Apple : This app helped me get front-row sound from the back of a festival

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• This app helped me get front-row sound from the back of a festival
• Serena Williams vs Bianca Andreescu live stream: how to watch US Open women's final 2019 online
• UFC 242 live stream: how to watch Khabib vs Poirier (and the rest) from anywhere today
• Headphones, speakers, and soundbars: the best audio tech we heard at IFA 2019
• IFA 2019: 10 insane innovations from the backrooms in Berlin
• England vs Bulgaria live stream: how to watch Euro 2020 qualifier football from anywhere
• Next year's iPhones will reportedly have an all-new design and 5G
• 5 best smartwatches of IFA 2019: the top wearables announced this week
• Ireland vs Wales live stream: how to watch Rugby World Cup warm-up online from anywhere
• A new range of Hisense TVs bring the brilliant Roku platform to the UK
• Budget OLED TVs are tempting, but are manufacturers jumping the gun?
• IFA 2019 awards: TechRadar's best of the show
• The Pixel 4 is tipped to arrive with some major camera upgrades
• Windows 10 preview gives you the chance to relocate Cortana
• Australia vs Samoa live stream: how to watch today's Rugby World Cup warm-up from anywhere
• Forget Note 10 deals, this stellar Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus contract is the way to go
• iPhone SE 2 release date, news, price and leaks
• Apple Watch 5 release date, price, news and rumors
• USB4: everything you need to know

This app helped me get front-row sound from the back of a festival Posted: 07 Sep 2019 12:00 PM PDT For years, musicians Mike Einziger and Ann Marie Calhoun wanted to provide music fans a better sound experience when they were on tour. Sure, fans who got front-row seats had a great experience, but what about the fans who sat behind the speakers or those sitting in the back? Most of the time all those folks can hear is the people around them. It was a problem that plagued Calhoun and Einziger when they were on tour with Hans Zimmer, and one that didn’t seem to have a good universal solution that could work in every venue around the world. So they made one.  The culmination of Calhoun and Einziger’s work is called Mixhalo - a software solution that interfaces directly to a venue’s soundboard and broadcasts the mix locally to anyone with an app at the show through a private wireless network. It’s a platform that could radically change how you’ll listen to artists at venues all across the US - and, if things go well, all across the world. Music for the masses  The benefits of Mixhalo are pretty obvious to anyone who’s ever sat in the back of a crowded arena during a show: the app allows you to hear more of the music and less of the crowd.  But, according to the two co-founders and its CEO Marc Ruxin, it’s more than that: It’s not only about balancing the scales of auditoriums and giving everyone a chance to hear quality music, but it also allows fans to still hear the music if they need to get up out of their seats and, at a big festival like Coachella, Lollapalooza or Outside Lands, to hear what’s happening on other stages. And so far, it seems people like what they hear - the company has already announced a $10.7 million Series A financing led by Foundry Group and has worked with globally recognized acts like Bruno Mars and Metallica - the latter of whom, Calhoun and Einziger told us, actually used Mixhalo to showcase every individual instrument by creating a separate stream in the app. Mixhalo antennas were attached to the poles in the center of festival as well as the outer edges. The magic behind Mixhalo is the local wireless network that it sets up at each venue. Once you’re within range of the network, the free downloadable app on your phone will show you the different stages available, and you can connect to a live feed from the soundboard. Plug a pair of headphones into your phone and you’ll hear the music from the stage in real time.  The technology’s biggest public demonstration happened earlier this year at Aerosmith’s live show in Las Vegas where Mixhalo teamed up with audio brand THX, but the team plans on taking it festivals all across the US - including last month’s Outside Lands festival in San Francisco where we were able to go hands on with the audio app and meet its co-founders. Front-row sound from the back of a festival  So how exactly can you use the app? Well before anyone arrived at the festival Mixhalo and its core team arrived to setup. They needed to install a number of antennas in sections of San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Park and create the network that we’d later use to hear the bands on stage through the app. “Knowing the challenge of building a technology platform that could deliver this experience to every fan in venues of all sizes, I was skeptical it could be done,” said Ryan McIntyre, managing director of Foundry Group, the company that’s helped Mixhalo raise funding.  “However, once I experienced Mixhalo at the tiny Fox Theater in Boulder and then at the Aerosmith show in Las Vegas, I was convinced of the technology.” Situated all around the show’s main stage and two side stages the antennas would provide a sort of wireless mesh for the app to tap into. As long as you stood within the covered area and had the app turned on, you could tune into any one of the venue’s stages. Unfortunately that means that you’re unable to tune into a concert while you’re at home but, according to Mixhalo’s team, it’s better like that as they’d have to negotiate streaming rights for every show. By the time we arrived at Outside Lands, everything was setup and fully functioning and all we needed to do is pop open the app the see the stages. Once we picked a stage, we popped on a pair of headphones and could hear the music coming from that stage in real-time and seemingly Hi Res quality.  It’s a pretty elegant solution for a complex problem… mostly. It’s not all music to our ears  Of course, setting up a wireless network the size of Golden Gate Park comes with its own set of challenges - some of which Mixhalo is still ironing out the kinks for.  One of its biggest issues is that the antennas that broadcast the signal are obviously limited in number and range - meaning in some areas the app has spotty reception and in others there’s no reception at all. When that happens the Mixhalo app will tell you that you’ve lost connection and tells you to move closer to an antenna. Mixhalo, both the company and the app, also needs to borrow a small amount of bandwidth from the venue that’s hosting the event. In the case of Outside Lands, the team piggybacked off the vendor network, a good solution, but one that could present a challenge in which there’s limited connectivity. You also can't ignore that the antennas are a big part of the solution. They’ll need to be at every show that wants to use Mixhalo - which means they’ll need to be transported and setup ahead of the show. That means planning time, coordination and collaboration between Mixhalo's team and the venue. That said, all this falls on the shoulders of Marc Ruxin's team - besides the dropped signal, these aren’t things that you as a concert-goer have to care about; as long as there’s signal, you get front-row sound anywhere in the venue. It's nice to be able to walk away to grab a beer or use the bathroom and still hear the music. The future of live audio  The Mixhalo demonstration we went to centered around live concerts, which makes sense given its founders backgrounds - Calhoun is a world-renowned violinist and key collaborator with Hans Zimmer for a number of his movie soundtracks while Einziger is the lead guitarist and co-founder of the band Incubus.  And yet, while live concerts present a good opportunity for Mixhalo, both founders say that concert venues are just the beginning - they see a future in using Mixhalo as a way to listen to sports games, eSports tournaments, business conferences and other public events, all of which could make use of Mixhalo. There’s also been talk of integrating the Mixhalo app into a pair of headphones, though, Calhoun and Einziger still encourage people to bring their own headphones for the time being. “We don’t want to force people to spend a lot of money to get this experience,” Calhoun told us. “We want everyone to be able to access it with whichever headphones they already own.” With that said, if you see pairs of headphones at the next festival you go to, you’ll know why. Speaking of headphones, here are the best headphones in 2019 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Serena Williams vs Bianca Andreescu live stream: how to watch US Open women's final 2019 online Posted: 07 Sep 2019 11:14 AM PDT So here she is again - Serena Williams is back in the Arthur Ashe Stadium for her tenth(!) US Open women's final. And that means she's only two sets away from finally equalling Margaret Court’s record of tennis Grand Slam singles titles. Canadian Bianca Andreescu is the player to beat and you can see the outcome of this one by following our guide to getting a Williams vs Andreescu live stream today. Last year's final was one to forget for Serena - it was actually rather sad seeing her unravel in front of the partisan home crowd. But we all know just how good this legend of the game is and, at 37-years-old she will be as determined as ever to lift the US Open title for the seventh time in her extraordinary career. It was Naomi Osaka standing in her way last year and this time around her opponent is even younger - the 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu from north of the border. While Serena will of course be favorite, the Canadian will recall with relish that she came out victorious in their only match to date. OK, so that was by default when Serena retired hurt during their Rogers Cup final match last month. But Andreescu will need to take every mental positive she can get going into this one. Make sure you don't miss any of the 2019 US Open women's final - follow our Serena Williams vs Bianca Andreescu live stream guide below - it doesn't even matter where on Earth you are. Learn how to watch every single Premier League football game live from anywhere Live stream US Open tennis 2019 from outside your country For your watching options in the US, UK (where interestingly Amazon Prime video has the rights), Australia, Canada and New Zealand, we have more details below - just scroll down the page. But if you try to watch your domestic coverage of this final from somewhere outside your home country, you'll soon find a problem...geo-blocking. That's where the broadcaster prevents you from watching the feed overseas. How to watch Serena in the final in the US FuboTV $44.99 for the first month Hulu with Live TV $44.99 per month DirecTV Now $50 per month Sling TV starting at $15 per month YouTube TV $49.99 per month The best way to watch Andreescu in Canada How to live stream US Open tennis in the UK - for FREE How to live stream Williams vs Andreescu in Australia The best way to stream Williams vs Andreescu live in New Zealand This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

