6), although if you’re a small business, you have the Business Basic plan which the company says it's best for small businesses. The price is $17 (around £13.5, AU$24.75) and you benefit from uncapped bandwidth, 20GB of storage, a free domain, a custom favicon, an online store builder and ad vouchers. Bynder Content management systems are great for publishing content online, obviously enough, but they’re also gold dust when it comes to collaborating on content across teams. Bynder is a marketing platform that lets brands create, find, use and work on content easily. It provides a plethora of high-quality workflows to help brand managers, marketers and editors produce, approve and circulate new marketing content. There’s also the ability to create a shareable style guide so all content is consistent and matches the company’s brand image. While it sports some handy features, Bynder is a lot more expensive than other offerings, although you can try out the service with the 14-day trial. You'll need to contact the company for exact pricing, but you should expect to pay at least $450 per month (around £345, AU$570) and prices can reach thousands. That said, the software is designed to take a good deal of strain off your marketing budget by simplifying many mundane and time-consuming tasks.
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