UFC 242 live stream: how to watch Khabib vs Poirier (and the rest) from anywhere today Posted: 07 Sep 2019 08:54 AM PDT Ready to rumble? UFC 242 is here and it's one we heartily recommend that you do not miss. After Khabib Nurmagomedov destroyed the quite literally 'Notorious' Conor McGregor through submission last year, he immediately became the fighter everyone feared. Now, he's back to defend his UFC Lightweight Championship belt. In other words, cancel all of your Saturday plans, watching a UFC 242 live stream should be your only goal. With 27 wins, 0 losses and one of the most controversial feuds in UFC history under his (lightweight) belt, Khabib would need a pretty fearless fighter to take him on for his title - enter the American Dustin Poirier. Poirier might not have quite the impressive track record Khabib has, but after leaving Max Holloway in the dust back in April he's proved he is the person to take on Khabib. Especially as he holds the interim UFC Lightweight title. And it's not just today's main fight to get hyped about. Watching a UFC 242 live stream will mean catching Edson Barboza vs Paul Felder, a fight that really began back in July, 2015 when the two fighters first went head-to-head, with Barboza pulling out a unanimous win. Now, Felder is back for blood. And not to mention 'The Tasmanian Devil' Davi Ramos vs Islam Makhachev, two well matched fighters, likely to push way into the rounds in a fist for fist marathon. In other words, UFC 242 is looking like a event you will not want to miss. No matter what weight class, which fighter or which style you're there for, we’ll show you how to live stream UFC 242’s main card today from anywhere in the world. Read more: Ashes 2019 live stream - catch all of the cricket action  Live stream UFC 242 from outside your country Worry not if you're a huge UFC fan but aren't in the country to watch UFC 242 today. If you find the coverage is geo-blocked, you can try using a VPN to change your IP address to a country where the fights are airing and watch this week's main card just as if you were back at home. How to watch UFC 242 online in the US exclusively on ESPN Live stream UFC 242 in the UK  Watch a UFC 242 stream in Australia  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Headphones, speakers, and soundbars: the best audio tech we heard at IFA 2019 Posted: 07 Sep 2019 07:13 AM PDT IFA is always a great time to check out the latest in headphones, speakers, soundbars (and just about any other audio gadgets you can think of), and IFA 2019 was no exception.  We didn't see much in the way of groundbreaking, never-seen-before innovation; instead, the pervading trend at IFA 2019 was for brands big and small to build on their existing technology, making their products better than ever before. So, without further ado, here's the very best audio technology we saw at Europe's biggest tech show this year.  The best speaker: Sonos Move Sonos has everything from soundbars to imposing architectural wireless speakers, but until now, it's never released a portable Bluetooth speaker.  Having waited this long, Sonos needed to release something really special to fill this gap in its range, and it has – the Sonos Move impressed us with its flexibility, ranging from on-the-go portable playback to being part of an in-the-home multi room set-up. Read our hands on Sonos Move review The best portable speakers you can buy in 2019 The best soundbar: Anker Nebula Soundbar – Fire TV Edition Not content with being embedded into smartphones, tablets, web browsers and your home's smart speakers, Amazon is continuing its push into televisions – and surprisingly, soundbars.  The Anker Nebula Soundbar – Fire TV Edition comes with Fire TV built-in, so that means you can use it to watch Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and more. It also contains the smarts of Amazon's voice assistant Alexa, so you can navigate your TV with your voice alone.  Sound-wise, it's got dual built-in subwoofers, so it should sound pretty bassy, while a 2:1 channel design means you get room-filling sound. The best soundbars for TV shows, movies, and music The best turntable: Audio-Technica AT-LP5x  We’ve had only the briefest of sessions with the AT-LP5x, but even at this early stage it’s hard to find fault – there’s a commitment to good materials, the ability to digitalize your records, and a flexibility for adding other audio components of your choice that makes for a turntable that will grow along with your love of vinyl. The lack of Bluetooth connectivity may put off those who want to avoid frustrating their speaker setup with annoying cables, but even so, that wired connectivity is usually seen as a plus within the audiophile community, many of whom believe it offers a higher level of audio quality. Read our hands on Audio-Technica AT-LP5x review The best turntables for vinyl-lovers The best headphones: Sony WI-1000XM2 Sony has a fantastic reputation for creating outstanding noise-canceling headphones, and the brand is hoping for another win with its new WI-1000XM2 wireless neckband earbuds.  The new headphones build on the class-leading design of their predecessors, packing in an updated noise -cancelation processor – the same one that's used in our all-time favorite true wireless earbuds, the Sony WF-1000XM3s.  Noise cancelation is excellent, and the sound quality on offer appears to be very good indeed based on the short time we spent testing them – battery life could be better, though.  Read our hands on Sony WI-1000XM2 wireless headphones review The best wireless headphones to cut the cord Special mention: Philips OLED+984 TV You may be surprised to find a TV in an audio round up, but the Philips OLED+984 is like no other, sporting the most advanced sound system ever fitted to a television. The OLED+984 immediately sets itself apart from your average set thanks to a protruding tubular tweeter enclosure that nestles above a hanging soundbar-style main driver array – created in partnership with British audio specialist Bowers & Wilkins. That unique design means that you don't need to shell out for an additional soundbar, making it easier than ever before to achieve a fantastic home cinema setup in your living room. Read our hands on Philips OLED+984 review The best OLED TVs money can buy IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show, and the TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TVs, wearables and other devices as they're announced. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

IFA 2019: 10 insane innovations from the backrooms in Berlin Posted: 07 Sep 2019 07:00 AM PDT Berlin’s massive tech exhibition IFA was dominated by the big brands’ unveiling of phones and giant TVs, but beyond the headlines are hundreds of eye-catching new ideas. Is a digital teasmade insane? Possibly. How about a wearable air purifier, a ‘digestive tracker’ and a Wi-Fi hotspot with a camera? Or maybe you would like your next child to be pointing a camera at you from its crib? What seems odd today is next week’s normal, and many of the ideas that first get floated at IFA can go on to become, or to inspire, the next generation of must-have gear and gadgets. Here’s our pick of this year’s most intriguingly odd new tech on show at IFA 2019. 1. FoodMarble AIRE Personal Digestive Tracker Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Yeah, you shouldn’t have eaten that. A pocket-sized breath-tester, FoodMarble’s AIRE figures out what foods you are unable to digest. The first-ever ‘personal digestive tracker’, AIRE caters for the one-in-eight people that eat food not compatible with their digestive system, something that can cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). “Users log food, sleep, stress, sleep and symptoms in the app and take regular breath tests throughout the day,” says Aonghus Shortt, CEO of FoodMarble. “Each breath test measures the level of fermentation in your gut, which indicates how well a certain food is being digested. Our users come to us because they are tired of guessing what foods are triggering digestive problems for them.” Yuck. FoodMarble AIRE is on sale now for £149 (about $180 / AU$270). 2. Samsung AirDresser Samsung has gone a bit mad. Its tortuously long press conference saw the unveiling of the AirDresser, a ‘personal garment solution’ that, er, releases powerful jets of air to de-dust and sanitize clothes. Now that’s solving a problem that no-one thought they had. For those who need to ‘refresh and revitalise’ their clothes or are sick of spending so much time at the dry cleaners, the wardrobe-shaped AirDresser emits ‘jet steam’ from a vent on the floor to remove bacteria (?) and a heat pump to dry them out and remove smells. Yup. It comes in the ‘Crystal Mirror’ color, which makes it look a bit like a fridge. It’s presumably designed for smoggy cities in Asia because Samsung also talked-up a ‘wind-free’ air purifier. Samsung solving the big problems? 3. Aalto Explorer FIND-X 3 Underwater Drone The ocean covers nearly 70% of the Earth, yet 95% of it remains a mystery. So why don’t we discover it… together? Finland-based Aalto has developed the world’s first underwater expedition platform where anyone can sign-up and enjoy – via a virtual reality headset – live streaming video in real-time from the bottom of the world’s oceans. The vehicle plumbing the depths on various expeditions will be the new Aalto Explorer FIND-X 3, a remote operated vehicle – yup, a drone – fitted with a 360° camera, with a 4G (and, soon, 5G) equipped floating mobile above, tethered via an umbilical cord. The ‘passenger’ sees what FIND-X 3 sees via a web browser or phone. It’s all currently at the prototype stage. 4. Barisieur Tea and Coffee Brewing Alarm Clock Are you old enough to remember the teasmade? The automatic tea-maker-meets-alarm clock, popular in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s, hasn’t been seen for decades, and yet its stylish return at IFA 2019 instantly seems inevitable. Mind you, the Barisieur is a far higher grade beast than the analog brewers of yesteryear. It makes both coffee and loose leaf tea using a stainless steel reusable filter, with water brewing in 3.5 minutes using induction tech, to reach 94°C. It uses infrared to detect if milk is present, and if it is, it cools it to 3-8°C. The Barisieur also includes drawers for coffee, tea, sugar and spoons. And if anyone was under the illusion that this is a new kind of teasmade, it’s really only a digital makeover; the Barisieur gives the caffeine addict options to wakeup with a cuppa ready to drink, or it can be delayed by five, 10 or 15 minutes after the alarm. Available in black or white, Barisieur costs £345 (about $420 / AU$620) and is on sale now. 5. Véritable Connect Smart Garden In the UK and worried about Brexit's impact on fresh food? Probably not, but why risk it when this (ironically) French-made ‘smart garden’ from Véritable can help you grown your own aromatic herbs, edible flowers and baby vegetables all year round? Promising to create the perfect growing conditions for the organic seeds of sweet basil, curly parsley, chives and cherry tomatoes, it includes in the box (as well as organic soil), Véritable Connect is completely autonomous. The unit provides plants with automated light, irrigation and nutrients, and an app lets you know when the water tank is empty (that happens every three weeks). All you’ve got to do is harvest and gobble it all up. Véritable Connect costs £245 (about $300 / AU$440). 6. Babeyes Baby’s POV Camera What does the world – and what do we – look like from a baby’s point of view? It’s something that most of us have never thought of. Or, at least, we’ve never thought we needed to record for posterity. That was until Babeyes came along with the tagline ‘babies' first memories forever’. Essentially a  first-person camera for babies, a small camera is hidden in a teddy bear-shaped badge that pins to a baby grow. It then records any motion it detects in full HD 1080p quality and once its contents have been transferred to a computer, software looks for faces and shows only those clips. So although it sounds like it’s about the baby, it’s actually about showing the parents footage of themselves. Scary stuff. It costs $139 (about £110 / AU$200). 7. Airvida C1 Wearable Air Purifier If Babeyes is essentially a gadget for parents rather than children, here’s one that’s all about the kids. The world’s only (obviously) wearable air purifier designed specifically for children aged three to 10 years old, Airvida’s C1 generates 2,000,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter every 0.6 seconds around a baby’s face. That’s 100 times more than 'natural forest ion concentration' according to the makers, which of course makes perfect sense. It’s supposed to reduce the pollen, airborne allergies and allergens that a baby may breathe in, though isn’t that just going to make for a sickly child? It might seem intrusive, but it only weighs 22g. 8. bONE Tech IceBRKR Ski Goggles It’s another wacky proposition. Here are some ski goggles that let you listen to music, and even chat with your mates anywhere on the slopes up to a mile away without having anything in your ears. There are two slabs of tech behind bONE Tech’s IceBrkr ski googles. The first is bone conduction, which does away with the need for in-earphones. Instead, vibrations in your ski helmet send low-frequency sounds into the inner ear directly through jawbones. That’s something AfterShokz has been doing for a few years. The technique’s advantage is that you can also hear what’s going on around you, which is crucial when you’re on the slopes. The second secret is Bluetooth 5.0 MESH, which lets you create an intercom with up to 17 other people within a mile that also have devices using the same tech. That sounds great for staying in touch, something that’s very tricky in large ski resorts. It’s on Kickstarter now for around $100 / £80 / AU$140. 9. Capsulier REVO Coffee Packaging Machine Love good coffee, but hate evil coffee capsules? Hugely convenient and massively wasteful, coffee capsules that go into espresso machines go into landfill. You’re also tied to buying one brand of capsules, often at great expense. So why not just make your own? This capsule packaging gadget makes custom-blend coffee capsules in minutes, pops easily into espresso machines, and creates any kind of blend a coffee-lover can dream of. Capsulier uses stainless steel capsules that can be used ad infinitum. Expect to see a finished version of the REVO in mid-2020. 10. Welt Smart Belt As tech zones go, wrists are so passé. Sure, we all tried and loved (and then quickly got bored of) a Fitbit around our wrists, but then retreated to using fitness apps on smartphones that just can’t be reliable. So what about this for a convenient half-way house? Made in South Korea, the micro USB-charged Welt is a belt that tracks the size of your waist as it expands and contracts, uses a pedometer to track your activity – just like a Fitbit – and also takes account of how much you’re eating. It then tells you want/what not to do via a phone app. IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show, and the TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TVs, phones, laptops, wearables and other devices as they're announced. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

England vs Bulgaria live stream: how to watch Euro 2020 qualifier football from anywhere Posted: 07 Sep 2019 06:44 AM PDT International football is back! It's been a while coming, but Euro 2020 qualifying football returns this week with England seeking to maintain their 100% winning record. We're delighted that it's on free-to-air TV in the UK - although you'll need to keep scrolling to see how to live stream England vs Bulgaria wherever you are in the world.  Gareth Southgate's England come into the game still with a lot of goodwill from fans who remember last year's World Cup campaign fondly. Since then, they put 10 goals past the Czech Republic and Montenegro in qualifying, but were beaten easily by the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the inaugural Nations League. Harry Kane will of course lead them from the front and Raheem Stirling has now become England's most dangerous player. Leicester City's James Maddison looks set to play a key part in midfield alongside fellow young guns Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice. Expect Jordan Pickford to start in goal, despite his mistakes in Portugal and some fierce competition. For Bulgaria, long gone are the days of Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov. Bulgarian football has been in the doldrums for quite a while now - the nation are 60th in the FIFA World Rankings below the likes of Congo and Jamaica. They haven't appeared in a major tournament now for over 20 years, and it will take a big effort from the likes of captain Ivelin Popov and experienced defender Nikolay Bodurov to end that drought. So can England come up with the goals they need to claim an expected third win on the trot? Or can Bulgaria come up with a surprise result? Find out by following the instructions below and grabbing a live stream of England vs Bulgaria Euro 2020 qualifying football wherever you are in the world.  Live stream Premier League football: how to watch every single game How to live stream England vs Bulgaria from outside your country If you're in the UK, US or Australia today, then your viewing options are set out in simple black-and-white below. But it's not so straightforward if you try and watch the game from abroad, as you'll likely be faced with a very unhelpful geo-block. How to stream the England game live in the UK  Live stream England vs Bulgaria in the US for FREE How to live stream England vs Bulgaria in Australia This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Next year's iPhones will reportedly have an all-new design and 5G Posted: 07 Sep 2019 06:30 AM PDT There are only a few days until we get a proper look at the iPhone 11 handsets for 2019, so of course it's time to get the iPhone 12 rumor rollercoaster started for 2020 – and noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has been making predictions already. 9to5Mac reports that Kuo is anticipating an "all-new form factor design" for the 2020 iPhones, so it could be goodbye to the display notch and various other bits of iPhone style we've become accustomed to. The other two big upgrades, according to Kuo, will be the addition of 5G support (something that's been hinted at before) and "camera function upgrades", which we would expect in a new iPhone anyway. What we're expecting from the Apple Watch 5 The Pixel 4 will compete with the iPhone 11 The very best tech we saw at IFA 2019 Exactly what those camera upgrades are going to be, we're not quite sure – though analysts have previously mentioned that time-of-flight (ToF) sensors could be appearing in the rear cameras of the 2020 models, helping with adding depth and focus effects. iPhones 11 and 12 We could also be in line for display size changes next year: 5.45 inches for the standard iPhone 12 (down from 5.8 inches), 6.7 inches for the bigger version (up from 6.5 inches), and 6.1 inches for whatever the 2020 version of the iPhone XR is (the same as it is now). And the flagship iPhone 12 handsets might not be the only new phones that Apple puts out in 2020 – momentum is growing behind rumors of an iPhone SE 2 launch at some point early next year, for those who prefer a smaller form factor. Finally, one more rumor we've heard about next year – the introduction of 120Hz refresh rates on the displays, for super-fast and super-smooth scrolling. Next year's iPhones could end up being quite the upgrade. In the meantime, it's all eyes on Apple on Tuesday, September 10, when the 2019 iPhones will appear – square rear camera array and all. As ever, we'll be bringing you all the news as it's announced right here on TechRadar. iPhone 11 Pro will be the first iPhone I’m actually interested in – if it exists This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

5 best smartwatches of IFA 2019: the top wearables announced this week Posted: 07 Sep 2019 05:00 AM PDT We’ve seen a whole lot of tech at IFA 2019, but among it there have been a number of tempting new smartwatch announcements. That’s notable because we often go months without a major new wearable, but now there are numerous new ones to choose from, giving you alternatives to the impending Apple Watch 5. Below we’ve highlighted the very best wearables of IFA 2019. In no particular order, these are the smartwatches that really caught our eye and which – based on our first impressions – could be strong additions to your wrist. 1. Garmin Venu The Garmin Venu is the first Garmin smartwatch to have an AMOLED screen. It’s a change which promises a more vibrant display than on past Garmin watches, but that’s not the only reason you might want to consider the Venu. The watch is also jam-packed with all the health and fitness features you’d likely expect or need. There’s a heart rate monitor and GPS, of course, along with the tools to track various sports and exercises, such as running, yoga, strength training and many more. But the Garmin Venu can also track your sleep, stress, respiration, menstrual cycle, and hydration, alert you to an abnormal heart rate, and monitor your energy levels. Plus, it includes animated workouts, and the ability to create your own on-device workout routine. And this isn’t just a fitness watch. It also displays smartphone notifications, allows you to make contactless payments (through Garmin Pay), and lets you download music so you can listen direct from your wrist, rather than needing to play it from a phone. All that and it’s stylishly built, with a 1.2-inch circular display and the sort of look that you’ll probably be happy to rock 24/7 – not just at the gym. The Venu isn’t out yet, but it should be hitting stores sometime between October and December, starting at $399.99/£299.99 (around AU$540). Want to know what it's like? Here's our Garmin Venu hands on 2. Puma Smartwatch Puma’s first smartwatch is simply called the Puma Smartwatch, and while it arguably doesn’t stand out as much as some wearables, it has all the core bases covered – and then some. As it runs Wear OS it’s a true smartwatch, despite its sporty branding and styling, but sport – and especially running – is very much at its heart. The Puma Smartwatch has a heart rate monitor and GPS, like any good running watch, along with a swim-proof build, so you can train with it in the pool. It’s also light, so it shouldn’t weigh you down. Other highlights include a Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset, which is the best Qualcomm smartwatch chipset around. The Puma Smartwatch also boasts around 24 hours of battery life, support for contactless payments, a 1.19-inch AMOLED display, and a middling price of $275 / £269 (around AU$410). You’ll be able to pick it up from November. 3. Fitbit Versa 2 Okay, technically the Fitbit Versa 2 was announced just before IFA 2019, but it was during IFA that it was first shown off to the public. And if we treat this as an IFA announcement then it’s definitely one of the most exciting wearables of the show, as it’s an upgrade to the already-impressive Fitbit Versa. One highlight here is the inclusion of Fitbit Pay as standard, so you can make contactless payments without having to opt for a special version. But arguably the real star of the show is Amazon Alexa, which lets you ask Amazon’s AI assistant questions. If you’ve used a smartwatch then you’ll know how handy voice assistance can be, and opting for Alexa was a smart move from Fitbit – it can’t use Google Assistant, since it’s running its own operating system, and creating its own AI assistant would be a big job. Those features aside the Versa 2 is a lot like the original Fitbit Versa. It has got a slightly bigger screen and some other minor improvements, but otherwise is much like its predecessor. You should be able to buy it in most regions before the end of September, at a price of $199.95 / £199.99 / AU$299.95. 4. Michael Kors Access MKGO The Michael Kors brand announced three new smartwatches at IFA 2019. There’s the Bradshaw 2, Lexington 2, and the MKGO. It’s the MKGO that we’re focused on here, as while the other two look like solid, stylish smartwatches, they’re also typical of the brand, whereas the Michael Kors Access MKGO puts a surprising focus on fitness. It packs in a high-end Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset, 4GB of RAM and a 1.19-inch screen, while remaining just 7mm thick, so it’s a relatively slim, compact wearable. It’s also light, thanks to a casing that's largely made from nylon. Its silicone band is the first hint that this is built for sports, but the Michael Kors Access MKGO also has a heart rate monitor, GPS, and as it’s powered by Wear OS it has access to all sorts of fitness apps, including Google Fit. Pricing starts at $295 / £279 / AU$499 and it’s out now. 5. Garmin Vivoactive 4 As well as the Venu, Garmin also announced the Vivoactive 4 at IFA 2019. This comes with more than 40 animated workouts built in, for activities such as cardio and yoga, plus the ability to create custom workouts. You also get a heart rate monitor, GPS, activity tracking, and Garmin’s Body Battery feature, which judges your energy levels, so you have a better idea of when to train and when to rest. Sleep and respiration tracking is included too, as are breathing exercises to help you relax. Plus you’ll get smartphone notifications, the ability to download and play music, and a battery life of up to 8 days (though reduced to 6 hours when making heavy use of GPS and music). There’s also a Vivoactive 4S if you want something slightly smaller, and both of these watches are largely similar to the Garmin Venu, albeit with transflective rather than OLED screens, and a slightly lower price of $349.99 / £259.99 / AU$549 (or £239.99 in the case of the Vivoactive 4S in the UK). IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TVs, watches and other tech as they're announced. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ireland vs Wales live stream: how to watch Rugby World Cup warm-up online from anywhere Posted: 07 Sep 2019 03:35 AM PDT After suffering a crushing defeat against England, Ireland bounced back to get their Rugby World Cup preparations back on track with an excellent 22-17 victory against Wales last weekend. Having struggled to just three points in the first half in Cardiff, Welsh coach Warren Gatland will be hoping for a much improved performance from his side in this turnaround fixture. Sounds like an intriguing match-up then...we'll tell you how to get an Ireland vs Wales live stream from absolutely anywhere you are today. With Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad selection having been made, much of the focus in the run up to this game as been on the omission of Devin Toner in the final list of Irish names heading to Japan, with Munster’s Jean Kyler controversially selected ahead of the experienced lock. While arguments rage among Irish rugby fans on the decision, it's likely most will agree that an expected first start of the warm-up fixtures for Johnny Sexton in this match will be a major positive in their World Cup preparations. While the Irish were great in the first 60 minutes at the Principality Stadium, Schmidt will be looking to address what caused his side to tail off in the game’s closing stages last weekend.  There was also surprise omissions in the 31-man Welsh World Cup squad named at the weekend, with Rob Evans and Samson Lee among the shock names to miss out on the tournament. But with those tough choices out of the way, coach Warren Gatland will now be hoping the players he has settled upon can draw a line under last weekend’s defeat and take heart from how they nearly turned last week’s match around.   You can watch today's game live and in full, no matter where in the world you are, by following our Ireland vs Wales live stream guide below. Football fan? Here's how to get a Premier League live stream How to live stream Ireland vs Wales in the UK for free How to live stream Ireland vs Wales when you're not in your country If you're outside your country of residence - whether that be the UK or anywhere else (see your other options below) - and try to start streaming the rugby via your native broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't as it is location restricted. Fear not, the action is still within your reach. All you need to do is download and install a VPN to effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage (as long as you do so in compliance with the broadcaster's Ts&Cs) without delving into the dangers of an illegal stream. Live stream Ireland vs Wales in Australia Live stream Wales vs Ireland in New Zealand How to watch an Ireland vs Wales live stream in the US This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

A new range of Hisense TVs bring the brilliant Roku platform to the UK Posted: 07 Sep 2019 03:30 AM PDT The Roku TV smart platform is used in one of every three televisions sold in the US – and it’s finally bringing its design smarts to the UK – in a partnership with Hisense that will the Roku TV interface to a number of TV models in the Hisense 2019 TV range. The Hisense Roku TVs are said to be 4K HDR models, with sizes going up to 65 inch TVs – and will be coming fall 2019, meaning we'll see them hit shelves in the coming month or so. But exact pricing, models, and sizes are yet to be confirmed. Announced at IFA 2019, this marks the first time Roku has given a keynote – or held its own booth – at the Berlin expo, showing a renewed push in its UK and Europe operations. Should I buy a Hisense TV? Check out the cheapest Roku prices and deals IFA 2019: all the new tech and gadgets announced The Roku OS was created back in 2014 to provide a third-party smart TV platform for television makers in the US. Now partnering with 11 TV brands, and over 150 Roku TV models having hit the market, the move into other territories is unsurprising, though we’ve been asking ourselves (and Roku) when this would happen for years. We’re told that Hisense will be releasing “multiple models and sizes” of its Roku TVs for the UK in the coming months – likely before the end of 2019 – though they won’t make up the entirety of Hisense’s 4K TVs for the time being. “There will be choice,” a spokesperson adds. While this is technically the same platform that powers Roku TVs in the US, we’re told that Roku has “redesigned from the ground up an OS that controls the entire television”, meaning we could be getting even more functionality and features than before. The move towards third-party platforms You might be wondering why Hisense doesn’t simply keep using its own smart TV platforms. The short answer? It will. Only a small number of sets will start out using the Roku OS in the Hisense range. But a Roku spokesperson tells us that, in the future, hardly any TV makers will be using in-house / proprietary platforms – given the convenience of outsourcing it to an external company, and the popularity of streaming devices that essentially replace the interface on a smart TV anyway. “There’s only going to be one TV manufacturer that keeps its own OS, and that’s Samsung,” we’re told – given the dominance of Samsung TVs worldwide, and the work it’s put into its own Tizen OS. A homogenous interface across every smart TV feels a bit dull in theory – though a move towards more third-party platforms could make for a more consistent user experience as a result. Some of our favorite US TVs of recent years have run on the Roku OS, including the TCL 6-Series Roku TV (4.5 stars), with the TCL 8-Series 8K QLED using the platform as well. Even if we only have confirmation of the Hisense range for now, it likely won’t be long before Roku TV comes to the UK ranges of TCL and others too. IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TV, watches and other tech as they're announced. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Budget OLED TVs are tempting, but are manufacturers jumping the gun? Posted: 07 Sep 2019 03:00 AM PDT It sounds like a dream come true for cinephiles: OLED TVs, previously the reserve of high-end TV ranges from the likes of LG, Panasonic, or Sony, are sharply dropping in price. Until recently, the cheapest OLED TV on the market was the LG B8 OLED, the bottom rung on LG’s 2018 TV range, and one that managed to undercut its more premium siblings by using an outdated processor. Still, it cost $1,799 / £1,799 / AU$4,799 at launch, which remains out of reach of many buyers out there. That changed with the release of the Hisense O8B OLED this year, which set the bar at £1,399 (around $1,550 / AU$2,260) instead – and now the retail giant Amazon has seen fit to go even lower, with an OLED model announced at IFA 2019 to join its range of Fire TV OS smart TVs. Amazon’s take on an OLED television will cost only €1,299, which converts to around £1,200 / $1,430 / AU$2,100. To start, it will only release in Germany and Austria, though we’d be surprised if Amazon didn’t use its online distribution network to its advantage to try and sell them elsewhere down the line. While there’s no official word on why we aren’t seeing a simultaneous release in the UK and US, the hesitant initial launch – for a company that nearly always sells in its US home first – doesn’t inspire confidence. LG B8 vs LG B9 OLED: is the new B Series OLED worth the upgrade? Value is relative You may be thinking: hang on, these still aren’t cheap enough for me! And really, until we start seeing OLEDs selling for three-figure sums, OLED will remain a premium technology with a limited audience. Speaking to TechRadar, LG Electronics’ Head of Global Corporate Communications Kenneth Hong expressed surprise that OLED TVs weren’t already at that price range, and said there was an expectation several years ago that prices would have dropped faster. But the problem, even with these comparatively cheaper sets, is that they may be pushing down prices at the expense of vital features and capabilities. Without nuanced or capable processing, issues like motion handling or poor upscaling won’t be saved by an OLED panel’s color and contrast strengths alone. We found these problems with the Hisense O8B: while offering a strong and vivid picture, its processing wasn’t always up to the task, while the set’s support for Dolby Vision – a premium HDR format – would cut in and out. While offering value is to be encouraged, value sets that compromise basic performance don’t benefit anyone. The Amazon Fire TV Edition OLED sounds like a tempting proposition, but it’s hard not to see the set as riding the reputation of OLED panels, at a price point that’s unlikely to deliver what people expect from the technology. It begs the question: why get a middling OLED at what’s still a four-figure sum, when you could get a fantastic LED for the same price? The comparison isn’t as clear at higher prices, with the likes of the LG C9 OLED or LG E9 OLED fully being able to give LED and QLED sets a run for their money. But if it’s too early to be releasing cheap OLED without compromising the experience, it’s going to be everyday consumers who are getting the short straw. IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show, and the TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TVs, laptops, wearables and other products as they're announced. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

IFA 2019 awards: TechRadar's best of the show Posted: 07 Sep 2019 02:53 AM PDT There's been a heap of top tech shown off at IFA 2019 in Berlin - from the latest smart speakers and phones, to state-of-the-art wearables and dazzling 8K TVs.  There’s a lot to take in, but don’t worry because we’ve scouted the halls, booths and conferences to bring you the very best in our IFA 2019 awards. Some tough choices were made, but our team of crack judges got their heads together to really thrash out which deserved our nod - so here are the winners of TechRadar’s IFA 2019 awards. Best in show: Sonos Move Our best in show award for IFA 2019 goes to the Sonos Move. It may be pricey, but the portable Sonos Move justifies every penny with its smart connectivity and living-room worthy sound. This is the first time Sonos has created a portable speaker with a built-in battery, and it's an excellent additional to the firm's smart speaker range. When you get home, it can seamlessly join your home network of wired Sonos speakers too - making it truly multi-functional. Hands on: Sonos Move review Best smartphone: Samsung Galaxy A90 5G The Samsung Galaxy A90 5G is a feature packed smartphone without the flagship price tag. There's a huge, vibrant 6.7-inch Full HD display, triple rear cameras, flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset and either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. It's certainly no slouch then, and with 5G connectivity too the Galaxy A90 5G is one of the most affordable handsets which supports for next generation network. Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A90 5G review Best TV: Samsung 55-inch 8K QLED Owning an 8K TV is becoming more realistic as Samsung adds its smallest high-definition panel to its line-up. The 55-inch 8K TV brings the eye-popping resolution to a new, lower (but still expensive) price point at a size which will comfortably fit in most homes. Samsung's QLED panel is bright, colorful and detailed and it can upscale any content to 8K. Hands on: Samsung 55-inch 8K QLED review Best in home theater: Nebula Soundbar Fire TV Edition A soundbar with Amazon smarts built in - what's not to like about that? Anker's Nebula Soundbar Fire TV Edition provides access to Prime Video, Netflix and a host of TV channel apps. It supports 4K playback - so long as you're plugging it into a 4K TV - and you can use Alexa Voice Control via the soundbar as well. First look: Nebula Soundbar Fire TV Edition Best in smart home: Philips Hue Edison bulbs Philips has made its smart bulbs trendy with the introduction of the Hue Edison range. Sporting the popular filament style you'll see in many a hipster coffee shop these days, these are the first Philips Hue bulbs you won't want to hide behind a shade. They plug and play just like the rest of the Hue range, with control via a smartphone app, or by using your voice via Siri, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Read: Philips Hue Edison offers up funky filament bulbs Best smart speaker: Sonos Move  We've already talked about the Sonos Move, as it's bagged our best in show award, so it's no surprise to find it scooping up our best smart speaker accolade as well. It's great to see Sonos breaking into new areas (like it has with its Ikea partnership), and the addition of a portable, Bluetooth speaker with great sound quality to the range is a welcome one. Hands on: Sonos Move review Best headphones: Sony WI-1000XM2 Sony's new noise-canceling neckband earphones look to be another impressive addition to this line of big-hitting buds. These new headphones build on the class-leading design of their predecessors, packing in an updated noise -cancellation processor – the same one that's used in our all-time favorite true wireless earbuds, the Sony WF-1000XM3s.  Hands on: Sony WI-1000XM2 review Best wearable: Garmin Venu The Garmin Venu is packed with all the features you’d expect from a Garmin smartwatch such as GPS and a heart rate monitor, along with a vibrant AMOLED display - the first time this screen type has featured on one of its watches. Where the Venu really excels is with fitness tracking, with the broadest range of 24/7 health monitoring features available including sleep and respiration tracking, abnormal heart rate alerts, stress tracking, menstrual cycle tracking, relaxation reminders, hydration tracking, and more. Hands on: Garmin Venu review Best in Computing: Asus ProArt StudioBook The ProArt StudioBook One is the "most graphically-powerful laptop" in the world - plus it has a touchscreen display instead of a touchpad, which is pretty cool. With an Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000 graphics card and an Intel Core i9 processor, as well as a 15-inch 4K Pantone validated display with 120Hz refresh rate, it’s certainly set to be an incredibly powerful mobile workstation that’s aimed at digital creatives and professionals. Read: Asus ProArt StudioBook is the most graphically-powerful laptop in the world IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show, and the TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TVs, phones, laptops, wearables and other devices as they're announced. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Pixel 4 is tipped to arrive with some major camera upgrades Posted: 07 Sep 2019 02:30 AM PDT All set for the Google Pixel 4, launching around October time? Keen for some leaks and rumors in the meantime? We've got you covered – the latest whispers about what to expect from Google's 2019 flagship all center around the camera. A "reliable" source speaking to 9to5Google says the chunky camera on the back of the Pixel 4 will introduce a new feature called Motion Mode, enabling users to take high-quality action shots with minimal blur. The revered Night Sight mode is getting an upgrade too, apparently, so you'll be able to take even more impressive shots in the dark with the new handset – including shots of starry skies. That's what an extra camera lens can do for you. We might also see a Pixel Watch USB4 has now arrived Rumors of a new iPhone SE 2 Based on the leaks we've seen so far, we're expecting the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL to come with dual-lens rear cameras for the first time – a 12MP and a 16MP affair, with that latter sensor a telephoto lens. A zoom with a view Speaking of telephoto lenses, images on Chinese social network Weibo spotted by XDA Developers suggest these phones will come with 8x zoom capabilities – though whether that's all optical (and lossless) remains to be seen. The same leaked pictures hint that 6GB of RAM is on the cards for these phones, which would be an upgrade on the 4GB of RAM that comes fitted inside the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. We've also got a white model of the Pixel 4 here, to go along with the black version that's already been confirmed by Google. As for the rest of the specs, the Snapdragon 855 from Qualcomm is expected to be on processor duties, while we've heard that 64GB and 128GB storage options are going to be offered, which matches last year's phones. One of the major upgrades that looks to be heading our way with the Pixel 4 is the ability to control the phone (and its apps) with gestures from above the screen – though this feature might not be available in all regions. Google Pixel 4 seemingly caught in the wild, and with a tiny chin This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Windows 10 preview gives you the chance to relocate Cortana Posted: 07 Sep 2019 02:06 AM PDT Windows 10 testers have been graced with a new preview build for the update due to land in the first half of 2020, which introduces a new trick for the revamped Cortana app. Build 18975 (20H1) has been pushed out to the fast ring with the headline change being the ability to move the Cortana window around to anywhere you’d like on the desktop. Latest Windows 10 fail causes Cortana to pummel CPUs The best Windows 10 antivirus of 2019 Windows 10 May 2019 Update problems: how to fix them Of course, another change recently introduced in preview was the introduction of a new chat-based interface for Cortana allowing you to interact more naturally with the digital assistant, and Microsoft notes that because of this, you may well want to keep Cortana around for longer on the desktop. Bearing that in mind, the ability to shift the window around, away from the default position, is an important one. All you have to do is grab the title bar and drag the window wherever you want, and it’s also possible to resize to your own liking, too. Essentially, this is all part of the move to decouple Cortana from the taskbar and Search function, making it a separate app, so obviously it should function like any other Windows application in terms of being able to move and resize it. Not everyone will see this change though, at least not at first. For starters, it’s only rolling out to testers who already have the new chat-based Cortana (which has initially only been pushed out to Windows Insiders in the US), and it has only been deployed to half of them. The rollout will continue to open up further as Microsoft gets feedback and hones the new feature. Linux polishing In this build, Microsoft has also made tweaks to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), namely fixing a “number of localhost reliability issues”, so hopefully things should run more smoothly (although remember, you’re still beta testing these fixes here). Furthermore, the ability to rename virtual desktops has now been rolled out to all testers in the fast ring. So instead of Desktop 1, 2, and so forth, you can give these more informative names which persist after rebooting your machine. This change was actually introduced for 50% of testers three weeks ago, so it has become available to all Windows Insiders inside a month – although the time any feature takes to fully roll out will of course vary depending on its complexity, and the issues Microsoft encounters on the way. Along with these bigger changes, there are a load of minor bug fixes, including a solution for those encountering an ‘error 0xC0000142’ when trying to upgrade to recent preview builds. And there are a number of known issues, too, all of which are detailed in Microsoft’s blog post on the build. The biggest gremlin seems to pertain to the new Reset this PC cloud download option which doesn’t work when certain optional features are installed with Windows 10. Also, it’s wrongly calculating the amount of disk space that must be freed up in the event that it detects there not being enough space to proceed. This should be fixed soon, Microsoft notes, but for now, you should free up 5GB more disk space than suggested by the Windows prompt. Microsoft is further planning on squashing more problems with the 20H1 update in a ‘bug bash’ which is scheduled to start on September 25, running through to October 2. These are the best laptops of 2019 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Australia vs Samoa live stream: how to watch today's Rugby World Cup warm-up from anywhere Posted: 07 Sep 2019 01:50 AM PDT With one hand on the Bledisloe Cup, Australia conspired to fluff their lines in their last match with a demoralising 36-0 defeat against the All Blacks in Auckland last month. And now that the Rugby World Cup in Japan is fast approaching, the Wallabies need to send out a statement that their preparations are back on track - and you can see how they do by getting an Australia vs Samoa live stream today. Head coach Michael Chieka looks set to field a second-string side today as he looks to avoid any unwanted injuries ahead of the World Cup. Rob Valentini is set to make his Test debut for the Wallabies whilst Jack Maddocks could also get the nod. Samoa's build-up to the World Cup hasn't been ideal, having lost two of their three IRB Pacific Nations Cup games. While they'll hope to take advantage of a weakened Australian line-up, the Samoan squad is an inexperienced one that will need to be at its very best to get any sort of result today. Intriguingly, one of the key battles today could see Samoa's Michael Alaalatoa go head-to-head with his younger brother Allan who plays for Australia. We're in for a fascinating game of rugby union, so keep scrolling down to see how you can catch a live stream of Australia vs Samoa from pretty much anywhere on Earth. Tennis fan? See how to see the finals with a US Open live stream How to watch the today's rugby friendly from outside your country Down below, we've listed out the local broadcast options for a number of rugby-loving regions. If you're away from home this weekend and try to live stream today's match, its likely you'll run into trouble with geo-blocking. Crucially, using a VPN service will allow you to watch the rugby action no matter where in the world you are. How to live stream the Wallabies in Australia How to watch Australia vs Samoa in New Zealand How to stream Australia vs Samoa live in the UK  How to watch Australia vs Samoa in the US This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Forget Note 10 deals, this stellar Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus contract is the way to go Posted: 07 Sep 2019 01:34 AM PDT Samsung's new and stylish Note 10 has been on the market for roughly a month now and we love it. But until it comes down from its dizzily high price tag, Note 10 deals would not be our flagship Samsung recommendation. Don't get us wrong, if you're a productivity wizard, performing shortcuts and magic tricks with Samsung's 'S' pen, this will be the phone for you. But, if you would rather leave pens with paper, Samsung's older Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus could be a better match. There's a few reasons for this but primarily it comes down to price. With our favourite Galaxy S10 Plus deal offering a massive 100GB of data for just £39, you are saving hundreds by going for Samsung's older device. Beyond price, you're getting a bigger screen, more powerful processor and even a bigger battery with the S10 Plus. In fact, the only thing the Note 10 does bigger is its price tag. Below you'll find our pick of the best Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus deal in full. Or, if the 'S' pen really is calling you, check out our Samsung Galaxy Note 10 deals guide. This Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus deal: What's the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus like? The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is about as good as phones come right now - it's gone straight to the top of our best smartphone charts. The S10 Plus has a beautiful infinity-O display, in-screen fingerprint scanner, strong battery life and a powerful processor. But obviously with all of these features comes a big price, which is where this excellent offer comes into play.  Read our review on the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus  Or if you still can't quite bring yourself to pay the prices of an S10 Plus, then Samsung Galaxy S10e deals could be a great alternative. Rocking many of the same features at a lower price, the S10e might be better for those on a budget. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

iPhone SE 2 release date, news, price and leaks Posted: 07 Sep 2019 01:29 AM PDT The iPhone SE 2 is one of the tech world's great 'will it, won't it' sagas. Rumored to be on, then off, then on and then off again, there's now plenty to suggest that the iPhone SE line is dead altogether now. Update: While haven't heard whether the iPhone SE 2 will appear alongside the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11R, both of which are likely to be announced on September 10, 2019, we aren't holding out much hope they'll share the stage with a new iPhone SE. Without much news around the rumored device, chances of it actually materializing are highly unlikely. Perhaps we're just going to have to come to terms with the fact it's just not going to happen. While it's not been confirmed dead by Apple, during the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR reveal Apple pulled all mention of the iPhone SE from its website, suggesting that (with the XR now populating its 'affordable' slot), suggesting we'll never see a new SE in Apple stores ever again. Instead, what we'll probably get is an iPhone XR 2 (or iPhone 11R, as we're calling it for now) - a phone with a budget (by Apple standards) price, but a much bigger screen than the iPhone SE. In other words, we might just have to accept that the days of premium compact phones are over. If there's no sign of the iPhone SE 2 - or the SE brand in any form - during Apple's new iPhone launch event in a few days time we can probably draw a line under this handset once and for all. Read: iPhone SE and iPhone 6S are dead, and that's not good for iPhone SE 2 Read: The iPhone SE 2 won't turn up at WWDC 2019 - or ever We'll still continue to monitor iPhone SE 2 leaks, as we have for years, just in case the rumor mill continues to churn out small nuggets of hope. For the time being however, take all the tidbits of info below now with a huge pinch of salt. Current iPhone range: iPhone XR | iPhone XS | iPhone XS Max Rumored new iPhones: iPhone 11 | iPhone 11R iPhone SE 2 release date WWDC 2019 is the next Apple event that we could possibly see the iPhone SE 2 launch, but we're not holding out any hope of it, or any other compact-iPhone getting launched at the conference, or in the future. Meanwhile, prominent industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo didn't believe Apple had the capacity to make an iPhone SE 2 in 2018. At the time Kuo said, "with three new models in the pipeline for the second half of 2018, we believe Apple may have used up its development resources." It doesn't sound like he's ruling out an iPhone SE 2 in future, but for now there's no immediate sign of one. We will however likely get an iPhone XR 2, which will probably land in September 2019, roughly a year after the first model. iPhone SE 2 price In terms of pricing, if we do see an iPhone SE 2 launch, it will likely remain Apple's most affordable iPhone.  The only iPhone SE 2 price rumor so far points to roughly $450 (which will likely translate to £450, AU$700 given how Apple prices its products worldwide), which seems believable. The original iPhone SE launched at $399 (£379, AU$679) for the 16GB variant. We'd expect the iPhone SE 2 to cost at least as much, and a price rise is likely, but it should still be cheap relative to the rest of Apple's range, undercutting even the $749 / £749 / AU$1229 iPhone XR. The iPhone SE 2 could boast a brand new look iPhone SE 2 or iPhone XR 2? We'll get to iPhone SE 2 rumors below, but first, it's worth taking a closer look at the phone we're more likely to see - the iPhone XR 2. We wouldn't imagine Apple will run two budget phone ranges at once, so now that the iPhone XR is here we reckon an iPhone XR 2 is far more likely than an iPhone SE 2. And while these both slot in at the lower end of Apple's range, they're quite different. The iPhone SE has a 4-inch screen and an older fashioned form factor, complete with a home button and large bezels. The iPhone XR on the other hand has a big 6.1-inch screen, slim bezels, a notch, no home button and a generally curvier, more modern design. It's also more colorful. Of those things the main feature that fans of the iPhone SE are unlikely to be happy about is the big screen. There isn't much in the way of iPhone XR 2 rumors yet, but we wouldn't expect the screen to get much if any smaller, so it's not going to please fans of compact phones. iPhone SE 2 design In terms of how the new iPhone is going to look, well - we've got two theories rolling around, and both are possible. The most popular theory is that the new smaller iPhone will have an iPhone X-like screen, complete with notch at the top: If the iPhone SE 2 does exist, this is how it may look ...but that was before Apple's 2018 phones were announced, and with the iPhone XR taking that style for its own, it appears that the rumor mill has crossed its wires and been sharing information on the now-real handset, as opposed to the still-theoretical SE 2. The rear of the phone was said to pack the same dual cameras as the iPhone X, with a video of a purportedly leaked of the new iPhone SE 2. We'll leave it here for your pleasure, but the above notes mean its validity is now truly called into question: BGR was also sent some sketches of the phone in this configuration from a 'reliable source', so it's got some grains of truth in there, with the notch at the top, no home button and no headphone port (the latter a regular rumor). A new screen protector has also been shown off by regular leaker Sonny Dickson, which also shows off a notch at the top for a smaller phone. A screen protector apparently for the iPhone SE 2 (left) and iPhone X (right). (credit: Sonny Dickson) There's something sketchy here though. In this form, the iPhone SE 2 is more of an 'iPhone X Mini'. Dual cameras and the new screen would mean it would cost a lot more, which is against the point of the iPhone SE range, for people that want a smaller, cheaper iPhone. It all adds up to the rumors being sourced at the iPhone XR development center. That said, we wouldn't completely rule out Apple following its current design style for an iPhone SE 2, especially as this would allow it to fit a larger screen in a smaller body, due to lack of bezels. We also have the image below, which shows a design a lot like the original iPhone SE and with the headphone port intact. Could this be closer to any perhaps-planned iPhone SE 2 design? This looks a lot like the original iPhone SE. (credit: Weibo) It's a design that another leak seems to echo, adding that the iPhone SE 2 will have a glass back and support wireless charging, so with two distinct designs doing the rounds we're not sure what's accurate at this point. That's if any are. Again though, the chances of us seeing an iPhone SE 2 at all at this point are looking rather low. More iPhone SE 2 rumors, news and leaks In other news, we've heard that the iPhone SE 2 could have a quad-core A10 chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 12MP rear camera, a 5MP front-facing one, a 4-inch screen and that it could come in 32GB and 128GB sizes. That would be an upgrade in some areas from the iPhone SE, but not much of one, putting it roughly in line with the iPhone 7, albeit with a smaller screen. What's most confusing about the new phone is this: how would you get into it? Face ID has been rumored to not be available, in order to save money... so if the all-screen version is to be believed, how would you open the phone? With that in mind, the more traditional, static design with the fingerprint scanner seems to have more weight... so let's see what appears. iPhone SE 2: what we want to see  We’ve come up with a wish list, filled with features that we want to see in the new iPhone SE 2.  Some of them are pleas to Apple to not remove key specs, while others dare the company to try something new.  A headphone jack First things first: the iPhone SE has a headphone jack and we'd very much like it if Apple kept things in place for the iPhone SE 2. If Apple doesn't mess with the design of the next iteration, there's little reason to see it removed. However, rumors point to a new look, so fingers are crossed that the 3.5mm headphone jack doesn't get left on the cutting room floor. A better battery From a value perspective, the iPhone SE is high on the charts if you're looking for a phone that will last you through the day. As we discovered in our in-depth battery test, the SE swept the floor of the other popular iPhone models of the time, like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6. Its prowess at saving power makes sense. The screen is smaller and its boxy design doesn’t force Apple to slim down on the battery in the way that it might for a slimmer, sleeker chassis used with its core iPhone products. While we're short on complaints about the SE's battery performance, it can only get better, right? We'd like to see Apple pushing some boundaries with its next phone with numbers that take it even higher. Improved performance One of the more impressive things about the SE is that it fits in a similar set of specs found in the iPhone 6S. A punchy palm-sized smartphone that could handle everything that its fancier iPhone brethren could for a more digestible price. That's 2016 power though, and in 2019 we're hoping Apple gives the iPhone SE 2 the latest chipset and a bump in RAM. A refreshed design There's no arguing that reviving the iPhone 5 design for use with the iPhone SE was a good idea. After all, it's a winning design, first debuted on the iPhone 4, that set Apple far ahead of its competition in terms of build quality. However, there comes a time when even the best design ideas need to be left to the side. And when looking toward the release of the iPhone SE 2, that time is now.  We'd love to see something drastically different, all while sticking to the ergonomic four-inch size that SE fans are accustomed to. Of course, if the design changes at all it will probably now take the form of a shrunk-down iPhone XR, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. A chance That's right, we want Apple to give the iPhone SE 2 a chance. There's still a market out there for people who want an iPhone that sits comfortably in the palm, can be used one-handed without inducing a drop risk, and doesn't take up every square inch of a pocket. The iPhone SE form factor is loved by its fans, and while the iPhone SE 2 won't be a best-seller for Apple it will show that the Cupertino firm is listening to some of its most loyal fans. Check out the best compact phones available This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Apple Watch 5 release date, price, news and rumors Posted: 07 Sep 2019 01:15 AM PDT Waiting on the arrival of the Apple Watch 5? Well there's good news, as you may not have long to wait for the new Apple Watch, with a potential launch just days away. The Apple Watch holds the title of the best selling smartwatch, and a version of it adorns wrists all over the world - but it's still not perfect.  The Apple Watch 4 is the company's most elegant device yet - it sits near the top of our best smartwatch list - and it's packed with lots of brand new top-end features too. The Series 4 saw Apple introduce an ECG monitor as well as fall detection and a refreshed design that ensures existing straps can still be used, while offering more screen space. If the last few years are anything to judge by, it won't be long until we hear from Apple about a new device. A new Apple Watch is likely to launch alongside the new iPhone on September 10 and we'll be reporting live from Cupertino, California to bring you all the details. At the moment we're expecting it to be called the Apple Watch Series 5, and below we've put together all of the rumors we've seen so far as well as a selection of improvements we'd like to see on the new Apple Watch. Update: Apple has sent out invites to an event on September 10 when it's expected we'll hear about the iPhone 11 family as well as the Apple Watch 5. What Apple Watch 5 details can we learn from watchOS 6? watchOS 6 release date, news and features Everything we know so far: iPhone 11 | iPhone 11R Apple Watch 5 release date and price Apple Watch 4 Likely to be announced on September 10 Could go on sale on September 20 We don't know for certain when the Apple Watch 5 will launch, but we're pretty confident it'll be on September 10 alongside the next iPhone. Apple often introduces its smartwatches alongside the new iPhone, so this date seems likely for a launch as that's the next big Apple event. Often Apple introduces devices and then releases them 10 days later too (meaning perhaps September 20), so once you've heard about the Apple Watch 5 it probably won't be long until you can buy one. When it comes to price, we have no real reason to believe the price is set to increase from the RRP of the Apple Watch 4. That watch started at  $399 / £399 / AU$599 for the smallest GPS version, and $429 / £429 / AU$649 for the larger one 44mm one.  If you want mobile internet, you'll likely be able to buy the smaller watch for $499 / £499 / AU$749 and pay $529 / £529 / AU$799 for the larger watch. There may be some fluctuation when it comes to the Apple Watch 5 price, but this is the clearest indicator of how much it will cost you when it launches. Apple Watch 5 news and rumors  So far we've heard quite a bit about the Apple Watch 5, and while it's no-where near as much as we've heard about the iPhone 11, it gives us a hint at what we'll see. The first important report came from trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has said the company may be set to introduce a "new ceramic casing design" on at least one model. Kuo also believes Apple will bring support for the ECG monitor to more countries with the Apple Watch 5 - although that may also be a software upgrade for the Apple Watch 4 - as well as a new way to charge your watch. He believes Apple will adopt two-way wireless charging on its next generation of smartphones, which would mean you'd be able to place your Apple Watch on the rear of an iPhone 11 and charge it up using the phone's battery. The design might not be changing much though, with the leaked image below supposedly showing an Apple Watch 5 and looking a lot like the Apple Watch 4. The only real giveaway that this could be a new model is that the model number displayed isn't attached to any current Apple Watch - though has recently been listed by the Eurasian Economic Commission (spotted by MacRumors), so is likely a model that's on the way soon. We'd take the photo with a pinch of salt, but we're largely expecting a similar design from the Apple Watch 5, so it could be accurate. Originally, it was reported that Apple is working on a sleep tracking feature, which is a feature not present in previous Apple Watches, and a source close to the matter suggested the Apple Watch 5 will have the functionality – the source came out with the claim mere days before the product's expected launch date, which lends credence to the idea. Thanks to some images uncovered in watchOS 6, we know that ceramic and titanium casings are likely to be on the way – either for the Series 5, the Series 4, or both. Apple Watch 4. Image Credit: TechRadar Given that much of the hardware should already be in place, it's possible that sleep tracking will also come to older models as a software update. However, the report says that the feature should arrive by 2020, so we might not see it until the Apple Watch 6. A report from Reuters has also claimed Apple will be looking to Japan Display to make OLED panels for the Watch 5. That's unlikely to have any effect on the end product, but it's interesting to see the company is already preparing its manufacturing deals ready for this year's device. A patent filed by Apple shows a system that monitors chemicals in the air to 'smell', which could track your body odor or sense air quality where you're exercising. A glucose monitor manufacturer has also confirmed it's making a device specific for the Apple Watch, which may mean we're closer to seeing an unobtrusive version of tech included on a future Apple smartwatch. Another rumor suggests the Apple Watch 5 may be the first Apple wearable to come with Wi-Fi Assist technology on board too. That's unlikely to be on the Apple Watch 5, but the new accessory may specifically work on the next-gen Apple Watch. Another report suggests Apple may be readying itself to switch over to microLED technology from the traditionally used OLED tech on its Apple Watch range. That is unlikely to happen for the Apple Watch 5 though as the company is said to only be in the early stages of the switch now, so it's likely whatever Apple Watch we see in 2020 will be the first to include it. It's thought the company is switching to microLED to help improve the watch's battery life. Little else is known about the Apple Watch 5. Consistent rumors surface every year with Apple patenting round screens and a variety of other technologies, but at the time of writing we have no reason to believe these are true for this smartwatch. Apple Watch 5: what we want to see  A new smartwatch from Apple hopefully means some meaningful innovation.  The Apple Watch 4 was a big change for the wearable line, but we're hoping for even more on the next-generation smartwatch. Here’s what we're hoping for: 1. Improved battery life  The Apple Watch doesn't have the worst battery life for a smartwatch, but neither does it have the best.  The Apple Watch Series 4 does have the best battery we've seen on a smartwatch from the company so far... but we always want more. Apple may be able to improve its processing tech to eek more out of the battery that's already inside or perhaps the company will include a larger cell to result in improved battery life.  Apple may even take a radical step and include a low battery mode like we've seen on other watches, such as the TicWatch Pro. 2. A wider selection of apps Image Credit: TechRadar  This is something that would improve the entire Apple series of wearables. We've seen some major players drop support for Apple Watch including Instagram and Slack, and we'd like to see Apple invest in getting those users back onto watchOS. If it can't get the big name services, we'd like to see Apple get developers more involved in the platform to create innovative apps for the service that compete with Tizen and Wear OS. 3. And something special for Spotify 2018 saw the debut of a Spotify app on your Apple Watch, but it's not what everyone wanted. You can currently only use it to control music on other devices, meaning you can't download albums or playlists directly to your watch. Apple Music does allow that on the Apple Watch, so why can't the company include similar support for Spotify? In fact, we'd like to see the company embrace support on its wearable for Tidal, YouTube Music and a variety of other streaming services too. It’d be a major step for Apple to open up like this and in return it'd mean a lot for certain users. 4. Better sleep tech  Apple's sleep tracking technology isn't the best on the Apple Watch, and we have found it doesn't always track each night's sleep with great accuracy. We'd like to see the company focus on improving this feature that some find essential on their smartwatch. You can buy a variety of different sleep monitors that can be installed under your sheets, and we'd like to see Apple embrace its top-end heart rate tracking tech to rival some of these. 5. A slightly thinner design   Image Credit: TechRadar It's another one we're always asking for, but the Apple Watch does still feel thick on your wrist. The Series 4 in 44mm does feel thinner because it's larger, but it's still a thicker device than some other smartwatches money can buy. Apple may be able to trim it down a touch further too by including smaller processing tech and perhaps a new battery tech. We don't know how Apple can do it,  but we'd like it to. 6. Support for Android  Here's the one on the list we're almost certain won't happen, but we're including it anyway. We'd like to see the Apple Watch 5 include support for Android devices.  In the five years since the announcement of the original Apple Watch we've always wanted this, but the company has kept compatibility limited to its own iPhone line. Android Wear started out as a platform for those with Android phones, but a few years in the company opened it up for support with iPhone. That has been a major boon for the company and at last count over a third of its users were on iPhone. Wouldn't that mean a surge in sales for the Apple Watch if it suddenly worked with Android devices? Apple has made one of the best smartwatches money can buy, why not share it with everyone? It probably won't happen, but we can dream. 7. Another gamechanger  Image Credit: TechRadar  You might not be able to use the feature right now, but allowing for a electrocardiogram (ECG) easily on a smartwatch is a gamechanger for anyone who's worried about their heart health. We'd like to see Apple follow that up with another feature that makes our jaws drop on the Apple Watch 5. That's an easy task, right? It's thought the new ECG feature on the Apple Watch 4 is set to be embraced on a variety of competing smartwatches from other manufacturers coming in 2019 proving Apple is a trendsetter with this tech. We don't currently know what that next thing will be, but we're sure the brains at Apple are already trying to come up with that new tech. Perhaps a device that's suitable for those who suffer from diabetes? Only time will tell. Apple AirPods 2 - will we ever see them? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

USB4: everything you need to know Posted: 07 Sep 2019 01:00 AM PDT USB4 is a new standard of connectivity, which at the time of writing has just had its specification officially confirmed by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the tech standards non-profit which is guardian and cheerleader of all things USB (Universal Serial Bus). So what are the specs, how fast is USB4, what else does it do, and what will it really mean for you going forward? In this article, we’re going to cover all the essentials you need to know about this latest USB standard. Starting off with the observation that the road to USB4 has been a long and confusingly signposted one. If you’ve been following the previous shenanigans of USB-IF, you’ll likely be all too familiar with the baffling naming schemes which have crazily-paved this particular avenue. We had USB 3.1 Gen 1 (offering data transfer speeds of 5Gbps) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps), which recently became USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 respectively, following the introduction of a new USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard early in 2019 which boosted speeds to 20Gbps. It’s all rather messy on the chopping and changing of names with ‘Gen’ suffixes, then, but the basic gist is that these cables represent 5Gbps, 10Gbps, and 20Gbps speeds, and USB-IF has suggested they are referred to as SuperSpeed USB, SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps and SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps respectively. There are other nuances to bear in mind, such as the fact that SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) requires a USB Type-C connector (the previous incarnations don’t), but let’s not get too wrapped up in the old standards here. USB4 moves things on from USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 in a big way, doubling speeds up again to 40Gbps – data transfer levels previously only available to those using Thunderbolt 3 technology, which the new USB standard is built on – but there’s more to this picture than just pure speed, as we’ll explore below. Check out these deals on the best USB-C hubs and docks Cut to the chase What is it? Next-gen USB standard that follows on from USB 3.2 When is it out? The first USB4 devices should emerge later in 2020 What will it cost? Unknown as yet – but cables won’t be cheap USB4 release date The new standard was first announced back in March 2019, and at the time of writing, has just had the spec officially confirmed by USB-IF. So manufacturers can now begin work on producing devices, but obviously that process will take time – and at this point, we don’t have any exact timeframe. It’s a bit of a case of: how long is a USB lead? All we can really do is point to the broad expectation that the first USB4 kit will be pitching up in around a year, at some point later in 2020, although that could slide to the following year. USB4 spec and performance As we mentioned at the outset, USB4 is based on the Thunderbolt protocol which Intel made freely available to the USB Promoter Group (which it’s a member of, along with many other tech giants), allowing USB4 to offer Thunderbolt 3 equivalent speeds of 40Gbps; twice that of the preceding USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard. So, USB4 is bringing this much faster level of performance to all vendors across the board, whereas previously, this could only be achieved by those manufacturers willing to work directly with Intel (and pay royalties) to incorporate Thunderbolt 3 into their hardware. That’s obviously a majorly beneficial stride forward in opening up the world of super-speedy 40Gbps connectivity. However, it isn’t quite as simple as everyone suddenly being able to benefit from 40Gbps data transfer speeds going forward. More on that later, but first let’s concentrate on detailing the rest of the spec, speed levels aside. In terms of compatibility with older standards, USB4 will be backward compatible with USB 3.2 and devices going back to USB 2.0 (although you will need an adapter to plug the USB4 cable – which exclusively uses a Type-C connector, like USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 – into old USB ports, of course). USB4 is also designed to be compatible with Thunderbolt 3, although we should note it’s up to the device manufacturer to implement that compatibility – a decision made because the likes of smartphone makers won’t want to. So while this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, it’s expected that PC vendors will include Thunderbolt 3, although that doesn’t have to be the case – and thus there could be a bit of confusion therein. As we’ve said, the new standard isn’t just about speed, and USB-IF has further clarified that USB4 will involve “multiple data and display protocols that efficiently share the maximum aggregate bandwidth”. With USB4, you will be able to hook up a pair of 4K monitors (at 60Hz) to your PC (or one 5K display), for example, and it’s fast enough to connect an external GPU. For power delivery, like Thunderbolt 3, we’re looking at 100W of juice. Also note that the mentioned more ‘efficient sharing’ means that USB4 doesn’t waste any bandwidth when sending multiple signals down the cable. So if you’ve got a monitor plugged in and a video signal being sent, alongside data, the former will only use the bandwidth it needs (whereas previously with USB 3, that video signal could hog more bandwidth than it actually required, effectively robbing you of data transfer speed when performing multiple operations). Overall, the broad idea is to deliver everything Thunderbolt 3 has been offering, and a bit more, except unified across all PCs, devices and accessories, with one standard – albeit with slight variances such as whether Thunderbolt 3 compatibility is incorporated – using one connector (USB Type-C). USB4 pricing issues That overarching plan to eventually transition all devices across to using Type-C connectors and USB4 is a laudable goal, but obviously that won’t happen anytime soon. While the first USB4 devices should emerge in 2020, widespread adoption of the standard will be a lot further away, and likely a very slow process for price-related reasons. Naturally, to drive adoption, device manufacturers will have to produce hardware which has USB4 ports, and these cost more than the previous-gen tech to implement. This cost issue – which will doubtless be more pronounced in the early stages of USB4 development – means that older USB ports will likely hang around for some time yet (as we’ve already seen since the introduction of USB Type-C). Remember that the fancy new (more expensive) USB4 connectors won’t be needed for all use cases, such as hooking up a simple keyboard – which doesn’t need great chunks of bandwidth – so older-gen USB ports will still be included, probably in the majority, on desktop PCs and laptops; at least in the nearer future. The other cost issue with USB4 is the cables. These will be considerably more expensive than previous USB leads, as they need to be higher quality ‘40Gbps certified’ cables to successfully carry all that bandwidth. So this is how pricing issues on the manufacturer’s side are going to be something of a drag on that grand vision of an all-USB4 computing world, where all connectivity is uniform. The positive point regarding pricing is that at least USB4 represents a new, open and royalty-free way forward, compared to Thunderbolt 3 with its Intel tax which made implementation an even costlier proposition (and indeed truly widespread adoption impossible due to being tied in with Intel technology). The USB4 switchover will take time – and a lot of it, no doubt – but it will eventually start to gain serious momentum. However, in this prolonged transitional phase, further confusion is likely to come into play in terms of the capabilities of any particular given USB Type-C connector (although there’s nothing new there), which might be USB4, USB4 without Thunderbolt 3 compatibility, or a previous-gen technology. We’ve chosen the best USB-C monitors for Apple and Windows laptops This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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